The Chamber’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the 2013 officers, solidifying Arthur Coulombe, General Manager of the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, as Chairman of the Board and David McGee, President and CEO of Amegy Bank – San Antonio, as Chair-elect. Coulombe follows 2012 Chairman Jim Greenwood, Vice President for Governmental Affairs for Valero Energy.
Coulombe is the first CEO from the hospitality industry since 1949 to serve as the Chamber Chairman and only the third person from the hospitality industry in the 118-year history of The Chamber. His career in hospitality reveals his extensive knowledge and remarkable advocacy for the industry, especially in San Antonio.
Coulombe began his career as a bellman at the Atlanta Marriott Downtown in January 1973 after graduating from the University of Massachusetts. He was soon promoted to Sales Manager at the Atlanta Marriott Downtown, and then went on to become the pre-opening Director of Sales at the San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk, the Director of Marketing at the Houston Marriott Astrodome, the Director of Marketing at the Philadelphia City Line Marriott, and in 1981 became Marriott's Regional Director of Sales and Marketing in the Southeast.
In 1984, Coulombe was promoted to Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Marriott Ownership Resorts and in his three-year tenure, saw this small division rise in sales from $7.5 million to $55 million. He completed his executive training program at the Orlando World Center and in 1988 was assigned to the Resident Manager's position in Rancho Las Palmas.
In 1989, Coulombe became the General Manager at Marriott's famed CasaMagna Puerto Vallarta prior to its opening. In 1991, he was transferred to the Dallas Marriott Quorum and the Marriott Corporation recognized Coulombe by voting him Southern Region General Manager of the Year two years in a row, 1991 and 1992. He was recognized again in 2011.
In September 1994 he assumed his duties as General Manager of one of Marriott's premier convention hotels, returning to the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, and in December 1995 he was named City Manager of San Antonio Marriott Lodging, and then Market Vice President. In 1996, Mr. Coulombe was once again recognized as the South Central Regional General Manager of the Year.
San Antonio has greatly benefitted from his community service. During his first tenure in San Antonio, he served on the Board of the Greater San Antonio Hotel/Lodging Association, was the Chair of the Tourism Council of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, a board member of the Paseo del Rio Association and Junior Achievement of South Texas, and served on the Tourism Commission of the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau.
In 1998, Coulombe was promoted to Senior Vice President and assigned to one of Marriott International’s six Domestic Regional Offices, encompassing 350 hotels. Two years later, he became the Executive Vice President of Sales for the US and International 6500-person sales organization, and in 2001, returned to San Antonio to assume his cherished role as Area General Manager of the San Antonio Marriott Hotels. In December 2008, Coulombe was named opening General Manager of the much-anticipated JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa.
After his return to our city, Coulombe continues to be active with the San Antonio Tourism Council, the Tourism Commission of the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau, Hotel/Lodging Association, he is a Board Member of United Way of San Antonio, the Southwest School of Art and Craft, Junior Achievement, CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital and actively participates in a number of other local and charitable organizations.
2013 Chair-elect David McGee has been involved in Commercial and Investment Banking for 31 years and launched Amegy Bank in San Antonio in January 2007. He began his banking career at InterFirst Bank, Dallas where he managed the bank’s Fortune 500 portfolio in New England and eastern Canada. Prior to 2007, he spent 21 years with JPMorgan Chase, last serving as President of the San Antonio region.
McGee is deeply involved as a community leader, serving on the boards of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio, World Affairs Council of San Antonio, San Antonio Sports, San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, United Way of San Antonio, South Texas Chapter of the Leukemia Society, and the Cancer Therapy and Research Center of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He also co-led Goodwill of San Antonio’s recent capital campaign.
McGee has been an active member of The Chamber’s Board of Directors since 2004. Most recently, he was chairman of the Chamber’s 2012 Economic Development Council and has served on several Chamber committees and task forces for many years.