Greg Penner wants to respect Broncos’ past, but not be a prisoner of it

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — It is a cliché, but it is true: We are products of our experiences.

For Broncos CEO Greg Penner, those experiences, in a business sense, are tied to Walmart. He became the company’s chairman in 2015, having joined the corporation’s board of directors seven years earlier after serving in other roles.

“I talked about a year ago about setting a culture, and for us that starts with people—setting high expectations, giving them resources and then holding them accountable. I’ve been doing that a long time at Walmart,” he said Wednesday as training camp began.

Helping guide a multi-national retailing empire isn’t exactly the same as guiding an NFL team, something he came to realize over the course of the frist year.

“The big learning is how do you translate that — those principles—into this environment and this setting?”he said. “There are a lot of differences and a lot of that just comes from experience. We’ve gotten a lot of that in the first year.”

But while there is divergence, some principles translate.

And one is key: Respect the past, but don’t be handcuffed by it.

“I can tell you my view is that legacy and history are incredibly important, and we want to honor that,” Penner said. “At the same time … I remember my first meeting at Walmart when I took over as chairman and I was explaining some of my pet peeves.

“One was: Please don’t ever say the words, ‘That’s the way we’ve always done it’ as a rationale for something.

“I think we want to honor history and honor our legacy here — but be willing to change when it’s necessary.”

WHY THE WHITE HELMET MEANS SOMETHING

I asked Penner about the idea of respecting the past while being progressive in the context of the Broncos’ introduction of their “ice” helmet, which lit up local social-media circles Tuesday.

In many ways, the helmet is about trying to thread a needle between tradition of past ownerships and the Walton-Penner group putting its stamp on the club. The “D” logo is the classic that Broncos fans know; it dates back to 1968, when it first landed on the helmet. It bridges the eras from the Phipps brothers to Pat Bowlen, with three seasons under Edgar Kaiser in between.

But the white helmet? That belongs solely to Penner and the Walton-Penner group. When the Broncos don it, it’ll be a first in 64 seasons.

It’s something old, and something new. It’s honoring history and embracing change.

This will likely be worth recalling when the Broncos eventually introduce new uniforms. Team president Damani Leech says that remains “TBD.” But don’t expect a straight-up throwback on a modern look.

And don’t expect fealty to the past in other areas, too. Penner hired Sean Payton, and the new coach has wasted little time putting his imprint on the organization. For better or for worse, changes big and small buffeted the club in recent months.

They’re still the Denver Broncos. But in this new regime, everything is under a microscope. That’s actually a healthy thing; after all, from time to time, every concept should be subject to this question: “If we were starting today, would we have this?” Too much persists just because, enduring because of historical inertia.

Penner doesn’t operate that way.

And frankly, the Broncos needed that.

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