Issuu

WOW, just WOW! Our 2025 Annual Meeting and Banquet was an incredible success! We can’t thank our members enough for your support at the Staying Alive in 2025 event on Friday, January 17 at the Bastrop Convention Center. Every year, just when I think it can’t get any better, our members exceed expectations once again.

At its core, our Banquet is a fundraiser, one of the largest we hold annually. While it may not tug at your heartstrings, the funds raised support our operating budget, allowing us to fulfill our updated mission: “To improve business prosperity and the quality of life in Bastrop County, through leadership, advocacy, and collaboration.” By supporting this signature event, you help us grow our capacity to advocate for you.

I want to extend a special thanks to our incredible sponsors, starting with our Staying Alive Title Sponsor, Roscoe Bank | Cornerstone Capital Bank. This is their third year as our title sponsor, and they’ve already committed to sponsoring next year’s event on Friday, January 16, 2026—even though they don’t yet know the theme, costumes, or props! We promise it will be another memorable experience.

In 2025, we introduced two new top-tier sponsorships. The first was the Neon Nights Sponsor, supported by Darling Ingredients and Frontier Bank. The next tier, Funky Town Sponsors, included Wellsential Health, First National Bank of Bastrop, Ringel & Brymer, PLLC, and Steubing LLC Land Surveying.

I also want to thank our amazing Award Sponsors. This is only the third year we’ve had this sponsorship level, and each organization did a fantastic job hosting our Award Winners at both the banquet and the

Award Luncheon on January 3. A special thanks to:

• Classic Bank for the Ambassador of the Year

• Bone Drs Orthopedic Care for Large Business of the Year

• Frost Bank for Small Business of the Year

• VeraBank for Emerging Business of the Year

• Advanced Pain Care for Non-Profit of the Year

• Kragh’s Jewelry Retail and Repair for Woman of the Year

• Bluebonnet Electric for Man of the Year

• MVBA for the Award of Distinction

• HotWorx for the Lifetime Achievement Award

Each of our Award Winners is well-deserving and will be honored throughout the year!

Thank you to all the businesses that supported us through various sponsorships, including Studio 25 Supporters, Disco Fever Sing-off, Shake Your Groove Thing, and Boogie Bar Sponsors. Our members had a great time! From awards to silent auctions, decorations, the Do the Hustle 50/50, and Get Down and Dine, it was a night to remember. Many members also reserved corporate tables, further demonstrating their support.

A huge thank you goes to everyone who donated to and participated in our Live and Silent Auctions! You helped us net nearly $30,000. Special thanks to Tami Goode, Faye Scoggins, and Stacey Tiner for securing auction items. They have graciously agreed to chair this committee again in 2026.

Speaking of committees, let’s give a round of applause to the entire Hospitality Committee! Their creativity, planning, and execution were nothing short of phenomenal. Every detail was carefully planned to ensure

you had a great time and to celebrate the successes of 2024.

Finally, I want to recognize my amazing Chamber team, our very own “Village People,” who keep our Disco Ball shining bright. Jami Haney, our organizer; Jacki Gabryshak, our sponsorship master; Kornyan Bailey, who brought our crazy ideas to life; and Kelsi Owen, the behind-the-scenes coordinator, all worked tirelessly to make this event a success. Because of their efforts, we’ve eased some financial pressure and can now concentrate on what matters most—our members and fostering a more dynamic business community!

As we thrive in 2025, don’t miss our next Chamber Luncheon—or any of our events throughout the year. We have a fantastic lineup of topics. On Wednesday, February 5, we’ll host a panel of superintendents from the four school districts in the county to discuss important issues like school finance, staffing shortages, and the state’s school rating system. This is a hot topic for the 89th state legislature, which convened on the fourteenth of January. Don’t forget that Bastrop County’s Day at

the Capitol is coming up on Tuesday, February 11. Check our Chamber Event Calendar on BastropChamber.com for registration and transportation details. Looking ahead, mark your calendars for March 28—our 5th Annual Teeing Off Golf Tournament at ColoVista Golf Club. If you enjoy golf or want to sponsor a hole, don’t delay! After last year’s event, about 20 teams and half of our hole sponsors have already signed up. Visit our website and register now!

Your Chamber staff has worked hard to plan the entire 2025 calendar with you in mind. Be sure to check our Chamber Event Calendar and get involved throughout the year to maximize your investment with us. Add our events to your calendar now so you don’t miss a single valuable moment or educational opportunity.

Since 1920, the Bastrop Chamber has served the business community from our heart in downtown Bastrop, at 927 Main Street. We’ve been in this location since 1993, and we have the most experienced team in the area, continually achieving more than I ever dreamed possible. Bastrop is truly the best place to live, work, play, and raise a family. Let’s keep our Disco Ball turning and shining bright as we thrive in 2025!

Becki Womble, CCE, IOM President/CEO Bastrop Chamber of Commerce

A Lone Star collaboration: Texas Monthly, Community Impact partner to provide valuable stories for all Texans

Two award-winning Texas media brands are teaming up to deliver hyperlocal news and vivid storytelling in a single product that combines the best of both worlds.

Beginning in February, every edition of the monthly Community Impact newspaper – which delivers unbiased, useful and hyperlocal news that readers in 40-plus communities across Texas have come to rely on – will contain a mini edition of Texas Monthly’s magazine.

The special section may include excerpts from some of the magazine’s popular franchises, such as “Critters” and “Meanwhile in Texas,” as well as from one of Texas Monthly’s longform narratives.

“Our focus each month is simple: how do we delight Community Impact readers when they open their

mailbox? This mini Texas Monthly will add to the excitement and anticipation our readers feel when they see their edition waiting for them, which is also packed with trusted, original and engaging content they can’t find anywhere else,” Community Impact Founder & CEO John Garrett said.

The mini edition of Texas Monthly will run in more than 2.5 million copies of Community Impact across the Austin, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio metros.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Community Impact,” Texas Monthly President Scott Brown said. “A sample of Texas Monthly’s renowned storytelling will be shared with so many Texas households.”

Read the original article here: A Lone Star collaboration: Texas Monthly, Community Impact partner to provide valuable stories for all Texans | Community Impact