2019 Mar/Apr Connections

CHAMBER PROGRAMS

Chamber Day 2019

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS

Chamber Trip to D.C.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

The Floor is Yours...

than 5,000 new homes and provided loans to turn 1,000 home buyers into homeowners. Together, we can lay the foundation for continued growth.

Stop by one of our five locations or give us a call at 979-260-2100!

College Station Chamber of Commerce. We are pleased to have Joel Bryan of the Bryan Creative Group working with us on a new look and feel of our bimonthly publication. Please feel free to share any ideas you may have for future issues with our staff at the Chamber. We hope this magazine will allow us another means of communicating to our members some of the many ways your Chamber is continually fulfilling our mission of “enhancing the economic well-being of the businesses in the B/CS market” as well as other pertinent business information that our members may find useful in their businesses.

This version of Connections magazine would not have been available to our members without a generous commitment from a past Chairman of the Board (then referred to as President) Mr. Lewis Newman and Newman Printing Company. I would like to thank Mr. Newman and Mr. Bryan for their help and for donating their time and energy to this project. The Chamber’s legislative trip to Austin was a considerable success. A united team of 75 local business leaders and professionals, along with representatives from both cities, Brazos County, Texas A&M and Blinn College as well as both local school districts, visited the offices of over 180 elected officials in our State Capitol. We delivered our State Legislative Action Plan with a united voice and made sure that the business community of Bryan and College Station was heard throughout Austin.

I want to thank Representative John Raney and Representative Kyle Kacal, as well as our State Senator Dr. Charles Schwertner, for their help with our trip and the time they were able to spend with our community leaders in Austin. We now turn our attention to Washington, D.C., where our Federal Legislative Action Plan will be delivered in May. Our Congressman Bill Flores and his staff are already working with your Chamber to make sure we optimize our time in Washington. We expect over 30 community leaders to join together to help us take our message to our nation’s Capital.

And we are coming to see you!

That’s right. March 28th is Chamber Day. Thanks to our sponsor Brazos County, another Chamber Day is here. Our goals are set high but we are looking to continue breaking records this year under the leadership of our Chamber Board Chair Vicki Reim of Bryan Texas Utilities. Your Chamber Day committee wants to hit the streets with 250 volunteers, which we will break into smaller groups and pair with a member of law enforcement or the fire department. We will then head out to different locations and try and knock on over 1,500 doors of every business we see and meet the people who are actually running our Bryan/ College Station businesses every day.

If we have missed you in the past, or if you want to make sure we visit you this year, give us a call at the Chamber and we will try and make sure that a group makes it to your place of business.

As I have said before, your Chamber works to achieve our mission of “enhancing the economic well-being of the businesses in the B/ CS market” in many different ways. If you have some ideas of how we can continue to develop our mission, please come by the Chamber offices or give me a call at (979) 260-5200. As we celebrate our 101st year, we want to continue to improve and grow as we promote business and commerce in our world-class community.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

VICKI REIM Chairman

PHIL SHACKELFORD

Chair-Elect

CRYSTAL DUPRE

Immediate Past Chairman

JASON CORNELIUS

Vice Chair of Leadership

JAMES LARKIN

Vice Chair of Finance & Physical Resources

SUSAN GIPSON

Vice Chair of Business Development

MARY MIKE HATCHER

Vice Chair of Communications

RICARDO DIAZ

Vice Chair of Community Enhancement

TAI LEE

Vice Chair of Membership Enhancement

BRAD BEARD

JOHN BUSH

AUSTIN BRYAN

SPENCER CLEMENTS

JOHN C. “JACK” CULPEPPER III

DAVID DOSS

ZACH ETHERIDGE

JILL GALLAGHER

TRACY KYLE

BARBIE PATTERSON

SHANE PHELPS

KORI RICH

TRAVIS ROLLINS

PAT SHIELDS

GREG ZWEIACKER

STAFF

GLEN BREWER

President/CEO

ROYCE HICKMAN

Community Liaison

CARRIE ARCHER

Manager of Membership

TOM TILTON Manager of Finance

JORDAN PRIHODA Manager of Business Programs

BRIAN MILLER

Membership Investment Representative

KALEY CRUMP

Coordinator ALLISON BATTE

Coordinator

RACHEL NAVE

Welcome NEW CHAMBER MEMBERS

3RD

BRYAN CREATIVE GROUP 413 Oak Street Bryan, TX 979-704-5212 www.BryanCreativeGroup.com

ERGOGENESIS WORKPLACE SOLUTIONS, LLC 1 BodyBilt Place Navasota, TX 936-825-1700 www.BodyBilt.com

G-CON MANUFACTURING, INC. 6161 Imperial Loop College Station, TX 979-431-0700 www.GConBio.com

HOWELL SERVICE CORPORATION 1430 North Harvey Mitchell Pkwy Bryan, TX 979-823-1775 www.HowellServiceCorp.com

www.CortiersRealEstate.com

AGGIELAND

18075 FM 974 Byran, TX 77808 979-599-5440

CARDIOQUIP 3827 Old College Rd. Bryan, TX 77801 979-691-0202 THE GIN

JUICY CRAWFISH & SEAFOOD 2206 Texas Ave S College Station, TX 77840 979-704-5412

AMBASSADOR MONTH OF THE

It’s an honor being named Ambassador of the Month and I am proud to serve alongside 40 other amazing ambassadors. Together we care about the businesses that make up our community, small or large.

With more than 32 years’ experience in the tax and accounting fields, I am currently the President and CEO of Holladay & Associates, Inc. in Bryan, Texas. I, along with my associates, provides tax preparation for individuals and businesses, and offer payroll, bookkeeping and notary services to a broad-based roster of local and regional clients.

Please visit our website at www. holladayassociates.com for access to many resources for your personal and business needs.

I look forward to meeting you out in the community or at further chamber events.

2019 Chamber Day

THURSDAY, MARCH 28

Your Bryan/College Station Chamber of Commerce will hit the streets of our community on Thursday, March 28th for the 11th Annual Bryan/College Station Chamber Day sponsored by Brazos County.

Chamber Day is the B/CS Chamber of Commerce’s way of connecting directly with the businesses in our community. During Chamber Day visits, the Chamber and its volunteers take the opportunity to thank local businesses for supporting the economy of Brazos County and ask how their business is doing overall. Chamber Day also gives businesses the opportunity to discuss any problems, issues or concerns they may have.

Last year, over 200 volunteers signed up to help the Chamber visit businesses throughout Brazos County, including leadership and law enforcement from both cities and Brazos County. Our volunteers visited over 1,200 businesses—a record for Chamber Day!

This year, our goal is to sign up 250 volunteers and visit 1,500 businesses. But we need your help! You can sign up to volunteer as a team, or as an individual. During Chamber Day, teams will be assigned an area and will visit both Chamber members and non-members. You can participate all day, or choose a half day shift. All volunteers will be served lunch thanks to our generous Lunch Sponsor, BB&T.

The day’s events will be celebrated that evening at a Business After Hours event sponsored by Allen Honda from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. For more information, to sign-up as a volunteer or to request a Chamber Day visit for your business, visit www.bcschamber.org, or contact Carrie Archer at (979) 260-5200.

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT OUR LOCAL ECONOMY TO DO?

B/CS CHAMBER AG COUNCIL

Crawfish Boil

This year marks the 21st B/CS Chamber Ag Council

Crawfish Boil supporting local 4H and FFH members.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15

BRAZOS COUNTY EXPO CENTER

6:00 - 8:30 PM

$50 PER TICKET

To purchase tickets, call (979) 260-2500 or visit www.bcschamber.org

To date, the B/CS Chamber of Commerce Crawfish Boil has raised over $300,000 supporting 4H and FFA members. Proceeds from the event are used to purchase projects at the Brazos County Youth Livestock Show. The mission of our Ag Council is to bid on or purchase the projects of the youth in our community who may not be as well-known, or may have difficulty getting bids. The Ag Council has bid on or purchased over 400 projects benefiting hundreds of youth in our community. The profits from these projects are used to support their college education and encourage our youth to become more involved in agriculture and to better understand where our food comes from.

The B/CS Chamber of Commerce Ag Council was re-organized 21 years ago and two priorities were established: to

support our local 4H and FFA members and to provide agricultural advocacy in the Brazos Valley. Along with the Crawfish Boil, the Ag Council established the annual B/CS Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Breakfast. It is held during Thanksgiving week and educates community members about the importance of agriculture in our region. This event, held at the Brazos County Expo, has grown to over 550 attendees. Local farmers and ranchers prepare and serve breakfast using local agricultural products.

One in every seven jobs in the United States is involved with agriculture. From farm to fork, agriculture is involved in our daily lives. Texas is the second largest producing agriculture state in the U.S. and agriculture is our second leading industry within our state behind the oil & gas industry. Texas leads the nation in beef cattle, cotton, sheep, goats, horses and hay. In addition, we are a significant lead-

er in dairy, broiler production, egg production, corn, sorghum, pork, rice, vegetables (spinach, cabbage, onions and carrots), wheat, forestry/ lumber production and nursery/greenhouse production. Agriculture is big business in Texas. We are fortunate to have Texas A&M University and the Texas AM University System State Agriculture Agencies (Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab and the Texas A&M Forestry Service) located in Brazos County supporting the needs of agriculture and the citizens of the state of Texas. The Texas A&M AgriLife Research has been ranked first in the nation in agricultural research for the past 6 years.

Texas and U.S. agriculture needs leadership now than more ever if we are to feed 9 billion people by 2050. Only 11% of the world is tillable and we will have to produce more to meet the demands of the future. Education is the key to progress and communication is the key to peace. Texas A&M University stands ready to meet that challenge.

“I think the whole university in research, academics, sports and everything else is on a 45-degree trajectory to the top,” said System Chancellor John Sharp. “I think A&M is experiencing more momentum right now, because of the great folks who work here, than any place in the state. “Quite frankly, our competition is no longer in the state of Texas. Our competition is the top universities in the world and that’s where we’re headed.”

Your help in supporting the upcoming B/CS Chamber of Commerce Ag Council Crawfish Boil would be greatly appreciated! Tickets can be purchased at the Bryan/College Station Chamber of Commerce office. For more information, contact Jordan Prihoda at Jordan@bcschamber.org, or call (979) 260-5200.

Legislative Action Plan

On May 7-10, the Chamber will be making its annual trip to Washington, D.C., to advocate for local businesses in the Bryan/ College Station community.

Upon arrival in Washington D.C on May 7-10, a group consisting of Chamber members will visit with every member of the Texas Congressional delegation along with other key Congressional leaders and present the Chamber’s Federal Legislative Action Plan for 2019. Since January, the Chamber’s Legislative Affairs Committee has been hard at work to develop the Legislative Action Plan to take to Congress.

On February 12, 22 teams composed of almost 70 B/CS Chamber of Commerce members descended on the Texas State Capitol in Austin to present the Chamber’s 2019 State Legislative Action Plan to every member of the 86th Texas State Legislature. The major topics that were discussed in the plan were:

• Regulatory/Taxes

• Economic Development

• Education – Public and Higher

• Health Care

• Energy & Natural Resources

• Transportation

JIM MAZURKIEWICZ. PH.D PROFESSOR,

TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE EXTENSION B/CS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AG COUNCIL CHAIR

The previous evening, the Chamber delegation hosted a reception at the Omni Hotel in downtown Austin for members of the legislature and their staff.

The major topics that will be included in the 2019 Federal Legislative Action Plan are as follows:

• Economic Development

• Fiscal Responsibility

• Health Care

• Higher Education & Workforce Training

• Transportation

• Regulatory & Tax Burdens on Business

These topics were the product of a survey of all Chamber members to find out the issues that were of highest importance to them. For more information about the Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Affairs Committee, visit www. bcschamber.org/LegislativeAffairs.

See your business featured in publications sent to our 1500+ Chamber membership!

The Chamber produces several different publications throughout the year including:

- Weekly Insider Report eNewsletter

- Monthly Connections magazine -Annual Directory

For details and options, call (979) 260-5200 or contact brian@bcschamber.org

The Floor is Yours...

THE CHAMBER SPOTLIGHT SHARES COMPANY NEWS WITH THE COMMUNITY. NEW LEADERSHIP, MAJOR CHANGES, ANNIVERSARIES, EMPLOYEE ACHEIVEMENTSCLEBRATE MILESTONES WITH A MESSAGE!

Sabi Boutique

is excited to announce the opening of its second location at Century Square in College Station this spring! Located next to Hopdoddy, Sabi Boutique will continue to offer fashionable women’s apparel and designer jewelry, plus home decor and gifts at their new location. Sabi Boutique has been named the Brazos Valley’s Best Women’s Boutique since 2015.

The Prenatal Clinic

Save the Date! The Prenatal Clinic will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of its major fundraiser, the “You’re the Tops Luncheon” on April 27, 2019 at the College Station Hilton. This event recognizes exemplary women in our community and supports the clinic’s goal of Healthy Moms and Healthy Babies by providing prenatal care to eligible women in the Brazos Valley. Go to www.bcsprenatal.org for list of the 2019 honorees and information on sponsorships and tickets.

The Brazos County A&M Club

is pleased to announce its 2019 team of officers including:

Alexandra González Rainey ’15 – President

Christopher Dawson ’14 – President Elect

Dr. Jennifer Ann Scasta ’11 – VP of Programs

Sheila Nelson ’92 – VP of Publicity

Landon Harrell ’17 – VP of Finance

Gina Jett ’79 – VP of Records

Madeline Veroeven ’13 – VP of Membership

Dave Fujimoto ’17 – VP of Events and Member Engagement

Bob Davis ’89 – VP of Scholarships

If interested in volunteering or getting involved with Club events this year, please email bcamc@gmail.com. Gig ’em!

Durham Enginnering

received the SSPC 2018 Charles G. Munger Award for the Luza Street Elevated Storage Tank with the City of Bryan, TX on February 11th, 2019; along with being apart of the Aggie 100 Class of 2018. Dunham Engineering continues to showcase its detail to customer satisfaction while continuing to grow as a strong company in the community.

Health For All

On April 6, 2019 come rock around the clock and help raise money for Health For All, a non-profit free clinic serving the uninsured of the Brazos Valley, as we present “Dancing for the Health of It- American Bandstand” featuring Hats Off to Bra Art, at the Hilton College Station. Hat and bra art submissions are due by March 8, 2019 in order to be displayed prior to the event. For more information, art submission guidelines, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.hlth4all.org.

Amico Nave Ristorante

Casa do Brasil

wants to thank Chamber Members who booked their December 2018 Christmas parties with us, we enjoyed hosting you and to show our gratitude we are offering a special for Chamber members only. If you book a party with a minimum of 15 people, on any date in 2019, and you mention this email you will receive a gift certificate for two complimentary meals! Contact 979279-8920 or cboothe@casadobrasil.com to learn more!

Brazos County Health District

Santos Navarrette was appointed as the Director of the Brazos County Health District in October 2018 by the Board of Health. He brings 16 years of public health experience to the Brazos County area and came to us from the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District where he was the Health Director for four years. Mr. Navarrette’s vision is to lead the health district in becoming a premier public health organization in the State of Texas

at the Bryan Branch. She has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. Kimberly said, “The credit union has proven to be a place of continued progression and opportunity. During my time, I’ve grown tremendously and look forward to serving our members in this new capacity.”Aggieland Credit Union has 4 locations in the Brazos Valley, is known as Greater Texas Credit Union, and has 19 locations serving Texans since 1952.

NAMI Brazos Valley

is excited to celebrate it’s 6th Anniversary on April 4th of this year! We could not do it without the amazing support of this community! We look forward to serving you for many years to come! Are you tired of eating at the same old places for lunch? Spice up your lunch with Amico Nave! Our lunch menu has something for everyone. Whether you are looking for a quick and healthy bite, conducting a business lunch, or closing an important deal, Amico Nave has got you covered! Ask about our private party room for those larger lunch groups and board meetings!

Texas ENT & Allergy

welcomes Dr. Jennifer Muehlebach to our Audiology team. Dr. Muehlebach is passionate about hearing health care and is an active member of the Texas Academy of Audiology where she has served as Vice President of Legislative Affairs. She enjoys seeing dizziness and hearing loss patients of all ages and is an active volunteer at her church and at the Elizabeth House Maternity Home in Bryan/College Station, as well as a supporter of Aggie Swim Club.

Aggieland Credit Union

Kimberly Gaines was promoted to Branch Manager with Aggieland Credit Union to run the Northgate Branch, on February 1, 2019. Kimberly began her career at Aggieland Credit Union in 2009 as a Teller and steadily moved up to Teller II, Head Teller and was most recently the Teller Supervisor

is excited to announce they have completed the long rigorous re-affiliation process as required by the NAMI National organization and have been granted Standards of Excellence credentials. NAMI Brazos Valley has also added two new staff members. Summer Magee Smith is the new Assistant Director-Programs and Barbara Dott will be the NAMI Walks manager.Both are huge accomplishments for our affiliate.

Bridal Association of the Brazos Valley

recently held their 28th Annual Spring Bridal Show & Benefit on February 24th. 100 percent of the ticket proceeds were donated to Pink Alliance of the Brazos Valley. The combined total from the Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 shows totaled $16,595. The Fall 2019 Bridal Show and Benefit will be held on September 22nd at the Brazos County Expo.

The Bryan Rotary

in cooperation with the B/CS Chamber of Commerce and the Brazos Valley Economic Development Center present the Bryan Rotary 10, underwritten by Anco Insurance. The 26th Annual Business Performance Awards will be held on June 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Hilton College Station. Nominations will be taken until March 27 and can be found at the B/CS Chamber of Commerce, Anco Insurance, or at www.bryan-rotary.com. Anyone is welcome to submit nominations.

WHY

ARE YOU A CHAMBER MEMBER?

“

When we moved back to Aggieland we had been gone such a long time, we needed to find a way to get plugged back in. By participating in chamber events, we were able to reconnect, as well as make new contacts from con tractors, builders, vendors and almost every other person who has helped us establish two restaurants and a cater ing business.

WADE AND MARY BECKMAN

SHIPWRECK GRILL AND AMICO NAVE

Deluxe RIBBON CUTTINGS

Louis M. Newman, Jr. Founder