Veteran-led chamber starts outreach in Golden Triangle

By Chrissie Mouton news@orangeleader.com

A new Chamber of Commerce is actively building a network to connect veterans with local services.

1 - Creating a strong local veteran business ecosystem.

2 - Promoting the veteran business community and supplier diversity.

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3 - Providing cooperative and business opportunities.

4 - Representing veteran entrepreneurs and chamber members to the greater Houston market, corporations and government supply chains. These are the four core competencies of the

Houston Regional Veterans Chamber of Commerce (HRVCC), a nonprofit established in 2021 by Dave Weaver and John Cacolice, retired U.S. Army veterans, to encourage economic growth and development of the veteran business economy.

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint..

G&G Enterprises expanded operations to Beaumont approximately seven years ago for greater exposure.

When the move was made, there were 11 employees. Today, there are 58 employees.

Garret attributes the growth to:

• Being in the right place at right time;

• Doing what they say they are going to do;

• Delivering quality work for

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Courtesy photo

Pictured, from left, are Adriana M., Karen G. and Carol A. are seen during Tuesday’s Greater Orange Area Literacy Services class.

By Chrissie Mouton news@orangeleader.com

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” –Frederick Douglass after her food was delivered. She spent the night hanging on to the beams,” Burman

One local non-profit is working hard to give that freedom to people in the area. Greater Orange Area Literacy Services, or GOALS, provides a variety of free services to enable those 16 and over to achieve their personal goals through improved literacy.

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For Mary Williams, Golden Triangle Forward Operating Base Director, her job of being a conduit and catalyst of awareness is just beginning in Southeast Texas.

According to statistics

“We believe the ability to read is critical to personal freedom,” Executive Director Rhonda Powell said. GOALS is an affiliate of ProLiteracy America and, according to its site, more than 43 million adults in the

See ‘GOALS,’ page A7 the HRVCC has helped hundreds of military members in the Golden Triangle connect with various services in the last year.

Williams retired from the U.S. Army in 2011 after serving 21 years, including four combat tours. Williams said helping veterans is not a project or a job but a passion.

“I absolutely love our veterans and the community I’m from,” Williams said. “Had it not been for the veterans before me, I would never have had the chance to have served.”

Williams says when the HRVCC approached her with the opportunity to become the Forward Operating Base Director for this area, she jumped at the chance and has been on the go since.

“I ended up having an amazing career and now it’s my time to return the favor,” Williams said. “I advocate at the front lines for our veterans so that they can get the benefits and entitlements they deserve.”

The HRVCC offers a host of member benefits including an eight-week business growth academy, designed to help business owners and leaders accelerate growth in their business.

“The Houston Regional Veterans Chamber of Commerce will benefit the community by being a premier leader of a thriving and robust ecosystem while inspiring economic impact and community empowerment,” Williams said. “When you join the chamber, you will have a chance to support the veteran/military community and create a positive impact. We will help you to design, develop and implement programs or projects that support veterans and military families.”

According to their site, they also offer special network and advertising opportunities, business skills education, as well as other opportunities.

“It lets veteran-owned businesses in the local community know that we are here and that we will advocate for their business,” Williams says. “We collaborate, advocate, be a business education resource connection, while fostering a positive impact on the community and growing the economy region wide.”

Chamber member Wendy Clifford with Clifford Distilling LLC of Port Arthur says they’ve been afforded multiple opportunities to interact with other veteran-owned businesses not

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• Giving the owners the best of all the worlds they deal with.

G&G Enterprises expanded its superintendent and project manager base, support staff through a dedicated quality management position and created a dedicated safety division.

Company leaders have also grown human resources, business development and marketing within the operation.

“It takes a lot to grow a company to this size,” Garrett said. “It takes even more to keep it going. Our goal doesn’t stop here. We have larger plans for G&G Enterprises. We look to our 15-, 20- and 25-year plans. My wife and I are continuing to expand our vision to incorporate our children to eventually turn this over to them.” just locally, but across the entire country.

“Being on the chamber creates an opportunity to showcase our business and inform our community leaders of what it’s like to own and operate a whiskey distillery in Texas, more importantly the greater Houston area,” Clifford says. “The chamber serves as a medium from us to potential investors and allows us to network and promote the business while staying true to our core values and ethics as a Veteran owned and operated company.”

The Golden Triangle area of the HRVCC includes Jefferson, Orange, Hardin and Chambers counties, including the cities of Cheek, Nome, Hampshire-Fannett, Winnie, China and Anahuac.

“It’s a broad territory to

Giving back

Garrett said G&G leaders have always known the company’s success comes from the community it serves.

That means they become advocates for their clients and identify numerous area charities to support through the donation of time, resources and money.

One of the most recent moves made headlines across Orange County and beyond when the West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District announced a G&G Enterprises donation of $1 million.

The move, celebrated in late May, led to the board of trustees granting G&G Enterprises exclusive naming rights to the newly constructed West Orange-Cove Event Center. The center’s state-of-theart facilities and versatile spaces provide a platform for sports competitions, performances, community gatherings and educational programs.

It was unveiled for the community with the high school graduation this year.

Superintendent Dr. Rickie Harris said West Orange-Cove is grateful for G&G’s commitment to investing in education and fostering community development.

Garrett calls Harris a visionary, adding it is exciting to watch him work methodically to grow the cover,” Williams says. “The chamber will bring together programs, projects, organizations, people and resources to the military/ veteran community.” district with facilities that meet the needs of current students and those coming decades from now.

The chamber is open to all veteran and military spouse owned businesses as well as veterans, first responder owned businesses, veteran service organizations and non-profits, as well as passionate patriot-owned businesses, government agencies and corporate sponsors.

“Join us in the spirit of collaboration to do greater work together in the community to make an even greater impact for generations to come,” Williams says.

For more information, visit houveteranschamber. org or call 409-767-1797.

“He really cares and loves that district,” Garrett said. “It is infectious.”

Garrett said it was a blessing to graduate from West Orange, go off to college and come back home to grow a local company.

“Being able to give back to the place where this all began is a huge honor and a humbling experience,” he said. “Even in my wildest dreams, I never imagined being able to have that much financial impact on any organization, let alone being able to do that for the school that I graduated from.”

The name

A committee inside G&G Enterprises was developed to go over ideas, and that committee has selected a name for the West Orange-Cove Event Center.

Company officials and school district officials still must meet to discuss where signs will be placed. There are some subtle nuances to go through regarding the size of the signs and where they will be located.

“I would anticipate having some type of a ceremony that is somewhere in the first part of this next school year,” Garrett said when explaining when it would all be unveiled for the community.

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