Serving You 11-28

Community Betterment | Convention & Visitors Bureau | Economic Development

Economic Indicators | Membership Services & Outreach | Public Policy

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2012 BOARD ADOPTS BUDGET, ELECTS OFFICERS

The Chamber of Commerce by-laws calls for a special meeting of the incoming Board of Directors for the following year to be held each November to elect officers and adopt a preliminary budget. 2012 Chair of the Board Tobin Hoffmann presided at a meeting last Tuesday and Nominating Committee Chair Larry Hammonds welcomed newly-elected Board members for terms ending 12-31-2014 and placed in nomination Sandy Kibby for Chair-Elect, Mark Hampton Vice-Chair and Joe Castilleja Vice-Chair. Hoffmann’s one-year appointees were also ratified including Mark Hampton, Roxolin Krueger and Aja Edwards Patino. A preliminary budget was adopted.

BOARD SENDS INQUIRY TO CITY COUNCIL ON NEW TRANSPORTATION PLAN

The Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors voted last Monday at their regularly scheduled meeting to have Chair of the Board Corey Hall send a letter to Mayor Pospisil and members of the City Council regarding the proposed new Transportation Plan. City Council is scheduled to vote on first reading this evening beginning at 6:00 pm at 424 S. Castell Avenue. Questions asked of the Mayor and Council included the future cost of acquisition of private property in the city limits via using existing roads for expansion and any unintended consequences and impact on citizens along existing streets, the impact of the new mobility plan on NBU rate payers, whether the citizens impacted now and in the future have been properly noticed and whether or not the new plan qualifies for federal funding. Should the answers to these questions not be available by this evening, Council has been asked to table the vote until such time they are provided that information and impacted citizens are properly informed of the new plan.

FAMOUS POLITICAL SATIRIST COMING TO NB

Long before Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert, there was Mark Russell. Russell spent thirty years in public television as host of the “Mark Russell Comedy Specials” and has syndicated columns throughout the country. Russell is close friends with 2012 Texan of the Year Ray Perryman and will be on hand to introduce him at the event next March 22. Russell retired from performances last year so this will be a special treat for conference attendees. According to Russell, a frequently asked question, “Do you have any writers?” is “Oh, Yes . . . I have 535 writers. . . . . 100 in the Senate and 435 in the House of Representatives.”

HELP MOVE NB FORWARD IN 2012

Committee preference forms were sent to all Chamber members recently. Please take the time to review the list and mail, email or fax in your choices by Thursday. Please indicate which committee you wish to serve on. Twelve different committees are listed in the areas of community betterment, member services and outreach, public policy, and economic development. The committee preference form also has an explanation of each groups work as well as the Committee Chair and Vice-Chair for 2012. Time to lead!

CITY COUNCIL CONVENES TONIGHT

The New Braunfels City Council will convene in regular session this evening beginning at 6:00 pm at 424 S. Castell Avenue. The meeting can also be viewed on Time Warner Cable Channel 21. Following three proclamations, two presentations will be given to the City Council including the TAAF local athletes of the year and a presentation by your Chamber of Commerce regarding the annual economic benchmarks study. Following an eleven-item consent agenda, Council will consider eleven individual items including passage on first reading of an ordinance to allow open containers under certain conditions in designated public parks and city-owned property, approving a resolution supporting the recommendations of the Mayor’s Higher Education Task Force and a public hearing and possible approval of the proposed New Braunfels/Seguin Regional Transportation Plan and amending the Comprehensive Plan by replacing the city’s Thoroughfare Plan. (See article above on the Chamber Board’s questions to the City Council regarding that issue)

2011 GOOD YEAR FOR JOB GROWTH IN AREA

The Chambers’ monthly economic indicators through October include information on building permit activity in the city and county, city and county sales tax collections, utility connection growth, visitor inquiries and Comal County employment. There are 1,884 more Comal County citizens employed this October than this time last year and only an additional 189 unemployed. The total labor force grew in the county by 2,073 over the last twelve months. The unemployment rate in the city and county remains lower than the San Antonio-New Braunfels MSA, state and nation.

EXPORT TO BUILD YOUR CUSTOMER BASE

The November issue of Free Enterprise published by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce contains an article by Frank Lavin, the founder of Exportnow.com. Lavin writes no matter your company’s size, your company is capable of going global and he gives five keys for entering new markets. They include picking the right country, learning how customers differ, getting to know your market rivals, learning what you need to win and learning how to close the deal.

Go to www.uschambermagazine.com/ for full details on Lavin’s article. Remain adaptable, know your strengths, take your weaknesses head on and start exporting today!

PAST CHAIRS HONORED TUESDAY

The final Past Chairs of the Board reception for 2011 will be held tomorrow from 5:00 to 6:00 pm in Honors Hall. 2011 Chamber Chair of the Board Corey Hall will host the function and over twenty Past Chamber Chairs of the Board are expected to attend. Hall and Chamber President Michael Meek will give a brief presentation on the recently completed Chamber Board planning retreat and attendees will be treated to refreshments and food. Immediate Past Chair of the Board Larry Hammonds started the Past Chairs receptions in 2010 and Hall followed that tradition this year as a way to say thank you to those volunteer leaders of the Chamber of Commerce from past years.