Credit: Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives
Texas Chamber of Commerce Week is October 17-21, 2016
Chambers of Commerce have played an important role in the development of our nation and the state of Texas. Whether openly or with a silent hand chambers have guided policy and taken action to affect change in our state and been present at many famous and infamous places throughout our country’s history. At each strategic inflection point of your community and this state, if you look closely, it is a safe bet that the chamber of commerce was present.
Chambers were instrumental nationally in projects including the Golden Gate Bridge, the Hoover Dam as well as the creation and deepening of several ports around the country to improve commerce.
In his book The Magicians of Main Street, author Chris Mead chronicles the work and accomplishments of chambers of commerce throughout American history. Following are a few items of the highlights of initiative that Texas Chambers of Commerce have been a part of. Did you know the chamber was responsible for or had a hand in:
- Obtaining the Love Aviation Camp in 1917 which later became Love Field in Dallas?
- Developing the San Antonio Riverwalk?
- Starting the Intercoastal Waterway?
- Visioning and helping create the Houston Ship Channel (1915)?
- Attracting TCU, SMU, IOU, and other colleges?
- Bringing a Federal Reserve Branch to Dallas?
- Making Austin a high tech powerhouse?
- Attracting the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Flight Center?
- Building the stockyards industry in Fort Worth?
- The host of the last speech ever given by President John F. Kennedy?
As a chamber member or citizen of a community benefitting from the work of your local chamber of commerce, your money, how and where you get to work, how the country or this state was settled, even possibly the existence of this country as we know it has something to do with the chambers of the past. This remarkable history provides us with great hope for the future of our country and this great state.
Thank you to the chamber of commerce, the professional staff and volunteer leaders that work every day to make our communities great places to live, work and play. October 17 -21, 2016 is Chamber of Commerce Week in Texas. Please take a moment to celebrate the success of chambers i n Texas as we look with eyes of anticipation to what is to come.