Chamber Mission To serve our members and enhance economic and community developmentChamber VisionTo be recognized as a vital resource, providing relevant, innovative and impactful programming that produces a health business climate and an enhanced quality of life.InsideCharter Members ..........................................................................................................................................................................3, 9-11Chamber Chat........................................................................................................................................................................................4-5New Board Members ..........................................................................................................................................................................6-7New Members ..........................................................................................................................................................................................8Vol. 24 | Issue 1 January 2019SMART Family Literacy has a Book Drive at the chamber office. >> Page 5In 1969 (50 years ago), one of man’s crowning achieve-ments occurred when American Astronaut Neil Arm-strong became the first human to set foot on the moon and uttered the immortal words “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” The Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce also made a “giant leap” and began its vision for our communi-ties to forge together toward success. We built relationships far and wide and our friendships, partners and colleagues withstood the tests of time. We are still distinctly Texas City-La Marque. That salt-of-the-earth spirit that welcomes everyone, continues to permeate the way we do business. Our desire to succeed supersedes our fear of an uncertain economy. There isn’t a day when community work ends. In a healthy community, working together for the good of the community is a constant part of everyone’s lives.Texas City and La Marque will continue to hold the leg-endary vision of our economic development leaders. Let us remember them in 2019 and celebrate the new beginnings they left for us today. Join us as we celebrate 50 years of serving our communi-ty at our inaugural 50-year celebration, Annual Membership Gala, on Jan. 31 at the Doyle Convention Center in Texas City. Also, be sure to celebrate with us throughout the year. If you are not a member of the chamber, I ask you to consider making an important investment in your new be-ginning and become part of our great community. I believe in the future of Texas City and La Marque. Please join me as we celebrate it. Sincerely, Sergio Matute2019 ChairmanMARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE 2019 EVENTSJan. 31: Annual BanquetFeb. 20: State of City and County LuncheonApril TBA: State of Industry Business LuncheonApril 23: Industrial Trade ShowMay 9: Taste of the Town & AuctionJune 27: Membership LuncheonAug. 5: New Teacher ReceptionAug. 23: Shrimp BoilSept. 19: Membership LuncheonOct. 2-3: Chamber Golf ClassicOct. 19: Bayou FestDec. 3: La Marque Christmas ParadeDec. 10: Chamber Christmas Open HouseNot just a part of your past, A partner for your futureSERGIO MATUTEEastman Chemical – Texas City Inc.2019 Chamber ChairmanSign up for the chamber’s Leadership Mainland class >> Page 82 | Chamber Express | January 2019Chamber Express NewsletterThe publication of the Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce is published monthly (second Sunday of the month). Some content and photos provided as a courtesy by The Galveston County Daily News.Editorials & Photos:Lorrie Koster, Texas City- La Marque Chamber of Commerce409-935-1408Advertising:The Galveston County Daily News409-683-5224advertising@galvnews.comTexas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce9702 E.F. Lowry ExpresswayTexas City, Texas 77590409-935-1408www.texascitychamber.comRon AssadGallant BuildersKevin BogardMarathon Petroleum Sally BriggsGulf Greyhound ParkKirk BroilesScribbles Embroidery Aaron CameronAshlandDr. Rodney CavnessTexas City Independent School DistrictJoshua ChapmanChapman Front End & BrakesCraig ColelliFaust DistributingKedge CookCook FordChris DevriesStandard Steel SupplyJames DickinsonKodiak Metals RecyclingShannon DoyleSouth Land Title Pete Dunn Jr.Dunn Heat Exchangers Gail FigueroaAMOCO Federal Credit UnionJames HartshornCity of Texas CityJason Hayley Port of Texas CityFelix HerreraAwesome Auto AccessoriesManny LopezEl Cubano Cigar FactoryJim MacphersonValero RefiningSergio MatuteEastman Chemical – Texas City Inc.Genevieve Mcgarvey Mcleod, Alexander, Powel & ApffelColleen MerrittLa Marque Economic Development Corp.Georgia MeyerKarat Creations JewelryTripp MontalboMainland Medical CenterSam NavarroApache Industrial ServicesDr. Warren NicholsCollege of the MainlandRay NunezTaylor & HillPerry O’BrienDomac Inc.Philip OrangeTeam Mancuso Power SportsRusty PlackemeierLyons & PlackemeierKitty PotterTexas First BankTerry TrevinoBP Texas City ChemicalsBecky Trout UmbehagenUTMBDiana VasquezTNMPBoard of DirectorsTell us a little about your background.I first started my boutique in a very quaint suite in League City and decided to move my business back to where I was born and raised (La Marque-Texas City area) in 2009.How would you summarize what you do?Queen’s Attic is dedicated to providing friendly service, quality products and satisfaction because we believe you deserve nothing less. It’s the South’s newest and hottest women’s boutique. “Queen’s Attic Boutique — Discover your treasure.”How has your business evolved over time?We now offer a full-service salon and boutique offering hair, manicures, pedicures, lashes, make-up, massages and a stylist on deck. What are some of your proudest accomplishments?My business is continuing to grow in 2019.What are you working on now?Queen’s Attic Boutique strives to bring creative ways to appreciate our clients. We provide an atmosphere like Calgon that will take you away.MEMBER PROFILETexas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce members have amazing talents and stories to tell. With this series we want to introduce you to some of our members and spotlight their businesses. If you would like to be spotlighted in our Member Profile, contact Lorrie Koster at lorrie@texascitychamber.com.Queen’s Attic Boutique15029 Delaney Road, La MarqueHours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. SaturdayRepresentative: April Jones, ownerA&A Machine & FabricationA&A has been a member of the TCLM Chamber of Commerce since its inception and it’s easy to ex-plain why. This chamber is special because it marries its vision and goals to those of its business part-ners. From the beginning, this chamber has been a vital resource for networking and provides impact-ful programs that truly produce a fruitful and healthy business climate. The chamber carries the same values as A&A in that we both believe in a personal sense of obligation to improve the quality of life in our community by contributing and giving back to it. Being associated with the chamber provides a sense of a unified community, and together we can channel our energy to make this area the best place to live, work, play and worship. The chamber has given A&A opportunities for business growth here locally and also has provided opportunities for personal growth. “A&A has produced six graduates from the chamber’s excellent Lead-ership Mainland program,” President and CEO Alan Hutchins said. “And, I will personally be forever grateful to Jimmy Hayley, who provided me the opportunity to be chamber chairman in 2009 and groomed in me the lead-ership skills I would need as presi-dent and CEO at A&A. “A&A has always believed that by being associated with a ‘credible’ chamber, we also will bring credibili-ty to our name. “Finally, A&A has remained a member of the chamber because it has the finest staff in the nation that work there. The chamber staff is a great example of teamwork and excellence, and I have learned a lot about business, leadership and com-munity from this amazing group.” AMOCO Federal Credit UnionSince being first chartered in 1937, the credit union has grown from $28,000 in assets and 169 members to almost $1 billion in assets and more than 80,000 members to date. AMOCO Federal Credit Union has been a chamber member since 1969.The credit union was originally organized as a Pan Am Employees Federal Credit Union, to serve the financial needs of employees of Pan American Refining Corporation of Texas City.In 1947, the credit union expanded for the first time to include employ-ees of AMOCO Chemicals in Texas City and AMO-CO (Pan American) subsidiary.In 1955, the credit union changed its name to Amoco Federal Credit Union to correspond with the new name of its sponsor company, Amoco Oil Refinery. Two years later, and 20 years after organi-zation, Amoco Federal Credit Union claimed $2.6 million in assets and 3,100 members.In 1998, Amoco Oil and British Pe-troleum (BP) merged into BP Amoco and as of 2004 it would be called BP. With that change, Amoco Feder-al Credit Union made the decision to keep the Amoco name because it represented stability and famil-iarity in the community. The board and management decided to make only one minor change. The “Amo-co” name was changed to represent an acronym, making it AMOCO (A Member Owned Cooperative Organi-zation) Federal Credit Union.Today, AMOCO Federal Credit Union includes a diversified mem-bership that includes 554 local sponsor companies and more than 80,000 members located through-out the country. Recognized as one of the largest credit unions in the Houston/Galveston area, AMOCO continues to grow in large part to the satisfaction and loyalty of mem-bers and the commitment of our volunteers and staff.College of the MainlandCollege of the Mainland has been a member of the Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce since 1967. College of the Mainland was a beckoning vision in the minds of community leaders as far back as the early 1960s and it is now the home of Process Technolo-gy training, which started as a partner-ship with local companies to train their em-ployees in safety and other critical skills needed. It was the first in the nation to offer an associate degree in 1994. Its graduates boast the highest starting salary of any new university or college graduate in the state. The chamber helps college leaders forge connections with industry, busi-ness and community leaders. Those leaders define the skills they seek in future employees. The partnership with the chamber helps COM offer cutting-edge courses that meet com-panies’ needs. The chamber also pro-vides opportunities for COM students such as workshops and internships. It is proud to be a part of an organi-zation that fosters students’ profes-sional growth and the community’s economic development. Crescent Electric and Industrial I & ECrescent Electric and Industrial I & E was established in 1946 and has been a member of the chamber since 1961. Crescent Electric was founded in 1946 by Pat Stepchinski. It was a family-owned business until purchased by Clarence Broze Jr. in 2002. The company was purchased January 2019 | Chamber Express | 3CHARTER MEMBERSHistorically and to this day, the chamber of commerce remains the most trusted source of information on local businesses and services and the most dependable ally in commerce. There is no better partner for suc-cess than the Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce.It is a pleasure to celebrate the “founding members” of our chamber and express our appreciation for their many years of loyalty, dedication and com-munity spirit. It is a tribute not only to their tenure with the chamber, but also a tribute to their successful businesses, President Jenny Senter said. “Strength in unity” has paid off over the years when you look at the com-mercial and industrial growth that has taken place in Texas City and La Marque since the 1969 merger of the Texas City Chamber and the La Marque Chamber. The Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce has been in the forefront of numerous efforts, both publicly and privately, to generate new commerce, in-dustry and a better quality of life in La Marque and Texas City. We pay tribute to these founding members of our chamber.Celebrating 50 years of business leadershipSEE CHARTER ON PAGE 94 | Chamber Express | January 2019Firm plans public meetings about LNG terminalA multi-national energy com-pany is moving forward with its plans for a new liquefied natural gas export terminal on more than 900 acres of land in Texas City.The Woodlands-based Nex-tDecade, which in late 2016 revealed its plans for the $4 billion to $6 billion project, has announced an open house meeting for the public to learn more about the terminal. The public meeting, scheduled for Jan. 17 at the Nessler Center, comes after a Federal Ener-gy Regulatory Commission initiated a pre-filing review process for the new Galveston Bay LNG Export Terminal in October, which the company requested in August.NextDecade executives weren’t available for comment.The Federal Energy Regula-tory Commission is conducting an environmental review of the project, according to agency documents. An official approval of the project from the commis-sion is expected in mid-2022, which would be followed by the new terminal’s construction beginning late that same year.The terminal is expected to come online in 2027, a compa-ny news release stated.At liquefaction plants like the one that’s planned for Shoal Point, natural gas would arrive via high-pressure pipe-lines and be supercooled to -260 F. At that temperature, natural gas liquefies and con-denses to 1/600th its volume, making it easier to ship. The liquefied gas is then shipped overseas in very large tankers.A pipeline project planned for Katy would transport natural gas to the terminal. A public meeting for the community to learn about that project has been scheduled for Jan. 16 in Rosenberg in Fort Bend County.The Texas City facility will be capable of producing up to 2.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year, according to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission documents. The natural gas will be loaded on to tankers via two jetties that will be constructed in Galves-ton Bay, the documents state.The new facility will be on Shoal Point Island, along the Texas City Ship Channel, according to pre-filing doc-uments. The site is on about 994 acres and in the past was used as a disposal site for dredged material.Shoal Point is east of Texas City’s major petrochemical complex and about 6 miles from where the Houston Ship Channel opens to the Gulf of Mexico, providing an attractive location for the plant, Next-Decade Chairman and CEO Kathleen Eisbrenner told The Daily News in 2016.NextDecade signed a lease agreement for the land with Texas City and the Texas Gen-eral Land Office in 2016.The terminal, which is ex-pected to lead to more than 100 full-time jobs, as well as thousands of construction jobs, should be an economic boon for Texas City, city officials said.– The Daily NewsCHAMBER CHATPolice speak at chamber meeting The Golden Division held its January meeting at the cham-ber office with guest speaker Texas City Police Department Chief Joe Stanton. Stanton began his law enforcement ca-reer with the Texas City Police Department in 1995. He was promoted to interim chief in June 2018, and was sworn in as chief of police in July 2018. Cpl. Tim Herd, community rela-tions officer, spoke on the Citizens Police Academy.January 2019 | Chamber Express | 5u need any type of refractory material on or repair, call us. You will get superior roducts and services, when and where them. urnaroundsr Unit Turnaroundses & Heatersnings & CoatingsBoilerse RestorationDiamond Refractory Services An EMCOR Industrial Services Company ofing8412 Mosley, Houston, TX 77075 713.378.9200 diamondrefractory.com CAL PROJECT EXECUTION FOR THE REFINERY AND PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRIES When you need any type of refractory material installation or repair, call us. You will get superior quality products and services, when and where you need them. •FCCU Turnarounds•Sulphur Unit Turnarounds•Furnaces & Heaters•Acid Linings & Coatings•Power Boilers•Concrete RestorationDiamond Refractory Services An EMCOR Industrial Services Company •Fireproofing8412 Mosley, Houston, TX 77075 713.378.9200 diamondrefractory.com CRITICAL PROJECT EXECUTION FOR THE REFINERY AND PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRIES When you need any type of refractory material installation or repair, call us. You will get superior quality products and services, when and where you need them. TRIR 0.00 for 3+ years running8412 Mosley Road Houston, Texas 77075Phone: 713-378-9200 Fax: 713-378-9103 www.diamondrefractory.com Absolute Commitment: Absolute Results!• FCCU Turnarounds• Sulphur Unit Turnarounds• Furnaces & Heaters• Acid Linings & Coatings• Power Boilers• Concrete Restoration• FireproofingRobert Balderas – Roofing Specialist409-945-6920CHAMBER CHATMainland Mardi Gras ParadeThe Rotary Club of Texas City will pres-ent its annual Mainland Mardi Gras Parade at noon Feb. 16. Parade staging will take place at Carlos Garza Park, 3300 Magno-lia Ave., in Texas City. The parade route is Palmer Highway, from 29th street to Sixth Street. Visit mardigrasmainland.com/parade for a parade entry form.Book drive at chamber officeSMART Family Literacy has a Book Drive at the chamber office. Help make a lasting difference in a child’s life by donating one or more books. SMART Family Literacy puts books in the hands and homes of children. In 2018, SMART Family Literacy gave 26,048 books to children in Galves-ton County. Help make a lasting difference with a gift of children’s books.Donate new or like new children’s books by dropping them into the little yellow house at the Texas City-La Marque Cham-ber of Commerce through Feb. 1.6 | Chamber Express | January 2019January 2019 | Chamber Express | 78 | Chamber Express | January 2019RENT • SALES • REPAIR2830 TEXAS AVE., TEXAS CITY • 409-948-4497MAINLANDTOOLMAINLAND TOOLStore Hours: Mon-Fri: 7am-6pm, 24 Hour Call Out Service AvailableMAINLANDTOOL.COMWHILE SUPPLIES LAST!Porter-Cable20 Volt Cordless Drill$7995SERVICING YOU IS A PLEASURE409-948-4589My clients say I am their“Favorite Realtor”.Over forty-three (43) yearsservicing Galveston CountyWanda AblesRealtor®/Broker Associatewmables@aol.com822 6th Street NorthTexas City, TX 77590409-771-4775 Cell409-948-4589 Direct409-948-2321 FaxMany people believe that leaders are simply born with the qualities that put them at the top. However, the Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce Leader-ship Mainland class is helping business people from all over the community get a leg up on the game. The mission of Leadership Main-land is “to develop, energize and help engage the leadership potential of men and women in the Texas City, La Marque and mainland communities.” Since 1988, it has done just that. The objectives of Leadership Mainland are challenging. They are aimed at facilitat-ing the emergence of leaders in both private and public endeavors and uti-lizing the resources of current leaders in the community. Over the course of a year, members of Leadership Mainland participate in monthly field trips and activities that are aimed at teaching more about the communities in which they live and work. Day-long sessions and tours on subjects such as city and county gov-ernment, the petrochemical industry, economic development and tourism, media and social services, and the Port of Texas City expose class members to subjects on which they may not be fa-miliar. They also introduce them to key civic leaders that may be able to help them in the future. The class is composed of no more than 20 individuals and is chaired by former graduates of Leadership Main-land. Applications are submitted and upon enrollment, the $950 fee entitles the participants to local and out-of-town transportation, meals, lodging for the weekend retreat, Austin trip and graduation plaque. A minimum attendance require-ment of 80 percent is necessary to successfully complete Leadership Mainland. With the exception of the initial weekend retreat and the Austin trip, the class will meet one Friday per month and get an in-depth back-ground into the community, county and state. A team-building weekend is the initial class meeting and is a required activity for each class member. This Join Leadership MainlandWELCOME NEW MEMBERSTexas First Choice Realty9300 E.F. Lowry Expressway, Suite 160, Texas City409-440-8270Representative: Pamela EvansQ’s Catering718 Sixth St. N., Texas City409-621-6506Representative: Quinn FordSoleana Stable19200 McKay Road, Alvin713-436-6625Representative: Sasha Camachocasual weekend will include speakers, team-building activities, leadership training and will enable the class to become acquainted. If you would like additional informa-tion on Leadership Mainland, contact Derek Duckett at 409-935-1408 or email derek@texascitychamber.com. January 2019 | Chamber Express | 92500 SOUTH SHORE BLVD. SSHR.COM | 281.334.1000SUNDAY CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH WITH MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENTLive piano music and bottomless Mimosas in our Paradise Reef Restaurant every Sunday11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sundays $24 Adults, $15 Children800.231.6053 | www.AMOCOfcu.orgCHARTER MEMBERSby Broze’s son, Grady Mack, and Carlisle Smith in 2012. Broze started Industrial Instrumentation and Electrical during his ownership, and both com-panies are under one roof. Crescent Electric and In-dustrial I & E continues to be a loyal member of the chamber because the chamber unifies the public spirit of the community and directs it into useful and constructive channels that are not limited to business. The chamber also carries the reputation of being a leader of business integ-rity in the community, and Crescent Electric and Industrial I & E’s affilia-tion lends its business credibility. Crowder Funeral HomeEstablished in 1959 in the small but booming town of La Marque, the James Crowder Funeral Home was one of the few full-service funeral homes in the area. They founded their business on the belief that they were just a “family serving families.” Today, that vision still holds true. With five locations in the Galveston, Brazoria and Harris County areas, the Crowder family is dedicated to going the extra mile. The locations may have their own uniqueness about them, but they all take pride in the family business and in making sure that each family they serve leaves satisfied. The original location is still open to serve with James Crowder Jr. at its helm. Holding true to its humble beginnings, the La Marque location serves the families of La Marque, Hitchcock, Texas City and many more. The other four of the five locations are spread upward, from Dickinson, League City and Webster, all the way to Pearland. James Crowder Funeral Home be-lieves in serving the families in the community as well as the community as a whole. Being partnered with the Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce has allowed that and much more to happen. The Crowder family has been a longtime member of the chamber be-cause they have similar missions. Dow ChemicalTexas City Operations is proud to operate and be a partner in the Texas City and La Marque communities. The Texas City Complex was estab-lished in 1941 by Union Carbide Cor-poration. The facility grew to become the largest site for what was formerly Union Carbide. A chamber member since 1961, Dow Chemical believes that align-ing social, environ-mental and economic respon-sibilities to build sustainable part-nerships with the community is important. They give annually to educational, diversity, health and environmental causes. Dunn Heat ExchangersFifty years ago, Dunn Heat Ex-changers Inc. opened its doors for business. What began as a modest 12,000-square-foot shop with eight employees in 1968 has grown into a two-location, state-of-the-art op-eration. With a combined 220,000 square feet of shop space, Dunn em-ploys more than 200 people during turnaround season and coordinates multiple turnaround projects simultaneously. During its infancy, Dunn would boast about being able to work on four exchangers at one time and up to 12 in a month; as the compa-ny has grown, so has its capabili-ties, highlighted by the new com-pany record of cleaning, repairing and fabricating 516 exchangers in one month during the 2017 turn-around season. Throughout the past 50 years, Dunn has continued to raise the bar continually push-ing past it, creating new company milestones, as well as becoming the measurement of success across the industry.What started as a small family business has grown in experience, capability and efficiency, to a much larger family business, and that is the part that hasn’t changed: the family. To the folks at Dunn, that means loyalty, integrity and respect. These qualities permeate each level of the business and the greatest evi-dence of this is seen in the employ-ees themselves.Emken Linton Funeral HomeEmken Linton Funeral Homes has been a member of the chamber since 1969. For 100 years, Emken-Linton Funeral Home has established a tradition of helping families in need, by planning funer-al and memorial services that truly reflect an individual’s life. CHARTERContinued from page 3SEE CHARTER ON PAGE 10Next >