“I have been blessed to be part of this great organization for so many years and am proud of the chamber’s respected standing in our community.” JENNY SENTER , chamber president and CEO Chamber Mission To serve our members and enhance economic and community development Chamber Vision To be recognized as a vital resource, providing relevant, innovative and impactful programming that produces a healthy business climate and an enhanced quality of life. Inside Member profile ........................................................................................................................................................................................2 Engage with members ..........................................................................................................................................................................3 Business of the month ...........................................................................................................................................................................4 Industrial Trade Show ............................................................................................................................................................................5 51st Annual Membership Banquet and Awards Ceremony photos ....................................................................................6 Travel with the chamber .......................................................................................................................................................................8 Ribbon cuttings .......................................................................................................................................................................................9 New members ........................................................................................................................................................................................11 Vol. 25 | Issue 2 February 2020 The chamber’s annual banquet photos >> Page 6 T he Texas City–La Marque Chamber of Commerce announced that Jenny Senter, chamber president and CEO, has decided to retire effective Dec. 31. Senter has served in her current role since February 2016, and prior to that, served as vice president. During her 27-year tenure, Senter has overseen the financial, operations and event sectors of the chamber, moving into the position of president in 2016. An executive search committee was formed in December 2019 and is active- ly pursuing a replacement at this time. Resumes will be accepted for interested candidates at search@texascitychamber. com until March 31. In 2019, the Texas City–La Marque Cham- ber was recognized with 4-star accredita- tion from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which was the culmination of a profession- al goal set by Senter when she assumed the position of CEO. In addition to its accredited status, the Texas City–La Marque Chamber of Com- merce is the fifth largest chamber in the Greater Houston area. The Board of Direc- tors is comprised of a representative cross section of the community and has members from large industrial sectors, such as Mar- athon, Valero, Dow, Eastman and Ashland, as well as small-to-medium-size businesses. This diversity provides an opportunity for a clear vision of the business community and expertise in leadership. “I have been blessed to be part of this great organization for so many years and am proud of the chamber’s respected standing in our community,” Senter said. “This vital organization represents the many business entities that provide the economic engine for this area. Also, I look forward to working alongside my successor for a transition period. It’s going to be an exciting time for our chamber.” Jenny Senter, Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce President and CEO announces retirement2 | The Daily News | Chamber Express | February 2020 Chamber Express Newsletter The 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 Commerce 409-935-1408 Advertising: The Galveston County Daily News 409-683-5224 advertising@galvnews.com Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce 9702 E.F. Lowry Expressway Texas City, Texas 77590 409-935-1408 www.tclmchamber.com Ron Assad Gallant Builders Ramiro Barba Port of Texas City Kevin Bogard Marathon Petroleum Sally Briggs Gulf Greyhound Park Kirk Broiles Scribbles Embroidery Jay Carnes Carnes Funeral Home Joshua Chapman Chapman Front End & Brakes Craig Colelli Faust Distributing Kedge Cook Cook Ford Shane Day Kodiak Metals Recycling Richard Devries Standard Steel Supply Shannon Doyle South Land Title Gail Figueroa Amoco Federal Credit Union Nick Finan City of Texas City Felix Herrera Awesome Auto Accessories Brook Hrach The Dow Chemical Company Alan Hutchins A&A Machine & Fabrication Charles “Tink” Jackson City of La Marque April Jones Queens Attic Boutique Caitlin Kim Domac, Inc. Manny Lopez El Cubano Cigar Factory Jim Macpherson Valero Refining Sergio Matute Eastman Chemical – Texas City Inc. Genevieve McGarvey Mcleod, Alexander, Powel & Apffel Georgia Meyer Barzilay Karat Creations Jewelry Mike Meyer Ashland Jaimin Modi HCA Healthcare Mainland Sam Navarro Apache Industrial Services Ray Nunez Taylor & Hill Philip Orange Team Mancuso Power Sports Rusty Plackemeier Lyons & Plackemeier Jenny Senter TCLM Chamber of Commerce Sonny Tholcken Trey Industries Candice Towles Texas First Bank Terrance Trevino BP Texas City Chemicals Becky Trout Unbehagen UTMB Diana Vasquez TNMP Cathie Woitina Associated Credit Union of Texas Board of Directors Tell us a little about your background. Yoga on 6th was founded on the concept that tak- ing care of the mind, body and spirit should be af- fordable and accessible to all. Having a place where you can encompass all three — yoga meditation and massage — makes it a complete place of wellness. How would you summarize what you do? We offer variety of yoga classes for beginners, continuing, intermediate and advanced students. We’re a dedicated and passionate group of yoga in- structors. No matter your age, ability, size or fitness, we modify postures as required to encourage stu- dents to develop a deeper awareness and steadiness in the classic postures. Your first class is free, and we’re kid-friendly. How has your business evolved over time? We opened less than a year ago, and we started out offering classes once a week and now offer classes six days a week. Now, we offer meditation, we are expanding into massages and we have a ho- listic and wellness retail store. We are offering a va- riety of things for people to heal and feel balanced. What are some of your proudest accomplishments? We are proud to help you overcome hurdles and reach your goals. Our yoga instructors take your fitness seriously. There are many benefits of yoga, including increased flexibility, increased muscle strength and tone, improved respiration, energy and vitality. What are you working on now? Right now, we are working on stocking up on retail products. Also, we are preparing to offer barre classes as well as continuing education courses for massage therapists and yoga instructors. We are still growing and have a lot more plans in store to make Yoga on 6th a place where everyone can come to heal, grow and let go. MEMBER PROFILE Texas 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. Yoga on 6th 1325 6th St. N., Suite B Texas City, 77590 281-739-7301 Representative: Samantha M. CopelandFebruary 2020 | Chamber Express | The Daily News | 3 ENGAGE WITH MEMBERS Women in Business started as a BYOBB (Bring Your Own Brown Bag) lunch between 10 women in the business community. What began as a small and casual networking lunch has now evolved into a monthly lunch with a purpose for more than 90 women tied to the Texas City- La Marque Chamber of Commerce. The first monthly Women in Business meet-up for 2020 was hosted at Topgolf in Webster. Not only was the atmosphere fun and well kept, the private Signature Room was an amazing space to hold the event. There were more than 30 profes- sional women in attendence, both seasoned WIB members and brand new faces. “While standing back and taking it all in, I couldn’t help but feel energized and motivated by all of the women on fire for the businesses they represented,” said Lauren Perez, Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce member relations manager. “The members of WIB are confident and strong leaders and assets to our communities in Texas City and La Marque.” By the end of our January lunch, there had been an exchange of business cards for sponsorships, catering orders and referrals. This is what Women in Business is for: Building up women in the busi- ness community. Sam Navarro, Plant Manager at Womble Co., approached the Texas City-La Marque Chamber about bringing back the Young Professionals group and ex- pressed the need for a common source of leadership training. From that, Young Professionals of the Mainland was born. YP of the Mainland is a group of professional individuals, ages 21-40, who attend both educa- tional lunches and networking events hosted by the chamber and the organizations who part- ner to sponsor the vital group. This group is a place where young professionals can learn to be better leaders in business. Members learn the importance of networking at after-hours meet-ups and get inspired by listening to stories of success from other young professionals who are leaders in their busi- ness and communities. This is a group of individuals who take the time to test their business personalities, gain cru- cial tools on how to bring better energy to the work place and gain personal growth through mentorship programs. The men- torship programs are partnered with Higher Up Texas, where they guide high school seniors into the next phase of their lives. The casual collaboration meeting was held at Stuttgarden Tavern in Texas City as an ice breaker for the 2020 year. Cathie Woitena has been a huge asset as a board member of the chamber and, now, has taken the lead to help continue grow the YP program. February was the month for the much-anticipated lunch and learn meeting. “Stories of Success” is a day where local professionals come to speak of their struggles and triumphs as young professionals in their industries. Not only is this lunch inspiring and motivating, it is relatable. The first installment of Cham- ber U 2020 will be on social media and how business pro- fessionals can use it to enhance and grow business. Falcontail Marketing & Design will be presenting its insight with an educational lunch on common social media platforms used for businesses. The chamber is excited to team up with the Small Business Development Center of Galves- ton County for the 2020 Cham- ber U series. It is important to educate members and provide tools to further their success in business. Economic growth is important for thriving commu- nities and the citizens that call it home. Women in BusinessYoung Professionals Chamber U “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.” SHERYL SANDBERG , author of “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead” “We must view young people not as empty bottles to be filled, but as candles to be lit.” ROBERT H. SHAFFER , Indiana University chairman of the Depart- ment of College Student Personnel Administration “Social media is a conversation. Social Media is customer service. Social media is advertising. Social media is connectedness.” SARAH BETH ROSA , social media strategist4 | The Daily News | Chamber Express | February 2020 RENT • SALES • REPAIR 2830 TEXAS AVE., TEXAS CITY • 409-948-4497 MAINLAND TOOL Store Hours: Mon-Fri: 7am-6pm, 24 Hour Call Out Service Available MAINLANDTOOL.COM WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! 20 Volt Cordless Drill $ 79 95 BUSINESS OF THE MONTH T exas First Bank- La Marque is one of the bank’s 21 offices and has been serving the financial needs of its customers in La Marque for more than 20 years. The Texas First Bank- La Marque on Oak location is currently ranked No. 1 in client service. It doesn’t matter who is walking through the banking doors, the bank’s focus is to make sure that the bank family is taken care of to the fullest. The team at the La Marque location is amazing in so many ways. They strive to be on one accordance with great communication and Avengers-like teamwork. The employees enjoy being involved in com- munity events that help support the spread of joy and positivity throughout the community. They are consistently collecting canned goods and nonperishable items to support the Galveston Food Bank to help those in need. They also partic- ipate in financial literacy programs at College of the Mainland for current students, as well as local high schoolers. This pro- gram teaches and guides them on proper money management. The bank employees also like to get loose, have fun, grab a bunch of candy and toss it out to kids, family and friends at the annual La Marque Christmas Parade. Texas First Bank loves its clients, and the clients love them, too. The bank strives for pure success, peace and good vibes day in and day out. Texas First Bank focus- es on its classic motto “Helping Texans Build Texas” by offering easy- to-manage products for clients, so they can strive to live their best lives and continue personal success. Texas First Bank 407 Oak St. La Marque, TX 77568 409-938-0200February 2020 | Chamber Express | The Daily News | 5 The Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce will host the 32nd annual Industrial Trade Show on April 28, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Charles T. Doyle Convention Center. This event is focused on making the right connections for those ancillary businesses. Meeting a new contact or reconnecting with a current client is what this day is all about. Small businesses contribute to local economies by bringing growth and innovation. Small busi- nesses also help stimulate economic growth by providing employment opportunities to people who may not be employable by larger corporations. Larger businesses also often benefit from small businesses within the same local community for the completion of various business functions through outsourcing. This show, as is evident by the event title, is an industrial exhibit — not for everyone, but for those folks who are industrially geared, it is huge. Let’s support and promote commerce in our community and get down to doing business! For more information, contact Jessica Span- gle at Jessica@texascitychamber.com. Industrial Trade Show6 | The Daily News | Chamber Express | February 2020February 2020 | Chamber Express | The Daily News | 7 February 2020 | Chamber Express | The Daily News | 8 ‘Lightning Rob’ Balderas - Roofing Specialist 409-945-6920 409-935-2496281-337-5634409-765-5883 1969-2019 AIR CONDITIONINGHEATINGREFRIGERATION www.alexsair.com TACLA 15714C SERVICING YOU IS A PLEASURE 409-948-4589 My clients say I am their “Favorite Realtor”. Over forty-three (43) years servicing Galveston County Wanda Ables Realtor ® /Broker Associate wmables@aol.com 822 6th Street North Texas City, TX 77590 409-771-4775 Cell 409-948-4589 Direct 409-948-2321 Fax GROUP TRAVEL OPPORTUNITY T he chamber is partnering with Aventura World for a group travel experience. Travelers will depart on Nov. 12 and return Nov. 20. The trip will consist of nine days and seven nights, including hotels, meals, day trips and airfare from Houston at the rate of $2,999. There is an option for an additional extension to Milan, Italy. This group experience is a great opportunity to get to know your fellow travelers, experience cultural knowledge and take advantage of a valuable cost savings. For more information, contact Lauren Perez at 409-935-1408 or lauren@texascitychamber.com. Travel with the Chamber to Provence and the French RivieraFebruary 2020 | Chamber Express | The Daily News | 9 RIBBON CUTTINGS World Gym Anniversary Celebration 10000 Emmitt F. Lowry Expy. Texas City, TX 77591 Tello Smiles 1130 14th St. Texas City, TX 77590 409-419-6090Next >