Chairs prepare for changes, new initiatives

Heading into 2013, each of the three chambers of commerce in the Tomball and Magnolia areas have a lot on their plates. Although they remain dedicated to helping local business thrive in their communities, they are also finding ways to get involved in developmental and legislative issues, such as the Hwy. 249 toll road project.

"We see our involvement there as helping our members be aware of just what's going on in the area and how it might affect their business," said Barry Tate, chairman of the Magnolia Area Chamber of Commerce. "I see our chamber being more involved in those kinds of issues over the next several years."

The beginning of the new year marked a change in board chairman for both the Tomball Chamber of Commerce—where Lamar Casparis took over for Richard Jennings—and the Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce—where Tia Stout stepped in for Jason Rinn. Both Casparis and Stout have been with their chambers for years and said they hope to continue strengthening their roles in the community.

Both Magnolia chambers are in the process of rebranding themselves as they enter the new year. The MPCC wants to focus on strengthening its online presence and broadening its reach, Stout said. Meanwhile, Tate said the MACC is preparing to introduce a new name and logo, as well as new membership opportunities and a revamped website.

Barry Tate, Chair, Magnolia Area Chamber of Commerce

What are the plans for the Magnolia Chamber heading into 2013?

We've been working on establishing a more consolidated and comprehensive membership program. We're still in the process of putting that together, but we plan on rolling that out at our March luncheon. It's going to allow members to plan out their chamber membership over the course of an entire year, with different packages allowing them to attend or sponsor events in advance. The benefit is, you spend less when you consolidate than when you buy each item individually. For every membership level, you're going to get double or triple the value in services for what your membership actually costs you out of pocket. Along with that, we've got a new logo and new name for the chamber coming in March, and we're redesigning our website to indicate that we're going in that new direction.

In what ways do you think the chamber is a benefit to the community?

We feel strongly that the primary reason we are here is to promote our members and help them grow their businesses. One thing we've done in the past few years is streamline the chamber. We are focusing more on how we can help our businesses use our events, like the Christmas Parade, more effectively as marketing opportunities with direct contact to thousands of people right here in the community.

We also help organize the Chambers Of Magnolia Legislative Alliance gatherings, which involve getting local leaders to speak about development, legislative and mobility issues in the area. One role of a chamber is to help our business community have a voice in how those issues shape up. We hope to do one with our new state representative [Cecil Bell Jr.] once the legislative session is over.

Lamar Casparis, Chair, Tomball Chamber of Commerce

What are the plans for the Tomball Chamber heading into 2013?

What we're doing will be very consistent with the initiatives of [former chairman] Richard Jennings. We're trying to involve our membership more going forward while managing our chamber staff more efficiently. We're bringing on a couple of interns who will take over some of the staff duties while our staff focuses more on growing our membership. We'll be working to retire some of our debt. We also want to start a regular networking breakfast in March. Our members don't have a chance to display their wares and talk about who they are that much, so we felt a need to give them a chance to talk about their businesses.

There are so many things going on that affect small business in our world right now—at the federal and state level—and so much potential for development and growth in this area that we want to make sure that we shepherd our members through that. There is a certain level of expectation with growth, but also anxiety and concern. We want to keep our small town pro-business and keep our community close-knit while at the same time promoting growth.

What do you think is the most valuable service the chamber provides to members?

You don't join the chamber to get new business; you will eventually, but you join to build relationships. The chamber is about building trust and showing you are a servant and you do care about the community and other businesses. If you come to a chamber event and just pass out business cards, you will be perceived as superficial. Members aren't interested in doing business that way. You have to give the other members an opportunity and your true service will be recognized.

Tia Stout, Chair, Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce

What are the plans for the Parkway Chamber heading into 2013?

We are rebranding ourselves. We're debuting a new logo and changing our motto to "the chamber without borders." We want to convey to people that you don't have to live here to do business here. We're starting an e-directory to replace our old paper directory. That's all a part of the general updating we are doing to our website. We want to be more accessible online. We're trying to get more involved in Facebook, as well, as far as promoting ourselves and getting our information out to the community. We're encouraging our membership to start using those types of media as well.

This year, we are going along the same lines as we have in the past for the most part. There are several different things that we're going to be involved with. We will participate in the Montgomery County Day at the Capitol, where we celebrate Montgomery County's role in Texas history in Austin. We will also continue to help organize COMLA meetings with the MACC. Some topics we're thinking about this year include education and the hospital district, but nothing is set in stone.

In what ways do you think the chamber is a benefit to the community?

I see it as a stamp of integrity as well as an opportunity to market your business to a broad spectrum of people in the community, face to face. The chamber is a forum to grow professionally and personally.

Another thing we are focusing more on this year is educating our membership on ways they can get involved in the community. That's the only way you can grow. I just want our membership to get as much out of the chamber as they can.