Established for 42 years, the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce’s accomplishments include advocating to obtain Lone Star College-University Park, working with the North Houston Association to prioritize road projects, raising $550,000 to install irrigation and landscaping along FM 1960 and giving thousands of dollars in scholarships to high school seniors. The chamber is made up of community leaders, such as the president of AEI Engineering, Nancy Blackwell, who is the current chamber chairperson.

What are the functions of your chamber? The purpose for all chambers is economic development. The Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce has as its defined mission: developing successful businesses and a thriving community. Because most of our service area is in unincorporated Harris County, we have filled a need for the area in terms of community development. When the community wanted beautiful medians, energetic Chamber volunteers rallied to raise the money. When the community wanted a museum, a theatre and a performing arts venue, the community, often with funds or advocacy by the Chamber, made it happen.

What does your chamber do to serve the community? We serve a community that extends through the entirety of northwest Harris County. There is a close interaction between the business community and the residential community. The health of one impacts the other. Everything we do as a chamber to support businesses fits into this category. Our chamber exceeds what the average chamber accomplishes in community development because of the need to do so. 

Where do you see the chamber in five years? HNWCC will have grown to over 850 members and will still be the go-to organization to get things done in northwest Harris County. We will be starting a new phase of Grow Northwest with revised or new goals to achieve in partnership with utility districts and the community. The Houston Northwest Chamber is pursuing accreditation this year with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.