Texas Chamber of Commerce Week
October 17 - 21
It's Texas Chamber of Commerce Week from October 17 - October 21! We are celebrating the week with our Chamber of Commerce colleagues around the state of Texas to highlight the work of Chambers of Commerce and their importance to the local economy and community as a whole.
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 of Commerce have guided policy and taken action to effect change in our state and have been present at many famous and infamous places throughout our country’s history.
At each strategic inflection point of our community and this state, if you look closely, it is a safe bet that the Chamber of Commerce was present.
Chambers of Commerce were instrumental nationally in projects including the Golden Gate Bridge, the Hoover Dam, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 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 throughout American history.
Did you know a Texas 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 various colleges?
- Bringing a Federal Reserve Branch to Dallas?
- Making Austin a high tech powerhouse?
- Attracting the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Flight Center to Houston?
- Building the stockyards industry in Fort Worth?
- A chamber was 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 our Chamber of Commerce colleagues, the professional staff and volunteer leaders, that work every day to make our communities great places to live, work and play.
To our diverse Chamber colleagues, including the Texas LGBTQ Chambers of Commerce, thank you for all your hard work and “boots on the ground” to support diverse business owners across our state. We are honored to stand with you in this important work to lift up diverse owned businesses!
October 17–21, 2022 is Chamber of Commerce Week in Texas. Please take a moment to celebrate the success of Chambers in Texas as we look with eyes of anticipation to what is to come. We often say at the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce that we are just getting started!