grapevine chamber of commerce 2014 annual report...chamber and its board. in 2014 they started the...
TRANSCRIPT
Grapevine Chamber of Commerce
2014 Annual Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mission, Vision & Values Page 3
2015 Board of Directors Page 4
2015 Staff Page 5
Chamber Awards Page 5
Volunteer Awards Page
Budget Page
MISSION, VISION, VALUES
The Mission of the Grapevine Chamber is to promote business that
adds value to our community.
The Vision of the Grapevine Chamber is a progressive business
organization that brings relevant and essential opportunities for our
investors and community to grow and prosper.
The Values of the Grapevine Chamber: Excellence, Innovation,
Integrity and Community.
2015 Board of Directors
Chairman of the Board Paul Slechta – Panda Embroidery
Chairman Elect Steve Halley – Hilton DFW Lakes Hotel & Convention Center
Treasurer C.W. Higgins – Classic Chevrolet / The Thompson Group
V.C. Business Partnerships Joe Szymaszek – Grapevine Mills
Immediate Past Chair C.W. Higgins – Classic Chevrolet / The Thompson Group
CEO RaDonna Hessel – Grapevine Chamber
Board Members Toni Barron – Community Impact News
LeAnn Brown – Silver Oak Commercial Realty
Hagen Cleek – Cowboy’s Golf Club
Darla Denton – Devin Designs Florist
Cory Halliburton – Weycer, Kaplan, Pulaski & Zuber, P.C.
Susie Howell – Frost
Nathaniel Neal – NJ Graphics Design, Inc.
Eric Wang – Ming Wang Manufacturing, Ltd.
Ex-Officio Board Members Bruno Rumbelow – City of Grapevine (City Manager)
Dr. Robin Ryan – Grapevine Colleyville ISD (Superintendent)
Steve Newton – Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine
P.W. McCallum – Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau
Staff
RaDonna Hessel, CEO
Marti Pevehouse, Director of Membership Development
Michael Miori, Director of Business Development
William Moore, Director of Communication
Mary Jo Tellin, Director of Program Development
Natalie Thompson-Garner, Membership Services Manager
Michael Gill, Summer 2015 Intern
Awards Presented to the Grapevine Chamber in 2015
Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives: Media Excellence Award
First Place Directories and Community Profiles
First Place – Social Media Marketing
First Place – Maps
First Place – Brochures
First Place – Websites
Second Place – Brochures
Second Place – Marketing Campaign
Second Place – Newsletter / Newspaper
Program of the Year Award Winner for Community Development – First Place
Program of the Year Award Winner for Economic Development – First Place
Chamber Accomplishments
GOAL - LEADERSHIP Awards Banquet – Over 300 attendees celebrated the recognition of the community businesses
and citizens at the Hilton DFW Lakes Hotel & Conference Center nominated for awards and
those who received them.
Leadership Grapevine – For the 8th year in a row,
the Leadership Grapevine program was sold out and
the 19th year was started with the leadership of
several active Alumni members.
Past Chairman’s Council – The Chamber continued
for a third year the Past Chairman’s Council,
bringing former Board Chairmen together to keep
them updated on the path of the Chamber, which
they impacted through their years of service to the
Chamber and its Board. In 2014 they started the Annual Casino Night event to raise funds for
the purchase of the land which was completed in 2013. It was a great event and was
immediately placed on their calendar to continue as hosts, sponsors and planning committee.
YEA! Young Entrepreneur’s Academy – The Grapevine Chamber
Board continued the commitment in 2014-2015 to support the
YEA! program for a minimum of three years in partnership with
the University of Rochester and the Grapevine Colleyville ISD.
Twenty-four students have been selected each year from middle
school to high school to envision, formulate and create the
newest entrepreneurial business in Grapevine. In 2014, Drew
DeHaven was the student who represented Grapevine in the
Regionals and Nationals, and he placed second in Washington
DC.
Best Practice Visits – In an effort to continue to grow the
strength of the Grapevine Chamber’s mission, the Board of
Directors coordinated and participated in Best Practice Visits with 5 Star Accredited Chamber –
Longview Texas. Other visits have included Lubbock, Irving & Bryan College Station.
Legislation – The Chamber continues to monitor and share with the Grapevine Business
community legislative issues that will impact our future success. City, State and National issues
were shared on an as needed basis. The Chamber’s Legislative Committee, Legislative Council
and Board of Directors worked to create the Legislative Priorities and a brochure which was
shared with the Chamber members, City, State and National Legislators throughout the year.
GOAL – BUSINESS / PARTNERSHIPS
Chamber City Economic Development
Partnership – Continue to hold monthly
meetings with the City to inform and
educate business members on the
economic activity within the Grapevine
community. Local businesses are the
greatest advocates for future growth and
development.
Senior Services Alliance – SSA is a
consortium of businesses that provide
products and services for senior adults,
while they develop a network of quality
service providers for their clients and joint
promotion opportunities.
Chamber Luncheons – The luncheons
continue to grow in attendance. For a
fifth year in a row a joint luncheon was
held with the HEB Chamber to network
with neighboring communities and in
2014 a joint luncheon with the
Colleyville Chamber was added. New
members are now greeted, hosted and
recognized at each luncheon by a
member of the Ambassadors.
New Member Orientations – Orientations continued through the Membership Development
Group to assist new business members with an overview of the mission and goals of their
organization.
Business After Hours Mixers continue to be a great way for businesses to build their network of
clients. We all like to do business with people we know, and these events allow members to
meet and get to know others in the organization.
Christmas Season Activities – The Chamber continues to support the City of Grapevine as the
“Christmas Capital of Texas” by coordinating the annual Christmas Parade.
DFW Connector Business Task Force – Created to improve the communication between the
NorthGate Constructors, the elected officials and the business community, this task force has
proven successful both for educating and informing the impacted businesses but providing a
conduit for information and feedback to the construction company. While the main portion
was completed, the addition of Highway 2499 expansion as well as the overpasses added for
Highway 360 and Highway 121 have made the continuation a benefit for our businesses
Ambassadors – The Ambassadors have created a
team approach to improve the welcome new
businesses receive from the chamber and
community. This group of business leaders have
continued to grow and become even more involved.
Networking Meetings – Both the Business Over
Coffee and the Business Builders continue to work to
find ways to improve value of their time and efforts
to create leads and lessons.
Women’s Division – The Women’s Division has
continued to work to improve their programs and
outreach. Since 1965 their goals have been met by
cooperation and tireless efforts with school supply
distributions, Christmas Spirit donations, the Great
Taste of Grapevine and their monthly programs.
Business Retention Program – The Chamber, in cooperation with the City of Grapevine is
methodically meeting with area businesses to determine ways that these entities can assist in
improving the economic business climate in our region.
Young Professionals Council – A task force worked together to create a program that provides
the support and assistance that 20 – 39 year olds can use to build successful and long term
career opportunities in the region. Now called “AMP’T” (Advancing Modern Professionals for
Tomorrow), this meeting brings young professionals together with seasoned executives to help
their future potential.
GOAL – STEWARDSHIP / PROSPERITY
Golf Classic – this Sold Out event brought together 288
golfers to the Grapevine Golf Course with two
tournaments in a single day to raise funds for the
Chamber’s Program of Work.
Technology & Marketing – The Grapevine Chamber
continues to find ways to improve the marketing ability
of the organization and its members through the
directory, newsletter, marketing brochure and
expansion of the website and use of social media.
Concession Trailer – The Chamber continues to
support the festivals within the community
through the volunteer operations of a
concession trailer and Main Street Days and
Grapefest.
Casino Night – This Team worked with the Past
Chairman to develop the Casino Night.
VOLUNTEER AWARDS
Women’s Division Woman of the Year Grapevine Chamber Member of the Year Carolyn Lease GRACE
Don Ramey Community Spirit Award Ted Willhoite Legacy Award Theresa Mason Lou Hillman
Business Hall of Fame D.E. Box Citizen of the Year The Thompson Group of Classic Chevrolet Janice Kane
Chamber Budget
Chamber Budget
Grapevine Chamber of Commerce
Promoting business that adds value to our
community since 1952!
200 Vine Street
Grapevine, TX 76051
817-481-1522
www.GrapevineChamber.org