august 2014 chamberworks96bda424cfcc34d9dd1a-0a7f10f87519dba22d2dbc6233a731e5.r41.…august 2014...

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2014 Board of Directors Chairman LIZ HOPKINS Stella Designs & Solutions First Vice Chair WESLEY BRINKMEYER Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Second Vice Chairman MICHAEL PITTMAN Scott & White Hospital Treasurer MICHAEL GROVES The Artex Group Secretary DEBBIE HAVERS RR Donnelley Immediate Past Chair KURT PODESZWA Camp For All SHARON BRASS Kwik Kopy Business Center RICKY BOEKER City of Brenham-Fire Chief CATHY COLE Heritage Texas Country Properties COY FONTENOT Kruse Village SUZY HANKINS Ant Street Inn MICHAEL HAYWOOD Mission Brenham JUDI HOUSTON Brazos Valley Schools Credit Union CHAD GERKE Gerke Law Firm BRICE MILLIORN Edward Jones Financial RENEE MUELLER Washington County Attorney MICHAEL WATTS Brenham ISD — Brenham High School DENNIS CROWSON Blinn College ASH PATEL Best Western Inn–Brenham GRACIE SLATTERY Brenham Clinic NATHAN WADE Lazy “D” Ranches RANDY WEIDEMANN Van Dyke Rankin Insurance TIFFANY WINKLES Blue Bell Creameries AUGUST 2014 ChamberWorks WASHINGTON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BRENHAM, TEXAS The countdown is on! TAILGATE 2014 will be held on Thursday, August 28, and tick- ets are on sale now. The Chamber will host this exciting and fun tailgate-style event at Sil- ver Wings Ballroom in Brenham. It is the one annual fundraising event for Chamber pro- grams and activities. Everyone in the com- munity is invited. Get some friends together and plan to be there! Football fever and spirited rivalries will be happening that night…between fans of Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M, Blinn Bucs, TCU Horned Frogs, UH Cougars, Texas Tech Raid- ers, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, Burton Panthers, Brenham Cubs and more. Tickets Are Only Sold in Advance Tickets will not be sold at the door. Stop by the Chamber and pick up tickets by August 21. For the price of $35 per person, you can enjoy all the delicious food you can eat (from Design II Catering), foamy cold beverages, a fabulous silent auction, deck-of-cards raffles for guns, a “big board” auction, and lots of mingling with colleagues and friends. The auction is always a major highlight of the evening. Chamber members donate fantastic items! See below for some high- lights. A huge round of applause goes to all of the generous sponsors who are making this night possible. Please join us in thanking them, and then come to the TAILGATE 2013 to enjoy the party with them! CHAMPION SPONSOR SUPER BOWL SPONSORS TOUCHDOWN SPONSORS Ballard & Fleetwood Attorneys at Law Blue Bell H Bluebonnet Electric Brenham National Bank Scott & White Healthcare–Brenham Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Here’s a peek at just a few of the auction items you can bid on at the TAILGATE Par- ty. A complete list of all donations will be in next month’s newsletter to recognize all the fabulous donations from Chamber member businesses. Fishing Trip Donated by Scott & White Hospital-Brenham and Kruse Village Hunting Trip Donated by Appel Ford and Citizens State Bank Texas A&M Football Tickets with Parking Pass Donated by Brenham Clinic Hyatt Lost Pines One-Night Stay Donated by Hyatt Gas Grill & Accessories Donated by Home Depot “Duck Commander” Gun Donated by Thrivent Financial for Lutheran Golf Bag - Ogio Men’s Press Cart Donated by The Gerke Law Firm Rifle Case Embossed with State Seal Donated by State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst Texas State Seal Cuff Links & Tie, Washington Cuff Links & Federal Tie, and Wines in Basket Donated by Heritage Texas Country Properties Bud Speaker Tower Donated by Mike Hopkins Distributing Washington County Wineries Tour with Tastings and Food Pairings Donated by Pleasant Hill Winery, Saddlehorn Winery and Windy Winery Tickets now on sale See TAILGATE, Page 3

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Page 1: AUGUST 2014 ChamberWorks96bda424cfcc34d9dd1a-0a7f10f87519dba22d2dbc6233a731e5.r41.…AUGUST 2014 ChamberWorks washington county chamber of commerce brenham, texas The countdown is

2014 Board of DirectorsChairman

LIZ HOPKINSStella Designs & Solutions

First Vice Chair

WESLEY BRINKMEYERBluebonnet Electric Cooperative

Second Vice Chairman

MICHAEL PITTMANScott & White Hospital

Treasurer

MICHAEL GROVESThe Artex Group

Secretary

DEBBIE HAVERSRR Donnelley

Immediate Past ChairKURT PODESZWA

Camp For All

SHARON BRASSKwik Kopy Business Center

RICKY BOEKERCity of Brenham-Fire Chief

CATHY COLE Heritage Texas

Country Properties

COY FONTENOTKruse Village

SUZY HANKINSAnt Street Inn

MICHAEL HAYWOODMission Brenham

JUDI HOUSTONBrazos Valley Schools

Credit Union

CHAD GERKEGerke Law Firm

BRICE MILLIORNEdward Jones Financial

RENEE MUELLERWashington County Attorney

MICHAEL WATTSBrenham ISD —

Brenham High School

DENNIS CROWSONBlinn College

ASH PATELBest Western Inn–Brenham

GRACIE SLATTERYBrenham Clinic

NATHAN WADE Lazy “D” Ranches

RANDY WEIDEMANN Van Dyke Rankin Insurance

TIFFANY WINKLESBlue Bell Creameries

AUGUST2014 ChamberWorks

washington county chamber of commerce brenham, texas

The countdown is on! TAILGATE 2014 will be held on Thursday, August 28, and tick-ets are on sale now. The Chamber will host this exciting and fun tailgate-style event at Sil-ver Wings Ballroom in Brenham. It is the one annual fundraising event for Chamber pro-grams and activities. Everyone in the com-munity is invited. Get some friends together and plan to be there!

Football fever and spirited rivalries will be happening that night…between fans of Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M, Blinn Bucs, TCU Horned Frogs, UH Cougars, Texas Tech Raid-ers, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, Burton Panthers, Brenham Cubs and more.

Tickets Are Only Sold in Advance

Tickets will not be sold at the door. Stop by the Chamber and pick up tickets by August 21. For the price of $35 per person, you can enjoy all the delicious food you can eat (from Design II Catering), foamy cold beverages, a fabulous silent auction, deck-of-cards raffles for guns, a “big board” auction, and lots of mingling with colleagues and friends.

The auction is always a major highlight of the evening. Chamber members donate fantastic items! See below for some high-lights.

A huge round of applause goes to all of the generous sponsors who are making this night possible. Please join us in thanking them, and then come to the TAILGATE 2013 to enjoy the party with them!

CHAMPION SPONSOR

SUPER BOWL SPONSORS

TOUCHDOWN SPONSORSBallard & Fleetwood Attorneys at Law

Blue Bell H Bluebonnet Electric Brenham National Bank

Scott & White Healthcare–BrenhamTexas Farm Bureau Insurance

Here’s a peek at just a few of the auction items you can bid on at the TAILGATE Par-ty. A complete list of all donations will be in next month’s newsletter to recognize all the fabulous donations from Chamber member businesses.

Fishing TripDonated by

Scott & White Hospital-Brenham and Kruse Village

Hunting TripDonated by Appel Ford

and Citizens State Bank

Texas A&M Football Tickets with Parking PassDonated by Brenham Clinic

Hyatt Lost Pines One-Night StayDonated by Hyatt

Gas Grill & AccessoriesDonated by Home Depot

“Duck Commander” GunDonated by

Thrivent Financial for Lutheran

Golf Bag - Ogio Men’s Press CartDonated by The Gerke Law Firm

Rifle Case Embossed with State SealDonated by State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst

Texas State Seal Cuff Links & Tie, Washington Cuff Links & Federal Tie,

and Wines in BasketDonated by Heritage Texas Country Properties

Bud Speaker TowerDonated by Mike Hopkins Distributing

Washington County Wineries Tour with Tastings and Food PairingsDonated by Pleasant Hill Winery,

Saddlehorn Winery and Windy Winery

Tickets now on sale

See TAILGATE, Page 3

Page 2: AUGUST 2014 ChamberWorks96bda424cfcc34d9dd1a-0a7f10f87519dba22d2dbc6233a731e5.r41.…AUGUST 2014 ChamberWorks washington county chamber of commerce brenham, texas The countdown is

Page 2 | Chamber Works | August 2014

GROUP BUYING POWERChamber members can now get major savings on

credit card payment processing.Learn about our new member benefit program.

Contact Will Watson at (979) 345-2988 • [email protected]

www.infintechllc.com

Ribbon Cuttings

New Location

5 Star Country PropertiesOwner: Shelly Moschak1960 FM 389, Brenham

Expansion

Brenham Christian AcademyHead of School: Dr. Charlie Loyd2111 South Blue Bell Road, Brenham

New Business

Brenham CrossfitOwners: Andrew Adams & Sara Urban301 North Austin Parkway, Brenham

Washington County Chamber of Commerce

314 S. Austin Street, Brenham979-836-3695

Page Michel, President & CEOJane Hinze, Member Services Mgr.

Shae Janner, Business Programs Mgr.Lu Hollander, CVB Adv. & PR Mgr.

Jenny Mills, Visitor Center Mgr.Judy Hyman, Visitor Center & Group Contact Mgr.

Debby Welch, Visitor Center AssistantLori Wegner, ReceptionistCheryl Sevin, Bookkeeper

Support Staff: Marge Runge, Jeanine Presswood,

Nelda Snow and Darlene Denman.

Blinn College’s Workforce Education Di-vision is partnering with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to facilitate the Skills for Small Business program. Businesses with fewer than 100 employees can receive up to $1,450 for each new employee and up to $725 for incumbents for employee training.

Employees must be full-time to utilize the Skills for Small Business program, and they can enroll in any credit or non-credit courses on any Blinn College campus be-ginning in the Fall.

Blinn offers a wide variety of classes which qualify, including customer service, supervision, office and computer skills, blueprint reading, machining and more. For a complete list of course offerings, vis-it: www.blinn.edu/workforce/index.html.

“This is a phenomenal opportunity for small businesses and communities,” said Megan Costanza, dean of technical and pro-fessional programs. “New employees can get the training that they need to be success-ful on the job and experienced employees

get the chance to sharpen their skills. We’re honored to contribute to community en-hancement through continuing education.”

Training through the Skills for Small Business program increases business com-petitiveness, upgrades the skills of current employees, and prepares newly hired em-ployees for job requirements.

Blinn is committed to being an educa-tional leader not only in the Brazos Valley but throughout the state of Texas. Partner-ing with TWC to administer the Skills for

Small Business aligns with the college’s strategic priority of community enhance-ment, acting as an economic driver and promoter of educational opportunities in the communities it serves.

Businesses interested in the program should identify desired training courses, then apply directly to TWC for training ap-proval. Program applications can be found online at the TWC website. For more infor-mation or application assistance, contact [email protected].

Blinn Workforce Ed. offers training for small business employees

3 Yeti Coolers Donated by

Washington County Tractor, Rob’s Fun Centerand Ammo To Go

This is the only fundraising event of the year for the Chamber. All proceeds are put back into the community in the form of programs and services to enhance the busi-ness industry and economic climate. Join the crowd on August 28th. Enjoy this great opportunity to support your community and have fun at the same time!

TAILGATEContinued from Page 1

THE CHAMBER IS PROUD MEMBERS OF ...

• TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS• TEXAS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE EXECUTIVES• TEXAS ASSOC. OF CONVENTION & VISITOR BUREAUS• U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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Renewing Chamber MembersJuly 1-31

Thanks to the following members for continuing your investment in the Chamber. You are long-term “partners” in our mission to promote and preserve this great community, and we appreciate your confidence in the Chamber’s ability to promote your business.

August 2014 | Chamber Works | Page 3

1st Step Dog Training and Grooming — 1 yearA& L Hot Oil Service — 11 yearsAAA Self Storage-Brenham — 7 yearsDr. Gary Appelt, P.A. — 33 yearsArgent Court of Brenham — 16 yearsArtesian Park RV Campground — 21 yearsBest Western Inn of Brenham — 17 yearsBlissWood Bed and Breakfast — 12 yearsFrank Blizzard — 11 yearsBootstrap at Round Top — 8 yearsBrenham Abstract and Title Company — 31 yearsBrenham Carpet and Tile — 10 yearsBrenham Catering Company — 11 yearsBrenham Cemetery Association — 11 yearsBrenham Country Club — 25 yearsBrenham Elks Lodge #979 — 8 yearsBrenham Grill — 9 yearsBrenham ISD Superintendent — 19 yearsJudge Carson Campbell — 2 yearsChappell Hill Lavender Farm — 10 yearsThe Citadel — 24 yearsCountryside Lighting Co. — 15 yearsCross Creek Construction and Design — 8 yearsDiscount Trees of Brenham — 24 yearsJim and Ellen Ellison — 11 yearsEndeavor Tank and Transport — 9 yearsFactory Connection — 1 yearFirst Finance — 10 years

Foehner Funeral Home — 10 yearsGrace Community Fellowship — 5 yearsHampton Inn and Suites — 5 yearsWoman’s Cave — 1 yearLynne L. Holder, Attorney At Law — 11 yearsK-Bob’s Steakhouse — 29 yearsState. Rep. Lois Kolkhorst — 14 yearsKorth and Linke Welding — 37 yearsPeggy Kramer, County Treasurer — 4 yearsLaBahia Antiques — 17 yearsLittle Caesars — 4 yearsLive Oak Resort — 24 yearsLube Rite — 25 yearsM.C. Byrd Wealth Management — 5 yearsMargie Young- Events by Room Service — 17 yearsMark Hyatt Insurance Agency — 35 yearsChris McCarty, DDS, Pediatrics — 29 yearsMHMR Center of Washington County — 21 yearsMill Creek Custom Homes — 3 yearsMiracle Farm — 32 yearsMoorman, Tate, Haley, Upchurch and Yates — 20 yearsOak Creek Apartments — 16 yearsWilliam and Dee Pennybacker — 25 yearsLinda and Paul Pipes — 4 years

Plumb Level — 11 yearsPrairie Hill Farm — 15 yearsMr. and Mrs. Glen Prenzler — 3 yearsProServe Automotive — 6 yearsRau’s Meat Center — 37 yearsRobert’s Service Station and Grocery — 15 yearsSam Kuver Agency-Allstate Insurance — 1 yearScoops at Westwood — 11 yearsGeorgia and Bob Sowers — 9 yearsSpiess Insurance Agency — 37 yearsSt. Peter’s Episcopal Church — 11 yearsTexas Broadband — 9 yearsTexas Plumbing Solutions — 1 yearTexas State Optical — 1 yearTHYME…Day Spa and Salon — 5 yearsTwo S Realty — 2 yearsTim Walther — 4 yearsWashington-on-the-Brazos State Park Association — 21 yearsWashington County Fair Association — 30 yearsWashington County Farm Bureau — 29 yearsWashington County Wildlife Society —4 yearsWCT OUTDOORS — 7 yearsDon C. Wilhelm — 5 years

Washington CountyBlue Blazers

JOLENE CURTISTexas AgFinance

TIFFANY COMPTON-FALKHodde Real Estate Company

DARLENE DENMANHome Sweet Farm & Washington County Chamber Visitors Center

JOYCE DICKSCHATBrenham National Bank

WENDY FRAZIERBBVA Compass

PAM GREENRE/MAX Advantage

EDDIE HARRISON Individual Member

JARED HARTMANSeidel, Schroeder & Company

TAMMY JASTER City of Brenham-

Blue Bell Aquatic Center

FLORENCE JULIANBlue Bell Creameries

BRICE MILLIORN Edward Jones Investments

LINDA PIPESIndividual Member

CHRISTY SCHLOTTMANNSam Kuver Agency – Allstate Insurance

RANDY WEIDEMANN Van Dyke Rankin

& Company

BARBARA WILGANOWSKI Spherion Staffing

BLUEBONNET GARDEN CLUBPresident: Jere Longhofer

202 Oak Hill DriveBrenham, Texas 77833

Phone Number: [email protected]

Non Profit Clubs & Organizations

BRENHAM CROSSFITOwner: Andrew Adams & Sara Urban

301 N. Austin ParkwayBrenham, Texas 77833Phone: 979-219-3190

[email protected]

Fitness

GARY GATES2205 Avenue I, #113

Rosenberg, Texas 77471Phone: 281-232-7780

[email protected]

Individual

JOHN’S COMPUTER CONSULTINGOwner: John Wright

2107 Springwood DriveBrenham, Texas 77833Phone: 979-353-0883

consulting@johnscomputerconsulting.comwww.johnscomputerconsulting.comComputer Networking/Sales/Service

LIVE LOVE LIFT FITNESSOwner: Diane Perkins

1107 Thiel StreetBrenham, Texas 77833Phone: 979-421-0220

[email protected]

Fitness

TC RANCH VENTURESOwner: Juan A. Vendrell

5301 Krueger RoadWashington, Texas 77880

Phone: [email protected]

www.tcranchhorsemanship.comEquestrian

TEXAS STAR WINERYOwners: Jim & Susan Chisolm10587 Old Chappell Hill Road

Chappell Hill, Texas 77426Phone: 979-251-7282

[email protected]

Winery

Welcome New Chamber Members

The Second Annual “Ladies Night Out with the Chamber” will be held Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014. Last year’s event was a great suc-cess, with over 300 in attendance, 58 exhibitors and over 20 sponsors.

The ballroom will once again be full of exhibitors with wonder-ful products and services! There will be a great raffle plus delicious food, cold drinks, music, fashion shows and comedy.

Sponsors are currently being

sought for this 2014 event. There are several levels with a variety of valuable benefits. Send an inquiry to [email protected] if you would like to know more.

Exhibitor spaces are now open to returning vendors and Chamber members who would like to have an exhibit. Spots are now open to any other interested vendors.

Find more details on www.BrenhamTexas.com under “Cham-ber Happenings.”

Sponsor Spots Available for the Second Annual ‘Ladies

Night Out with the Chamber’

Facebook.com/Brenham.Texas

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Thank you to our Presidential Level members ...

Bluebonnet Electric

Metropolitan Water

Company, L.P.

OF BRENHAM

— BrenhamBrenham

Clinic

Brenham National

Bank

BRENHAM

Thank you to our Chairman’s Circle members ...

Page 4 | Chamber Works | August 2014

Adams Angels 5K DASH to Benefit

Childhood Cancer FamiliesAdam’s Angels Ministry will host its fifth annual 5K

DASH on Saturday, October 4. The popular event is open to the public, and starts at 8:15 am in Brenham’s Hohlt Park Pavilion. Registration is open until September 17. Register now to get a free event t-shirt while they last. This year there is also a category for a 5K Team (max 10 run-ners, teams register online only).

Registration info may be picked up at the Chamber of Commerce, Blue Bell Aquatic Center, various downtown businesses and downloaded from the website. The event kicks off at 8:15 am with the Childhood Cancer Patient & Family Walk where each child with cancer is recognized.The 5K DASH begins 8:30 am. Attendees enjoy free Blue Bell ice cream, music and a jump house. The event con-cludes with a Memorial Butterfly Release.

All proceeds from the 5K DASH benefit families bat-tling childhood cancer. Adam’s Angels Ministry provides physical, emotional, financial, and prayerful support to families dealing with childhood cancer. The ministry works with families in Washington County and the central Texas region. For more information, visit www.AdamsAn-gelsMinistry.org or call 979-836-0955.

Brazos Valley Brewing Company

Brazos Valley Brewing Company is pleased to an-nounce they will be doubling capacity. Three new fer-menters were commissioned last week, with the first batch of The Cause IPA already fermenting away, with five year round brews on draught and three in bottles, they will soon add seasonal releases and more package options.

“2014 has been great to us so far! We have developed a solid fan base and can barely keep up. After the bot-tle launch we knew it was time to grow.” said Richard Bonds, Sales Manager for Brazos Valley Brewing. “The addition of these new tanks allows us the flexibility to keep the current line up in the market and begin experi-menting in earnest with specialty releases, our first being a brown ale brewed in collaboration with Independence coffee.”

Founded in 2013, Brazos Valley Brewing Company is a Microbrewery located in historic downtown Brenham. Brothers Josh and Jeremy along with longtime friends Nelson and Richard create this team of craft brewing enthusiasts. With their 20 BBL brew house and their passion for brewing bold and tasteful beer, they make a variety of high quality craft beers for the people of Texas. They look forward to raising a pint with you in

the beer garden at the brewery. Also, look for it on tap at your local craft beer bar. Samples are available upon request.

Learn more at www.brazosvalleybrewery.com or visit the brewery at 201 W. First St. in Brenham.

C.C. CreationsStarted as a small print shop in Bryan back in 1982,

with only two manual printing machines. More than 30 years later, C.C. Creations is the largest custom screen printing and embroidery design company in Texas and the 11th largest in the U.S. Currently, they operate 15 au-tomatic printing presses, run two shifts and employ more than 260 people.

C.C. Creations has consecutively been voted “Best of the Brazos Valley” in custom clothing since 2001. Also picked as the Brazos Valley’s favorite business for “Best Custom Embroidery” and “Best Promotional Items” since 2012.

C.C. Creations offers services in promotional items, trophies & awards, signs & banners and vehicle wraps. The values of the company and the attitudes of the em-ployees have helped to continue the motto “Building Bet-ter Relationships.”

C.C. Creations is located at 114 Holleman Drive in Col-lege Station. Learn more about their products by visiting www.cccreationsusa.com.

Business Spotlights

Save with Infintech Credit Card ProcessingHave you heard about the valu-

able member benefit that can save you on credit card processing? The Washington County Cham-ber has partnered with Infintech to offer an exclusive member benefit program to get members much lower rates through combined group buying power. With lower fees across the board, members can get savings that maximizes their profits.

Power of the ProgramMembers enrolled in the program

will have access to lower fees, uti-lizing Cost-Plus Pricing. This trans-

parent pricing model will expose the true costs of processing electronic payments, thus eliminating the poten-tial for “after-the-fact” rate increases by the processor. The processing rate you’re offered through the program will remain the same for the duration of your membership.

Program FeaturesHere are just a few of the features

you’ll enjoy with this program, which

is only available to Washington County Chamber members:

• Pre-negotiated rates• Transparent pricing model• No unjustified cost increases• No long-term contracts or can-

cellation penalties• Dedicated, live customer service• Discounts on ancillary products

and servicesHow much can YOU save?Contact Will Watson directly at Infintech at (979) 345-2988 or

[email protected]. Find more details online at www.InfintechLLC.com.

GROUP BUYING POWERChamber members can now get major savings on

credit card payment processing.Learn about our new member benefit program.

Contact Will Watson at (979) 345-2988 • [email protected]

www.infintechllc.com

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August 2014 | Chamber Works | Page 5

Introducing the Leadership Class of 2015The new class of Leadership Washington

County participants convened this month with an Orientation held on August 6 and will be followed by a day-long Leadership Communication session on August 19. There will be a Team Building Retreat at Camp For All in September. The partic-ipants will graduate from the program in May 2015.

The 26 professionals listed below will be challenged, inspired and educated about the many facets of effective leadership and the structure of this community. During this program, participants will experience eleven in-depth sessions, meet top leaders in the community and form relationships that will aid them in their professional careers for years to come. They will also be treated to amazing, behind-the-scenes tours of some of Brenham’s most unique businesses.

Here are this year’s Leadership Wash-ington County participants:

Paul AschenbeckBrenham ISD

Jeana BellingerCity of Brenham

Michael BrewsterKwik Kopy Business Center

Suzanne ButlerGermania Insurance

Tonya CurrieRE/MAX Advantage

Brandi DanielBrenham Clinic

Jason DerrickBrenham Police Department

Andrea DrabbWashington County CSCD

Andy HefferlyMoorman, Tate, Haley, Upchurch & Yates, LLP.

Sabrina HornDel Sol Food Co., Inc.

Joshua HuntValmont Industries

Shae JannerWashington County

Chamber of Commerce

Taylor JonesMIC Group

Jason KiemsteadtCitizens State Bank

Catherine KruegerWashington County

Sheriff ’s Office

Jonas LacinaLacina & Kenjura, P.C.

Kyle MertenBlinn College Foundation

Joe RobertsonBlue Bell Creameries

Wendy RubachGermania Insurance

Teresa SchaperBrenham National Bank

Ross SchroederBlinn College

Hannah SchulzSeidel, Schroeder & Company

Ross SheltonFirst Baptist Church

Kristie WenselBrenham State

Supported Living Center

John WinkelmannWashington County Attorney’s Office

John WrightJohn’s Computer Consulting

Leadership Washington County is hosted and coordinated each year by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce with assis-tance from alumni of the program. It is one of the most meaningful ways to give back af-ter you have received all the valuable training and experiences in the LWC program.

Watch this newsletter for photos and articles about the new class over the next several months as they learn and grow to-gether as professionals and leaders.

Leadership participants learn what makes this community work! They form new relationships and forge lasting bonds while touring community sites and hearing from local leaders.

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2015 Visitor Guide information is available

The information to participate in the 2015 Visitor Guide was mailed to all tourism partners on July 31. If you did not receive a fat envelope marked on the outside with a bright red sticker, please contact the CVB at 979-836-3696 and a replacement can be sent. The deadline to submit your materials and payment without penalty is September 12. Because of its low cost per participant and high circu-lation, it is the perfect marketing tool for you.

This printed guide for the Brenham/Washington Coun-ty area is supplied to Texas Travel Information Centers around the state; distributed to hotels, businesses and vis-itor centers in major cities; and mailed to fulfill requests from individual visitors. Supplies are also available for any tourism outlet in the area. Each year, 150,000 copies are printed and distributed.

Thank you for your support of tourism efforts in Bren-ham and the Washington County area.

“Greater Tuna”

What do Arles, Thurston, Pearl, Petey, Rev. Spikes, Vera, and Bertha have in common? They are all among the upstanding citizens of Tuna, Texas. Performances will be Thursday, September 4th, Friday, September 5th and Sat-urday, September 6th at 7 p.m. and Sunday, September 7th at 2 p.m. at the W.W. O’Donnell Performing Arts Center located at 600 Blinn Blvd. General admission tickets are $5 and for more information, call 979/830-4024 or visit their website at www.blinn.edu/odonnell.

Downtown Microbrewery Open

Gather with friends for a relaxing evening outdoors with delicious, cold beer made right here in Brenham at the mi-crobrewery in Downtown. Brazos Valley Brewing Com-pany is located at 201 W. First Street. Open Patio times are on Fridays, August 22 and 29, and Saturdays, August 16, 23 and 30 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information call 713-584-3804 or visit www.BrazosValleyBrewery.com.

Farmers and Artisans Market

Featuring a large variety of locally made/grown products including vegetables, honey, mead, art, jewelry, bread and more. Held in downtown Burton on Saturday, September 6, from 9 a.m. to noon on the grounds of the historic Burton Railroad Depot at 507 N. Railroad Street. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.burtontexas.org.

Chappell HillHistorical Tours

To celebrate the Chappell Hill Historical Society’s 50th anniversary, all of the historical buildings will be open to the public Saturday, August 16th from noon to 4 p.m. For more info on this free event call 979-836-6033 or visit www.chappellhillmuseum.org.

Kinky Friedman in KenneyEnjoy a meal along with laughter, music and deep

thoughts with Kinky Friedman on Wednesday September 3rd at The Kenney Store located at 811 South Loop 497 in Kenney. The meal will be served at 6 p.m. and the show will be from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Advanced tickets only $30 and for more information, call 979-865-2404 or visit their website at www.thekenneystore.com.

Page 6 | Chamber Works | August 2014

Working for YOU!As a Chamber member, your promotional information

is seen by thousands of people every month.

WALK-INS

WEBSITEwww.BrenhamTexas.com

Unique VisitorsJuly 2014 — 7,907

Total PagesJuly 2014 — 15,419

Visitor CenterJuly 2014 — 701

HQ BuildingJuly 2014 — 869

WEBSITEwww.VisitBrenhamTexas.com

Unique VisitorsJuly 2014 — 13,796

Total PagesJuly 2014 — 35,582

Tourism News

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August 2014 | Chamber Works | Page 7

What’s Happening in AugustAug 14Business After Hours at Kruse VillageNetworking event for Chamber members, 1700 E. Stone St., Brenham, 5-7pm.

Aug 15, 22, 29 Live Music at Nathan’s BBQEntertainment varies, check website or Facebook. 6-9pm, Cajun specials, 1307 Prairie Lea, Brenham (www.nathansbbq.com).

Aug 15-16, 22-23, 29-30 Beer Garden Open atBrazos Valley Brewing Company Open 6pm-10pm, 201 W. First St., Down-town Brenham (www.brazosvalleybrewery.com).

Live Music at The Stone Cellar Live bands, pizza, drinks. Black Cat Choir, Tubie & The Touchtones, Tres Dux, Jack the Sax, Aaron Gross, Eugene Eugene, 204 E. Mill Street, Round Top (www.stonecellarwines.com).

Live Music at The Kenney Store Go early for dinner and stay late for live music and dancing. Most nights are free, but occasional cover charges, 811 Loop 497 South (www.TheKenneyStore.com). Aug 1650th Anniversary of Chappell Hill Historical Society Historical buildings will be open to the

public, free, noon to 4pm (www.chappellhillmuseum.org).

Aug 18 Ribbon Cutting-Brazos ValleyCouncil on Alcohol & Substance Abuse

Held in Chamber Conference Room, 314 S. Austin St., Brenham, 11:00am (www.bvcasa.org).

Aug 19 Basic QuickBooks classBasic level, hands-on workshop at SBDC, intended for people with no or limited experience, 9am-5pm, one hour lunch on your own. Register August 18, $100 (Carol Doersom 979-830-4333).

Aug 20 Helping Adolescents Cope with Loss Teleconference focusing on issues for ado-lescents, perspectives of healthcare work-ers, hospice clinicians, educators, clergy and more. Blinn College Student Center, 8:30-11:30am, free (Debbie Mackey 979-277-9525). Aug 20 Ribbon Cutting-Print Duo Held in Chamber Conference Room, 314 S. Austin St., Brenham, 4pm (www.printduo.com).

Aug 21 Bluebonnet Opry Silver Wings Ballroom, 4100 Hwy 105, Brenham. Doors open at 5:30pm, snack bar opens at 6pm, show starts at 7:30pm. Tickets are $5.

Aug 22 Antique Carousel RidesFree Carousel Rides at Fireman’s Park, Brenham, 7-8:30pm.

Live Music at Buffalo Creek Entertainment, food and drinks, 8-11pm, 10827 Hwy 36 S., Bellville (www.buffalocreekbellville.com, 979-865-5827). Aug 23 Round Top Festival Institute Split Second Piano Duo, 3-5pm, Festival Concert Hall, 248 Jaster Road, $25 adults, $10 children (festivalhill.org, 979-249-3129).

Aug 28 Tailgate Party 2014 Chamber fundraiser, held at 6pm, Silver Wings Ballroom, for more info 979-836-3695 or [email protected]). A few September highlights…Sept 3Kinky Friedman at The Kenney Store A night with Kinky Friedman, 6-10pm, ad-vance tickets sold at The Kenney Store only (www.thekenneystore.com, 979-865-2404).

Arts at the Lake Monthly Meeting First Wednesday each month, 6pm, Somer-ville Senior Center, Hwy 36 at 6th St. (979-289-3765). Sept 4 Unity Theatre Gala Support your local theatre and have a won-derful night out. Dinner, drinks, live auc-tion, live entertainment, 6-11pm, call for tickets, 300 Church St. (www.unitybren-ham.org, 979-830-1460).

Sept 5Brenham Cubs Football Varsity home game, Brenham vs Liberty Hill, kickoff at 7:30pm, Cub Stadium.

Sept 6 Farmers and Artisans Market Downtown Burton, 9am-noon, 507 N. Railroad St (www.burtontexas.org). Sept 7 Home Sweet Farm - Monthly Market DayHeld the first Sunday each month, 11am-4pm, 307 S. Park St., Downtown Brenham (www.homesweetfarm.com). Sept 12 Brenham Cubs Football Homecoming Game Brenham vs Houston Westside, kickoff at 7:30pm, Cub Stadium.

WASHINGTON COUNTY “ADOPT-A-SIGN” PARTNERS

To ensure the long-term care of the Welcome Sign monuments at the five entry points to Washington County, four landscaping companies from our community have volunteered to oversee their maintenance.

Precision Lawn Management — U.S. 290 West Sign

Designing Landscapes — U.S. 290 East Sign

Glasco & Company Landscaping — Hwy. 36 North and South Signs

Wise Landscaping — Hwy. 105 Sign

Tropical Costa Rica coming February 2015

It’s only six months away, and this tour is expected to fill up this month! The Chamber is hosting a group travel tour of Costa Rica in February 2015.

Thanks to professional tour company Col-lette Vacations and Chamber member Cricket Cruise & Travel, we are able to offer an eight-day tour of Costa Rica for an amazing price. The tour will take place February 9-17, 2015. It features stops in the rainforest, jungle, vol-cano, hanging bridge, a coffee plantation, and much more.

Everyone in the community is invited!

Chamber members can enjoy a reduced tour price. Your family, friends, and non-members are also welcome to join this trip at the Chamber rate! A charter mo-torcoach will pick us up in Brenham the morning of the trip and provide free trans-portation to and from the Houston airport. You never have to haul your bags or worry about parking.

Find full details on the Chamber website under “Chamber Happenings.” Call LeAnne Rigsby with Cricket Cruise & Travel today to reserve space: (979) 836-6600.

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Washington County’s Birthplace of Texas GeoTour has welcomed many visitors this summer and continues to mark us as a favorite destination for geocach-ing. Since the December 2013 launch, the GeoTour has brought more than 200 visi-tors to the area. We’ve had 120 Passports turned in and we’ve rewarded most of those cachers with the promised full-col-or, two sided geocoin we designed just for this tour.

Because of the GeoTour, our county has seen a known figure of more than $7,300 spent by geocachers. They might come here on a mission to geocache, but they end up eating, sleeping, shopping and explor-ing our attractions as well! Through comments on the Passports, geocachers let us know how much fun they have caching throughout Washington County and learn-ing more about our history. They often comment about seeing something they didn’t know existed and express plans to return to spend more time.

In an effort to invite them to do just that, we will be hosting three events over Labor Day weekend. All geo-cachers, visitors and locals, as well as those interested in learning more about this fun activity are invited to join us at each event!

Fri, Aug 29, 7:30pm – “Flash Mob” type of event in Downtown Brenham. This is a 15-minute event where cachers gather at one spot to greet each other, sign the log, maybe take a picture, then disperse to play, eat, or contin-ue caching.

Sat, Aug 30, 6-8pm – Meet & Greet Picnic. This is a

come and go event where you will have the opportunity to sit and chat with fellow geocachers, share stories,

show off your prized geocoins, etc. Sausage wraps and chips will be provided. Bring your

own drinks and any other food you desire to eat or share (optional).

Sun, Aug 31, 7:30am – “Cache In, Trash Out” event. CITOs are a way for geocachers to give back to the commu-nity by helping pick up trash in a specific area. Everyone is welcome, even if you

don’t geocache. Everything you need will be provided, including water. Those completing the Birthplace of Texas

GeoTour just before Labor Day weekend, or over the weekend, are encouraged to bring their Passports

to one of the above events to claim your geocoins. More information about the events and geocaching can be found at VisitBrenhamTexas.com. We hope to see you soon!

Page 8 | Chamber Works | August 2014

It’s All About Being ConnectedThe Chamber of Commerce is the only organization in

town that makes all of these connections…• Connects its members with other members.• Connects its members to customers.• Connects the business community with government

agencies.• Connects businesses with community organizations.

• Connects job seekers with job opportunities.• Connects community leaders with leadership oppor-

tunities.• Connects current generations with new generations.• Connects citizens with information.• Connects tourists with the region’s attractions.• Connects members with educational opportunities.

Thanks to a partnership with Cogg-no.com, the premier Internet source for thousands of online training courses, the Chamber continues to offer online training courses to all members. Members are able to click a link on the Chamber website to find a selection of online training courses that are relevant to your needs. Categories include Human Resources, Compliance, Safety Training, Business Management and others that will prove useful to employ-ees of every type of business.

All of the online training options are available on-demand “24/7”and can be ac-cessed at computer workstations, as well as from home computers, tablets, and even smart phones. When online training cours-

es are purchased through the Chamber web-site, you can also access Coggno’s state-of-the-art, proprietary Learning Management System that will allow you to keep track of employees’ progress in chosen coursework. This very valuable tool makes it easy for su-pervisors to distribute, monitor, and mentor employees in their chosen courses.

Online training is a cost-effective alter-native for expensive off-site seminars and training sessions. Not only will your em-ployees not have to travel, they will gain knowledge and insight into important top-ics. They will be able to learn at their own pace and effectively retain that knowledge, while keeping up with day-to-day respon-sibilities.

Here are some more reasons to try online training: You only pay for the courses you need; Courses are extremely affordable, with discounts available for bulk purchas-es; Coursework for licensing renewal or other types of compliance can now be ob-tained online; and Management can easily track employee progress, and even award certificates of completion.

All courses are written and developed by industry experts. You can take a “sneak peek” at them before purchasing them.

Take advantage of this opportunity to build a more productive, skilled workforce. Visit www.BrenhamTexas.com today and take a look at the courses offered by click-ing “Online Training.”

Chamber Offers Online Training for You and Your BusinessSPECIAL PROMOTION

Be one of the first 20 to sign up and

GET A FREE COURSE up to $100

Call 979-836-3695 for more information or email [email protected].

Hear from Border Patrol OfficerCaptain Stacy Holland – Aug. 21

The Washington County Rotary Club is extending a special invitation for people to hear the club speaker on Thursday, Aug 21.

Sheriff Otto Hanak will introduce Cap-tain Stacy Holland at the club meeting at the Cannery Kitchen starting at 11:45 a.m. Guests may enjoy lunch for $10 per per-son (arrive by 11:30 a.m. to go through the buffet line before the program).

Capt. Holland will speak about the bor-der crisis and how it may be affecting our community. Captain Holland, of San Antonio, is with Texas DPS Aircraft Division, Border Op-erations. He will share his insights and experiences flying helicopters to assist in apprehending criminals who enter Texas.

He and Sheriff Hanak will talk about some of the crimi-nal activities in Washington County that have resulted from the open border. They will also show a powerful video.