• Mid-Year Update from
    President/CEO Jim Johnson

    We have reached mid-year at the Pearland Chamber of Commerce. 

    I want to start this message by thanking you for your investment in our organization. The Chamber has always been a membership organization and your support is appreciated.

    This email is a snapshot of the Chamber at mid-year. If you missed it, please click here for our 2021 Annual Report.

    Membership – 100 new members joined us in the first six months of the year including new Platinum Members Crain Group, On the Way AC Plumbing and Electrical and WeBuildTX LLC. This new member growth is providing businesses the opportunity to gain exposure to our membership while benefiting from our services in the community. We also had members Frontier Waste Solutions and Community Health Network step-up their membership to Platinum this year. Overall, the Chamber’s membership is approaching 700 members, and this is because of your renewals and support. Please visit our online directory for a full list of members or our new membership map.

    Engagement – The Chamber tracks engagement of members. We know our members are busy but through the first six months of the year, we have seen 46% of our members attend a program, committee, or event. You can always keep up with what’s going on by visiting our event calendar.

    Drainage -  Your voice was heard on the proposed Stormwater Fee earlier this year. The efforts of the Chamber to discuss this topic with City Council led to the Stormwater Fee being taken off the table and a bond committee was developed. We will always be the Voice of Business and your input on surveys and meetings allowed us to speak collectively. As an update, a report was given this past Monday at City Council which outlined a bond package of $90,000,000 that could be on the May 2023 ballot.

    Infrastructure – Our organization continues to advocate for improvements in our community’s infrastructure. We have sent messages to TxDOT this year to ensure the FM 518 expansion engages businesses and to support the construction of Grand Parkway Segment B. You can review both letters in our document library.

    New Programs – Businesses have different needs from the Chamber with our programs. Cereal Conversations was introduced in April and provides peer to peer discussions on pressing challenges and solutions and action items to enhance your business now. We also are partnering with the Brazoria County Hispanic Chamber later this month for a HUB Training. This certificate will provide additional opportunities for businesses in the procurement process. The rest of the year will see us introducing Speed Networking and more educational training. We also working the PEDC on introducing a Young Professionals program later this year. 

    First Friday and Monthly Luncheons -These are two of our signature monthly programs. First Friday’s continues to be Pearland’s Premier Networking Event and we are thankful for our location hosts in 2022 including Keating Toyota, Bakfish Brewing Company, Bayway Chevrolet, Larkspur at Shadow Creek and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. We will continue the program in August and would love to see you at a First Friday. The Chamber has had fantastic monthly luncheons this year and are excited about our 2nd half speaker lineup including Entrepreneurship Panel, update on travel post pandemic, State of the County, PEDC Update and a Legislative Preview. Please visit our website for RSVP information.

    Empower Community – We have focused on initiatives that will empower and benefit the community. This includes a new partnership with City of Pearland Parks and Recreation Department to provide businesses opportunities at Community Festivals to display and sell their products to consumers. The Chamber is also working with Keep Pearland Beautiful to support their mission and ensure businesses are recognized for their efforts in beautification of our community.

    The Commerce Center – Our building is named The Commerce Center and is home to additional partners who support our businesses. We welcomed the Pearland Innovation Hub as a new tenant and are excited about what they are doing for innovation, entrepreneurs, and small business growth.  State Senator Larry Taylor continues to have his district office in our building, and the Small Business Development Center, under the leadership of Business Advisor Robert Johnson, is an original tenant of our building and is a comprehensive small business assistance network.  
     
    Again, our entire organization is here to support you. Our mission isn’t just words on the wall….we really are here to Support Business. Promote Growth. Empower Community.

    Please do not hesitate to contact me personally or another member of our team if you need anything and hopefully we will see you soon.

     

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