THE VOICE Huntsville Walker County Chamber of Commerce October 2022

SMALL BUSINESS BREAKFAST

Thanks to Tomorrow's Promise Montessori Schools for sponsoring the September Chamber Small Business Breakfast. Founder, Kaye Boehning, introduced a few of her team members that have been with the school for several years, Charlotte Baker (24), Ashley Templeton (20), and Shelbi Myers (11) at the Chamber Breakfast.  “Tomorrow’s Promise is celebrating 25 years in business, and we are extremely grateful for the support over the years from the community. We are hosting a fundraising event to be held on October 15th from 6-10pm at the fairgrounds called Lasso Your Imagination. The Color Bar has donated a Louis Vuitton Neverfull Black Purse and raffle tickets can be bought at the Color Bar or at Tomorrow's Promise.  Please visit lassoyourimagination.com for more information or tomorrowspromise.info for information about the school.”

ECONOMIC INDICATORS For Labor Force: texaslmi.com Sales Tax Information: comptroller.texas.gov/taxinfo/allocsum/compsum.html For Building Permits: huntsvilletx.gov/160Permits-Forms-Applications

RIBBON CUTTINGS FOR SEPTEMBER 

THE STUDIO WELLNESS CENTER 3 SISTA'S KITCHEN

FISHPOND SENIOR LIVING

Pictured left to right are: Melissa Bochat with Entergy, State Representative Ernest Bailes, State Representative Kyle Kacal, and Ray Hernandez, President/CEO of the Huntsville Walker Chamber of Commerce. They were in attendance of the Rotary Club of Huntsville.

NEW CHAMBER MEMBERS The following businesses recently joined the Chamber and we extend A WARM CHAMBER WELCOME. The information printed was gained from membership applications. For any additions and/or corrections, contact the Chamber as complete membership information is vital to your records with us. Vexus Fiber- Offer Communications, Internet, TV, Voice Provider for residential and commercial needs. For more information contact them at 1-800-658-2150.   Davidson Land Management- Joined the Chamber September 1, 2022. For more information contact Matthew Davidson at 409-882-7503. Specializes in land management and construction.   Mark Guest Remodeling- Home Remodeler with thirty plus years’ experience and handyman services. For more information contact Mark at 936-439-3435. H-Bistrot LLC- A large selection of Texas wines as well as wines from France. Also serving Texas beers and liquors. For more information contact Steve Hari at 832-870-9303 or stop by their location at 1320 Windsor St. The Jumpin Crab- Seafood Food Truck with all your favorites; boiled shrimp, oysters, crab, and potatoes. For more information contact Sharika Jackson at 936-363-6673 or stop by their location at 275 FM 247 B.  The O.K. Bail Bond Company- A bail bond company serving Walker County since 1976. For more information contact Oscar Robledo or Carlos Oliverez, owners at 936-291-1400 or stop by their location at 2812 B Sam Houston Avenue. Luxe Contractors- A land clearing and excavation company with experience in demolition, pond construction and job site preparation as well. For more information contact Heather McClain at 936-245-3478. The Law Office of Jeffrey W. Hitt- Law firm-Family, Estaate, Business org., Criminal, P.I. 30+ years experience. For more information contact Jeffrey Hitt at 936-287-8639 or stop by his location at 1230 10th St., Suite E.

THANK YOU TO OUR RECENT RENEWALS Dee Dee Dretke- K. Williams Realty Altom Consulting & Marketing Direct Auto Insurance Bright Porta Potty Texas Alcohol & Drug Testing Charlie’s Used Cars Tallent Sausage & Grocery Walker County Hardware Peyton Irwin Memorial Scholarship Texas Prison Museum Wischnewsky CDJR Walker County Crime Stoppers J. Philip Gibbs Performing Arts Ctr. Clopton Brothers Construction Affordable Plumbing Company Trinity Pines Conference Center Wendy’s Restaurant

BASH 5:15 SPOTLIGHT Thanks to Walker County Federal Credit Union for sponsoring the September BASH 5:15! CEO Toi Williamson shared, “Walker County Federal Credit Union has been proudly serving this community since 1956 offering a variety of account options including interest-earning Share and Share Draft (checking) Accounts, CD’s, low-cost Consumer Lending, and now Business Accounts and Lending. Apart from our top-notch products and services, we value Member Service above all else because our members are more than just a number, they are family. We are an 11-person single branch operation, but what we lack in quantity, we more than make up for in quality. Within these walls, there is a combined financial experience of over 200 years, which means these smiles come with an abundance of knowledge. Our mission is to enrich our members’ quality of life, and we hope to continue to do so within the Credit Union and throughout the community for many years to come. So, if you ever feel the need to go where everybody knows your name, come see us at Walker County Federal Credit Union, and we will make you feel right at home.” Walker County Federal Credit Union is located at 1802 Normal Park. Stop by for a visit or give them a call at 936-291-2171 to find out more. You can also find them on the web at https://www.walkercountyfcu.com/

AMBASSADOR VISITS SEPTEMBER 2022 Anthem Technology Best Box Ever Buckner's Hard Body Studio HEB Home Depot The Huntsville Item McAdams Dry Goods Office Depot Rolling Brook Apartments Sweet Karoline's Floral Shop The Timbers Apartments Tipsy Tios Town & Country Cleaners Walker County Shoe & Boot Repair Wish Wash Car Wash

ANTHEM TECHNOLOGY

BEST BOX EVER

BUCKNER'S JEWELRY

HARD BODY STUDIO

HEB	HOME DEPOT

THE HUNTSVILLE ITEM

MCADAMS DRY GOODS

OFFICE DEPOT

ROLLING BROOK APARTMENTS

TOWN & COUNTRY CLEANERS

THE TIMBERS APARTMENTS

Tipsy Tios SWEET KAROLINE'S FLORAL SHOP

WALKER COUNTY SHOE & BOOT REPAIR

WISH WASH CAR WASH

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Lendmark Financial Services provides personal and household credit, as well as loan solutions, to consumers. Founded in 1996, our mission is to be the lender, employer, and partner of choice by protecting household wealth, offering stability, and helping consumers meet both planned and unplanned life events through affordable loan offerings. Lendmark also provides retail merchant sales finance services to local Huntsville businesses and dealerships, such as independent auto dealerships, heating and air companies, and family-owned furniture stores. These enterprising businesses are an important part of the fabric of our community. In fact, as a community-based lender, we value our partnership with the Huntsville Walker County Chamber of Commerce in large part because of the connection to the local business community our membership provides. Today, Lendmark operates more than 475 branches in 21 states across the country. Our Huntsville, TX branch, located at 3010 Highway 30 W., Ste. B, serves more than 500 customers annually, complementing its in-person customer service with strong digital and online offerings. Pictured above are: Chad-AVP, Shay-BM, Kaleigh-Loan Consultant, and Miguel-AM . Lendmark is headquartered in Lawrenceville, Ga. for more information, visit www.lendmarkfinancial.com

UPDATE FROM POP COMMITTEE The POP Committee welcomed back members and greeted several new members of the committee on September 14th in the conference room of the Chamber. Shannon Duncan, Director of Communications for HISD presented an overview of the theme Champions “Under construction”. HISD has improved in many areas, not the least of which is the retention of faculty, the number of students, and the increase in our ratings.  There are no underperforming campuses in HISD presently in spite of the challenges of Covid. Teachers and administrators are concentrating on each student and campus to continue the progress that has been made to date. The Presbyterian Church is partnered with Gibbs Elementary School and has been very active. Meals have been served to faculty and underwear has been donated to the school nurse for the students. Continuing donations of children’s underwear sizes 2,4,6,8 are needed. The church also houses an emergency food pantry that is available to the social services team of Sally Dowis and Juanita Hall. There is an ongoing need for liquid detergent and cleaning supplies as these items are not available for purchase with food stamps. Donations may be delivered to the church on Thursdays from 8am-3pm. The Success Academy has students completing their high school diplomas during irregular hours due to the students’ particular circumstances. The need for snack foods has been an ongoing concern but a generous gift of snack foods has been arranged and those students are grateful. The CTE (Career and Technical Education) program at the high school was explained by Gary Evans, director of all CTE programs. HISD has 13 of the state approved CTE programs consisting of 105 individual courses. All students, whether college bound or otherwise, are encouraged to participate in one or more of these courses. For some students, the training received allows for them to earn enough to continue their education after graduation from high school. The program is presently looking for members of the community who might be interested in serving on the CTE Advisory Board. The next meeting of POP will be on October 12th with speakers Sally Dowis and Juanita Hall.

We are pleased to announce that we have received the Flowflex COVID-19 tests in our office for businesses. In order to receive your test kit you must register with the Texas Rapid Application website at: https://register.txrapidtest.org Once you have registered you will need to provide to us a copy of the QR code issued to you when you fill out your form on the website. You must bring the QR code in before we can issue the test kits. Initial test will be 12 tests per individual, or 1 Box. If you should have any further questions, please do not hesitate to give us a call at 936-295-8113.