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The Community Chamber of Commerce of East Montgomery County was founded in 1990 and recently celebrated its 17th anniversary. Governed by a 14-member board of directors, the Chamber’s mission is to promote the economic well being and quality of life of East Montgomery County.  The Chamber kicks off each year honoring members who have helped further the goals of the Chamber at the Annual Banquet. The highlight of the evening recognizes our Hometown Heroes, and the Small and Large Businesses of the Year. These honorees are nominated from the entire membership and represent the best of the best. The banquet also recognizes the services of our outgoing board chair and retiring board members, as well as the Board Member of the Year and the Volunteer of the Year.
The Business Expo and Total Women’s Expo, held for the first time in 2008, provides opportunities for local businesses to promote their products and services in an expo setting that attracts hundreds of area citizens. The annual Taste of East Montgomery County is held in the spring and features the best cooks of the area. Chamber members are encouraged to participate and network with the community. The annual Spring into Wellness Expo gives health and wellness providers opportunities to meet with citizens and share their expertise. The second annual expo was held in the spring of 2008. The Texas Sawmill Festival was enjoyed for the first time in April 2007 by a crowd of over 3,000. Held this year in mid-June, this FREE community event takes citizens and visitors back to the early days of East Montgomery County through visits to the “old sawmill town” display, historical displays, and reenactments from that era. The goal for the festival is for it to continue as an annual event and expand to a full weekend event. The festival committee will continue to work year round to critique and enhance the festival to achieve its long-term goal. Our annual Golf Tournament and Dinner is held each October at the beautiful  Oakhurst Golf Club. Featuring an afternoon of golf followed by a steak and lobster dinner, this event is an excellent marketing and networking opportunity for our members. A Ladies Mixer was held proceeding the dinner for the first time in 2008. Small Business Seminars are held periodically during the year. The seminars are designed to provide small business owners valuable information to assist them in the growth of their business. These seminars are held in partnership with the East Montgomery County Improvement District and the Small Business Development Center of the Lone Star College System. The Chamber also serves as a center for information for both residents and visitors. Conveniently located along Highway 59, the Chamber is a central point for items such as demographic information, visitor’s guides, maps of the area, and information on our members. The Chamber represents 400 members, all interested in making East Montgomery County a better, more vital place to live, work and play. The Chamber is a non-profit community service organization that operates on membership dues and dollars generated from the various special events.  Through Ribbon Cuttings, Grand Openings, and Ground Breakings, the Chamber welcomes the opportunity to assist you with events celebrating your business opening, expansion, relocation or anniversary. The Chamber staff and volunteers are available weekdays from 8 am to 5 pm to emcee your ribbon cutting, grand opening, ground breaking, or other special event. We will help you spread the word about your event through our newsletter Chamber Connections, email update via E-Connections, and calendar postings on the Chamber website at http://www.communitychamberemc.com/. There is no charge for this MEMBER ONLY service.
Throughout the year the Chamber hosts several networking opportunities. The Monthly Luncheon is held on the first Wednesday of each month. The luncheon is open to all members and guests and features recognition of new members, an interesting and informative speaker, networking between attendees, and door prizes. The Chamber also partners with The Observer newspaper on the second Wednesday of each month for The Observer Networking Luncheon. This luncheon is all about networking between attendees and does not include a speaker. The monthly Networking Breakfast is held on the last Friday of each month at 7 am and is jointly hosted by Kingwood Medical Center. The breakfast is held in the Plaza Room at the Medical Center and is free to all attendees. The Chamber’s quarterly After Hours Networking events, held at varying member’s locations, are great opportunities to meet fellow members and business leaders in our area. The Chamber’s website at http://www.communitychamberemc.com/ provides easy access to people from around the world. One of the site’s primary features is the Membership Roster. Visitors to the site easily find information either by name or by category listing. Advertising opportunities for members are also available on the site. The Chamber’s semi-monthly newsletter Chamber Connections is mailed the last week of the month to all members. This semi-monthly publication provides information pertinent to the Chamber, as well as a calendar of events for the coming month. The Chamber also distributes E-Connections, a weekly electronic update that provides up-to-date information on the latest happenings in the Chamber and the community. In partnership with The Observer newspaper, a new monthly feature, Community Connections, is now being sent to all the citizens where the East Montgomery County Observer is distributed. This new outlet provides Chamber members opportunities to get information to the general public in the area. The Observer gives Chamber members a special members only rate for their ads on this page. Leadership East Montgomery County is an educational program for local business owners/managers and area citizens. The program provides detailed information on what is happening in the area and why it happens. Leadership EMC is a three-hour program held one night per month for eight months. The Chamber also participates in Leadership Montgomery County and Leadership North Houston. Both of these programs are full-day programs and cover similar topics. The Chamber participates in several organizations designed to assist the staff and board in making good decisions for its members. These organizations include the Montgomery County Council of Chambers that includes all six Chambers in the county; the Alliance of North Houston Chambers (that includes six Chambers from the north Houston area and Harris County; the North Houston Association; the Gulf Coast Chamber Executives (which includes some 60 Chambers from across southeast Texas); and finally the Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives (that includes Chambers from across the entire state). Each of these groups meet to share ideas, work on common issues, and to help each participating organization achieve its goals. The Chamber is currently governed by a 15-member Board of Directors. Twelve members are elected from the membership and three are selected by the incoming Chair of the Board to serve a one-year term. The board governs and the staff manages. Volunteer leaders are responsible for the direction of the Chamber. The board governs, develops policy and sets a course for the future, maintaining focus on the mission and strategic goals. Board functions include governance, policy and position development, visionary or future focus, and fiduciary.
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