Galveston chamber expands opportunities for mainland businesses A chamber of commerce exists to represent the interests of business owners within their membership and the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce has created several opportunities for business owners to have their voices heard through numerous networking events each month. About five years ago, the chamber introduced Good Morning Galveston, which serves as a networking opportunity for any business owner in Galveston County to mingle with fellow entrepreneurs as a means to help grow their business. Good Morning Galveston started as a meeting at the Galveston chamber offices on Mechanic Street, but the gathering quickly outgrew the space. The owners of Texas Tail Distillery, 2416 Post Office, volunteered their space for the monthly meeting, which features guest speakers talking about different aspects of business ownership. Gina Spagnola, the president/CEO of the Galveston chamber, kept hearing from business owners on the other side of the causeway that they were interested in hosting an event more central to the region. Good Morning Mainland was born. Good Morning Mainland held its first meeting in October at the Texas Gun Club, 3270 Gulf Freeway South in League City. On Wednesday (11/15/2023) around 50 business owners were on hand at the second networking event, which is open to all business owners. Representatives from HEB spoke about the growth of the company, which started as a corner grocery store and has grown into a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Heidi Clark, area coordinator from HEB, spoke about some of the community service projects in which HEB is involved, including the collection of countless plastic grocery bags which are then recycled into trash bags. The Butt family that founded HEB, Clark said, donates a percentage of annual revenue back into the community by assisting 501c3 non-profit organizations. Good Morning Galveston meets on the first Thursday of the month and the third Wednesday is Good Morning Mainland. For those business owners 40 years old or younger, the Galveston chamber has a group called the Chamber Crewe, or C Crewe, which Spagnola said meets monthly for updates on the business world and legislative changes that could impact business. Wednesday's lunch meeting was held at Tortuga Mexican Kitchen, 4910 Seawall Blvd. For more information on any upcoming chamber events, email Spagnola at gspagnola@galvestonchamber.com or call the chamber at (409) 763-5326.

Posted by i45NOW Matt at 2023-11-15 20:59:07 UTC