CENTRAL FORT BEND CHAMBER ALLIANCE TIMELINE
• The Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance has been an icon
in
Fort Bend County for nearly 100 years, continuously changing
with the times for the benefit of the business community.
• Information has been provided via the website of local
businessman Travis Reese that indicates that the first
Chamber of Commerce in Fort Bend County was located in
Rosenberg, and was founded in nearly 100 years ago, in 1910
with the assistance of then-Mayor, Taylor Ray.
• In 1920 that 10-year-old original Chamber of Commerce was
reorganized to suit the needs of the day.
• By 1927, M. E. Parrot was the President of the “newly
reorganized” Chamber of Commerce.
• Absolute proof of this earliest rendition, called simply
“the Rosenberg Chamber of Commerce”, has been found in a
yellowed newspaper clipping dated June 27, 1928. On that day
the Houston Chronicle devoted half a page to the City of
Rosenberg, its progress and its Chamber of Commerce, both of
which were evidently thriving under the leadership of Mayor
J. S. Hobbs and Chamber president E. V. Stubblefield.
• Possibly due to the Stock Market Crash in October 1929,
the Chamber in Rosenberg was once again reorganized, as 100
representatives convened to ensure that the organization
would thrive for the sake of local businesses trying to
weather The Great Depression.
• Not much is known about the Chamber’s history in those
dark years of the 1930’s, but photos, ledgers and other
information have surfaced to show that in the early 1940’s
the organization was still a vital part of the community,
still operating as “the Rosenberg Chamber of Commerce”, with
Marshall Holloway, Editor of the Fort Bend Reporter at that
time, recorded as a non-paid part-time “employee”.
• The Chamber of Commerce was obviously a mainstay in
1947,
as the Fort Bend Library’s “Share-a-Book Club” was said to
have been housed in the Chamber of Commerce office, located
at the time in what later became the Rosenberg Jail!
• By 1948, in the post-war boom, the Chamber was again going
strong with its first full-time paid manager, George H. Lee.
• 1949 brought the first recorded name change to the
chamber, as it actively represented the entire county, and
thus earned its new name of “Fort Bend County Chamber of
Commerce”. It was during this period that the Chamber had
“divisions” for various cities in the county, represented by
businessmen of those towns.
• Another yellowed newspaper clipping from the
Houston
Chronicle, dated January 4, 1950, has Chamber exec Lee and
Rosenberg Mayor E. M. Parrott touting the area, called “Hub
of the Gulf”, as a prime distribution and transport center”,
similar to bragging rights still held some sixty years
later!
• 1954 brought a need for dedicated office space, with the
City of Rosenberg addressing the problem by supplying an
office in City Hall, along with a telephone, number “499”.
The local Junior Chamber of Commerce provided volunteer
services to keep the Chamber running smoothly.
• As reported by Arthur Mahlmann – still an active Chamber
member in 2009 – in early 1956 a group of enthusiastic
businessmen in the Chamber created the Rosenberg Industrial
Foundation, for the sole purpose of negotiating to bring the
home of Gulf States Tube Corporation to Rosenberg. Members
of the foundation board were Mart Cole, Jr., J.E. Junker,
Jr., Mayor R. L. Ulrich, D. B. Loeb, Sr., Dr. Lamar Meadows,
Dr. E. F. Hopkins and Elton Hopmann, as well as Mr.
Mahlmann.
The effort was a success, and Gulf States brought many jobs
to the community for several decades.
• The earliest located Articles of Incorporation show that
in 1957 the name was changed once more, this time to
“Rosenberg Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture”. The new
moniker was possibly a result of the major investment of
that City into the county-wide organization, then in
operation in one form or another for more than forty years,
with three-fourths of that time apparently focused solely on
Rosenberg.
• The third name change occurred in 1966, with the two
contiguous cities of Rosenberg and Richmond realizing the
value of unity and inclusion, entitling the newly
reorganized and newly incorporated organization
“Rosenberg-Richmond Area Chamber of Commerce”.
• Experiencing growth pains in the 70’s, the
Rosenberg-Richmond Area Chamber of Commerce secured prime
property on Highway 90, a major thoroughfare in Rosenberg,
and contracted with Bass Construction to build a new, modern
structure to house the growing Chamber by 1977.
• In 1985 a trend taking Chambers of Commerce by storm made
its way to Rosenberg and Richmond, and Leadership Fort Bend
was launched, thanks in large part to Jeff and Ann Council.
It was the first such program in Fort Bend County.
• Cliff Terrell was leading the Chamber – for the 2nd time –
as its President/CEO in 1989, and along with his Board
Chairman, Clyde King, they fulfilled one of Clyde’s goals,
to establish a foundation in support of education. With the
assistance of Richmond attorney Jack Moore (son of longtime
Richmond Mayor Hilmar Moore), the first bylaws were created
and the foundation was incorporated on July 31, 1990 as
“Fort Bend County Community Foundation”.
• Fort Bend County Community Foundation gained in stature
during the 90’s, and in 2001 was “reinvented” as the “Lamar
Educational Awards Foundation, now known simply as “LEAF”.
Jennifer Hartman made the transition from the last board
chair of FBCCF under the umbrella of the Chamber, to the
first board chair of LEAF.
• “Departments” focusing on business development, community
enrichment, governmental affairs, image & tourism, and
infrastructure were launched in early 2004 by then-new
president/CEO Gail Parker, along with the reinstatement of
the Ambassadors Group and the Education Department.
• The landmark building housing the Chamber since 1977
underwent an extensive update and renovation in 2005-2006 by
the still-in-operation Bass Construction, with a new
courtyard created by Houston Landscapes Unlimited. The
building offers a welcome respite to weary travelers and new
neighbors.
• 2009 saw considerable growth for the Chamber, even in the
challenging economy, with the booming City of Fulshear
choosing THIS Chamber as the “Chamber of Choice” to serve
their community, plus new Divisions created for the Hispanic
business community and young professionals.
• In a history-making event on August 6, 2009, the
organization embraced a fourth name change that reflected
its recent and planned growth, to “Central Fort Bend Chamber
Alliance”. The new moniker was hailed for its reference to
the new partnership of communities.
• Today’s Chamber represents approximately 800 businesses in
the greater Fort Bend area, providing continuing education;
leadership training; connections to local, state and federal
government; business resources and affinity programs; and
various promotional outlets and networking opportunities,
among other things.