January 2008

News

01/04/2008

Chamber ceremony ushers in New Year, new leadership

A new year at the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce brings with it a fresh perspective and a renewed resolve to push for excellence in the chamber itself as well as the greater Cy-Fair community served by its membership.

All members are invited and encouraged to attend a once-a-year event that pays tribute to Chamber members and businesses who go the extra mile.

On January 24, several new board members, and a new board president, will usher in 2008 at the Cy-Fair Chamber of Commerce’s annual Installation Celebration banquet. Those board members will be inducted along with a new slate of board officers, and the chamber will honor retiring board members at the ceremony, which will be held from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Houston - Brookhollow Hotel, 12801 Northwest Freeway.

Reginald Lillie of Reginald Lillie Insurance Service will take over as the Chambers’ 2008 Chairman of the Board.

Lillie joined the chamber 10 years ago, and has chaired the Membership and Governmental Affairs Committees, helped launch the Lead Exchange Committee - currently R.A.D., and has served on the Economic Development, Education and Transportation Committees. He has served on the Board of Directors and as the Chamber's ANHOC Representative since January 2004. He has been the board’s Vice Chair Community Development since January 2006. Lillie was a graduate of Leadership North Houston’s 2007 Class #12.

“We look forward to welcoming our new board members, and thanking our retiring board members for their service to the Chamber and our community,” said 2008 Board Chairman Reginald Lillie of Reginald Lillie Insurance Service. “Our new board members will add a fresh perspective and new energy to the board. The 2008 horizon looks great, and when you package in our new president, Erin Al-Salman, the Chamber and our community have a lot to look forward to!”

Outgoing Chairman Jennifer Pittman of AmegyBank of Texas will present “Chairman’s Awards” to local businesses that have made a significant contribution to the Chamber and community in the past year. She will also present the Chamber’s “Ambassador of the Year Award” to one of four “Ambassadors of the Quarter” recognized for their service to the Chamber in 2007.

These are highly-anticipated announcements, as the names of the winners will remain a secret until the night of the event.

Pittman will assume the role of Immediate Past Chairman on the board.

“Jennifer’s commitment to the Chamber and the Cy-Fair community is strong and her time and efforts have helped the Chamber reach new heights,” said President of the Chamber, Erin Al-Salman.

Pittman too has been a Chamber member since 1988, and has served as an Ambassador, as a member of the Education Committee, as co-chairman of the Spring Swing Golf Tournament, and the board’s Vice Chair Special Events. She has been employed by AmegyBank of Texas for 16 years and is currently a Vice President/Retail Area Manager in charge of nine banking centers in the Cy-Fair and Champions areas.

Sponsorships, and tickets, are still available for the Installation Celebration banquet. Companies that have signed on to sponsor this premier event include: AmegyBank of Texas, Bridgeland, City of Jersey Village, Cy-Fair College/NHMCCD, Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Hospital, Houston Community Newspapers/The SUN, Capital One Bank, CenterPoint Energy, Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union, Fox & Bubela Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, PBK Architects Inc., Cobb, Fendley & Associates Inc., Crowne Plaza Houston - Brookhollow, Independence Bank, Prairie View A&M University, Towne Lake A Caldwell Companies Community, North Cypress Medical Center, Willowbrook Mall, Comfort Suites, Executive Inn & Suites, Motel 6, Jersey Meadow Golf Course and Keller-Williams Realty Greater Northwest.

Individual tickets to the event are $55. Silver, gold, platinum and V.I.P. table sponsorships may be purchased for $750, $1,000, $1,500 or $3,000.

For more information, contact Sherri Padalino at the Chamber Office at 281-955-1100.

01/04/2008

Board forms Chamber’s backbone

Several groups of board members will be recognized at the Chamber’s 2008 Installation Celebration Banquet on January 24:

Retiring Board Members:

• George Hobson, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD

• Todd King, Opus West Corporation

• Jimmy Martin, Hewlett-Packard Company

• Brenda McDaniel, Wal-Mart/Cypress Rosehill

• Joseph Natoli, National Processing Company

• Mike Reiland, Carl's Bar-B-Q

2008 Board Officers:

• Reginald Lillie of Reginald Lillie Insurance Service – Chairman of the Board

• Martha Torres, Capital One Bank – Treasurer

• Fred Koetting, Schulte Building Systems – Secretary

• Dr. Diane Troyer, Cy-Fair College/NHMCCD – Vice Chair Community Development

• Debbie Blackshear, Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union – Vice Chair Special Events

• Jim Fordice, Maid Brigade of NW Houston – Vice Chair Member Services

• Rhonda Welch , CenterPoint Energy – Vice Chair Administration

New Board Members:

• Debbie Blackshear, Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union

• Jeffrey Hastings, Spain Hastings Ward Carey & Chambers

• April Jones, Willowbrook Mall

• Greg Nelson, Hewlett-Packard Company

• Mark Sappington, Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc.

• Jeff Skinner, Jogler Inc.

• Ryan Sweeney, NewQuest Properties

Returning Board Members:

• Richard Ancy , Coors Brewing Company

• Brenda Angelini, Adventures in Advertising/Angelini & Associates

• Dr. David Anthony, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD

• Mike Bubela, Fox & Bubela, Inc.

• Mike Castro , City of Jersey Village

• Larry Craig, Houston Coca-Cola

• Joe Necker, Bridgeland

• Ron Roberson, Caldwell Companies

• Tom Sturm, Signs Now

01/04/2008

Chamber awarded top honor in state competition

The Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce has been named a “ Crystal ” award winner in the Texas Association of Partners in Education (TAPE) 2008 awards program for volunteer work and contributions to the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District .

Chamber leaders and Cy-Fair ISD school officials will travel to Austin in late January to officially receive – and bring home - the top-level award at TAPE’s annual awards ceremony. The Chamber was nominated for the “Outstanding Community Partnership” award by Cy-Fair ISD’s Partners in Education Department, which runs several programs aimed at getting individuals, businesses and organizations involved with students, schools, teachers and the educational process.

“This is an incredible honor for the Chamber,” said Pam Scott , Cy-Fair ISD’s Director of Partners in Education. “We are so proud to work with a group of people who work with such fine businesses in our community, and who are so dedicated to doing what is best for our students.”

“This award is well-deserved and long overdue,” Scott said.

Scott said when she wrote the Chamber’s award application, which is required for consideration in the TAPE competition, the list of Chamber contributions to Cy-Fair ISD was long and impressive. For example, she said, the Chamber’s Education Committee has always been supportive of students and staff by providing mentors, tutors, and classroom speakers.

But it was the Chamber’s involvement in Cy-Fair ISD’s “Bus Buddies” program that put the organization above and beyond the other community groups being considered for the Crystal award.

“The Chamber encouraged its membership to step up and help with our ‘Bus Buddies’ program,” Scott said. “They sent a strong message to the community that they care about kids and wanted them to show their support.”

“The Chamber motivated 39 different businesses of all sizes to participate in the program this year,” Scott said. “They had a positive impact on our students, parents and schools.”

During the summer of 2007 the Chamber challenged members and area businesses to volunteer a few hours each day the first week of school with Volunteers in Public Schools “Bus Buddies” program.

The program, which is going in to its third year, aims to place volunteers on school buses every day of the first week of school. Volunteers helped Cy-Fair ISD bus drivers safely transport elementary school students home.

"It's an honor to receive such a prestigious award and we are excited about
being recognized for our part in such a wonderful program like Bus Buddies," said Erin Al-Salman, Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce President.

Other Chamber members that will receive 2008 TAPE awards include: Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union ( Crystal award); Station & Ayres Insurance Planning Services, LLC ( Crystal award); and Credit Union Acceptance Corporation (Gold award).

For more information about Cy-Fair ISD’s Partners in Education and the Chamber’s BEST program, contact Pam Scott at pamela.scott@cfisd.net.

01/04/2008

Leaders foresee active 2008 Chamber year

The 2008 Cy-Fair Chamber of Commerce board of directors will gather at a board retreat in January to map out goals for the organization this year.

Erin Al-Salman, new President of the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce, and Reginald Lillie, 2008 Chamber Board chairman, say they look to the board retreat for guidance and direction. They also have outlined several issues they would like to see addressed under the umbrella of the board’s 2008 strategic vision.

Al-Salman, who took over the helm when former president Darcy Mingoia retired in December, said there are five issues the chamber is looking to address in 2008: transportation, education funding; crime prevention; beautification; and membership growth and retention.

At the top of the list is transportation issues, Al-Salman said. With its continued rapid growth rate, Cy-Fair’s streets and highways are straining under the burden of additional cars, buses and large vehicles that need to use those roadways for everyday business. The Chamber will continue to research alternatives, communicate with local officials and transportation agencies, and lobby for road and mass transit project that will ease Cy-Fair’s traffic problems.

The government continues to decrease its share of education funding, yet Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District is charged with providing first-rate educational opportunities for all children in the district’s boundaries. The entire community needs to come together to lobby for increased funding for the fast-growing Cy-Fair school district, Al-Salman said.

At the same time, local law enforcement agencies need assistance in dealing with a growing crime problem, which affects the business community’s and local residents’ quality of life. Al-Salman said massage parlors that engage in illegal activities are at, or near, the top of the Chamber’s list of concerns.

“Cy-Fair College and the Cy-Fair Chamber are working on a committee – ‘Keep Cy-Fair Beautiful’ - that will take on many projects in 2008 to help restore and retain the area’s natural beauty,” Al-Salman said.

Al-Salman and Lillie said the Chamber leadership will continue working on boosting the chamber membership’s growth and retention rates in 2008.

“We always have an open invitation to new members,” said Lillie. “This is a dynamic Chamber with a proven track record that has a lot to offer existing and new members.”

Lillie said the Chamber will also renew an effort to jump-start the Cy-Fair Partnership for Economic Development (PED).

Last year the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce launched an effort to create the PED - a separate and distinct privately-funded entity to stimulate existing and future business growth in the Cy-Fair area.

The seed for the Cy-Fair Partnership for Economic Development (PED) grew out of the chamber’s Economic Development committee, which was renamed in 2007 to focus on the partnership effort. Also in 2007, the Cy-Fair Chamber board of directors approved the effort to create a Cy-Fair PED.

The proposed boundaries of the Cy-Fair PED would mirror the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District . Eventually the entity could spin off from the Cy-Fair Chamber.

The Cy-Fair PED would focus on creating and retaining jobs and businesses, attracting more commercial businesses to balance the tax base in Cy-Fair, lobbying for the necessary infrastructure to support economic development and protecting the area against undesirable business uses. It would be privately funded, with no sales tax or assessment on commercial properties.

Funds raised would be used to hire a professional economic development staff and to leverage funds with governmental entities to carry out projects focused on making the area more attractive to existing and new businesses.

“It has been tabled, but is not off of our radar screen,” Lillie said. “We will address this in 2008”.

01/04/2008

Four chamber members named “Business of the Year” finalists

Four Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce member businesses were recently recognized as finalists in the Lone Star College District’s (formerly North Harris Montgomery College District) 2007 Business of the Year Award competition.

Chaparral Management Company, Perry Pools & Spas, Schulte Building Systems and The Schubot Law Firm were nominated based on the companies’ leadership and service in the community and in the industry, positive entrepreneurial image, exemplary business practices, peer recognition and business growth.

Chaparral Management Company

Owner Pam Bailey launched Chaparral Management Company in 1985 to offer hands-on, specialized management services for community associations in northwest Harris County and south Montgomery County . Chaparral has represented the Kleinwood Homeowners Association, the company’s first client, for over 22 years.

“Many management companies can provide basic services for community associations, but what sets us apart is the relationships we have developed with law enforcement agencies, elected officials, municipal utility districts, community organizations and chambers of commerce over the years,” Bailey said. “We can help community associations develop those relationships also.”

“We are committed to the community as a whole. We are homeowners, taxpayers and voters here,” Bailey said. “The quality of life I enjoy is what I want to make sure the residents in the associations Chaparral represents also enjoys.”

Chaparral started with one employee and has expanded to a staff of 30. Bailey said she limits the company’s growth to 5-7 percent a year in order to maintain and provide quality services to all Chaparral client companies.

Perry Pools & Spas

David Perry worked his way into the pool business through a series of jobs that added to his experience and prepared him for the task of owning and operating Perry Pools & Spas.

Perry worked as a subcontractor in the industry for 17 years. During that time, he learned to build a pool from the “ground down.” He also spent four years gaining plumbing experience, and another 13 years in structural steel.

Because of his knowledge of the services his subcontractors provide, he has developed relationships and hires only the cream of the crop to help build quality pool and spa projects for his clients in northwest Houston .

Perry Pools & Spas received the Small Business of the Year Award in 2006, as well as the Better Business Bureau’s Gold Star Award in 2005 and 2006.

Schulte Building Systems

Still a relatively new kid on the block, Schulte Building Systems’ growth has been above and beyond what was expected by the company’s founders when they opened the door for business in January 2005.

Led by Johnny Schulte, the group of industry veterans decided to branch off from NCI Building Systems and try their hand in the metal building marketplace.

The company’s pre-engineered metal buildings, and metal building components, provide the foundation for many schools, retail centers, office complexes and other industrial and oil and gas clients throughout the Houston area and many parts of the country.

“We appreciate the recognition for the hard work that has brought us to this point,” said Frank Rosales, Schulte Building Systems’ Executive Vice President. “I believe our success is due in large part to us going out there everyday and doing what we way we are going to do. We deliver on our promises.”

Schulte Building Systems was also named a finalist for the Business of the Year Award competition in 2006.

“It meant a lot to us to be nominated again,” Rosales said.

The Schubot Law Firm, P.C.

Attorney Gail Schubot gained valuable experience working as an in-house corporate attorney, and joined the ranks of a large law practice, before deciding to open her own practice in Cy-Fair in 2000. During that time she became schooled in the art of franchise and business development law and regulations.

The Schubot Law Firm, P.C. is a business commercial law practice emphasizing in franchise, license and distribution law. The firm represents clients located throughout the United States in transactional and regulatory matters and also litigation and other dispute resolution.

“After having been involved in the field for so many years, I got the franchise bug myself,” Schubot said. “Now about 65-75 percent of my clientele is involved with franchise, licensing and distribution.”

Schubot’s firm now employs two attorneys, two interns, and two office management employees.

“I have found that it is so important to stay involved with the community you serve,” Schubot said. “Sometimes it seems counter-intuitive because you need to pay the bills and make payroll, but community service is where it is at.”

01/04/2008

Attorney takes on leading role on fire department board

Houston attorney and newly-elected Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department Board President Gail Schubot said throughout her legal career she came into contact with firefighters who needed advice and counsel on various matters, but she never realized she would one day join their ranks as a proud member of the fire fighting profession.

During a series of such meetings with a group of firefighters in 2000, Schubot said she grew intrigued listening to them discuss the rewards and risks of that profession. She said she decided to square off against the challenges of the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department’s volunteer training program, and found a second career in the process.

“After four months of training I was assigned to (Cy-Fair VFD’s) Station 6,” said Schubot, who is also a long-time Cy-Fair Chamber of Commerce member and a former Chamber board member. “I loved it. It was a real accomplishment and a thrill.”

Over the past seven years Schubot logged countless volunteer hours alongside her colleagues at Station 6; received her state firefighter and emergency medical technician basic certifications; and was elected Station 6’s representative to the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department’s Board of Directors. Once on the board, she served a two-year term as Board Secretary, and a four-year term as Board Vice President.

In September, Cy-Fair VFD members elected Schubot the first woman President of their governing Board of Directors. She will serve a two-year term in that role, which along with other board members, oversees the administrative duties of the country’s largest volunteer/combination fire department.

That department provides fire, rescue and emergency medical response services to more than 300,000 residents in a 167-square-mile territory .

“We are very happy to have Gail as President of the Board of Directors,” said Joe Davis, Cy-Fair VFD’s Fire Chief. “She brings a wealth of knowledge to our department. And with her legal background, she further enhances her value to us. She has excelled as a firefighter both literally and figuratively.”

“Gail is a dedicated, knowledgeable community servant who is a real asset to the department and to the emergency services district,” said Don Grogg, a commissioner for Harris County Emergency Services District #9, a taxing entity that was formed to provide a funding mechanism for emergency services in the Cy-Fair community. “We look forward to her taking a leading role as we improve our service to the citizens of the community.”

With her practice - The Schubot Law Firm - located near the fire department’s headquarters, she divides her time between her business clients and the community.

Schubot continues to serve as chauffeur and fire engine crew member at her assigned stations. She has previously been awarded station honors including firefighter and EMS member of the year. She has been a member of the Cy-Fair VFD’s Special Operations team (high angle and confined space rescue) and is recently certified, with the rest of her department’s firefighters, in the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS).

“I am honored to be elected as Board President by the department,” said Schubot. “The fire service has evolved to a sophisticated, highly technical undertaking which faces emergencies of significance every day. Our members are in a position to redefine what it means to be a volunteer and firefighter in America . It is my intention to provide our firefighters with the resources and infrastructure necessary to take on all risks whether natural or human in origin.”

Schubot said she owes a great deal to the Chamber and its members, who encouraged her to set up her own law practice in the community in 2000, and who have supported her every step of the way.

“Where else could a person of my age, and a woman, drive a million-dollar fire truck, practice international law and do all of the other awesome things I am doing?” Schubot said.

01/04/2008

Volunteer heart beats strong in Cy-Fair fire department

A half-century ago a core group of volunteers banded together in an effort to keep homes, farms and businesses safe from fire and other emergencies in the quiet and remote Cy-Fair community.

That spirit is alive and well today with 375 volunteer firefighters working alongside 200 employees to provide fire, rescue and emergency medical response services to more than 300,000 residents – a number that increases at a rapid pace every year.

The non-profit Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department is now the largest volunteer fire department in the country.

The department started with one station and a second hand pumper truck. Today the department has ladder trucks, tanker trucks, grass-fire trucks, ambulances and even thermo-imaging cameras that allow firefighters to see through smoke and flames to quickly identify people.

Firefighters and emergency medical services personnel now respond to almost 20,000 calls a year from 11 stations strategically located throughout a crowded and developing 167-square-mile territory .

That area covers several existing and developing neighborhoods southwest and northeast of U.S. 290 between Clay Road and the Harris-Waller County lines.

After years of making ends meet through donations and billing services, Harris County Emergency Services District No. 9 (ESD #9) was formed to levy property taxes to provide a funding mechanism for emergency services in the Cy-Fair community. ESD #9 contracts with Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department and provides a $13 million revenue stream through that property tax, which is $.0591-per-$100 property valuation.

Gail Schubot, a Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department volunteer firefighter and President of the department's Board of Directors, said the department relies primarily on that property tax to fund operations, but does receive donations from the community.

“We are very blessed with a community that continues to send us contributions, especially when a family or business has been affected by a fire or an emergency,” Schubot said.

Though considered a “combination” fire department – with both volunteer and paid employees – the firefighting duties are largely covered by a volunteer staff. A small staff of paid firefighters covers the daytime shift – Monday through Friday during business hours – because many volunteers are at work in locations out of the district.

The emergency medical services duties are primarily covered by paid personnel.

Schubot said the department is always looking for good volunteers to help with the 24/7 coverage required of a full-service fire/EMS operation.

All new CFVFD volunteers train for a minimum of 125 hours spread over 8 to 10 weeks before they are allowed to go on any emergency runs. After that training is complete, volunteers hone their skills with monthly training sessions.

For more information on volunteer opportunities, contact the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department at 281-550-6663 or go to www.cyfairvfd.org.

Archived News

12/17/2007Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union Spring Swing Golf Tournament is getting into the Swing

12/17/2007 Rustlin' Up Herd Members for the Fourteenth Year

12/12/2007 Installation Celebration to Honor Local Businesses and Inaugurate New Chairman, Officers and Board

12/06/2007 Rail district chair says a funding source is key to future rail projects

12/06/2007 Harless said interim is proving busier than legislative session

11/13/2007 Caldwell Companies weaves a sense of community into development projects

11/01/2007 Panama Canal expansion will have ripple effect on local roads and rail

11/01/2007 County Judge says bond issue will not increase taxes

10/07/2007 New President named at the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce

10/07/2007 Update for November General Membership Luncheon