Four county judges.
Along with probably hundreds of employees, members and stakeholders of the Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce, thatâs how many people retiring president and CEO Michael Meek has served and interacted with since his tenure with that organization started in 1988.
He has worked in various capacities in the organization, assuming the CEO post in 1995.
As he says goodbye but not necessarily farewell this week after three decades at the organization tasked with strengthening the local economy, advocating for its members and the community and advancing community excellence, Meek told the Herald-Zeitung that he believed that a chamber of commerce is one of those unique non-profit organizations â there are no other organizations like it in the country, he said â that serves the intersection of business, government and residents.
Growth, collaboration and infrastructure were topics brought to the forefront by candidates vying for New Braunfels City Council seats during a forum Monday at the McKenna Events Center.
The event was hosted by the Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerceâs Leadership New Braunfels Alumni Association, which consists of more than 700 individuals who have graduated from the Chamberâs prestigious Leadership New Braunfels program.
The forum featured the four candidates running for seats on the New Braunfels City Council: Kevin Robles and incumbent Harry Bowers in District 3, and Joy Harvey and Lawrence Spradley in District 4.
Each candidate was allowed a limited amount of time to make their case for why voters should choose them.
The Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerceâs Leadership New Braunfels Alumni Association will host a Candidates & Issues Forum on Monday, April 12 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the McKenna Events Center.
The forum will feature candidates for the May 1 election. Each candidate will be given a limited amount of time to make their case for why voters should choose them.
The forum is open to the public. Tickets are $14 and can be purchased online at www.
Tickets include lunch. This event is sponsored by HMT Engineering & Surveying.
Candidates running for City Council District 3 Harry Bowers (incumbent) and Kevin Robles and candidates for City Council District 4 Joy Harvey and Lawrence Spradley have confirmed their attendance. Additionally, speakers will provide information on the 18 proposed amendments to the city charter.
Retiring Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Michael Meek was honored Friday night for his civic service as the Chamber announced him the winner of the Besserung Award, often referred to as the New Braunfels outstanding citizen award.
Community and business leaders gathered to hear the announcement during the Chamberâs 102nd annual banquet and awards ceremony at the New Braunfels Civic/Convention Center.
The name of the winner was kept secret until the moment of the announcement. For the first time in Meekâs tenure as Chamber president and CEO, he did not know the real recipient. With the help of a few clued-in staff and executive board members, the honor came as a complete surprise to Meek.
Tom Purdum, who was serving as the New Braunfels chamber CEO at the time, hired Meek to serve as director of the Greater New Braunfels Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“I had the opportunity fortunately, for me to come in at the ground floor and mentor and learn under him,” Meek said. “I tell people I learned more under him than I learned in college, . learned more from him about the chamber business, the tourism business and the economic development business.”
During his time with the chamber of commerce, Meek oversaw the creation of the Central Texas Technology Center, a major expansion and remodeling of the New Braunfels Civic and Convention Center, the development of the Leadership New Braunfels program and efforts to bring more jobs to the community.