Walker County businesses and individuals showed their support for the Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce at its 75th anniversary Gala on Friday night at Sam Houston State University’s Lowman Student Center Ballroom.
The Chamber sold out of tables almost two weeks before the event. An estimated 380 people filled the ballroom and spent $22,600 in the live and silent auctions.
Incoming and outgoing Chamber directors were recognized in addition to nine winners of various awards.
Todd Armstrong, outgoing chairman of the board of directors, passed the gavel to incoming chairman George Miles Jr.
The highlight of the “Diamond Anniversary Gala” was Charlotte Oleinik becoming the 13th recipient of the Mance Park Lifetime Achievement Award, which was established in 1997 in honor of the long-time public school administrator and past Chamber president.
The award culminated the end of a busy week for the co-founder of the HEARTS Veterans Museum of Texas. The museum’s new facility held its grand opening Wednesday on Veterans Day.
But the most impressive part of the evening and the 75th anniversary was the attendance and support the Chamber’s staff members received from their membership.
“I think went really well,” said Carol Smith, the Chamber’s interim president and CEO. “We were just well pleased with the number of people and we were extremely pleased at how quickly those tickets sold.
“The tables all sold out like a week and a half ahead of time and then we still had people calling. We got most everybody worked in who were serious about coming.”
Smith said the number of people attending was “a good indicator of how the membership is feeling. I think it was a very positive indicator that our membership is behind us.”
Smith said the attendance was larger than in past years.
“The ballroom can only handle typically about 40 tables with eight at a table,” she said. “What we were able to do is to add one extra table and some tables had nine or 10 people instead of the eight.”
Smith said Oleinik’s selection as the Mance Park winner was “perfect timing with the opening of the museum and it was time she got that recognition.”
“We were well pleased with everything,” she said. “And even today I went to a function at the university and ran into people who were there and they couldn’t say enough nice things about how well they thought the Gala went and the turnout and the response to the auction.
“We are just here for this community and we’re going to start changing a few things. We hope to have a new face on the Chamber starting in January with George coming in.
“We want to be very, very open to whatever we can do to help these businesses and promote Huntsville. We may not have a CVB (Convention and Visitors Bureau) any longer, but we’re still in the hospitality business and always will be.”
Smith said the Chamber has not seen a big increase in its membership, but “it has remained stable. I think that is a good sign, too. We did not do a formal (membership) drive this year.
“The timing didn’t seem quite right. I suspect we will be having a drive later in the springtime, but the membership has remained solid.”
