Chamber of Commerce gains new leadership, sets big goals

BY RACHEL MADISON STAFF WRITER

Liberty Hill’s Chamber of Commerce is starting 2023 with a fresh board, new goals and innovative ideas to become an invaluable part of the community.

Jeffrey Mayes, newly-elected president of the Chamber of Commerce, said historically, the Chamber has hosted monthly networking luncheons, after-hours networking mixers and monthly breakfast meetings. It also has a very active Women in Business group, which caters specifically to women business owners in the community.

The 2023 Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors includes, from left, Brent Allen, Ginger Trevino, Jennifer Byrd, Debbie Warner and Bob Calvisi. In back, are Matthew Pool, Tim Craig, Jeffrey Mayes, Dave Gould and Michael Beitler. Not pictured are Mariella Norman, Jennifer Jensen and Steven Schiff. PHOTO BY STACY COALE

None of those events are going away, but in 2023, he wants to give the Chamber an even stronger presence in Liberty Hill.

“We need the public to know we exist, and we have the opportunity this year to drive attention to our members through the things we do,” Mayes said. “We are going to spend the next year working on being more visible at community events and city events.”

The Chamber is currently housed in the Stubblefield building in downtown Liberty Hill. One role the Chamber has tried to fulfill in the past is serving as the hosts for that building, which also doubles as Liberty Hill’s visitors center.

“We really haven’t fulfilled that obligation yet,” Mayes said. “It’s beneficial for us in the long run to do so, so that is one of our big goals. Currently, the building displays some local art, but we also want to expand it to include literature from local businesses, demographics information, what’s going on around town, and information on the schools. We are moving in a positive direction to do all of this, but I don’t know what the finished product will look like yet.”

The Chamber used to be a board of nine, but for 2023, it grew to a board of 13. Mayes said part of the reason to increase the board size was so that more industries could be represented.

“When I was nominated for president, the board was made up of mostly white-collar professions, so it was a big push for me to bring in additional business owners who represent more industries,” he said. “That knowledge is something I can’t provide, so we are striving to get people in those businesses to serve on the board.”

In the short term, the Chamber’s goal is to strengthen the relationship it has with the City Council, staff, Economic Development Corporation and the Liberty Hill Independent, Mayes said.

“These relationships don’t cost us a lot of money to foster, but they are invaluable in the end,” he added.

Another goal the board is set on is hosting its own event for the community, Mayes said.

“What that looks like is purely speculation right now, but what we want to do is bring business owners and the public together for a community event,” he added. “Events that are public facing are what really have the opportunity to drive business to our business owners in town.”

The Chamber currently hosts a quarterly event called the “On the Hill Series” that promotes the public to visit various businesses around town to earn prizes.

“We are tweaking that event to figure out what works best for our members,” Mayes added. “As the Chamber, we can’t make customers go into stores and make purchases, but we can incentivize them to go into the various businesses and then leave the selling up to those who do it best.”

Currently, the Chamber has about 215 active members. That number continues to rise as the community grows, Mayes said, but he is hoping that this year his board can focus more on retention of those active members.

The Chamber’s Women in Business committee held a Christmas luncheon in December. Attendees brought di erent soups and swapped cookies. (Courtesy Photo)

“Historically, a Chamber was an opportunity for business leaders to gather and network, but since Covid, a lot of people have found other options that have no cost associated with them where they feel they get the same benefits,” Mayes said. “However, I really want to foster the idea that we can promote the development of Liberty Hill’s business environment and improve the unity and economic well-being of our community. I think the Chamber can do that with different opportunities than they can get from a free Facebook group or something like that.”

Mayes said the reality is that Covid hurt the Chamber, but now that it’s been a couple of years, he’s ready to leave that behind and start growing the group’s engagement again.

“The board kicked off this year with a fundraiser, which will put about $35,000 in the pockets of our members through the purchase of raffle prizes, and will also put between $25,000 and $30,000 into the coffers of the Chamber,” Mayes added. “This is going to help us develop a lot of new programs within the Chamber.”

One such program Mayes envisions is something called Leadership Liberty Hill, which he hopes to work alongside the City and school district to create.

“This program would feature a regional perspective on business, and teach people about local nonprofits, county organizations, businesses and schools. It will help people get a feel for how all those industries work to make our city run.”

Mayes said the Chamber is a great place for residents of Liberty Hill who live outside the city limits to have more of a voice.

“I own a business in town and I live on property in town, but I don’t get to vote because I live outside city limits,” he said.

“The Chamber is an organization that someone can get involved in and hold the City and Council accountable to issues that may be of concern to business owners who also don’t have a vote.”

For more information on the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce or to access the list of members, visit libertyhillchamber.org.