Chamber of Commerce – A Year in Review

The Columbus Chamber of Commerce Annual Membership Meeting was held on Thursday, January 26 at 5:30 pm in the Buddy Rau Room at the Stafford Opera House with thirty-seven people in attendance. Events Director, Janet Hollmann presented an informative program on the Chamber of Commerce “A Year in Review” and also what lies ahead in 2023 for the Chamber and the Community.

Some of the highlights of the program were the introduction of staff and the board of directors, the Chamber’s presence at Destinations Galore at the Humble Civic Center in February, the annual fundraisers, and the first annual Easter Egg Hunt on the square with hundreds of children and over 1,100 easter eggs.

The month of May not only brings May flowers but the everpopular Magnolia Days Festival on the third weekend of May. There were an estimated 5,000 people in attendance during the day-and-a-half festival. Not only were records broken for attendance but also sponsorships received from seventy-nine generous Chamber and community members.

In July the longest continuous fireworks celebration was held in Columbus at the Columbus Golf Course with a beautiful fireworks display and the City Pool was open late at no charge to the public. This too was made possible by generous donations.

Columbus Country Market “The Big One” was held the last Saturday of the month March through November with an average of sixty vendors each month and hundreds and hundreds of patrons shopping for homemade goodies, veggies, eggrolls, pies, plants, handcrafted items, wine, and so much more. The next market will be on March 25, 2023. See you there, on the square!

The first-ever lighted parade in honor of Columbus’ Bicentennial was held on November 29 in downtown Columbus. Twenty-five-plus beautifully lit entries traveled down Milam Street to the excitement of hundreds of people. After the parade people gathered on the courthouse lawn for a tree lighting ceremony, caroling, visits with Santa, and hot cocoa and cookies. It was Columbus’ very own “Hallmark Moment”.

Ladies Night Out, always the first Thursday in December, was a huge success with approximately 1,200-1,500 ladies and gentlemen (and even some kiddos) strolling through downtown Columbus and hopping on the shuttle to out-lying stores. Shopping, wine sampling, snacking, live music, lots of laughter, and fun were enjoyed by all. Twenty-three generous sponsors help offset the cost of hosting Ladies Night Out.

The Chamber held two Lunch and Learns in 2022 and no Chamber Networking Mixers. The Lunch and Learns were graciously sponsored by CISD and The League of Women Voters of South Central Texas.

The Chamber also started what we hope will be a quarterly event – Movie Nights. Two movie nights were held in 2022, one in August and a second in December. Thanks to another very generous donor the Chamber was able to purchase a 30’ inflatable movie screen and projector.

Small Business Season was November 14 – December 31 and the Chamber helped to promote local businesses in several ways. Social media and local media sources were used to promote shopping locally, contests were held, and information was shared in the bi-monthly newsletter. The Chamber continues to support and promote shopping locally throughout the year.

The Columbus Business Revitalization Grant is another new project of the Chamber that was implemented in 2022. This grant is available to Chamber members to empower them to enhance and improve their businesses and non-profits. The first grants will be awarded in February.

The Chamber and the Bicentennial Committee held some events in 2022 and will host several more celebrations of Columbus’ 200th birthday with the Magnolia Days Festival being the culmination of the celebration.

There are five high school students who so graciously and wonderfully represent the Chamber as Junior Ambassadors. 2022 Ambassadors, Clay Kohleffel, Julie Ana Gobert, Taylr Tipton joined the 2021 Ambassadors Lainey Schobel and Alley Fitzgerald as representatives of the Chamber. You may have seen them volunteering at Magnolia Days Festival, Ladies Night Out, Movie Nights, Dinner Theater, and more as they are each required to volunteer for a minimum of twenty-five hours over two years.

Chamber membership grew by 5.177% over the previous year and continues to grow on an almost daily basis. The Columbus Chamber of Commerce is currently 393 members strong. The Chamber conducted thirteen ribbon cuttings in 2022 and has conducted one so far in 2023 with three more on the calendar.

Tourism is a major portion of the activity that is coordinated through the Chamber office. In 2022, there were ten bus tours with a total of 375 people visiting our historic sites and enjoying our restaurants and shops. The Santa Claus museum had over 530 people come through during December. At the Opera House, there were 315 that registered in the guest book and came from as far away as Australia, Germany, England, Canada, and all across the continental United States.

“All of us at the Chamber extend a huge thank you to our Chamber Members, to the City of Columbus, Colorado County Commissioners Court, Columbus Community Industrial Development Corporation, and the citizens of Columbus and the surrounding area. We are successful because you help to make us successful.

There are many plans on the horizon for 2023 but space does not allow me to list them all here. You may visit the Chamber website at www.columbustexas. org and click on the Events tab for everything happening in our community,” states Janet Hollman, Events Director.

Thank you again, Columbus, for helping the Chamber succeed. Please feel free to reach out anytime with any questions or concerns that you may have.

Janet Hollmann Events Director