Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce

Last night, the voices of our members made a difference and the police contract was approved on a vote of 10-1. In the past month, there have been hundreds of emails sent by Chamber members, hours of testimony from local businesses, and, at yesterday's meeting, we had many members in attendance to show their support. Thank you to the Mayor and the City Council members who listened to our community and voted in favor of the contract. We would also like to thank Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock, APD Chief Lisa Davis, and the staff and officers at Austin Police Department. We look forward to continuing our work with the Mayor and the Council Members who supported our efforts and listened to our concerns. We will support City Manager T.C. Broadnax, Deputy City Manager Jon Fortune, and APD Chief Lisa Davis as they keep public safety a top priority in our city.

City Council is scheduled to vote today on the new proposed police contract, and we want to extend our gratitude to all our members who provided testimony, signed up in support, and sent emails in favor of the new contract. Thank you to our board members who showed their support at today’s meeting including Rudy Garza, Rashed Islam, David Jabour, Ali Khataw, Joseph Llamas, Pamela Madere, Mark Ramseur, Lynda Rife, and Trey Salinas.

Check out our VP of State & Federal Relations Travis Krogman on CBS Austin talking about how October's big events help support small businesses across our city!

Tacos & Topics is back!!! Thanks to Hugh Forrest and the team at SXSW for giving us a sneak peek at all the programming that's coming our way for SXSW 2025. Stay tuned for their big announcement coming soon - we're so excited for the lineup!

Join us for a very special Area Business Connections event featuring a panel and fireside chat with some of Austin's best and brightest female entrepreneurs, business leaders, and artists. After the event, guests will be invited to a Chamber social and celebration for AC Marriott Hotel Austin Hill Country's Anniversary, including the unveiling of their new mural. You can register for the event and Chamber Social here: https://lnkd.in/gF6cuP7K Featuring: Mama Duke (music artist) Joyce Durst (Growth Acceleration Partners) Vidya Moorthy (Austin Business Woman) Kim Pollok (SWBC PEO) Mila Sketch (contemporary artist) Charlotte Tyer (AC Marriott Austin Hill Country Hotel)

We're gathering the best in corporate philanthropy for a workshop on October 29th- You'll hear from Leadership Austin's Jill Goodman, I Live Here, I Give Here's Piper Stege Nelson, Denise Davis from Davis Kaufman LLP, and Austin Gives on how to launch or mature your company's causes and engagement! There are only a few tickets left, you can register here: https://hubs.ly/Q02T-rzG0

In honor of Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day, we wanted to say thank you to all our incredible local Austin chambers: Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce, Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce, The Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce, Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GAHCC), and Austin Young Chamber - we are so grateful for all the impactful work you're doing in our community! 🙌

We had a sold-out crowd for yesterday's State of the City, where Mayor Kirk Watson shared vital insights into Austin's achievements, opportunities, and economic landscape; so much has happened in the past year! Highlights included discussions on transportation, affordability, and public safety. Thank you to our board member Trey Salinas, who facilitated a panel on local issues featuring experts including Dr. Michael Webber (energy and water), Pamela Madere (public safety), and Jason Becker (local economic issues and the lending landscape). Their perspectives underscored the importance of local policies in shaping our community’s future. A big thank you to our sponsors for making this event possible: our presenting sponsor Kinder Morgan, Inc., program sponsor HNTB, corporate sponsor Waymo, and our supporting sponsors - City of Austin - Austin Water Utility, Garver, Huitt-Zollars, Inc., and LCRA.

Mark your calendars for Austin Technology Council's C-Suite Summit and Industry Think Tank event happening on October 28th - we're proud to support any event put on by Thom Singer, CSP... and this one surely is going to be a “Don’t Miss Event” for tech company leaders. ATC will have leaders from tech companies, and some sponsors, in a room for interesting conversations and discussions about our local tech ecosystem. If you are a local technology company (Headquartered in Central Texas OR have an office in the Austin area) you should assign one or more leaders to come lend your voice to this unique meeting. https://lnkd.in/gBi7XH7U

What a night!! Last night, our Greater Austin Business Awards event was absolutely electric, and we were blown away by the positivity, inspiration, and energy in the room! It was one of our favorite nights, ever. And our winners are... (scroll down to the bottom) Our finalists, winners, members, sponsors, board, and community leaders all showed up to celebrate the best and brightest in our business community. Thank you to everyone who made the night a huge success, starting with our emcees who kept everyone entertained and the show running smoothly – KVUE’s Yvonne Nava and Bryan Mays, and our live music band and DJ, HypeRhythm! A huge thank you to our nominations and judging committee led by Christi C. Hester and Tim Caperton, MBA who brought in a record number of nominations this year! We appreciate the support of all our sponsors who make the night possible: Wells Fargo, HID, Wise, The University of Texas at Austin Extended Campus, Austin Energy, Ascension Seton, Jacobs, Justworks, Samsung Austin Semiconductor, St. David's HealthCare, Verizon Business, BAE Systems, Central National Bank, ABC Home & Commercial Services - Texas , Antonelli's Cheese, LLC (dba Antonelli's Cheese Shop), Baylor Scott & White Health, GarzaEMC, Texas Disposal Systems, and Texas Mutual Insurance Company. And a huge thank you to our host, JW Marriott Austin . We can’t wait to see you again next year!! AND THE WINNERS ARE… Top CEO / Site Leader • Jaime Alberto Garcia, OP Mobility • Anthony Gonzales, FAACE, Spire Consulting Group • Ahmed Moledina, SOAL Technologies • Justin Satterfield, Norwood Uniquely Austin • Zilker Theatre Productions Affordability Champion • Workforce Solutions Capital Area • Greater Austin YMCA Civic & Community Leadership • @Richard Samuel, Riches Art Gallery Company Culture • Small Business – SOAL Technologies - Perfect Hire, Guaranteed! • Medium Business – HNTB • Large Business – Tokyo Electron US Consumer Product • Epic Cleantec Customer Experience • Small Business – Jump! Gymnastics • Medium Business – ZenBusiness • Large Business – Dynamic Systems, Inc. Employee Health & Wellness • Small Business – Bloom Communications • Medium Business – Curative • Large Business – Intel Corporation Entrepreneurial Vision • Eva Schöne Arnold, Trophyology • Joshua Baer, Capital Factory (shout out to his adorable dog who joined him at the event!) • Amy Sweet, Halcyon Home Nonprofit Impact • Mobile Loaves & Fishes Environmental Champion • Small Business – Shoal Creek Conservancy • Medium Business – UPLIFT Desk • Large Business – Texas Disposal Systems Hire Local Champion • Samsung Austin Semiconductor Mobility Champion • Movability Small Business Excellence • Inspire Semiconductor Inc. Technology & Innovation • Small Business – KERV Interactive • Medium Business – Silicon Labs • Large Business – TEL