Rosie Gonzalez Collin (right) is sworn in as president of the newly merged Corpus Christi and Hispanic chambers along with the rest of the 31 new board members of the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce. The first meeting of the board and the unveiling of the new members was Aug. 17. Photo by Carrie Robertson Meyer/Third Coast Photo
The United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce becomes a reality Sept. 1, merging the Corpus Christi and Hispanic chambers into one. The bigger organization will move into new headquarters in November, officials announced at a news conference Aug. 18. Both chambers will quit their separate offices in historic Heritage Park for more modern digs in the new RTA building uptown.
Merger details were announced eight months after members from both entities voted in December to merge. Shortly after that vote, the Corpus Christi chamber hired a new president/CEO, Annette Medlin, who was tasked with the reorganization.
“We’re not just merging these two groups,” Medlin said at the news conference. “This is a brand new organization that will take the best of both chambers and build on it.”
A new logo was unveiled and new chairman and board of directors announced. Rosie Gonzalez Collin, director for communications for the Port of Corpus Christi, will serve as board chair for the first eight months. The next eight months, Alan Wilson of Charter Bank will be chair. After that, a new chairman will be chosen to serve a traditional calendar year.
The new unified organization plans to retain signature programs from each of the separate chambers, including the Salute to the Military luncheon and leadership program sponsored by the Corpus Christi chamber, and the Mano a Mano scholarship and Mi Casa Es Su Casa event sponsored by the Hispanic chamber.
The new board now has 31 members — 15 from the Corpus Christi chamber and 16 from the Hispanic chamber. The Hispanic chamber’s interim president, Gilda Ramirez, will become the vice president of small business and education for the new United chamber.
Nine committees comprised of a variety of chamber members will meet monthly and each be chaired by a board member. The nine committees formed are: government affairs; infrastructure; education and workforce; small, diverse and emerging business council; South Texas military facilities task force; military resources; windstorm committee/coalition; ambassadors; and finance.
Mission, vision and diversity statements were released at the news conference. Says the diversity statement: “… strength comes from diversity and unification with a cultural awareness of the value of the local Hispanic legacy and culture that inspires and helps all business in the Corpus Christi region to succeed.”
The vision: “To unite Corpus Christi to be the best place to live and work.”
At 100 years old, the Corpus Christi chamber’s 1,000 members will now be combined with the 78-year-old Hispanic chamber’s 400 members.
“Corpus Christi is a blended city,” Collin said. “The United Chamber can foster important conversations with employers about workforce diversity.”
A resolution read at the event stated that the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce “will be devoted to bringing a unified voice for business in Corpus Christi that will benefit the whole community.”
Medlin touted the advantages of operating efficiencies from joining the two groups.
“There was overlap in services, events and programming and duplication in membership,” she said. “We now have the ability to create a dues structure that fits various-size companies and gives them the services and benefits that are important to them. And sponsors who were supporting both organizations now can channel their support to a combined audience and get more value.”
