The Blanco Chamber of Commerce held their annual Banquet Thursday, January 31, 2013, at Carriage Hills Ranch. The Banquet serves as a platform to recognize the previous Board of Directors, recognize volunteers, introduce the new Board and Officers, and set the tone for the upcoming year. In reverence to the passing of Rebecca Howerton, the banquet was delayed to allow members time to attend her visitation earlier that evening.
The banquet was well attended, with the guests enjoying a splendid dinner, catered by Sullivan Street Caterers, and good companionship. The theme of the evening was “Team Building” and Professional Coaching Consultant Crystal Dyer was the keynote speaker. Ms. Dyer offered some interesting ideas and insight on how a community such as Blanco can continue to prosper while maintaining the character that makes the town unique. The Chamber is committed to becoming more active in promoting the community this year, and Ms. Dyer provided some strategies and techniques to foster an environment of cooperation and communication to assist in achieving that goal.
Executive Director Libbey Aly then provided a brief presentation on the new smartphone app, “Go Blanco,” being developed by the Chamber. The application will be a free download for iPhones and Android that will give Blanco visitors and locals all the information they might need to eat, shop and play in Blanco. The “Local” button will take Blanco residents to categories of businesses with complete listings of names, addresses and telephone numbers – a member directory and telephone book, all in the palm of your hand! All Chamber of Commerce members will be included in the application content as a benefit of their membership. There are Enhanced and Premium packages available for businesses that might benefit from visitors having more information about the types of products and services they provide. Mrs. Aly explained that the “Go Blanco” application is the cornerstone of an enhanced marketing program for the community.
“We are excited about the visibility this application offers to our Blanco business owners and we encourage everyone to contact the Chamber so that we can discuss how using the Enhanced and Premium listings can benefit your business. Blanco has so much to offer visitors as a travel destination, and increasing our visibility to these potential visitors is so valuable in our comprehensive advertising and marketing plans for Blanco.”
President of the Board of Directors, Charlotte Widick, added to that sentiment; "We have high expectations for where we are planning to go as a Chamber this year and the application is the beginning of a very realistic agenda that we have established for ourselves. As a Chamber of Commerce, we want to make a big difference this year in Blanco’s prosperity and have a lot of opportunities for folks to get involved in making that happen.”
The Blanco Chamber's office is located at 312 Pecan Street, right on the square, just across Pecan Street from the Old Blanco County Courthouse. Phone: 830-833-5101.
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