During this season of unprecedented uncertainty, local businesses that make the fabric and character of our community need our support. To coincide with the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Texas Wine month, the Temple Chamber of Commerce and City of Temple are excited to present the Spirit of Santa Fe Trail this October.
 
The Spirit of Santa Fe Trail is an opportunity to celebrate not only Central Texas wineries, but breweries and restaurants too.
 
“Central Texas has a budding winery and brewery industry that offers something for everyone,” noted Rod Henry, Temple Chamber of Commerce President. “Our region produces the traditional grape based wine, mead wine, and fruit-based wines, craft beer, and more. We also have countless home-grown restaurants that give our region a unique identity.”
 
The Spirit of Santa Fe Trail will begin Thursday October 1, 2020 and end Monday, October 12, 2020. During the trail, wineries, breweries, and restaurants will offer ticket holders exclusive discounts. The trail is a great way to experience the flavors of Central Texas at your own pace. The $20 trail ticket is valid for one exclusive offer at each participating location over the trail dates.
 
Participating winery and brewery locations include:  3 Texans Winery & Vineyard, Axis Winery, Dancing Bee Winery, The Inn at Salado Winery, Moose & Goose Winery, and Fire Base Brewing Company. Participating restaurants include:  The Barton House, Benny’s Ristorante Italiano, La Dalat, La Riv, Nami Japanese Steakhouse (Temple), Our Daily Taco, Pignetti’s, Treno Pizzeria & Taproom, and Wings Pizza N Things.
 
Purchase tickets online at centraltexastickets.com. Pick-up punch card for trail from participating wineries, brewery or the Chamber with proof of ticket purchase. Visit templechamber.com for a full listing of exclusive offers from the participating locations.
 
The Spirit of Santa Fe Trail is made possible by generous sponsors:  Emerson Construction, Kasberg, Patrick & Associates, Emporium Packaging & Spice Co., Lengefeld Lumber Company, Ludwick, Montgomery & Stapp, P.C., Covey Landscape Architects, and Extraco Banks.

​The Temple Chamber of Commerce recently unveiled an Official State Historical Marker in the Santa Fe Plaza adding more historic significance to the landscape and honoring the organization’s business and civic engagement.  

As one of the most visible programs of the Texas Historical Commission (THC), historical markers commemorate diverse topics in Texas history, including community organizations that changed the course of local and state history.

​The current marker program began in 1962 as a way to boost heritage tourism and overtime has undergone many changes making the approval process more competitive. The THC only approves up to 175 applications each year for the designation and marker. Each application is ranked and scored according to the broad historical themes relating to Texas history. 

The Temple Chamber of Commerce began the application process for the marker in 2018 with the help of local historian Patricia Benoit. The organization was awarded the designation in 2019, where only 170 markers out of 256 were approved.
 
The application for the Temple Chamber of Commerce, which was founded in 1907 as the Temple Commercial Club, focused on long-term community service and continuing projects to promote the city and its quality of life. Receiving the marker and designation showcase the organization as being historically significant to Bell County and the state.
 
The Temple Chamber of Commerce marker is located in the Santa Fe Plaza in front of the Santa Fe Business Center and reads:

“By the early 19th century, Chambers of Commerce, first called Boards of Trade or Commercial Clubs, flourished in many major U.S. cities. The goals were to gather economic data and research, influence legislation, serve as a court of commercial arbitration, act as a semi-official adjunct to local government, and promote the local economy.

On April 30, 1907, a crowd gathered at the Elks Club to form a citywide commercial club. Local merchant Andrew Jackson Jarrell (1860-1935) was elected the first president of the club. The organization immediately began work on paving downtown muddy sidewalks, promoting shopping, negotiating new transportation opportunities, and producing marketing materials for the City of Temple. The club also was influential in gaining the Blackland experiment station which encouraged other businesses to move to Temple and Bell County.

In 1912, the Temple Commercial Club merged with the Young Men’s Business Club to form the Temple Chamber of Commerce. Over the years, the Chamber participated in supporting citizens of Bell County with fundraising campaigns, military support efforts during both world wars and the establishment of Temple Junior College. The Chamber also negotiated placement of Camp Hood (now Fort Hood), McCloskey General Hospital (now Olin E. Teague Veterans Center), Lake Belton and many more projects. All of these led to industrial, medical and transportation growth in Temple and Bell County. For over a century, the Temple Chamber of Commerce has provided essential leadership to attract economic development to the city.”

August 3, 2020

​​Due to the disruption to the community, and the impact COVID-19 has had upon the business community with the related shutdowns, the board felt it was important to keep the stability of leadership for the Board of Directors into 2021.  Local businessman Drayton McLane III has been re-elected as Chair of the Board for Temple Chamber of Commerce.  McLane was first elected to the board in late 2017 and was elected to serve as Chair for 2020.
 
“Drayton was asked to serve an additional year, and he accepted without hesitation “noted Rick Kasberg, Chair of the Chamber’s Nominating Committee.  “He is prepared to serve an additional year and lead the Chamber forward in our efforts to inform, educate, communicate and advocate for the business community.”
 
 “Thank you to the Chamber Board for your confidence in me to serve again in 2021.  I am looking forward to a better year as a community in 2021!”  He also added, “This Chamber can be led with confidence knowing you have the wisdom and experience of the Chamber Board and the Chamber Staff to lean on.”  
 
Other Board Nominations:

• Gayle Kiger, KCEN TV Channel 6 was elected to the position of First Vice-Chair and will become Chair of the Board in January 2022.  He is in his third year on the Board of Directors.  Kiger is the President and General Manager of KCEN TV Channel 6. 

 
Elected to the Board of Directors for a three-year term:

• Bishop Shelton Rhodes, Greater Zion Temple Church of God in Christ
• Bo Harvey, Treno Pizzeria & Taproom
• Shannon Gowan, Carothers Executive Homes
• Kim Langston, 3 Texans Winery & Vineyard

 
Highlights of 2020:

• January’s Salute to Business Dinner had the largest audience ever, thanks in part to guest Speaker Governor Greg Abbott. 

 

• The formation in February of a Community Inclusion Committee.  This committee is made up of business, church, and community leaders from all demographics.  The focus of this committee is to strengthen diversity and equality in Bell County.

 

• The Chamber partnered with the City of Temple and United Way Central Texas in the development and release of the Temple Small Business Relief Grant.  The grant is to provide a lifeline to qualifying businesses impacted by COVID19.

 

• The Chamber is working closely with the Bell County Commissioners Court with the roll out of the Bell County Small Business Relief Grant.

 
 “COVID-19 has unexpectedly wreaked havoc upon all of us, but the Chamber staff has performed admirably to inform, educate, communicate, and advocate for business in the greater Temple community” McLane noted.
 
“The mission of the Temple Chamber of Commerce is to preserve, protect, and promote a business-friendly environment that is free of obstacles to growth and development.  This has never been more important than today” McLane stated.
 
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About the Temple Chamber of Commerce
The mission of the Temple Chamber of Commerce is to serve the business community by preserving, protecting, and promoting a business-friendly environment, free of obstacles to growth and development. The Chamber provides a venue where business owners, leaders, managers and staff can connect, learn and grow, acts as a catalyst for an ever-changing and evolving business-friendly environment, and works to define and develop the Temple of 2025 and beyond.