From The Director 3.27.14

The times they are a changing! The words to the Bob Dylan song describe an era of change that occurred in the 1960s and defined a generation. Fast forward to today, and we see the most active primary season in recent memory. Runoff elections will be scheduled for May, and we have the May 10 Senate District 4 elections to determine who will represent us in the Texas Senate. The faces in Austin will change with the election of a new Governor, attorney general, comptroller, and lieutenant governor if David Dewhurst is unable to win his primary. For two election cycles, we have seen massive change in the State House of Representatives, which will continue in November as we replace State Representative Allan Ritter. Within a few years we are likely to see major change at Beaumont City Hall and with the Jefferson County Commissioners Court. There will be a BISD Trustee election in May 2015. Where will the next generation of leaders come from and what can we do to prepare them for the future are questions worthy of our consideration.

We have a Leadership Development Division as one of the answers, and the work of scores of volunteers will be crucial in the years ahead as we experience the generational leadership change that is coming. The Leadership Development Division is led by Pat Calhoun; there is steering committee for Leadership Beaumont and a foundation board to raise funds for the leadership programs. Our strong group of dedicated volunteers is facilitated by Amy Denison, who serves as the executive director of Leadership Beaumont. In recent weeks, they have provided leadership training to 60 eighth graders from 12 schools, conducted a public service candidate workshop for those running or interested in public office, and continue a one-on-one mentorship program to a group of eight potential community leaders. In addition, a Leadership Beaumont class of 31 participants continues their yearlong program, recruitment has begun for next year’s program, and we are conducting quarterly gatherings aimed at Leadership Beaumont alumni. Still adding to the effort is our Young Professionals Division led by John Worthington and Jessica Hill, who host regular meetings to network and promote the value of young professionals in our community. All too often I attend gatherings of community organizations and see the majority of people are as gray haired as I am. Also, they do not reflect the diversity of our community. Our Leadership Development Division and Young Professionals of Southeast Texas are exceptions in terms of engaging all young people and preparing them for the future.

We have made the reform of windstorm insurance as our number one priority for legislative and regulatory advocacy in Austin. It is a complicated issue, and it will take a big effort to make progress. We have partnered with the chambers of commerce on the coast and with the coastal state legislators to forge a united solution so by this summer we will be ready to propose legislation in January 2015. We were proud of the response to the public hearing conducted by the Texas Department of Insurance on Feb. 26. We also enjoyed quality time with Insurance Commissioner Julia Rathgeber during her time in Beaumont. She is from Liberty and is no stranger to Southeast Texas.

We were pleased to name Ritter Lumber as the 2014 winner of the Spindletop Award and look forward to honoring the Ritter family on Oct. 21. We are also looking forward to offering our best Business Development Week schedule from April 8-10.

Jim Rich is Executive Director of the Southeast Texas Economic Development Foundation and President of the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce.