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A letter from the Chamber President
June 19, 2023
You should have received an invoice to renew your membership for the 2023-2024 year. The invoice reflects a small increase in rates from previous years. Our Board members discussed the issue of increasing our dues due to the current state of our economy and the desire to keep our chamber open more than 2 days a week. If we see that this invoice has not been read within 30 days, we will assume that the e-mail address is out of date and mail out the same invoice to the mailing address that we have on file for you. If you suspect that we may have inaccurate or outdated info, please contact us and update us with accurate information.
We have been working hard over this last year to continue to promote and recognize all our members as well as recruit new members. Our quarterly Lunch and Learns are currently focused on small business success featuring a series of 5 classes presented by the Women’s Business Center of San Antonio. We are also sponsoring the Grow Now Accelerator training program which is being put on by the Lift Fund and the SBA. Our Board Members are trying very hard to provide programs and benefits that will be beneficial to all of you, but the truth is that we cannot do so without your help. We would love to have your input on what your needs are, what is the best time to hold events so that you will be able to attend, what are we doing right and wrong, etc… Just like you, we must work within the constraints of our budget and our abilities, but every single member of our board is fully dedicated to making Floresville and the surrounding area a better place to start and run a business and a better place to start and raise a family! We have heard concerns over the Chamber of Commerce only being open a few hours a week, so we changed our hours from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm to 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays. We would like to be open 5 days a week, but we cannot financially support that until we grow our member base or find some other source of funding.
We invite you to be an active part of your community by letting us know what is going on with your business and letting us know what we can do for you. Our office is currently open on Monday and Wednesday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, please drop by and visit. If you would like to call, our office number is 830-251-0944 and our e-mail address is Floresvillechamberofcommerce@yahoo.com. Follow us on Facebook or check out our website at www.floresvillechamberofcommerce.com.
Your support helps us promote our city and the surrounding area to tourism and other businesses by keeping our office open, providing information to interested parties, working with the city and county to host and participate in events and fund scholarships each year.
Thank You so much for your support, we look forward to working with all of you in the coming year to make Floresville and Wilson County a better place for all!
Respectfully,
Mark Burris
President, Floresville Chamber of Commerce.
Dear Members:
Join the Chamber!
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Become a member and join the Floresville Chamber of Commerce and start networking with other businesses, as well as take advantage of Chamber benefits!
Join our Board of Directors!
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Learn about our mission, qualifications, and expectations of our Board of Directors. You may fill out the application and return it to our office.
Chamber Goals
- Increase foot traffic and visibility for our members.
- Save our members time and money.
- Strengthen and grow our community.
Not a Government Agency
The Floresville Chamber of Commerce is not part of the city or county government, although we work closely with those officials in economic development and other areas to improve the business environment and quality of life in the Floresville community.
Expansion and Retention of Businesses
The Floresville Chamber is the initial point of contact for the community’s efforts in retention and expansion of existing businesses. The Floresville Chamber of Commerce works with existing businesses to remove obstacles for growth.
Member Benefits
When you join the Floresville Chamber of Commerce you will be entitled to an array of benefits
The “Lunch n’ Learn” Series is held at a location determined by the board of directors, from 11:30 am to 1:00pm.
If you would like to make any announcement regarding your business or up coming event your business may be having, we would be more than happy to accommodate you at the Lunch n’ Learns, please make your request in advance to give adequate time in the program, and to be respective to others and their time.
The Floresville Chamber of Commerce is not part of the city or county government, although we work closely with those officials in economic development and other areas to improve the business environment and quality of life in the Floresville community.
Expansion and Retention of Businesses
The Floresville Chamber is the initial point of contact for the community’s efforts in retention and expansion of existing businesses. The Floresville Chamber of Commerce works with existing businesses to remove obstacles for growth.
Member Benefits
When you join the Floresville Chamber of Commerce you will be entitled to an array of benefits
- Website Listing/Free Link: You will be listed in the Member Directory section of this website, which, can include your e-mail address and direct link to your website.
- Regular Business Referrals: Whenever we receive an inquiry related to your products or services, our staff will include your business information in our referrals.
- Display of Business Cards & Flyers: You may place your business cards, brochures and flyers at the Visitor Center.
- Updates & Invitations: Your e-mail address will be included in our members list, and you will begin receiving updates on Chamber Events and Invitations to Chamber functions, where you will have an excellent opportunity to promote your business.
- Quarterly Lunch & Learns: Lunch n’ Learn Series is an innovative and creative program held on the third Wednesday, quarterly. (Feb.-May-Aug.-Nov.). Chamber members who are experts in their fields are invited to share their expertise with other Chamber members over the lunch hour. Each luncheon will focus on topics related to professional and personal development.
The “Lunch n’ Learn” Series is held at a location determined by the board of directors, from 11:30 am to 1:00pm.
If you would like to make any announcement regarding your business or up coming event your business may be having, we would be more than happy to accommodate you at the Lunch n’ Learns, please make your request in advance to give adequate time in the program, and to be respective to others and their time.
Why Get Involved with Your Chamber?
Membership in the local chamber offers numerous benefits and keeps business owners on top of important, ever-changing issues and trends within their community and local marketplace.
Memberships brings credibility to your business. Your membership identifies your business as one that has an interest in the community.
Chamber members are businesses and individuals that believe in taking action, rather than sitting on the sidelines. They know that being a member is an investment, not just in their business, but also in their community.
Chambers provide value
We serve as your connection to profit and growth through 3 core values and benefits.
1- Members doing business with members.
2- Our efforts to promote and advocate for our members.
3- Our constant focus to create opportunities for connections, education, visibility and support of our members.
Ways You Can Increase your Visibility in the Community
1- We list your business on our Online Member Directory on our website at www.floresvillechamberofcommerce.com
2- When your business hosts a Ribbon Cutting, it is shared through Facebook, email, and the Newsletter all for FREE!
Showcase Your Business
1- Sponsor a Chamber Event
2- Become a Sponsor at a Chamber Fundraising Event
3 - When your business is holding an event, send us an email or flyer, and we will share this through Facebook, email and our web page.
Members supporting members is a Chamber's philosophy. We encourage our members to look to their fellow Chamber members when they are looking for a place to eat out, needing a haircut, having their vehicle serviced, buying a home, or getting a loan, for example. When we support buying from each other, we invest in each other, keeping our local economy strong. It's the right thing to do!
Memberships brings credibility to your business. Your membership identifies your business as one that has an interest in the community.
Chamber members are businesses and individuals that believe in taking action, rather than sitting on the sidelines. They know that being a member is an investment, not just in their business, but also in their community.
Chambers provide value
We serve as your connection to profit and growth through 3 core values and benefits.
1- Members doing business with members.
2- Our efforts to promote and advocate for our members.
3- Our constant focus to create opportunities for connections, education, visibility and support of our members.
Ways You Can Increase your Visibility in the Community
1- We list your business on our Online Member Directory on our website at www.floresvillechamberofcommerce.com
2- When your business hosts a Ribbon Cutting, it is shared through Facebook, email, and the Newsletter all for FREE!
Showcase Your Business
1- Sponsor a Chamber Event
2- Become a Sponsor at a Chamber Fundraising Event
3 - When your business is holding an event, send us an email or flyer, and we will share this through Facebook, email and our web page.
Members supporting members is a Chamber's philosophy. We encourage our members to look to their fellow Chamber members when they are looking for a place to eat out, needing a haircut, having their vehicle serviced, buying a home, or getting a loan, for example. When we support buying from each other, we invest in each other, keeping our local economy strong. It's the right thing to do!
Your Local Chamber of Commerce:A Powerful Tool For Business Growth.
Chambers of commerce are a powerful tool for your business growth-but every business must advertise that it is member of the local chamber of commerce to reap the results; Business tend to experience more frequent purchases and positive reviews when consumers are aware of that business's active involvement in the local chamber.
A Membership In Your Local Chamber of Commerce is Priceless.
History
Floresville was named for Don Francisco Flores de Abrego, a rancher who established his ranch about six miles northwest of the current location of Floresville in 1832. In 1833 the nucleus of the present town was founded on land donated by the Flores family; it became the Wilson County seat in 1885.
Flores de Abrego’s ranch followed in a farming and ranching tradition already 100 years old at the time of his settlement. Rancho de las Cabras, or “the goat ranch,” was established near present-day Floresville in the mid- 1700s as a grazing ground for Mission Espada. The rancho was located about 30 miles southeast of Mission Espada, on the San Antonio River, near present-day Floresville.
Rancho de las Cabras was a place to raise cattle to feed the Spanish priests and the Indians who lived at Mission Espada. Missionaries trusted certain Indian vaqueros, or cowboys, to live on the ranch and take care of the animals. These Indian cowboys lived with their wives and children on the ranch. Once a week, seven or eight head of cattle were brought from the ranch to Mission Espada. These were some of the first cattle drives and were quite dangerous due to the hostile Indians along the path. The ranch eventually was shut down because Espada was taken over by the government, relieving the church of the job of feeding the Indians.
Apache raids in the late 1770s caused problems with the rancho system. The Spanish government took over ownership of unbranded cattle in 1778 and in the early 1800s, the rancho lands became the property of the people who had been living there and of new settlers to the area.
All of the animals in the rancho had a different purpose other than meat and there was often a surplus. Oxen plowed, cattle produced hides, soap, grease, and horns for carving and other uses. Horses provided were used for transportation and helped to herd livestock. Cattle, sheep, goats (although there weren’t many) and pigs were food. Sheep provided wool, and goats produced milk.
On September 15, 1995, the National Park Service acquired a small section of the former ranch from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. It is now a a part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Parks. The park service plans to restore the Rancho de las Cabras if they can get the money. In 2015, the United National Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listed collectively San Antonio's five Spanish collonial missions and the Rancho de las Cabras in Wilson County as a World Heritage Site.
Today, with a growing season of 285 days, Floresville is a marketing point for watermelons, flax, cotton, beef cattle, dairy and poultry products. A huge peanut on the courthouse lawn recognizes the peanut crop grown in the area and the community’s annual Peanut Festival.
Flores de Abrego’s ranch followed in a farming and ranching tradition already 100 years old at the time of his settlement. Rancho de las Cabras, or “the goat ranch,” was established near present-day Floresville in the mid- 1700s as a grazing ground for Mission Espada. The rancho was located about 30 miles southeast of Mission Espada, on the San Antonio River, near present-day Floresville.
Rancho de las Cabras was a place to raise cattle to feed the Spanish priests and the Indians who lived at Mission Espada. Missionaries trusted certain Indian vaqueros, or cowboys, to live on the ranch and take care of the animals. These Indian cowboys lived with their wives and children on the ranch. Once a week, seven or eight head of cattle were brought from the ranch to Mission Espada. These were some of the first cattle drives and were quite dangerous due to the hostile Indians along the path. The ranch eventually was shut down because Espada was taken over by the government, relieving the church of the job of feeding the Indians.
Apache raids in the late 1770s caused problems with the rancho system. The Spanish government took over ownership of unbranded cattle in 1778 and in the early 1800s, the rancho lands became the property of the people who had been living there and of new settlers to the area.
All of the animals in the rancho had a different purpose other than meat and there was often a surplus. Oxen plowed, cattle produced hides, soap, grease, and horns for carving and other uses. Horses provided were used for transportation and helped to herd livestock. Cattle, sheep, goats (although there weren’t many) and pigs were food. Sheep provided wool, and goats produced milk.
On September 15, 1995, the National Park Service acquired a small section of the former ranch from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. It is now a a part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Parks. The park service plans to restore the Rancho de las Cabras if they can get the money. In 2015, the United National Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listed collectively San Antonio's five Spanish collonial missions and the Rancho de las Cabras in Wilson County as a World Heritage Site.
Today, with a growing season of 285 days, Floresville is a marketing point for watermelons, flax, cotton, beef cattle, dairy and poultry products. A huge peanut on the courthouse lawn recognizes the peanut crop grown in the area and the community’s annual Peanut Festival.