ODESSA, Texas — The Odessa Chamber of Commerce is constantly working to better the city.
Renee Earls – President & CEO of the Chamber – is set to serve in a new role on the Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives, or TCCE, Board of Directors
Earls will be the Vice Chair of Professional Development on the Board, a voluntary role and a change from what she did last year on the Board.
It’s an opportunity Earls is excited about, with benefits expected for Odessa as well.
Earls has served as the President & CEO of the Chamber for seven years, and that will continue as she also serves for a second year on the Board for the TCCE.
Earls believes that while the Odessa chamber is one of the more stable chambers in the Lone Star State. Many of the more than 600 are not, and she is excited to provide learning.
“There are many chambers that just really need some direction and help, and we’re there to provide that," said Earls. "And rather it be learning what the most impactful event is for a community, learning how chambers can advocate on behalf of their communities."
Earls said the TCCE works very closely with the Odessa chamber, and the Chamber has benefitted from her being a member of the Board – benefits that can ultimately better Odessa.
“There are so many resources that we can utilize and work with each other to learn from each other," said Earls. "There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel, so it’s great for all of these communities to really work together to help each other out, learn from each other and make your community as good as it can be in the long run.”
The Odessa community will be in the spotlight in late June when the TCCE comes to town to host it’s annual conference, which is a rarity with plenty of upside.
“We want to show off our community," said Earls. "We want to show what we have. We want them to come here, invest, they’ll buy gas, they’ll go shopping, they’ll go out to eat, they’ll be in hotels, so it’s a big economic driver to bring a group of this size to our community and allow us to show off what we know and love so much to our other colleagues.”
Earls said they are expecting about 250 to 300 people from around the state to make their way to West Texas in the summer for that three-day convention.
Earls explained that Odessa has never hosted the event, or if they did it has been decades since, so although it is still months away, one can see why it’s already something to look forward to.