Fort Worth Chamber celebrates its roots, looks to the business community’s future
“Tradition meets transformation” was the theme of the evening as the Fort Worth Chamber celebrated local businesses at its annual meeting Wednesday.
It comes roughly a year after the chamber restructured its operations to focus more on developing and retaining local businesses, rather than attracting new businesses to Cowtown.
“The most important role we play as the voice of business is to create a strong inclusive business community,” said Chamber CEO Steve Montgomery, speaking to the roughly 1,000 people gathered in the Cowtown Coliseum.
Montgomery highlighted the chamber’s efforts to better engage with small businesses, and announced the organization would update its member benefits in early April after receiving feedback from a survey of local businesses.
“My aim for this chamber is to make Fort Worth the most welcoming, resilient and rewarding place to do business,” Montgomery said.
That welcoming spirit is what sets Fort Worth apart from other major cities, said American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, who participated in a fireside chat with Montgomery toward the end of the program.
Isom referenced his experiences working in other American cities and internationally. He said he’s never felt more supported by a city than he has working in Fort Worth.
“Fort Worth is special,” he said, adding that Cowtown’s growth is also tied to the growth of his airline.
Of the roughly 100,000 people American Airlines transports through the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport daily, around 35,000 stay in the region to either live or do business, Isom said.
The greater the amount of people who chose to stay in Fort Worth rather than just pass through, the better it is for American Airlines, he said.
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