Peter Senge’s business classic, The Fifth Discipline, provides a framework for building “learning organizations”—companies that continuously adapt, innovate, and thrive by fostering collective learning and systemic thinking. While the book is often cited in large corporate contexts, its core lessons are very relevant and actionable for small businesses.

In our community where the economy is rooted in the soil of our farms and the warm welcome we extend to visitors, our small businesses face unique challenges.

One of my favorite books is the Trillion Dollar Coach by Bill Campbell who coached several Silicon Valley start-up companies that each eventually reached a valuation of over a trillion dollars. Here are the lessons gleaned from Coach Campbell that apply to small businesses that rely on tourism.

Cattle ranchers have long used the hot iron branding method to designate ownership of their stock. The word “brand” itself originates from the Old Norse "brandr," meaning "to burn," which referred to burning a mark onto livestock. The brand symbols were typically simplistic to be easily identified, and they are most often meaningful for the families that owned/operated the cattle ranches. While many represent surnames or business names, sometimes brands represented the land or family values.

At last week’s Economic Summit State of the Burg, Dr. Ray Perryman addressed an issue affecting many of the Chamber’s members: tariffs.

As a former Chamber Chair and the 2024 Chamber Man of the Year, we wanted to learn more about Todd’s goals, and his expectations for his performance as a city council member

Dr. Richard Becker, founder of Becker Vineyards, appears on the cover of the latest issue of Rock & Vine magazine, which also features an insightful article about him.

Risk-taking is widely regarded as essential to effective leadership, especially in today’s rapidly changing and competitive environment. Multiple sources emphasize that leaders who take calculated risks are more likely to drive innovation, foster growth, and adapt successfully to new challenges. Further, effective risk management is a core responsibility of leadership, shaping not only organizational resilience but also long-term success. Leaders play a pivotal role in identifying, assessing, and responding to risks, an

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is credited with the popular phrase “change is constant”. Change was at the center of the city council candidate forum last week. We asked the citizens of Fredericksburg to send us questions to ask the candidates. The top two topics our citizens wanted the candidates to talk about were Water and Development. The third most asked question was about Affordable Housing.

Reviewing some of Drucker's management principles, I found numerous lessons that could be valuable for our businesses. These lessons can help our businesses thrive in dynamic and competitive environments, particularly as they navigate challenges like fluctuating demand and changing market conditions.

The first city election in Fredericksburg, Texas, occurred after the town's incorporation in 1928. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 but remained unincorporated for over 80 years. It does not appear in the U.S. Census until 1930, with a recorded population of 2,416 (projected population in 2025 is just under 12,000).

Most of us who live in or around Fredericksburg are somewhat familiar with our most famous hometown hero, Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. Of course, I’ve visited the gallery in his name at the National Museum of the Pacific War and even read a bit about him. But, recently, in leading the Chamber, I became more curious about Nimitz’s storied leadership.

In the bustling world of business, there's a saying that's gained significant traction over the years, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." This quote, attributed to management guru Peter Drucker, has become a rallying cry for business leaders who recognize the paramount importance of company culture.

As a small town that relies on tourism, identifying and removing customer friction is crucial for our local businesses and overall economic success. Let's explore some key areas where we can improve the visitor experience and keep our town thriving.

Whether you’re talking about doing well in school or doing well on the job, engagement is a significant key to motivation. You can think of engagement as the emotional investment a person has in an endeavor whether it be work or school or volunteering or even a project. Motivation can be thought of as the drivers of to do the work – intrinsically, that could be the satisfaction of doing it while extrinsically, it could be a paycheck or recognition.

A RACI chart, also known as a Responsibility Assignment Matrix, is a project management tool used to clarify roles and responsibilities within a project. It helps ensure that all stakeholders understand their tasks and expectations by categorizing them into four main roles.

"Among the men who fought on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue." This powerful quote was made by Nimitz in March 1945, before the battle had even concluded, reflecting on the extraordinary bravery displayed by American forces during the fierce fighting on the island.

Looking at the Chamber’s schedule from now through the end of May including meetings with members, city staff, elected officials, and attending board meetings will be a busy period of time that will challenge our focus and productivity. I imagine most if not all our Chamber members feel the same way.

We often talk about the changes in our community, and typically, we refer to the changes in past tense. Looking at change in the rear-view mirror is easy, and it’s even easier to blame today’s problems on changes that have occurred. This is emblematic of the notion of the “the good old days,” which may very well have limited value on the present or the future. This got me wondering about switching the conversation about change to a future tense. Part of looking at future change is certainly looking at the past, particul

The origins of “design thinking” are not precisely known, but the concepts can easily be traced back to the 1940s and 1950s. The term surfaced in the 1960s in engineering, independently by John E. Arnold and L. Bruce Archer and by R. Buckminster Fuller in problem solving. In the 1990s, David Kelley and his firm IDEO brought attention to the methodology with their co-creation of famous products such the first mouse for Apple, and progressing into arenas such as patient experience in hospitals.

We have redesigned our programs to offer more collaboration, information and service to our members—the three pillars of our mission. In the first half of 2025 the Chamber will offer five events: two Master Classes, two Leaders Breakfasts, and our annual Economic Summit “State of the Burg.”

Many years ago, when I was challenged by a mentor to be more curious and be a learner vs a knower. There is one book he recommended that I still reference today: George Leonard’s “Mastery.” Leonard was a WWII pilot who served in the Pacific theater and a 5th degree black belt in the martial art of Aikido. Seems like sufficient expertise to write a book called Mastery. A recent article in MIT Sloan Management Review caught my attention. Building Mastery: What Leaders Do That Helps – or Impedes, by Lynda Gratton.

When setting goals or objectives for a new year I like to use the term BHAG, Big Hairy Audacious Goal, from Jim Collins’ best-selling book “Good to Great.” For this year’s goals I wondered about how I can motivate the Chamber board and staff to embrace some BHAGs vs being concerned or stressed about ambitious goals or objectives.

The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives conducted a survey with The Harris Poll last September and recently published the results. The survey explores perceptions of a sampling of U.S. adults about their local chamber of commerce, the role chambers play in their communities, and the value of chamber membership to businesses.

One year ago, the Chamber board updated our mission to: Champion Our Business Community Through Collaboration, Information, and Service

Having been in different parts of the world over the Christmas season, I have experienced many different Christmas traditions. After watching the Light the Night Christmas Parade, I began wondering what shaped Texas Christmas traditions. As you can imagine Texas holiday traditions have evolved significantly over the years, influenced by the state's diverse cultural heritage while accounting for the practical realities of frontier life.

Last week my low tire pressure indicator came on as I started the truck on a cold morning. My first thought was that the overnight low temperature was the cause. I checked the tire pressure and found the culprit—a screw embedded in the tire between treads. Next morning, I was first in line at Stroeher & Olfers to have the tire repaired. It would be several hours before the tire would be repaired, so I walked back to the Chamber office.

Getting ready for the Light the Night Christmas Parade, I was in several areas around town. On Main Street, Off Main Street and in Gillespie County. I took the opportunity to look around with an eye for holiday shopping here in the Burg. Here are a few Chamber member shops that might be of interest to you for some holiday shopping.

December in Fredericksburg starts and ends with two wonderful family events. The Light the Night Christmas Parade will dazzle Main Street on December 6th. Before and after the parade, Markplatz will have six wineries and several food vendors including Fredericksburg High School’s Culinary Students in their food trailer offering holiday delights. At 6:30pm, the parade will begin with 160 floats lighting up the night!

Today marks my one-year anniversary as President/CEO of the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce. During the past year we hosted 14 programs including State of the Burg and Leaders Breakfasts, and over 500 members attended these programs. We also hosted 111 events ranging from Ribbon Cuttings (95 this year) to Fun After 5s to the Food & Wine Festival. Our hallmark event, the Light the Night Christmas Parade will grace Main Street next week. The attendance at the past year’s events was nearly 34,000 with the significant ma

Last week, business representatives from Bardstown, Kentucky visited Fredericksburg to learn about commerce on our historic Main Street. Founded in 1780, Bardstown is one of the oldest towns in Kentucky, and it is widely known as the Bourbon Capital of the world.

The October festivals are behind us and the Fredericksburg holiday season has now kicked off with last night’s FlavoryTX Holiday Prelude held at Swallows Eve. It is always a fun event pairing up our renowned wineries with very talented local chefs working with students from Fredericksburg High School Culinary Program.

Next Wednesday, November 13, the Chamber will host its last Leaders Breakfast of this series at the Ballroom in the Historic Nimitz Hotel. The topic is “Focus on Mental Health.” There will be presentations by a panel of experts who will share information on mental health in our community and the support resources available here. Panelists are: Valerie Elkins. Co-Founder of Texas Wine Auction (charitable organization focused on mental wellness in the hospitality/wine industry); Rhonda Gross, Psychologist with Texas Psych

The 34th Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival is in the books, and all initial feedback is very positive. The event started with a Street Dinner on Austin Street featuring five Chefs, four wineries, and two distilleries serving up a new culinary experience for Fredericksburg. There were 176 guests sitting at a row of tables over 200 feet long. The magic that evening is the result of great collaboration.

The first Food and Wine Festival here in Fredericksburg was held in 1991. It was created by Bob Oberhelman of Bell Mountain Winery, which was among the earliest, if not the first winery in Gillespie County since the 19th century when a few wineries were in operation. In 1986, Bell Mountain became the first AVA (American Viticultural Area) in Texas.

In the world of business, rules and regulations are essential for maintaining order and fairness. However, there are times when bending these rules can lead to innovation, foster relationships, or even help your community. As members of the Chamber of Commerce, it's important to navigate these situations thoughtfully. Here’s a guide on when it might be appropriate to bend the rules.

Throughout the year, I’ve heard from Chamber members that their business levels are down vs previous years. While we have been looking at numbers – economic statistics, local visitation figures, and the like, it is difficult to pin down specific reasons for the decline in business. So, what can we do while we continue to search for answers? Sometimes we feel the need to take action, even without sufficient information. General George Patton once said: A good solution applied with vigor now is better than a perfect solut

For those of us seeking wisdom about leading teams, who better to ask than Tom Brady! The Harvard Business Review did just that and published, “Tom Brady on the Art of Leading Teammates.” The 7-time Super Bowl champion teamed up with Professor and Dean of Harvard Business School, Dr. Nitin Nohria, to author an insightful article. From the first paragraph, it captured my attention.

Last week the Chamber held its annual golf tournament, and we are very grateful! Grateful to Fredericksburg Chevrolet GMC for being the tournament’s title sponsor this year. Grateful for our Golf Tournament Chair Kyle Kulda, VP Arrowhead Bank, and his dedication to making the Golf Tournament a complete success. From the player experience to the very impressive premium prizes he solicited for the raffle. The combined value of the premium prizes is nearly $25,000.

The fall season is a busy one for all our businesses in Gillespie County. Tourism picks up as the annual festivals attract visitors and the Ag community wraps up another growing season plus preparing fields, orchards, vineyards, and animals for winter. As mentioned in a previous column fall is the chamber’s busiest season each year.

This is the busy season for the Chamber. The Leadership Gillespie County class held their first session learning about city government and operations last week. Students for the iOpener Leadership Program at Fredericksburg High School are being selected, and sessions for them start next week. We have two Leaders Breakfasts and two Fun After Five Networking Receptions this fall. We also have three premier events coming up beginning with the Golf Tournament this month, the Food and Wine Festival in October, and the renown

This summer, I’ve been thinking a lot about creative and critical thinking, so an article titled, The Art of Asking Smarter Questions intrigued me. Written by three professors at the International Institute for Management Development, a 75-year-old, global business education organization, the article was published in the Harvard Business Review.

Last week we held the Leadership Gillespie County (LGC) Class of 2025 Retreat at MO Ranch. The LGC Coordinators this year are Julie Herbort of Heath Family Brands and Teri Hoyt of Mustard Architects. There are 22 members of the Class of 2025 representing all aspects of our community from small businesses to non-profits to city government—the group is diverse and representative of our community.

At the heart of excellent service is understanding the customer’s conditions of satisfaction. Many years ago, I was fortunate to study the leadership and management theories of Fernando Flores and learned some finer distinctions of customer satisfaction.

The term Superbosses caught my attention, and I continue to reference an article written by Sydney Finkelstein titled Secrets of the Superbosses. Mr. Finkelstein is a Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He conducted 10 years of research and over 200 interviews of leaders in many industries including finance, fashion, restaurants, entertainment and NFL Head Coaches. Out of the interviews he identified 18 definite and 24+ likely Superbosses.

I am happy to report that the Chamber’s first ever Food & Wine Festival Preview Week was a success! Thank you, Fredericksburg and Gillespie County for your support! In seven events over six days, our wineries, restaurants, caterers, and venues really shined. Even more impressive is the talent that provided excellent experiences for the nearly 500 attendees at the collective events.

The founder of Four Seasons Hotel & Resorts had a simple formula for success: People + Product = Profit. I will always be grateful to have worked for them and learned the value of this philosophy. The formula begins with hiring the right PEOPLE and taking care of what they consider the most important asset of the company. PEOPLE also included guests, vendors, and other stakeholders. Four Seasons was one of the first companies in the hospitality industry to conduct employee satisfaction surveys (ESS) and tied hotel Gener

A book I reference often is “Trillion Dollar Coach” by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle. All were coached by Bill Campbell who played a key role in the development of Google, Apple and Intuit. The authors coined the term Trillion Dollar Coach as the value of the companies he coached was more than a trillion dollars when he finally retired from coaching.

My first overseas role was Director of Marketing for The Regent Taipei. It would be not only my first time living in a foreign country, it was also my first time opening a new hotel. Nothing like experiencing two firsts to challenge one’s leadership. It was important to learn quickly about the culture of a country you’re working in, and in the first few months I made a few cultural faux pas.

A few weeks ago, marked six months for me on the job. By several metrics, the Chamber is doing well. Memberships are up year over year, attendance at events are up, and we added the Food & Wine Festival to our event calendar. I learned many years ago that success can lead to organizational blindness. So, I am asking myself what am I missing that could undermine this success?

Each month the Chamber hosts a Lunch and Learn session. We bring in experts on various topics and these experts are mostly local members. On occasion we do import some talent for specific topics that are impacting our local business community. We have filled our schedule for the Lunch and Learn sessions from July to November. The topics are varied and relevant.

In last week’s paper, Christine Granados, reporter for Fredericksburg Standard Radio Post, wrote a story titled “Finding Balance.” It was eye opening to see all the different types of developments in one article: single family, multifamily, and commercial. According to her reporting, there is the potential of 720 new single-family homes coming onto the market and the likelihood that it will take the rest of this decade for all these units to be constructed and sold.

In preparing for the Chamber’s Economic Summit program, Tim Lehmberg of the Gillespie County Economic Development Commission came across an article about small businesses published on KTSM.com (El Paso TV Station). The story, citing a large study of counties across the U.S., was about Texas counties which have the highest number of small businesses per 1,000 residents.

At last week’s Leaders Breakfast, we learned about fraud prevention from Angela Davis and John Whiten of Security State Bank & Trust plus City of Fredericksburg Police Detective Bryan Davis. Topics covered included technology scams, impostor scams, phishing scams and several other forms of fraud. Of the different fraud schemes it is Social Engineering that can be the most harmful.

Last Wednesday, the Chamber held its annual Economic Summit, State of the Burg. We had over 150 registrations, which is 25% growth over last year. Thank you to all of our sponsors, please see our thank you ad in this issue of the Standard-Radio Post. The sponsors provided the resources for the Chamber to organize and hold this important event.

Last Friday May 10th was the graduation of the Leadership Gillespie County Class of 2024, the 30th class. The inaugural class started their journey in 1994 with 17 participants. Today there are nearly 600 graduates, and many have made significant contributions to our community. The inaugural class include a future mayor of Fredericksburg, Linda Langerhans, and a current city council member, Tony Klein. My predecessor, Penny McBride, was also a member of that first class.

We are a week away from the Chamber’s second State of the Burg Economic Summit. The speakers and panels have been preparing their presentations. I am enjoying getting a preview of their presentations in advance. What I have seen so far is impressive and some have surprises that piqued my curiosity.

Each year the Chamber sends out a survey to all members to collect information on wages, benefits, turnover, key challenges, etc., and to report back the results so that members can use the information for their own assessment and planning activities. The numbers are in, and the results, while not being definitive, do provide some insight into current conditions. Some numbers are surprising and some not surprising.

The Chamber’s second, annual economic summit, “State of the Burg,” will be held on Wednesday, May 15, and we’ll explore Where We Are, Where We Are Going, and Issues that Matter. We will host two keynote speakers, two panels (Housing and Economic Impact of Entrepreneurs), and an update on the soon-to-be-announced tourism master plan. More information is available on our website www.fredericksburg-texas.com/economic-summit.

Leading up to the eclipse there was plenty of “wondering” going on. Wondering about how many visitors will come to our little town. Wondering what the traffic might be like. Wondering if the weather forecast for cloudy and/or rain would hold. Wondering if the visitors would leave town right after the eclipse.

The Leadership Gillespie County class held its monthly meeting this week with a focus on Tourism and Hospitality. Brady Closson, President/CEO Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor Bureau, and I were asked to make presentations about our respective organizations’ roles in Tourism and Hospitality. Preparing the Chamber’s presentation, I put together a list of facts about the Chamber and the list, frankly, surprised me. Our little chamber is a busy organization.

In less than two weeks we will all know the answer to a question that has been asked for at least three years: how many visitors will Fredericksburg and Gillespie experience for the Eclipse on April 8?

Continuing to look at how our entire business community can create even more success; a couple of recent events have reminded me about the very foundation upon which we build businesses: infrastructure. This past week, the City’s Planning & Zoning Committee (P&Z) reviewed a long-pending conference center project and the Chamber also held its annual awards banquet. At first glance, they would have little in common, but the success of both depends on infrastructure.

“Uplifting Service” is a NY Times best selling book by global service expert, Ron Kaufman. Having learned about his work in the early 2000s, I enthusiastically embraced the core concepts and with his permission have presented his work as part of keynote speeches and workshops. For the past 20-plus years, I’ve seen how embodying Ron’s principles in service delivery produces happy customers – even raving fans!

Working in the hospitality industry, much of my time was focused on measuring guest satisfaction, working on guest service improvement, designing guest service recovery systems, and seeking innovative new services to drive guest loyalty. Since the beginning of the year, in conversations with several Chamber members and other Fredericksburg citizens, they have lamented about the decline of customer service in our town.

During the Fredericksburg 20-year visioning process a few years back, I had the opportunity to sit on the Steering Committee which provided the opportunity to interact with members of our community who I might not have met otherwise. I was (and still am) amazed at the talent we have in our little town.

Last week was our first FUN AFTER FIVE event for this year and held in the historic Nimitz Hotel Ballroom. Following tradition, the year’s inaugural event was a showcase for non-profit organizations. Participating non-profits have the opportunity to explain their missions and how they go about accomplishing their goals. We hosted 14 organizations this year, and veterans of FUN AFTER FIVE events shared that the attendance was higher than usual.

Recently, I attended a Harvard Business Review webinar titled “How to Boost Employee Engagement in 2024.” The presenter was Professor Dorie Clark of Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. Her presentation reaffirmed some things I had learned before and reminded me of the essential keys to retaining good employees. Ms. Clark stated four fundamental ways to boost engagement in simple terms: help your employees feel seen, help your employees feel heard, help your employees feel valued, and help your employees feel encouraged.

How would you define an Epic Moment? One of my most memorable experiences was in a very small restaurant in Tokyo. I yearned to see the “real” Japan and one of my local associates referred me to a family restaurant that was off the beaten track where I might get that experience.

One of my favorite business books is “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t” by Jim Collins. The book is a best seller at over 10 million copies sold worldwide. A 21-member research team led by Collins conducted interviews generating 2,000 pages of transcripts, studied 6,000 articles, and generated 384 megabytes of data. The book talks about a couple of interesting business terms.

Eight weeks in, and I’m ready to leap into the future. We will hold our annual strategic planning meeting where I will share what I have learned as part of my First 90 Days plan along with some recommendations. One theme that emerged in my research comes in the form of a question: how can the Fredericksburg Chamber Commerce become a leader of innovation for our business community?

History has always fascinated me. My grandmother worked for the state’s department of education when I was a kid, and during the summer after 3rd grade, she brought home some biographies of past presidents for me. Reading about the lives of people like Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt made me feel that life could be an adventure. Learning to enjoy reading continues to be a cherished gift from her.

When the ball drops and a new year is ushered in, we often pause to both reflect on the past and consider how best to approach the future. In my moment of pause this year, I was reminded of NBA Hall of Fame Coach Phil Jackson. He coached the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers to multiple championships. I studied his coaching and leadership style because I wanted to understand his ability to coach a team full of all-stars.

As 2023 comes to a close, the Chamber staff and I want to thank several board members whose terms have ended. Julie Herbort, COO Heath Family Brands, finishes her term as Immediate Past Chair. Julie will be a significant resource for our reporting on important state action/initiatives that affect our Ag and Wine industry. Also, I expect she will continue to be wise counsel during my tenure as President/CEO.

Last week, I spent much of my time on a journey of discovery and re-discovery of some of what Fredericksburg offers to its residents. As we “locals” go about our everyday lives, it’s easy to get into the routine of frequenting the same establishments, doing the same activities and forgetting to explore the abundance of options available to us.

There is one particular story about me that my mom always enjoyed telling (many years after the event) and my wife uses to sum up many of my life experiences. When I was a toddler, our family was living in Morrocco as part of a military assignment. I was the stereotypical blonde-haired towhead kid, and at the time, kids like me were targets for kidnapping there. My mom said the housekeeper decided to make some extra money by selling me!