Gary Farmer, President of Heritage Title Company of Austin, was named “Austinite of the Year” by the Austin Chamber of Commerce at its sold-out Annual Meeting held today at the Hilton Hotel.

Farmer, honored by Mayor Will Wynn at the event for his contributions to Economic Development in Central Texas over the past several years, served as Chair of the Greater Austin Economic Development Corporation and Opportunity Austin, the Chamber’s five-year economic plan to create 72,000 jobs. Farmer exceeded fundraising goals for the initiative by bringing in $14 million for the project.

2006 Chair Tim Crowley, President of Frost Bank’s Austin Community Banking Group, announced the Chamber’s Volunteers of the Year. Winners included Rachel Johnston, OperTuneUs, Inc for the Ambassador Program; Norman Chenven, Austin Regional Clinic for Education; Jerry Converse, Fulbright & Jaworski for Government Relations; Freelance Writer Julie Tereshchuk for Small Business; Paul Bury, Bury & Partners for Economic Development; Jamie Rhodes, Perceptive Sciences for Technology; and Terry Green, Omni Hotel for Communications.

Incoming 2007 Chair Roger Mitchell, President of Texas Gas Service, applauded Crowley’s efforts as 2006 Chair and presented an optimistic view of the future. “From education and talent development to transportation to job creation, we are moving the Central Texas region forward and quickly becoming one of the most competitive places in the country to do business,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell gave audience members a glimpse of the Chamber’s priorities during 2007:

• Education and Talent Development – The Chamber will continue to execute its “20,010 in 2010” plan to increase higher education enrollment. In collaboration with school districts in Austin, Round Rock and Manor, the Chamber is co-hosting eight “Financial Aid Saturdays” this spring designed to increase financial aid completion by 15 percent. The Chamber is also working with Austin Community College to create the nation’s first Community College Progress Report and establish an arms-length PAC to support public school and community college board candidates in 2007.
• Economic Development – Opportunity Austin is close to reaching its five-year goal of 72,000 net new jobs, and an increase of $2.9 billion in payroll puts the Chamber two years ahead of plan. In 2007, the Chamber will collaborate with economic development consultant Market Street Services to construct a new five-year plan to ensure prosperity and job growth in the Austin region.
• Transportation – “Unless we take action now to move in a new direction, our economy, our environment and our quality of life are at risk,” Mitchell said of the region’s transportation challenges. The Chamber will focus on promoting a comprehensive regional transportation plan that includes new roads, toll roads, rapid bus service, passenger rail lines and other effective modes of mass transit.
• Legislation – The Chamber will actively work to ensure important policy decisions are made with the business community in mind. For next two years, the Chamber will take a proactive approach regarding public education, transportation and talent development when dealing with state and local governments.

Outgoing Chair Crowley noted some accomplishments of the past year:

• Defeat of Propositions 1 and 2
• Samsung chose Austin as the location of its new next generation semiconductor plant
• The establishment of a Technology Division within the Chamber
• Formation of the Central Texas Angel Network to provide capital to emerging companies
• Task Force created to review leadership of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (Campo)

“You know, it would be easy to sit back and bask on my time as Chairman and all of the great things we accomplished, but that won’t happen,” Crowley said of the Chamber’s accomplishments in 2006. “None of us can sit back and rely on others to do the work. The minute we do this, we will begin to lose site of where we have been and where we are going.”