The 5-Star Accredited Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce (FBCC) held their annual Gala on Friday, January 27, 2023, in the Texas Ballroom at Safari Texas Ranch. The annual event paid tribute to the leaders and volunteers of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce who served the chamber in 2022 and welcomed the new leadership for 2023. FBCC celebrated a record year for new membership and welcomes in the new slate of dynamic leaders. King Banerjee, Owner of Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More of Sugar Land, is the 2023 Chairman of the Board. Banerjee served as the 2020 Business & Professional Division Chair delivering much-needed business resources and support for our business community. He is a 2020 Fort Bend Leadership Forum graduate. As a small businessman, Banerjee understands the challenges that come with building a business. “I am honored to serve the Fort Bend County business community as the 2023 Chairman of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce”, Banerjee said.
With new leadership set to embark come January 2023, outgoing Chairman, Kevin Riles led the chamber in a record-breaking number of new members. “We have had an extremely successful year and believe that 2023 will be a continuation of that trend. I look forward to continuing my active involvement as Past-Chair and support of Chairman King Banerjee.”
Immediate Past Chair, Kevin Riles with Kevin Riles Commercial, presented the Community Spirit Award to Pastor David Lee Sincere, Jr. This award was presented to an individual who has given their time and treasure for the betterment of the community. Pastor Sincere is an advocate for the youth of Fort Bend County and has made a positive impact on many students throughout our community. He is tireless volunteer with Fort Bend ISD for over 24 years through mentoring students and sponsoring campus clubs. He has also served on the District’s Board Leadership Academy and facilitated Trauma Informed Care training. In 2017, he created an institution, Advocacy Now, to address the systemic issues that negatively impact economically disadvantaged communities. For the past two years, he has been part of a leading charge to provide hundreds of students from Briargate Elementary with basic essentials and in December of 2022 was able to donate 1,500 toiletries & needs to these students through partnering with NRG WA Parish Power Plant and others. He is a member of many organizations that have helped shaped and molded our youth to make a difference within Fort Bend County.
The Chairman’s Award was presented to Breah Campbell with SI Environmental and Dr. Jay Neal with University of Houston. This dynamic duo is a powerhouse together as co-chairs of the Fort Bend leadership Forum as well as individually.
Breah Campbell radiates passion by serving as a key component behind building and mentoring leaders within our chamber through our Fort Bend Leadership Program and has assisted in graduating four classes. She strives to always enhance and promote a dynamic and more evolved community as themselves are involved in various nonprofits throughout the county, including Girlfriends and Giggle. Not only does she assist with shaping leaders within our chamber, but also adds a helping hand to the future of the MUD industry by being a Co-Chair for the AWBD Emerging Leaders Programs.
Dr. Jay Neal is fully loaded as he is active with the EDC, Fort Bend Future Initiative with the Chamber, Fort Bend County’s Technology Task Force, Fort Bend County’s Diversity Over Division, and City of Sugar Land TIRZ Board. His biggest driving force is education and evolving the leaders of our future. Under Jay’s guidance, business/academic/community entities in Fort Bend County have come together through collaborations that benefit the region and diversity & inclusion partnerships that celebrate the region. Those efforts have ensured that the future of Fort Bend County includes a Tier One University with programs that feed our workforce and fuel our future successes.
Through the leadership and dedication of these two incredible recipients, the chamber is able to produce the premier community leadership program that develops our future leaders.
The awards continued with Riles acknowledging the leadership and service of immediate past Chairman, Janice Suchyta with BakerDonelson; retiring legal counsel, Dustin Fessler with RMWBH Law; retiring Board Members, Juan Alexander with SI Environmental, Noe Escobar with LJA Engineering, Afshi Merchant with Oil Products Distribution, and Allisandra Wen with Safari Texas Ranch and retiring Fort Bend Leadership Forum Division Co-Chair, Jan-Michael Jenkins with Legacy Fitness & retiring Internal Committee Chair, Jeffery Willis with PAGE.
The Fort Bend Chamber Executive Team is comprised of King Banerjee, Chairman; Kevin Riles, Immediate Past Chair; Qiara Suggs, Chair-Elect; Keith Borgfeldt, Treasurer; and Tariq Zafar, Legal Counsel. “I’m eager to continue to work on issues and initiatives that keep our business climate strong. I look forward to seeing our region prosper and grow in the new year.”, said Riles.
The Board of Directors welcomes six new board members, each serving their first two-year term while five members retired on December 31, 2022. Below is a complete list 2023 Directors and Division Chairs.
2023 Board Members and Division Chairs:
King Banerjee
Angelique Bartholemew
Allison Bond
Keith Borgfeldt
Christopher Breaux
Breah Campbell
Stephen Carter
Jonathan Chapman
Nancy Colmenares
Rick Conley
Aman Dhuka
Michael Dobert
Mike Dotson
Laura Fisher
Trisha Frederick
Matt Froehlich
Lupe Garcia
Andrew Gilmore
Jennifer Goodall
Darrell Groves
Jennifer Henrikson
Melissa Hoffman
Jeff Hogan
Patrick Houck
Rachelle Kanak
Matthew Kelly
Tommy Kuykendall
Ginny Moon
Bonnie Moss
Kevin Murphree
Jay Neal
Joop Oranje
Elexa Orrange-Allen
Mihir Patel
Kevin Patton
Jim Rice
Kevin Riles
Luc Sanderson
Keri Schmidt
Shana Scott
Kalika Sinha
Qiara Suggs
Tommy Thompson
Ted Volf
Carl Willis
Beth Wolf
Tariq Zafar
Following the awards and dinner, the record number of guests continued to celebrate with libations, fun, games AND live music from the Moodafaruka Band!
Platinum Sponsors were: Accredo Packaging, Inc., Consolidated Communications, Fluor Corporation, Pax Equity, PrimeWay Federal Credit Union, and Sterling McCall Automotive Group.
Gold Sponsors were: Amerant Bank, Audi Sugar Land – A Sewell Company, ChampionX, City of Missouri City, City of Sugar Land, CivilCorp, LLC, CMT Technical Services, GFL Environmental, House of Blooms, Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, Kinetic By Windstream, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital, Pamela Printing Company, Safari Texas Ranch, Sugar Lakes Family Practice, TDECU, University of Houston, and Wharton County Junior College.