Legacy in Motion Future in focus: Fort Bend Chamber Gala makes history

The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce (FBCC) held their annual Chairman’s Gala on Friday, January 31, 2025, Sponsored by TDECU at Safari Texas Ranch. The annual event paid tribute to the leaders and volunteers of FBCC who served the Chamber in 2024 and welcomed the new leadership for 2025. As the largest business organization in Fort Bend County, the FBCC celebrated a remarkable 53^rd year and welcomed in the new slate of dynamic leaders to advocate, elevate and lead. Jim Rice is the 2025 Chairman of the Board and is the President of Rice & Gardner Consultants, Inc. The Fort Bend Economic Development Council was honored for its contributions, which have had a significant impact on our region. This organization has been the driving force behind the prosperity and growth of our thriving community, shaping Fort Bend into one of the most dynamic and thriving regions in Texas. Qiara Suggs, with TDECU, served as Chair of the Board in 2024. Key accomplishments include finalizing an agreement with the Fort Bend Economic Development Council to advance its mission of promoting economic vitality, earning a third consecutive 5-star accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and forming a consortium with higher education partners that secured a $600,000 TRUE Grant. Suggs presented the Community Spirit Award to Rhonda Kuykendall and Representative Jacey Jetton. This award is presented to an individual who has given their time for the betterment of the community. Kuykendall’s journey has illuminated a path for others to find safety, hope, and healing. Through her advocacy in human trafficking, she has influenced policies and built networks that empower survivors. She has raised awareness for the cause, pushing for innovative approaches to advocacy, survivor support and community education. Representative Jetton’s leadership reflects his deep commitment to Fort Bend County’s vibrant and diverse community. He served in the Texas House of Representatives with distinction where he was appointed chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee and the Committees for redistricting public health, and local and consent calendars. He advocated for policies that ensured Texas remains the land of opportunity and the best place to pursue the American Dream. The Chairman’s Award was presented to King Banerjee, with Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More of Sugar Land. Banerjee has shown extraordinary service, with his passion and dedication playing a pivotal role in shaping the strong community here at the Fort Bend Chamber. He embodies what it means to build community and connections, doing it all for the benefit of others. As past Chairman of the Board, Past Chair of the Business & Professional Division and current Co-Chair of the CommUNITY initiative his leadership has been a guiding light to all. The awards continued with Suggs acknowledging the leadership and service of 2024 Immediate Past-Chair, King Banerjee. Additionally, retiring Education Division Co-Chair, Jim Rice with Rice & Gardner Consultants, Inc., and retiring Board Members, Angelique Bartholomew with Intuitive Global Consulting, Matthew Froehlich with BGE Inc., Jennifer Henrikson with Stantec, Bonnie Moss with MBCO Engineering, LLC, Kevin Patton with Kevin Patron State farm, and Tommy Thompson with Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital were honored for their service. The new Fort Bend Chamber 2025 Executive Team is comprised of Jim Rice, Chairman; Qiara Suggs, Immediate Past-Chair; Tariq Zafar, Chair-Elect; Keith Borgfeldt, Treasurer; David Oliver, Legal Counsel; Jared Jameson, Fort Bend Business Partnership Chair, and Keri Schmidt, President & CEO. Below is a complete list of 2025 Directors and Division Chairs. 2025 Board Members and Division Chairs: Allison Bond, Johnson Development Corp. Keith Borgfeldt, Spartan Wealth Management Star Boxie, PCCA Breah Campbell, Si Environmental, LLC Rob Cardenas, Inframark Stephen Carter, Cartera Health Rick Conley, Fluor Corporation Ashley Cornner-Patel, WJ Interests, LLC Raj Desai, Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital Aman Dhuka, US Global Fuels Sidney Evans, Reliant, an NRG Company Laura Fisher, Imperial Business Park Lupe Garcia, Whitley Penn, LLP Andrew Gilmore, Audi of Sugar Land- A Sewell Company Jennifer Goodall, PrimeWay Federal Credit Union James Greene, Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital Rachel Greene, Greene IP, PLLC Jeff Haley, Si Environmental Melissa Hoffman, CFP, AIF, Dearborn & Creggs Patrick Houck, House of Blooms George Jabbour, Fort Bend Dental Associates Jared Jameson, WJ Interest, LLC Don Janssen, Planned Community Developers, LTD Tommy Kuykendall, CivilCorp, LLC Ginny Moon, Thermo Fisher Scientific Irfan Motiwala, Aling’s Chinese Bistro Patricia Nagle, The First State Bank - Sugar Land David Oliver, Allen Boone Humphries Robinson, LLP Elexa Orrange-Allen, LEAP Coaching and Speaking Consultants, LLC Mukhtar Owais, Owais Developments, LLC Mihir Patel, Stellar Bank Jim Rice, Rice & Gardner Consultants, Inc. Guillermo Salcedo, Huitt-Zollars, Inc. Keri Schmidt, Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Keli Schroeder, BGE, Inc. Shana Scott, Smart Financial Credit Union Qiara Suggs, TDECU Rodney Washington, United Water Restoration Group of Missouri City Meredith Watassek, Stantec Carl Willis, Frost Bank Tariq Zafar, Wong Fleming [gallery link="file" columns="5" size="medium" ids="397686,397687,397688,397689,397690"] Following the awards and dinner, a record number of guests continued to celebrate with libations, fun, games and live music from the band Password! The Fort Bend Chamber Chairman’s Gala Title Sponsor was TDECU. Presenting Sponsors were: Accredo Packaging, Inc., Audi Sugar Land - A Sewell Company, Consolidated Communications, PrimeWay Federal Credit Union, and Sterling McCall Automotive Group. Underwriting Sponsors were: ChampionX, City of Missouri City, City of Sugar Land, CivilCorp, LLC, GFL Environmental, Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, IndiGO Auto Group (Porsche of Sugar Land), Kinetic Business, MBCO Engineering + Surveying, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital, Pamela Printing Company, Planned Community Developers, Ltd., Rice & Gardner Consultants Inc., Safari Texas Ranch, St. Luke’s Health - Sugar Land Hospital,Texas State Technical College, The First State Bank - Sugar Land, University of Houston, Wharton County Junior College, and WJ Interests, LLC