Companies get their 2023 game on for local business showcase
The San Marcos Chamber of Commerce Business Showcase: Tailgate Edition was buzzing with local business owners and philanthropist groups representing a large swath of members. In line with the tailgate theme, many of those attending Thursday were clad in Texas State University and San Marcos Rattler gear. Texas State athletics officials spoke just ahead of the Bobcats game against Baylor on Saturday.
In true tailgate form, the smell of food from local barbecue and chicken restaurants was abundant. There was also a raffle with prizes given out every half hour. But the most important aspect of the morning and afternoon event was the opportunity to get to know how business and industry are changing here in San Marcos.
In attendance was Jose Lozano with the San Marcos Young Professionals, a group that facilitates networking among skilled community members under 45 years of age. Lozano said the group will be recognizing five outstanding young professionals under 40 years of age that are making significant contributions in the community and in their fields. The nomination deadline is Sept. 15 at 5 pm.
He said for more information on the group's upcoming events and the nomination process for San Marcos Shining Stars, go to business.sanmarcostexas. com/events/ details/nominations-deadline- shining-stars-under- 40-5158885.
Lozano said his particular professional field is engineering, and he is a Senior Project Manager in Cude Engineering with over a decade of experience in his respective field. With the exponential population growth in this area and the abundance of new developments, Lozano said business is booming.
“We do land development,” Lozano said. “We have surveying services, GIS [Geographic Information System] services and civil services.”
Another group with a booth was What Goes Here Flows Here. Alex O’Connor said the group is a collaboration between Texas State University and the City of San Marcos Stormwater Department that acts as a local enforcer of Texas Commission on Environmental Quality standards.
“What we do is work together to make sure the university and the city stay in compliance with environmental permits,” O’Connor said. “We also do public education and outreach.”
Rachel Henderson was also with the group and said there is an upcoming river trash clean-up on the 1st Saturday of October. Find more information at this link sanmarcostx. gov/3308/River-Clean-Ups.
Heidi Mireles was running the Green Guy Recycling booth and said the company has been in San Marcos since 1995. She said there is a 24 hour drop off facility, located at 937 Hwy 80, available to everyone—no need to be a San Marcos resident. She said the service is free, and they take any type of plastic bottles, cardboard, paper and aluminum cans. She added that they accept and pay for a minimum of 150 pounds of recyclable metals in the form of metal debris, washers, dryers, water heaters, BBQ pits, refrigerators and freezers. She said they accept bulky items for a fee including: residential construction material, office chairs, armchair sofa, loveseat, end tables, coffee tables, kitchen tables, mirrors, glass, televisions, mattresses, box springs, auto tires and large off the road tires.
“When we can’t take something, we always try to provide an alternative,” Mireles said.
The Central Texas franchise for Pella Windows and Doors was also in attendance, and the booth was manned by John Harris. Harris said the company does full service window repair, which includes design, manufacturing and maintenance. He said the company can also restore older window styles, which can be of particular interest to those in town with historical homes.
“It will give you the same look, but it’s going to be modern materials,” Harris said.
San Marcos Community Vitality Coordinator Tiffany Harris was in attendance to inform the community about the Block Party Trailer which can be rented through the city for free. The trailer includes six folding tables, four folding picnic tables, 32 folding chairs, four ice chests, three water coolers, games and a sound system.
She said there is also a free home equipment lending program through the city that can help with home maintenance, which includes a fence staining kit, a tree trimming kit, a power washing kit and a curb addressing kit.
“They can just borrow it for a week. Get all the work done that they need and bring it back,” Harris said.
To rent the block party trailer go to sanmarcostx. gov/blockparty, and to find out more about the home equipment lending program go to sanmarcostx. gov/HELP.
The local beloved philanthropist group the Lions Club was also present, and they are recruiting new members. Lions Club Director Stephen Traeger said they are asking that volunteers choose one or more committees to join, which include Christmas baskets, constitution and by-laws, education, finance and budget, kid’s sight, Texas Lions Camp, Marketing, Membership, Programs, Projects, River Clean up, Scholarship, Tube Rental– to greet customers and respond to questions– and Leo Clubs. The club meets the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Friday of each month at noon, and the annual dues are $150. To learn more and to join go here sanmarcoslionsclub.org/ be-a-lion/.
Overall, more than 75 businesses and organizations were represented at the event.
