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History of the Burleson
Chamber of Commerce

Seventy-five members of the Burleson Lions Club established the Burleson Area Chamber of Commerce in 1965 as they were gathered to discuss the industrial and economic development of their rapidly growing community. The club felt a permanent Chamber of Commerce was needed to lead them into the next century. Jack Taylor, area businessman, and County Judge Herschel C. Winn created the charter and bylaws of the proposed Chamber. The Burleson Area Chamber of Commerce was officially founded on April 18, 1966.

The Chamber’s first board consisted of Judge Herschel C. Winn, president; George E. Bransom Jr., vice president; Jack Harr; J.A. Schumacher; W.L.W. Scott; Les Todd; Ray Don Williams and W.N. Wood. The board was to be responsible for making organizational decisions.

From 1966-1980, the Chamber was able to build a membership of 320. The operating budget had increased from $2,000 to more than $41,000 in 1980. The Chamber had grown so much that it was in desperate need of a building. A fundraiser took place and $20,000 was raised for the building. Board chair, Les Sells, presided at the opening dedication ceremonies in 1983.

In 1998 and 2002, the BACC was recognized as the top chamber in the nation by a division of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because of its membership development and programs. That same year, the Chamber roster included more than 600 members, the highest number of members in the Chamber’s 32-year history. The membership, as of 2004, is at a remarkable 1,000. The Chamber is always looking to increase its membership; we are committed to the recruitment of even more businesses to the Burleson area.

Burleson is one of the fastest growing cities in Tarrant County, which means the challenge to keep up is ongoing. The fastest way for the Chamber to get information to individuals and citizens regarding Burleson is to visit the website (www.burleson.org).

Over the years, the following men and women have served on the board of directors as chair, playing a formidable role in shaping Burleson into the growing and thriving community it is today:

Herschel C. Winn (1966)
George Bransom (1967)
Richard Jones (1968)
Wayne Hudson (1969, 1979)
Les Todd (1970, 1976)
Ron Gieser (1971)
Billy Bob Grisso (1972)
John Latham (1973, 1974)
Jimmy Smith (1975)
James Jenkins (1977)
Jay Darnell (1978)
Sue Miller (1980)
Loy Norris (1981)
Gordon Cockerham (1982)
Les Sells (1983)
Bill Stribling (1984)
Patsy Dumas (1985)
Harold Putnam (1986, 1987)		 Todd Pearson (1988)
Cherry Richardson (1989)
J.L. Phinney (1990, 1991)
Fred Rauschuber (1992)
Judy Hajek (1993)
James Moody (1994)
Brent Northcutt (1995)
Kent Tucker (1996)
Sharon Wright (1997)
Rob Orr (1998)
Don Ellis (1999)
Rosie Perez (2000)
Patsy Dumas (2001)
Karan Wethington (2002)
Doug Drake (2003)
Bart Stevens (2004)
George Peevey (2005)
Paul Wethington (2006)
Art Brucks (2007)

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