PHOTO GALLERY — Community gathers for Coffee with the Chamber president
Published 12:48 am Saturday, December 4, 2021
From left: Shelly Vitanza with BASF, Randy Sonnier with Total Energies, Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce President Pat Avery, Dr. Betty Reynard with Lamar State College Port Arthur, 2022 Chamber Board Chairman Stuart Salter, and Claire Jackson with Motiva. (Monique Batson/The News)
Chamber Ambassador Dale Champagne stands with a bench bought and dedicated to longtime Chamber leader Paige Snyder, who died in September. (Monique Batson/The News)
Natalie Picazo, left, with Port Arthur Newsmedia and Kelsey Borza with Bob Hope School attend Coffee with the President. (Monique Batson/The News)
Roxanne Hellberg, left, with Get Recovery talks with Chamber Ambassador Dale Champagne. (Monique Batson/The News)
Dana Espinal with the LSCPA Small Business Development Center talks with Art Thomas with Texas Gas Service. (Monique Batson/The News)
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Friday morning was all about mixing business with pleasure — and a little caffeine — as local business and community members joined at the Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce for Coffee with the President.
“I give an overview of the year, and get ideas from people — what they’d like to see for 2022,” said Chamber President Pat Avery. “And, also, (it is) just to interact. A lot of new members come to this.”
The annual December event started in 2019, Avery said. And on Friday morning the third floor of the Chamber building was filled with people from all different industries, making introductions or reconnecting. Coffee, of course, as readily available, as was breakfast.
One highlight was seeing the bench dedicated to longtime Chamber leader Paige Snyder, who died in September.
It was purchased by the Ambassador Committee.
“Paige was someone that everyone could look up to,” said Chamber Ambassador Dale Champagne. “When she passed, it hurt a lot of us. There was a void a lot of us had.”
Champagne said the committee decided on a memorial bench so it could be used by everyone to sit, chat and remember her.
