The Chamber held its July Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, July 28. Chair of the Board Phil Green, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. and Frost Bank, kicked off the meeting by welcoming members who attended the meeting in person and online. Following the invocation from Chair-elect Katie Harvey, CEO KGBTexas Communications, and approval of the June meeting minutes, Phil introduced the Chamber’s Executive Vice President Dave Petersen to present the proposed slate of members to serve on this year’s Nominating Task Force. Dave reminded the Board members that our current bylaws dictate we will have a Nominating Task Force to select nine-nominees for the Board, confirm our current Chair-elect to be Chair next year, and select a Chair-elect for the following year. This year, the task force will also develop the slate of nominees for the Executive Board. Dave reported that the Chamber staff proposed names of individuals to serve on the task force, and those names were shared with our Immediate Past Chair Hope Andrade, Co-Founder & Partner of GO RIO San Antonio River Cruises. Per the bylaws, the task force must include the Chamber’s tri-chairs, a former Chair who served during the last five years, three representatives who serve on our Board, and two representatives from our general membership. The members presented to the Board to serve on the Nominating Task Force were:
- Hope Andrade – Go Rio San Antonio River Cruises
- Phil Green – Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. and Frost Bank.
- Katie Harvey – KGBTexas Communications
- Rad Weaver – CW Interests
- Jon Allman – Endeavors
- Jamie Kowalski – The RK Group
- Phil Stamm – Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency San Antonio
- Roberto Espinosa – Northwestern Mutual
- Joe Shields – McCombs Enterprises
The Board voted unanimously to approve the members of the Nominating Task Force.
Next, Phil began the discussion around the Chamber’s revised bylaws, calling them a critical piece of the changes we are implementing at the Chamber, and thanked Jackson Walker and Stephanie Chandler from the firm for their hard work and investment in working with the Governance Task Force to develop bylaws that really represent the organization and our changes. He also recognized and thanked Julia Mann, Managing Partner of Jackson Walker’s San Antonio office, who was in attendance. Dave led the Board through the amended and restated bylaws, reviewing each article and section that had been updated, with specific focus on the establishment, make up, and responsibilities of the 15-member Executive Board; the role of the new Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee; and the election process, where Board of Investors members will vote on the slate of Executive Board and Board of Investor members. Following Dave’s presentation, there was healthy dialogue around quorums and staggering of terms for the Executive Board. Phil thanked the Board and the Governance Task Force for their support of and participation in the governance process, and Katie Harvey thanked the Communications Committee who helped develop the plan and messaging around the change in governance. The board voted unanimously to approve the amended and restated bylaws.
During his President’s Report, Richard Perez informed the board about a spike in crime downtown and shared that there is a group of downtown organizations that are meeting with District 1 Councilman Mario Bravo, Police Chief McManus, and City Manager Erik Walsh to discuss what can be done to keep downtown safe for businesses and visitors. He also shared that the Chamber has started to work on the state legislative agenda in preparation for the legislative session that will begin in January. Councils and Committees are currently working on priorities, and we will bring the agenda to the board for approval in October. Richard also mentioned that we are close to announcing dates for SA to DC 2023, and it looks like the trip will take place at the end of March.
Katie Ferrier, VP of Education and Workforce Development, provided an update on the Chamber’s Stay in SA Intern Mixer, an annual event designed to provide employers with a chance to engage high-achieving young people and help them understand all the professional opportunities available to them right here in San Antonio and to help provide our local young people with practice in networking. About 250 people attended the mixer on July 14, and we’ve heard nothing but positive feedback. Several companies have already contacted Katie about future sponsorship opportunities, and the Chamber is being asked to consider hosting an additional event in the winter to help connect companies with interns.
Lori Stinson, VP of Military Affairs and Leadership Development, reported on the Chamber’s recent Military Affairs work, sharing that the Chamber hosted Brigadier General Driggers, the new Commander of the 502d Air Base Wing and JBSA, a few weeks ago for lunch and discussed his priorities, reassuring him of our support for JBSA and its mission partners. She also informed the Board that she, along with Richard, Dave Petersen and Jeff Fair attended the Change of Command for the 16th Air Force, the first Information Warfare Numbered Air Force. Lt. Gen. Kevin Kennedy assumed command from Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh. General Haugh’s next assignment is to serve as the Deputy for US Cyber Command. The Chamber enjoyed a great relationship with General Haugh during his tenure here, and we are excited to continue our support of our NSA-Texas partners here in San Antonio and to see General Haugh during next year’s trip to visit NSA and Cyber Command.
Lori also discussed the exciting news that the T-7A, the Air Force's all-new advanced trainer aircraft, is coming to JBSA-Randolph. The new T-7A will replace the aging T-38Cs to meet advanced pilot training requirements for continued national security. Finally, Lori mentioned that she, Richard, and Dave attended a special Boeing celebration at their hanger at Port San Antonio kicking off the integration of a new electronic warfare (EW) system onto the Air Force’s F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft. The new system is being upgraded as part of the F-15 fighter aircraft modernization program, where a total of 43 F-15E fighter aircraft will be equipped with the Eagle passive active warning and survivability system (EPAWSS), which is designed to give the F-15 pilot a means to detect, locate, and jam enemy radar, while also deceiving the adversary about the F-15’s exact position and heading.
Following Lori’s presentation, Cacie Madrid, Vice President of Public Policy, provided an update on several issues in the public policy arena. First, she shared that Mark Carmona, Chief Housing Officer for the City of San Antonio, has updated the Chamber on two proposed Unified Development Code amendments. The two proposed UDC amendments are related to affordable housing efforts, specifically Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Unified Development Codes are updated every five years.
The proposed UDC amendments regarding ADUs:
- State that ADUs must be in the rear of the lot
- Removes the current 1-bedroom per ADU restriction
- Issues a 2-story height limitation
Additionally, the amendments address parking and maximum square footage. The anticipated timeline for City Council to vote on the UDC amendments includes a council briefing in August or September and a Council vote/action in September or October. If the amendments are approved, they will take effect beginning January 1, 2023.
Cacie also informed the Board that the City has drafted the Energy Benchmarking Ordinance that would require a large building owner to report their building’s Energy Star Score annually. The ordinance calls for the first two years of the program to be voluntary. Phase 2 includes year three of the program and is for buildings under 100,000 square feet. Phase 3 includes year four of the program and is for buildings under 50,000 square feet. Phase 4 is full implementation. There were discussion and concerns among board members about information and data being subject to Freedom of Information Act requests and about shaming businesses based on data and energy use.
Finally, Cacie provided information about the city’s Moderate EPA Ozone Classification. On April 13, 2022 the EPA proposed to reclassify Bexar County to Moderate Attainment, setting the deadline for submittal of Moderate State Implementation Plan (SIP) requirements as January 1, 2023. Bexar County’s moderate attainment deadline would be September 24, 2024, with a 2023 attainment year. The Chamber is planning to coordinate a meeting with business community leaders to learn more about the ozone classification change and the strategy forward.