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In 1965, seventy-five members of the Burleson Lions Club established the Burleson Area Chamber of Commerce to support the development of their rapidly growing community. The group felt a permanent Chamber was needed to lead the business community into the next century. On April 18, 1966, the Burleson Area Chamber of Commerce was officially founded, with Judge Herschel C. Winn serving as the organization’s first Chairman of the Board.
In 1980, a growing membership of 320 local businesses determined the Chamber’s next step was to procure their own building. A building drive raised $20,000, and Board Chairman Les Sells presided at the opening dedication ceremonies for the Chamber’s new building in 1983.
That building, located at 1044 SW Wilshire Boulevard, is still home to the Burleson Area Chamber of Commerce today, but with a few changes. Today, the building sits at the intersection of Wilshire and Chamber Drive, where more than 40,000 cars drive by each day. The Chamber’s digital sign, added in 2015, announces events and welcomes visitors and new chamber members; the building lobby serves as a 24/7 visitor center; and a robust, fully mobile website serves visitors and members on the go. With more than 500 members, the Burleson Area Chamber of Commerce is one of the largest and most active chambers in North Texas.
Over the years, many individuals have served as the Chamber’s Chairman of the Board, dedicating countless hours and exerting a tremendous influence on the Burleson Chamber and our growing, thriving city. The list of Past Chairs is truly a “Who’s Who” in the City of Burleson today and in years past. We look forward to the next fifty years of leadership and business advocacy from the leaders of the Burleson Area Chamber of Commerce.
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, 2001)
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)
Karan Wethington (2002)
Doug Drake (2003)
Bart Stevens (2004)
George Peevey (2005)
Paul Wethington (2006)
Art Brucks (2007)
Guy James (2008)
Sue Sistrunk (2009)
Larry Pool (2010)
Kurt Logan (2011)
Kim Malone (2012)
Alison Bradham (2012, 2013)
Lisa Keese (2014)
Adam Russell (2015)
Russ Richardson (2016)
Craig Couch (2017)