Name:
Mark Butzberger

Years as Chamber Ambassador:
Three Years

Company:
Henna Chevrolet-Isuzu

Resounding Words:
“We give the purpose to a potential member for joining.”

Why are you an ambassador?
While I was in Little Rock, I was very successful with both the state Chamber and the Little Rock Chamber and understood how the Chamber works. Since I was newly back to Austin—after leaving and graduating from school 30 years ago—I knew that if I really wanted to connect with the business community that I would be most successful by affiliating with the Chamber.

Describe your most memorable experience while serving as an ambassador?
When we had our 50^th year celebration with the Chamber, I asked Mark Rowe our general manager if he wanted to attend. He said, “no you go ahead and represent us.” So I represented Henna for its 50 years with the Chamber. That was pretty impressive. I was very happy.

What’s the best part of being an ambassador?
Everyone talks about all of the partying occasions, but I will tell you this, as an ambassador, I was able to walk into Red Bull to sit and talk with their distributors. At the end of the deal, they basically said no, they do their own thing and work with a leasing company. One week later, I guess they incubated on it, the president and vice president of the company that represents three different distributorships, walked into my branch and said we want to buy trucks from you. It’s impressive when you can dovetail off the experiences you have at the Chamber and foster your business.

I think the ambassadors are a powerhouse and it’s kind of a secret because this is what recruits new members. This is what keeps the Chamber going and expanding. This contact, the circulation of business referrals, and businesses within the Chamber network I think is important for its existence. We give the purpose to a potential member for joining.

How would you convince others to become an ambassador?
Testimonials and one-on-ones with people while learning about their businesses. That’s what I would do. And I am enthusiastic. It’s very hard to hide your enthusiasm; it’s a very human thing. People buy from who they trust.

If you could make one rule that everyone had to follow, what rule would you make?
That’s simple; I live by the golden rule. Not the golden rule of business—he who makes the goals makes the rules. (Chuckles)

What book impacted you the most?
Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea by Gary Kinder, I will give you a quick summary. During the 1849 gold rush in San Francisco, a lot of gold was dug up. But they had to get it back to New York and figure out how to do that. So they floated a boat down to the Isthmus of Panama, transported three tons of gold all very unique ingots to help the United States from going into the depression at the time. But it got hit by a storm in the middle of transportation. 500 people were on board and the gold went down in 4,000 feet of water.

Flash forward to the 1990s, a guy by the name of Tommy Thompson figured out a way to get the gold without hurting it in 4,000 feet of water. He got to share this incredible treasure with the United States but everyone came after him including insurance companies like the Lloyd’s of London even though this happened over 100 years ago. So, it taught me a lot about business ethics. I thought it was a great book and I would highly recommend it.

What is the last adventure you went on?
Xcaret Park, it is on the Yucatan Peninsula. It is accessible by Cancun or Cozumel. It is an eco-archeological park. They have an aquarium, a butterfly sanctuary, a bat cave, an equestrian show, and at the very end they take you to a pyramid where they have these Incan and Aztec looking folks to scare you as you enter the pyramid. They tell you the history of Mexico from the Incan and Aztecs all the way to Mariachis. It is wonderful! If you have the chance to go there, it’s a great adventure.

When do you feel most alive?
There are around 3,000 Chamber members, just getting to know all of them one at a time and learning about their businesses.

Is there anything else you want to share?
My niece, Gina Chavez, will host the Niñas Arriba Benefit Concert on Saturday, August 5 Stateside at the Paramount Theatre (713 Congress Avenue).Gina is a bilingual Latin-Folk singer and songwriter who has won eight Austin Music Awards and Musician of the Year for her album, Up.Rooted. Money donated at the benefit concert will go towards Niñas Arriba, a college fund co-founded by Chavez and her partner Jodi Granado that offers full scholarships to young girls in El Salvador.

The Ambassador Committee meets monthly. If you are interested in joining, contact Melanee Ferrier at 512-322-5684.