365 days can pass quickly. A great deal can happen in a year and such is the story of Austin, a global city experiencing rapid growth on a nationwide scale that saw the creation of thousands of new local jobs, passage of a new and sweeping transportation bond package to help us spend less time in traffic and more time with our families, alongside the inauguration of the first new medical school in about 50 years to be built from the group up at a tier one research university. Without question, 2016 was productive and eventful.

To mark the occasion, over 900 businesses and community leaders attended the 139th Annual Meeting of the Austin Chamber. The meeting provided the Chamber with the opportunity to recognize our 2016 Volunteers of the Year, show gratitude to businesses who passed the 25-year and 50-year membership mark, and honor two Austinites of the Year, Drs. Ken Shine and Clay Johnston, for their instrumental work in helping to found and lead the Dell Medical School.

Priorities in 2017

With proper recognition towards previous accomplishments but keeping focus on the future, 2017 Chair Ellen Wood, observed:

"2017 will be the Year of Business Engagement, Collaborative Business Engagement. My ask of you is to please engage with us this year to work collaboratively with all of our partners for the betterment of Austin for all constituent groups.”

“Secondly, the first area of focus for 2017 is affordability. In a recent poll, 82 percent of Austin voters agreed Austin has an affordability problem. The good news is there are things we can do to improve this. Austin needs to commit to concrete actions that will improve affordability. Over the last 12 months, the Chamber Board, the business community and an unprecedented coalition of groups that represent over 100 social service organizations have adopted an Affordability Action Plan. You can view the plan from the Chamber's website."

In addition, Austin's own Mayor Steve Adler addressed the crowd. He extolled the benefits of implementing affordability-related policies to protect our heard-earned achievements and ensure we stay on the right track for future growth and job creation. He talked about the uniqueness of Austin and referenced U.S. News and World Report’s latest ranking of Austin as the best place to live in America.

When the Chamber leads, big things happen

A key highlight was the induction of Drs. Ken Shine and Clay Johnston as the latest Austinites of the Year, the Chamber's highest honor. Both men played a pivotal role in bringing about the formation of the Dell Medical School, Dr. Shine in its founding and Dr. Johnston serving as first Dean. A complete list of past Austinites of the Year can be found here.

Through Opportunity Austin, the Chamber was actually the first to call for a new medical school in the 2002-2003 timeframe. Leaders throughout the community, including taxpayers in Travis County, have played a key role in making this happen.

New Chamber video promotes Austin Region

During the meeting, the Chamber launched a new video designed to help show prospective companies and employees across the country what it’s like to live, work and play in the Austin region. The video highlights our unique way of life and the benefits of calling our city home.

See more photos of the event on our Flickr page.