RESIDENT’S REPORT
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
VOTER INFORMATION
AWARD WINNERS
THANK YOU SPONSORS
BANQUET MEMORIES
BANQUET MEMORIES
RIBBON CUTTING | BEST PLACE FOR WORKING PARENTS
WE BELIEVE IN BISD
NEW AND RENEWING MEMBERS
CHAMBER SCHEDULE
KRAGH’S JEWELRY RETAIL AND REPAIR
There is something special about the Bastrop Region, something you feel the moment you drive past the pines, cross the river, walk into a locally owned business, or shake hands with someone who genuinely wants to know how you’re doing. It’s not just a place to do business. It’s a place where people show up for one another.
As we begin a new year, optimism feels less like a buzzword and more like a shared value. The past few years have tested our businesses, our families, and our resolve. Yet time and again, the Bastrop Region has responded the same way, with grit, creativity, generosity, and hope. Optimism here is not blind or naive. It’s earned. It’s the kind that comes from rebuilding after fires, floods, economic downturns, and uncertainty and choosing to move forward anyway. It’s the belief that even when the road gets tough, this community knows how to pull together.
Throughout 2025, Chamber leadership had countless conversations with business owners who were navigating change, rising costs, workforce challenges, and shifting consumer behavior. Many were making difficult decisions behind closed doors. Yet what stood out wasn’t fear, it was resolve.
We saw businesses adapt hours, rethink offerings, invest in employees, and collaborate in ways that hadn’t been necessary before. We watched long-standing businesses mentor newer ones, sharing lessons learned not from textbooks, but from lived experience.
One business owner put it best:
“We’ve weathered storms before. We know how to do hard things, - together.”
That mindset defines Bastrop County.
In Bastrop County, innovation doesn’t replace tradition, it complements it. We saw this play out across industries in 2025.
From retailers expanding online sales while keeping storefronts personal, to manufacturers investing in technology while deepening local workforce partnerships, businesses here found ways to grow without losing their soul. New entrepreneurs brought fresh ideas, while legacy businesses continued to anchor our economy with consistency and trust.
This balance, progress without losing identity, is part of what makes our region a BIG Deal (more to come on this front).
If there’s one thing that consistently sets the Bastrop County apart, it’s community. We saw businesses sponsor school programs, host fundraisers, volunteer time, and support neighbors, even when margins were tight. Restaurants fed first responders and the needy. Offices opened doors for nonprofit meetings. Employers gave grace during difficult seasons.
In a world that often feels disconnected, Bastrop remains deeply relational. Business here is still built on handshakes, trust, and showing up - whether that’s at a ribbon cutting, a high school football game, or a community event downtown. That sense of connection isn’t accidental. It’s intentional and it’s powerful.
Optimism doesn’t ignore reality; it responds to it.
As we look ahead to 2026, the Bastrop Region stands at an important moment. Growth continues, conversations around infrastructure and education are gaining momentum, and new opportunities are emerging alongside familiar challenges. The decisions made today will shape our region for generations to come.
This is where optimism becomes leadership.
• It’s choosing to invest when it is easier to wait.
• It’s mentoring the next generation.
• It’s advocating for what’s right, even when it’s hard.
And it’s believing that Bastrop County’s best days are not behind us, they’re yet to come.
Pistols & Pearls: Bold Leadership | Timeless Style
Our Chamber’s banquet theme for the year: “Pistols & Pearls: Bold Leadership | Timeless Style”, reflects exactly who we are as a region.
• We lead boldly when our businesses need a voice.
• We honor tradition while embracing change.
• We value strength and grace, grit and refinement.
That combination defines Bastrop leadership, leaders who aren’t afraid to make tough calls, but who do so with integrity, respect, and heart.
Every success story in the Bastrop Region - big or small - adds another chapter to our shared narrative. Some stories are loud and celebratory. Others are quiet victories known only to the business owner who made payroll one more month, hired one more employee, or finally took a deep breath and saw progress.
All of them matter.
As we step into this new year, the Bastrop Regional Chamber of Commerce remains committed to telling those stories, advocating for your success, and fostering the connections that make this region thrive. Optimism isn’t something we wait for here. It’s something we choose, TOGETHER! And in the Bastrop Region, that choice has always made all the difference.
In anticipation of what is yet to come, Becki Womble, CCE, IOM President and CEO Bastrop Regional Chamber of Commerce
Scan the QR code to register for the Portugal Information Party
Register Here to Attend
Audience: Executive Directors & Senior Nonprofit Leaders Purpose: Connect • Collaborate • Strengthen Community Impact
Thanks to the following renewing members for continuing your investment in the Chamber. We appreciate your confidence in our ability to promote Bastrop and your business.
A Place to Call Home RV Park
Ally Medical Emergency Room
Bailey Team - Classic Realty
Bar V Ranch, LLC
Bastrop County
Bastrop Title Company
Becky Sandifer Leadership Coaching
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bastrop
Kragh’s Jewelry Retail and Repair
LegalShield- George Ellison, Independent Associate
Lone Star Circle of Care
PHI Air Medical
RE/MAX
Bastrop Area - Dawn Arnew, REALTOR
Strive Strength and Conditioning
Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area
Excellent Escapes Travel
HEAL Alliance
Hive Roofing and Solar
Lone Star Cowboy Poetry Gathering
Lost Pines Counseling and Wellness Center
Lost Pines Local
Plutos Wine Bar
Price 4 Limo Austin
St. David’s Foundation
Zedcor Security Solutions
Dairy Queen Hotworx
Red Rock Steak House & Bar
Southwest Engineers Inc
Bastrop Chiropractic
4-D Construction, Inc.
ABC Home & Commercial Services
ADP
American Legion Post 533
Ascend Property Group
Austin Regional Clinic
Barbara Allbright, REALTOR - All City Real Estate
Bastrop Farm and Home
Bastrop Independent School District
Best Friends Boarding Too
Best Western Bastrop Pines Inn
Bill Atwood, CPA, LLC
Brenda Abbott Floral Design
Coldwell Banker Green - Mills & Assoc.
CS Family Dentistry
Highway 71 RV Park & Self Storage
Law Office of Derek Van Gilder
New Covenant Church
Off Road Segway Adventures
Scott Felder Homes
Texas Tractor Country
Feb. 12: Alive After 5ive: Vera Bank
Feb. 24: Chamber U (formerly Membership 101)
Apr. 22: Bastrop Regional Business Summit & Expo
Feb. 4: Bastrop Chamber Monthly Luncheon: Economic Outlook
Feb. 10: Chamber Travel: Discover Portugal Information Party
Feb. 13: Premium Ribbon Cutting: Longhorn Steakhouse
Feb. 16: Chamber office will be closed for President’s Day
Feb. 17: Early Voting Starts
Feb. 17: Bastrop Chamber of Commerce Monthly Board Meeting
Feb. 17: Brew with Becki
Feb. 23: Ribbon Cutting: Pluto’s Wine Bar and Restaurant
