The Woodlands Edition | October 2024

Business

BY VANESSA HOLT

Previous roles Aaron Cox has served in leadership roles in numerous organizations. Texas Chapter of the Brain Injury Association of America American Cancer Society Texas Association of Business Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Chamber milestones 1978: South Montgomery County Woodlands Chamber of Commerce forms 1985: Kevin Brady is named president of chamber 2012: Name changes to The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce 2014: Chamber moves to Lakeside Boulevard location

On Sept. 9, The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce announced Aaron Cox as its new CEO, e
ective Sept. 16.

VANESSA HOLTCOMMUNITY IMPACT

SOURCE: THE WOODLANDS AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCECOMMUNITY IMPACT

Aaron Cox takes chamber leadership role On Aug. 28, The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce announced Aaron Cox as its new CEO, e
ective Sept. 16. Cox’s previous experience includes more than 15 years with state chambers in Texas and Kentucky, and he has worked in areas such as business advocacy and public policy at the state and federal levels. His experience also bridges the sectors of workforce and economic development, transportation and other human services. Community Impact sat down with Cox on Sept. 19 to discuss his experiences and expectations for his new role with The Woodlands area chamber. Can you describe your background and how you became interested in working with chambers of commerce? I grew up in southern California ... I went to Kentucky, †nished school and for a number of reasons stayed in the state. ... My interest in chambers of commerce [and] the business com- munity really stemmed from my work prior ... I worked for organizations where I was in charge of occupational skills training, workforce develop- ment ... transportation as well as childcare. I did a lot of work in Washington, D.C., working with legislators on funding and projects for our local region. In that time, there was one key to

our success—business. We were training people to get jobs. What did we need? Business partners to hire them. What are your goals for the chamber in your rst year? In the short term, i think these †rst few months are about three key things. The †rst is what I call orientation and relationship building. It’s understanding who we are as an organization, a business community [and] understanding our membership. The second one then becomes the planning and the beginning of implementation. ... The third part of that is ... implementation and optimization as we go out over the next year and begin to implement strategies. One of those areas that we will have to address ... is amidst all of these wonderful things ... how do we maintain the identity that is The Woodlands? How about long-term goals? I think our long-term goal is to have an organization that leaves a legacy of care for the community, leadership, greatness and excellence in service to the business community. But I think an even maybe more grand kind of statement, we want to help create the place that every kid who’s growing up in The Woodlands today, says, ‘I never want to leave this place.’ What role do you think a chamber of commerce plays among local businesses in a community? The chamber is one place, it is the cornerstone of the community, it is the one place we can come

together and convene people from di
erent back- grounds and di
erent ideas, often with di
erent agendas, and we can sit around the table, and a really unbiased, nonpartisan, straight-across-the- table discussion and come out with solutions that are going to be best for our community. What is your familiarity with The Woodlands area? One of the reasons I was so excited about the opportunity to even be considered [for the job] is, I’ve been in Texas since 2011, and ... The Wood- lands always sticks out. It sticks out because of the aesthetic—it’s a beautiful place; it’s well thought out, well designed, it works together, it’s a wonderful mix of business [and] great schools. There’s the culture, arts ... it’s a wonderful place. Now being here, digging into the history, understanding where we came from ... we are at a place to truly be a part of the legacy that is spoken of, when you talk about the fabric of the United States of America, it’s today. We’re still building, the great foundation is laid and we get to build on that 50 years later. Who gets to live in a community that is 50 years old, in the context of history?

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For a longer version, visit communityimpact.com.

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