Chamber welcomes new president

The Lockhart Chamber of Commerce is welcoming Kaley Frye as the new president and CEO of the chamber.
Frye, a seven-year veteran in the industry, is coming to Lockhart after serving as the vice president of operations for the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce in unincorporated Harris County.
While working in Houston, Frye, among other things, established business recovery grants for businesses affected by Hurricane Harvey, ensuring some of the smaller businesses in the area were able to get up and running again more quickly.
Frye was also able to creative new and innovative ways of making chamber meetings and events more diverse and inclusive for everyone involved.
While at the Houston chamber, she introduced “Bogies & Brushes,” a unique spin on what was then the chamber’s floundering golf tournament. At the event, non-golfers were able participate and get out of the office to make strategic connections at a craft and cocktails event that was held at the country club at the same time as the tournament.
According to Frye, she’d been seeking the next step in her career but was waiting until she found the right opportunity.
“It had to be the perfect fit,” said Frye. “I love that Lockhart is a smaller town that has a lot of possibilities.
“It was kind of almost like love at first sight when I started talking to the board of directors. We all just meshed so well.”
Frye grew up in Tomball, a once small town outside of Houston that experienced the fast growth now seen throughout much of Caldwell County.
“I think a lot of what I love about Lockhart is that it did remind me of how Tomball was, and I think they’re going in similar directions,” said Frye. “[Lockhart is] really on the cusp of booming.
“It has a lot of smart growth. It has a lot of great community leaders who understand what’s best for the city. The citizens are the same. I have not met a warmer and more welcoming group of people. Everybody I’ve come into contact with here has been over-the-top welcoming and so gracious.”
Concerning growth in Lockhart, Frye said she believes community leaders have taken the right steps to make sure the city is prepared for the influx of people and businesses coming its way.
“Lots of parts of Houston are guilty of booming so fast without having the infrastructure and everything in place to support the growth,” said Frye. “I think the city and county and everybody around here have been anticipating it, making sure everybody is on the same page and want the same thing for the city.”
Frye said her experience dealing with small to mid-sized businesses in Houston will help her team assist growing businesses in community.
“One thing I really like to do is kind of dive into how they’re running their business and their operations and what I can do to help them, if anything,” said Frye. “Can I connect with them the right people at an affordable cost?
“Can I give them expertise for free? That’s my goal going forward.”
According to Frye, being able to help those businesses succeed is what brings her the most joy working in this industry.
“I love the sense of making a difference – truly making a difference – in a community or somebody’s life and getting exposed to so many cool success stories, the American dreams,” said Frye. “I don’t know what other position I could be in in life that could be more gratifying than being able to roll up your sleeves and make a difference in your community or somebody’s lives.”