New Woodlands Chamber President/CEO makes first official appearance

CONROE, Texas - In the first, of what they promise will be many meetings of the minds, occurred last night at the Conroe Chamber Accreditation Party, when Conroe Chamber President and CEO, Scott Harper, introduced J.J. Hollie, the new Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, to the crowd.

No stranger to the Conroe Chamber members, J.J. has been active in the Conroe Chamber, where Consolidated Communications holds an Emerald status membership. It was announced Wednesday, that John (J.J.) Hollie II, would be exiting his position as the National Consumer Data Manager at Consolidated, to take over The Woodlands Chamber CEO/presidential position, effective September 1.

Hollie will also have to resign the position of The Woodlands Chamber Chairman which he was just appointed to. His successor has yet to be named.

“My wife’s upset that I won’t have a Chairman’s Ball. Oh well. I told her she’ll just have to get over it,” joked Hollie.

Then Hollie and Scott Harper jokingly took verbal jabs at each other, which made it obvious that the two have history...all good.

“Scott’s been my mentor. He was the first one I called, after I applied for the position,” said Hollie. “He was a great example of how to run a good chamber. He provided good advice. We became good friends. We’re ready to work together.”

It’s this rapport that will serve Montgomery County well in the years to come, as the two will be currently representing communities of 120,000 from The Woodlands, and 70,000 from Conroe. Montgomery County is ranked as the 6th fastest growing county in Texas with its population more than doubling in the last twenty years. With a growth rate of between five and six percent annually, it’s projected to top one million in the next twenty-five years.

The two both stated that they looked forward to working together on joint initiatives, and ‘locking arms’ when representing Montgomery County in Austin.

“J.J. and I come from different perspectives. He comes from the business community and I came from a non-profit organization. We’re coming from a different filtering system of information,” said Harper. “Sometimes you just need a different and fresher set of eyes, a new perspective; not...this is the way it’s always been done.”

“I knew I would be up against steep competition. The board spent a quarter of the year interviewing candidates, not only locally, but from all over the country,” said Hollie.

Just as all great mentors do, Harper offered whatever resources necessary to ensure Hollie’s success.

“One of the best resources I have is a great staff. That had a direct bearing on my applying for the position,” said Hollie.

One of the other resources is his credentials. Hollie earned a Political Science degree and served an internship in Washington D.C., then was staff assistant to Congressman Charlie Wilson working on issues involving the Department of Education, Forest Service, Social Security, and Immigration.

Hollie succeeds Karen Hoylman who is retiring after 21 years, having served as President and CEO since 1996. The Chamber has grown to over 2,000 member companies during her tenure, and is ranked as the #2 Chamber in the Houston Metroplex.

“It will be a challenge, but it will be fun,” said Hollie.

To read more about the new President and CEO of The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce read The Woodlands Area Chamber announces John (J.J.) Hollie as new CEO & President.

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