BRENHAM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION ELECTS NEW DIRECTORS
The Brenham Economic Development Foundation has announced that its members have elected five directors to serve a three-year term on the board starting in December.
Three current directors were re-elected to serve another term which includes Catherine Kenjura, Partner at Lacina & Kenjura, P.C.; Arlen Thielemann, President of Thielemann Construction Co.; and Gary Weiss, First Vice President at Germania Insurance. Two newcomers to the board are Blake Brannon, President of Brannon Industrial Group and M. Chad Gerke, Founding Member of The Gerke Law Firm. 
The EDF board presently consists of 16 members, with three sets of five directors serving staggered terms and the immediate past chairman. The remainder of the board includes Roger Atkins, RJ3 Enterprise; Matt Bentke, Bluebonnet Electric Coop.; Chris Cangelosi, Washington County Abstract Co.; Tee Dippel, Brenham National Bank; Cory Flencher, Citizens State Bank; Billy Holle, Seidel Schroeder; Mike Hopkins, Jr., Mike Hopkins Distributing Co.; William Krueger, Jones|Carter, Retired; Barney Loesch, Thrivent Financial; Stephen Miller, Brenham Wholesale Grocery Co.; and Jarvis Van Dyke, Van Dyke, Rankin & Co.
Brett Smith of Lee Anderson Co. and Dr. Donald Voelter of Blinn College (retired) will be retiring from the Brenham Economic Development Foundation after serving 9 years on the board of directors. Chairman of the Board, Billy Holle, thanked Mr. Smith and Dr. Voelter for their time on the board and dedication to economic development in Brenham.
The Brenham Economic Development Foundation was created in 1953 to promote the development of industry in the city and the creation of jobs in the community. For more information, visit www.BrenhamEDF.com.
It was created in 1953 and has been protecting homegrown businesss from wage / labor competition ever since. Large, well paying industries have approached this foundation on numerous occasions over the years, but they were not given the incentives that smaller, lower paying industries have received. They located to nearby communities like Bryan-College Station. They are smart enough to know they had to to be diverse in their industries, So, we get the smaller industries that agree to paying the substandard wages that have choked real progress in this community. Now we have some of the highest property taxes in the state and local government that does not understand ” you cannot keep doing the same things over and over and expect different results”.