Tuesday on KFYO Mornings with Dave King and Matt Martin, The President and CEO of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce Eddie McBride joined Dave and Matt to talk about the Governor lifting restrictions, businesses reopening, upcoming chamber events, and more.

Major changes were made in Texas in the past week as Governor Greg Abbott announced that all business and mask restrictions would be lifted, despite the ongoing pandemic, and Eddie discussed affects businesses will see and what the Chamber is doing to help. McBride started by saying that, while the Chamber did not expect such a big change, that they were more than ready for it, saying, "We were not only happy, but, it's about doggone time. We're ready, and by golly, if there's anybody in the community that I know I can trust to do everything right in that regard, it's our business community as a whole." Eddie went on to say that some  businesses might not follow the rules, and that can be dangerous and lead to a future shutdown, but that all in all, he thinks people are pretty happy about this. The Chamber wants businesses to rally for a recovery to help reignite the economy, but hopes they will do so in a safe way. He encourages businesses to have their employees and customers wear masks, have personal responsibility and be safe, get their employees vaccinated when possible, and keep in mind that while the number of cases have gone down, so have the number of people being tested. To coincide with that, the Chamber is offering tests on their website.

Now that things businesses and events are starting to reopen, McBride discussed the Chamber's move going forward in regard to events. Eddie said that while doing things virtually did not hurt them, with the help of some high quality presentations, that they do plan to have a lot more in person events. Due to how sudden the Governor's announcement was, the Chamber was unable to confirm their Lubbock Uncorked wine event for April, opting instead to hold it in November. They will also have a diversity summit today, which will include speakers like Dr. Kathy Rollo to talk about LISD, and Margaret Spellings as their presenting speaker. Other events include the Barbecue event in October, the Business Expo in May, and a Community Prayer Luncheon in May.

Finally, McBride was asked about what he plans to do when he retires near the beginning of 2022. Eddie explained that he has a pretty good map for travel that he plans to take with his kids and grandkids, and is looking forward to that. When asked what the plans are for finding a replacement for him, Eddie explained that the Chamber is already sending out notices that the position is open, and he hopes that whoever they find is someone who will bring in a fresh set of ideas. He believes the change going forward will be positive for both the Chamber, and the community.

 

Find more info at lubbockchamber.com and watch the full interview with Eddie McBride in the video above.

KFYO Mornings with Dave King & Matt Martin airs weekday mornings live, from 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM on News/Talk 95.1 FM and 790 AM KFYO, online at KFYO.com, & on the free KFYO app.

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