Summit project manager speaks at Chamber banquet

Before she even said a single word, Laura Miller was greeted with a standing ovation at the Odessa Chamber Commerce’s annual banquet Thursday evening.

“When you talk about a project with her, she has the same look of love on her face as when you’re talking about her kids,” Drew Crutcher, former chamber economic development director, said introducing Miller.

Miller served as the keynote speaker for the evening, which celebrated the chamber’s accomplishments and recognized volunteer work. Nearly 400 people attended the banquet.

As the project manager for the Summit Power Group’s planned multi-billion dollar clean-coal gasification plant, Miller spoke on the growing reputation of the plant around the Texas and the rest of the country.

“I’m going all around the world to talk about Odessa. I believe in you. We’re closer than ever before to breaking ground,” Miller said. “This is going to be the clean capital, not only of Texas, but the country.”

Miller praised the leaders of Odessa for having unified support of the power plant and said that was the key in getting the plant developed in Penwell. She also addressed the issue of water and the need to invest in a desalination plant in order to have the water to run the plant.

“That is the future of your city,” Miller said. “You need the carbon dioxide to bring it out of the ground, and you can’t get carbon dioxide without water. That’s the math. That’s the equation.”

The evening also served as an introduction to the chamber’s 2011-2012 board of directors, which includes Thomas Blackstone, senior vice president of Lone Star State Bank, as the chairman.

“People have come up to me and asked, ‘Are you ready to give this up?’ Well, not really but I promised Thomas,” outgoing chairman Doug Chisum joked while introducing Blackstone. “This has been a quick 12 months, and I have really enjoyed it.”

Blackstone commended the chamber for improving the quality of life in Odessa.

“We probably have one of the best relationships with state government I’ve seen. We are well respected in Austin, because of the relationship between the government and the chamber,” Blackstone said. “Our chamber’s what we make it. I hope we have a good year.

2011-2012 Executive Board of Directors

• Past Chairman: Doug Chisum, Cutting Edge Advertising, Inc.
• Chairman: Thomas Blackstone, Lone Star State Bank.
• Chairman Elect/Treasurer: Sondra Eoff, Odessa Pumps and Equipment, Inc.
• Vice Chairman Area Relations: Jim Breaux, PEMCO Equipment, Inc.
• Vice Chairman Legislative Affairs: Patrick Canty, Odessa American.
• Vice Chairman Convention and Visitors Bureau: Roy Gillean, Barn Door Steakhouse.
• President/Chief Executive Officer: Mike George, Odessa Chamber of Commerce.
• Vice Chairman Economic Development: Sue Mercer, Oncor Electric Delivery.
• Vice Chairman Workforce Development: Craig Van Amburgh, CVA Advertising and Marketing, Ltd.