Chamber welcomes 2 new members to team

Tuesday, 07 February 2012 by Matthew Girard

Judy Garrett, new Tourism DirectorThe Belton Area Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed two new employees to its team.

Judy Garrett was named as the Tourism Director and former chamber intern Lindsay Landrum was named as the Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator.

Garrett, who has been in Belton since 2003, said she wants to bring tourists to Belton.

"My main goal is to bring people into Belton," Garrett said. "Belton is the best kept secret and I love to share the secret because we have so much here to share."

Before coming to the chamber, Garrett has spent the past few years in the hospitality industry. She helped open the LaQuinta Inn and Suites next to the Bell County Expo Center in 2009 as the general manager and then helped open a second hotel in 2009 in the same position.

Garrett also spent the last three years as a member of the BACC Board of Directors.

Although her background is in the hospitality industry, Garrett said she is enjoying re-connecting with the community.

"After leaving the hotel industry I was off for about three months and I wanted to make sure that when I went back into a career, it would be something that I enjoyed doing," Garrett said. "I don't even consider this a job because I do what I do best and that's talking to people."

Garrett has two children, Billy Meinkowsky who lives in New Mexico, and Dylan Garrett who is a junior at Belton High School.

Lindsey Landrum, new Marketing and Public Relations CoordinatorLandrum spent last summer as an intern for the chamber and seamlessly stepped into her new role as the Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator.

As the Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator, Landrum keeps up the chamber's social media, among many other duties.

Although Landrum is still in school at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor studying Communication and Public Relations and is originally from Nacogdoches, she said Belton has become home for her and her husband Curtis.

"My freshman and sophomore years, Belton really didn't feel like home because I was so involved on campus, but after my internship and getting to meet faces in the community made it feel a lot more like home," Landrum said. "I think I bring a young perspective to the chamber, especially with the social media. Instead of still learning it, I'm growing with it."

Both Garrett and Landrum said they are excited about working at the BACC.

"I love seeing where we are going and helping the community grow," Garrett said.

For more information about the Belton Area Chamber of Commerce, call (254) 939-3551.