Houston's Intercontinental Chamber Ditched Golf Tournaments for Global Deals

In an episode of The Building Texas Show, Houston Chamber Stopped Doing Parties. Here's What They Do Instead, host Justin McKenzie sits down in Houston with Reggie Gray, President of the Houston Intercontinental Chamber of Commerce, to talk about why the chamber walked away from parties and golf tournaments to focus on business development for its members. The full conversation is also on YouTube.

Gray opens with a critique many business owners will recognize. "Because I think the chambers, unfortunately, started trending toward doing parties and events and forgot they were supposed to be generating business and networking and development," he says. His chamber went back to that core: "We used to do all those things, like everybody else, but we don't do golf tournaments anymore. We don't do epicurean evenings or anything like that."

The organization was once known as the North Houston Greenspoint Chamber. Gray explains that it took the Intercontinental name after he became president, a nod to its roots near Houston's Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and to a membership that has grown more international over the years. The chamber's board of directors now includes vice chairs for Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin and South America, Australia and North America.

McKenzie and Gray dig into how a member-focused chamber actually works:

• Tailored business development. For Lloyd Engineering, which Gray says works on the Houston Ship Channel and on ports around the world, the chamber looks for port and infrastructure projects abroad, including a recent trip Gray describes to meet with the Prime Minister's office in Belize. For energy members such as Reliant and CenterPoint Energy, the focus shifts to local customers and new development.
• Member funding, by design. The chamber doesn't ask members for sponsorships, and its board sets policies and projects. "Ours is purely membership driven and purely funded by members," Gray says.
• Getting out of silos. Gray says the chamber works with management districts such as the North Houston District, the governor's office, the City of Houston and other organizations, including the Better Business Bureau and the Greater Houston Builders Association.

Gray also pushes back on businesses that think international work isn't for them. "Do you have a website?" he asks them. "Everybody can buy your stuff and they can see you anywhere all over the world. Everybody's international."

Looking ahead to 2027, Gray says the chamber is looking closely at Venezuela, with an eye to helping members with projects and expansion there, and is planning events in Europe and Saudi Arabia with longtime partner Go-On Group, including stops he names in London, Milan, Düsseldorf and Monaco.

Outside the chamber, Gray is an author and speaker. His memoir, I May Never Come This Way Again, covers what he calls his "spy stories," including his collaboration with the FBI's International Corruption Unit. He tells McKenzie that wherever he travels, he introduces himself as a Texan, and he closes the episode the same way: "It's a great time to live in Texas and I'm very proud to be a Texan."

Watch and listen: the full episode is on The Building Texas Show episode page and on YouTube.

The Building Texas Show, hosted by Justin McKenzie, tells the stories of the founders, community leaders and projects shaping Texas, from economic development and small business to conservation and education. New episodes publish weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms, with highlights on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn at @thebuildingtexasshow. Watch, listen and subscribe at www.buildingtexasshow.com and https://www.youtube.com/@thebuildingtexasshow.

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