James Bond Thrills Turn This Chairman’s Ball Into Quite the Ride — The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce Honors an Outgoing Leader

Casino Games, an Aston Martin to Swoon Over and Dreamy Tabletops

BY Laura Landsbaum // 08.23.24

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Past chairs of The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce Nina Marino
(2010-2011), Stuart Lapp (2018-2019), Julie Ambler (2021-2022), Jim Carman (2022-2023), Dr. Ann K. Snyder (2011-
2012), Brian Albert (2023-2024), Frank Holmes (2017-2018) and Amy Milstead (2013-2014) come together. (Photo courtesy of Daily Productions)

Brian and Angelina Albert check out the vintage Ashton Martin at the Chairman's Ball at The Waterway Marriott. (Photo courtesy of Daily Productions)

Brian Albert introduces incoming Chairman of The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce Ann Wolford at the Chairman's Ball. (Photo courtesy of Daily Productions)

Brad Bailey, The Woodlands Township Board of Directors (lL) and Kevin Brady, Former U.S. Representative for Texas's 8th congressional district at The Chairman's Ball. (Photo courtesy of Daily Productions)

Incoming Chairman Ann Wolford and her husband Ken Wolford share a toast with outgoing chair Brian Albert at the Chairman's Ball. (Photo courtesy of Daily Productions)

Image360 won Best Newcomer tabletop decorations at the Chairman's Ball honoring outgoing chair Brian Albert.

The Market Street tablescape won People's Choice at the Chairman's Ball at the Waterway Marriott. (Photo by Laura Landsbaum)

Weygandt Law won a tabletop decorator award for Best Use of Theme at the Chairman's Ball. (Photo by Laura Landsbaum)

Chick-fil-a's color palette was a perfect fit for the night of Casino Royale honoring outgoing chairman Brian Albert. (Photo by Laura Landsbaum)

The tabletop decorated by PaperCity The Woodlands featured upcycled copies of the magazine. (Photo by Laura Landsbaum)

The elegance of James Bond was on full display at the Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands' table. (Photo by Laura Landsbaum)

The Junior League of The Woodlands was "Merry and Bright" in their tabletop decorations for Chairman's Ball at the Waterway Marriott.

Bayway Cadillac was a tabletop decorator at the Chairman's Ball at the Waterway Marriott. (Photo by Laura Landsbaum)

Past chairs of The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce Nina Marino (2010-2011), Stuart Lapp (2018-2019), Julie Ambler (2021-2022), Jim Carman (2022-2023), Dr. Ann K. Snyder (2011- 2012), Brian Albert (2023-2024), Frank Holmes (2017-2018) and Amy Milstead (2013-2014) come together. (Photo courtesy of Daily Productions)

Brad Bailey, The Woodlands Township Board of Directors (L) and Kevin Brady, Former U.S. Representative for Texas's 8th congressional district at The Chairman's Ball. (Photo courtesy of Daily Productions)

The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce’s 46th annual Chairman’s Ball brought plenty of James Bond worthy thrills and style. This Casino Royale themed evening honored outgoing Chamber of Commerce chairman of the board Brian Albert.

Congressman Dan Crenshaw presented Albert with a special proclamation.

“(The Woodlands’) one of the greatest places in the country,” Crenshaw noted. “It’s because of you, and it’s because of people like Brian. So it’s an honor to be here presenting this proclamation to Brian. He’s the epitome of what it means to be a community leader, and has excelled in his service as chairman of the board, I would like to present him with this congressional proclamation.”

Crenshaw’s remarks clearly touched Albert with The Woodlands’ official 50th anniversary approaching (it’s October 19th).

“I’m just so incredibly proud to have been able to play a very, very small part in that really, really big history and everything that’s going to come in our future,” Albert says. “So please know that even though it’s Chairman’s ball and my name is on these things, it’s about you, our chamber, members of our community; all people that make The Woodlands what it is now.”

Chamber of Commerce Woodlands — Brian and Angelina Albert check out the vintage Ashton Martin at the Chairman’s Ball at The Waterway Marriott. (Photo courtesy of Daily Productions)

This Chairman’s Ball marks the last major event of Albert’s tenure as he passes the gavel to incoming The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce leader Ann Wolford of The Wolford Group for the 2024-2025 term.

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“I’m excited to carry forward Brian’s incredible work, moving ahead with optimism and a strong commitment to make our chamber the very best it can be for every member,” Wolfford says. “Whether you’re a one stop shop, a one person operation, or a multi million dollar corporation. We want to work together to make the chamber the best it’s been, and we can all do that together.

“I believe we can continue to strengthen our community by fostering our business community and each business here. I’m honored to be a part of this journey, and I look forward to the exciting opportunities ahead.”

Brian Albert introduces incoming Chairman of The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce Ann Wolford at the Chairman’s Ball. (Photo courtesy of Daily Productions)

This Casino Royale evening chaired by chamber members Melissa Young and Dusty Paez featured dinner, dancing and casino games. Attendees also enjoyed a martini bar (James Bond would accept nothing less) and had the rare opportunity for a photo-op with a vintage Aston Martin, a 007 worthy ride. The Aston Martin’s owner inherited the car from his father, who paid $1,800 for it in 1970.

One of the unique aspects of The Chairman’s Ball is the Tabletop Decorators competition. Companies are invited to decorate a table for 10 in any way they choose. Prizes are voted on by a panel, except for People’s Choice. This year’s winners are:

— Best Newcomer: Image 360 Signs and Graphics

— Best Did It Yourself: Interfaith of The Woodlands

— Best Done For You: Enterprise Holdings

— Best Use of Theme: Weygandt Law

— People’s Choice: Market Street