A decade of service

Chamber President Rod Henry announces plans to retire Dec. 31

May 10, 2023

DAVID STONE | OUR TOWN TEMPLE

Temple Chamber of Commerce President Rod Henry is putting away his giant scissors: The 45-year veteran of the Chamber industry is retiring Dec. 31.

“It’s time,” Henry said this week. “I’ve spent more than four decades living the dream and serving others. Starting in 2024, I want to shift my focus to serving others in a different way — I just don’t know exactly what that is yet but I have some ideas.”

“This isn’t something I decided to do overnight,” he added. “In fact, it’s something that’s been in my mind for a couple years.”

“The Temple Chamber of Commerce has come a long way in 10 years, and now I want to venture in a slightly different direction,” Henry said. “I’ll be taking what I’ve been doing to a different level. But, I’m here until the end of December and we still have things to accomplish.”

Under Henry’s guidance, the Temple Chamber has helped provide opportunities for business owners, leaders and employees to learn and grow, and his office has become the collective voice in the Temple business community.

Before his stint in Temple, Henry served as president of Chambers of Commerce in Terre Haute, Indiana; Cocoa Beach, Florida; Anderson-Madison County, Indiana; and Lancaster-Fairfield, Ohio. He started his job at the Temple Chamber in July 2013.

“The Board and I want to thank Rod for 10 years of outstanding service to the greater Temple community,” said Robert Jones, chair of the Temple Chamber of Commerce board of directors and president of the greater Temple area market of Cadence Bank.

“In that time, he has taken the organization to new levels of excellence in service to the membership, community, and visitors,” Jones said.

Henry praised his current staff at the Temple Chamber.

“The Chamber has excelled, and the team here has been amazing,” he said. “I’ve never been prouder of a team I put together. They are so kind and professional.”

Whitney Theriot, a key member of that team for the past eight years, said Henry has had a significant impact not only on the Chamber but in the community as well.

“I can attest to his unwavering dedication and remarkable contributions to our team,” Theriot said. “His hard work and commitment have made a big impact on the people he has served. As Rod begins this new chapter in his life, I am thrilled for him. I know he will bring the same passion and enthusiasm to his new endeavor as he has to his work at the Chamber.”

Henry said he and his wife, Benita, will continue to reside in the Temple area.

“We love it here,” he said. “Benita will keep teaching in Belton ISD, and we have no plans of picking up and moving away. This is home.”