Economic development director hired at Fort Worth Chamber

November 15,2016

Reposted from The Star-Telegram

By Sandra Baker

An economic development executive from Tennessee with international experience has been hired to lead those efforts for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, the organization said Tuesday.

Brandom Gengelbach, 40, a business professional with foreign and domestic experience, has been named the chamber’s executive vice president of economic development. Gengelbach comes to Fort Worth from Mount Pleasant, Tenn., where for the past three years he has served as vice president of business development for Smelter Service Corp., an aluminum company.

Prior to that, he served as president of the public-private Maury County Chamber and Economic Alliance in Columbia, Tenn. There, he doubled membership while leading a three-year effort that brought 2,300 jobs to the county and $158 million in capital investment as unemployment declined from 14 percent to less than 8 percent, the chamber said.

Earlier, Gengelbach’s career included work in organizational development and corporate partnerships for the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce and economic development for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. He also served with Brisbane Marketing, the official marketing authority for the Greater Brisbane, Australia, area.

Gengelbach replaces David Berzina, who resigned the position in August.

Fort Worth Chamber President Bill Thornton called Gengelbach a “proven achiever” in the public and private sectors. He will join the chamber Nov. 28.

“He brings 16 years of economic development and chamber leadership experience,” Thornton said, adding that Gengelbach “is praised as a decisive team player with competitive drive, outstanding leadership skills and communications expertise.”

“There is no better place in the country to live, work and raise a family than Fort Worth and the surrounding area,” Gengelbach said. “Fort Worth is truly the envy of the country right now in terms of livability and economic development and I’m thrilled to be joining the team.”

Gengelbach grew up in Houston and the Plano-Addison area. He holds an MBA from the University of Southampton, near London, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Samford University in Birmingham.