Gary Molberg

To say that Gary Molberg worked in banking for 25 years wouldn’t be entirely accurate. While his resume lists banks such as “the old” First National, Tascosa, and Amarillo National, his career experience revolves around marketing and, essentially, people.

“I’m a people person. I love people and I have a love for this city,” says the 13-year president of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce. “Here, handshakes still mean your word. If I can do something to help a business be successful, then I’m going to do it.”

Gary grew up in Pampa and remembers weekend trips to “the big city” of Amarillo, where shopping and other business for the family would take place. He graduated high school, and after a brief stint at Odessa Junior College, Gary went on to the University of Texas in El Paso to play baseball. With a business and marketing degree in hand, he returned to the Panhandle and settled in Amarillo in 1971.

His first paying job was at Skaggs, a now-closed department store where Pinkies now stands. Though a management trainee sounded like a job with potential, retail wasn’t Gary’s interest, so by 1974 he landed a job at what he calls “the old First National” bank.

“I was there for nine years, and then Tascosa National for five years,” he recalls. “Then I was the marketing director for Amarillo National Bank for nine years, but even though I worked in banking, I really worked in marketing. I worked with people.”

While at ANB, Gary served on the chamber board of directors, the executive committee, and was named volunteer of the year in 1992. When Tom Patterson, former chamber president, announced he was leaving, he recommended Gary as his replacement, and after the selection committee interviewed all the candidates, they decided that Gary, indeed, was the proper fit.

“This is a pro-business community. People here have a positive mindset and the city is good to work with,” he says. “You know, if everyone treats everyone the same, then you’ll be successful.”

In addition to the day-to-day tending of needs for local businesses, like ribbon cuttings, luncheons, and administrative work, the chamber hosts four non-dues revenue events a year – Business Connection, the Summer Fiesta, the Chamber Golf Open, and the Good Times Celebration Barbecue Cook-Off. There’s also the annual banquet and Panhandle Days in Austin.

“We have a phenomenal staff here with very little turnover,” he says. “We really care about this city and know how important the surrounding communities are. Anything we can do to help them, we do it.

“You can help a business through banking,” Gary continues, “but I’ve gone to the next level here.”

Married nearly 36 years to his wife, Paula, Gary is a proud father of two and even more proud grandfather of two. In fact, Gary and Paula skip away to Dallas as often as possible to visit their daughter, Brennon, her husband, Justin, and granddaughters, Dylan and Savannah. Son Paul is a recent West Texas A&M University graduate and engaged to be married in September. When family and Chamber duties subside, you’ll find Gary on the golf course, where the wind is merely a minor challenge.

When I get in my car, the first thing I listen to is… my favorite radio station and sometimes all my CD’s.

My friends and family call me… in high school, I played baseball and the sportswriter started calling me “Punchy.” I don’t have any idea why. A lot of my friends and some of my family just call me Gary Paul. My grandkids call me Opa.

My favorite meal to make from scratch is… I’m not much of a cook. I’ll go with spaghetti although I love cooking on my grill.

In an alternate life, I would’ve been a… professional golfer. But I would want to be one of the top golfers.

The most famous or interesting person I’ve ever met is… both of the Bush Presidents. Wow, what an honor!

If I had an open plane ticket to anywhere, I would go to… the Holy Land. I wouldn’t like the long flight but I’m sure once I got there, it would be well worth the travel time.

After a long, hard day, I love to… sit on my back porch and talk with my wife, Paula.

One of my favorite childhood toys was… my bicycle (2nd fastest on the block).

One movie I could watch over and over again is… all the James Bond movies.

If I were a character in a book, I would be… the good guy.

The greatest piece of advice I’ve ever received is… treat people the way you want to be treated.

When my children grow up, the one thing I want them to always remember is… family comes first.

You may be surprised to know that I… run a lot of my decisions by my wife, Paula, before I make them.

One habit I wish I could break is… waking up early. I just can’t sleep late no matter what time I go to bed. At a certain time, I’m wide awake and can’t get back to sleep.

My guilty pleasure is… too many hours on the sofa watching T.V.

I know every word to the song… “Fun, Fun, Fun” by the Beach Boys.

If I had the time, I would… play golf everyday.

My favorite bad-for-me-food is… pecan pie.

When I get online, I always go to… ESPN.

The most unique place I’ve ever traveled to is… New York City.

The thing I love the most about living in Amarillo is… the people. They are awesome…honest, hard working and dedicated to their families. It’s funny you should ask this question; in my line of work, I come in contact with a lot of folks moving here and the comment I always hear from them is how much they enjoy the people and how different it is here.

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