Leadership San Antonio Explores the Many Benefits of San Antonio being “Military City U.S.A.”

PHMY’s Grant McFarland, a member of Leadership San Antonio (LSA) class 34, along with other members Inigo Arzac (City of San Antonio), Shay Bluntzer (NuStar Energy LP), Morris Camp (Wachovia Bank), Ramon Contreras (Grant Thornton LLP), Brian Feld (Tuggey Rosenthal Pauerstein Sandoloski Agather LLP), Bob Ownby (Broadway Bank) and Melinda Rodriguez (Access Quality Therapy Services, Inc.) developed the agenda for LSA’s recent Military Day, an in-depth look at the impact San Antonio’s military missions have in the city. LSA Steering Committee members Mike Connor (CreativeLink) and Tom Swoyer (Weston Solutions) assisted the class members with preparation for the dynamic class day.

The class was addressed on the values of leadership by retired Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez, who served as the V Corps commander of coalition forces in Iraq from June 2003 to June 2004, and retired Major General Alfred A. Valenzuela, who commanded United States Army South and served as deputy commander in chief of the U.S. Southern Command.

The class enjoyed lunch at the Non-Commissioned Officers Club at Fort Sam Houston, courtesy of Broadway Bank and Eisenhower Bank, where they received remarks on the expected impact of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) from Major General Erwin F. Lessel III. General Lessel is the Director of Plans, Programs, Requirements and Assessments, and Director of the San Antonio Joint Program Office, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, at Randolph Air Force Base. The class also enjoyed hands-on tours of Camp Bullis, Fort Sam Houston and the Center for the Intrepid.

LSA is a joint partnership of The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.