Business owners took a break from the scorching 95-degree East Texas heat on Thursday evening to mingle with their peers at this month’s After Hours event, courtesy of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce and Stonewater Roofing.

The happy hour gathering was held at the Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites in south Tyler.

These monthly After Hours events give the Tyler area’s elite a chance to unwind and get to know other local business owners, potentially sparking some mutually beneficial relationships and strengthening the Rose City’s economy. Jenni Wilson with the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce said that such events are “really important.”

“We have over 2,000 members in the Tyler Chamber,” Wilson explained. “This gives them an opportunity to network with each other, trade secrets and just get to know each other.”

Along with free drinks provided by R&K Distributors, patrons were treated to finger food from Montez Brothers Catering and live acoustic music from former “American Idol” contestant and Tyler native Vivian Villapudua.

Stonewater Roofing was thrilled to be the sponsor for the August iteration of this event.

Trent Spradlin is the Chief Marketing Officer for Stonewater Roofing. “The greatest thing about these types of events is being able to see a healthy Chamber, which means there is a healthy community of businesses that are not only helping grow the community as a whole, but partnering together on different events and projects,” he said. “It’s great to see our advertising partners out here. It’s great to see other businesses that we have partnered with in different capacities over the last few years, and we look forward to continuing that growth in the future.”