There's a new club in town for business and community leaders. 

Called the Austin Economic Club, the nonprofit and nonpartisan 40-member group just held its first luncheon in mid-March featuring a talk by former U.S. Senator Don Nickles (R-Oklahoma). 

"Austin is a center of political and economic activity in Texas. We founded this organization to inform the Central Texas community about a range of issues impacting business and public policy, at the highest level possible," says James Cardle, the president of AEC and TexasInsider. "It was time for this type of forum in Austin, and we look forward to an exciting first year." 

This year's board of advisors includes quite a few well-known names, such as: Ben Bentzin, the new CEO of WCIT 2006 Inc.; former House Speaker Billy Clayton; and Glenn West, former president and CEO of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. West is currently senior vice president of market development with Guaranty Bank in Austin. 

Invited speakers for upcoming events throughout 2005 include: Attorney General Greg Abbott; John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems; and Donald Evans, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce. 

AEC plans to meet monthly or bimonthly throughout the year. Political and business-minded folks can find more information at www.AustinEconomicClub.org.