Press release from Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce:
The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce has been named Chamber of the Year by ACCE, the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.
ACCE is an Alexandria, Va.-based membership association that represents over 9,000 professionals who work for and with more than 1,300 chambers of commerce around the world.
Chamber of the Year, sponsored by MemberClicks, is the most prestigious and competitive award presented by ACCE and is the only globally-recognized industry award that honors top chambers of commerce. Those honored with the Chamber of the Year designation have demonstrated organizational strength and made an impact on key community priorities, such as education, transportation, business development and quality of life.
Kit Cramer, president and CEO, of the Asheville Chamber accepted the award July 15 at the 2019 ACCE Annual Convention in Long Beach, California.
“We are honored to be named Chamber of the Year by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives,” Cramer said. “At the Asheville Chamber, we believe that together, we are more. That could not be more true as we celebrate this accomplishment. We have a wonderful team, great volunteers and a fabulous community. We’re privileged to do this work. Together, with you, our members and partners, we ARE more. Thank you for helping us reach this milestone!”
Chambers of commerce interested in competing for the award first must qualify by participating in a vigorous multi-stage process. Organizations entering the Chamber of the Year competition must meet minimum thresholds in at least three of five key performance areas, including net revenue, net assets, membership account retention, and membership dollar retention.
Qualifying for Chamber of the Year is a rigorous process. Chambers compete based on meeting key performance criteria on the ACCE Annual Operations Survey. Qualifying chambers enter the competition with a written application addressing all aspects of organizational operation and programmatic work. Applications are scored by peer chamber executives to determine finalists. Winners are selected from among finalists based on an in-person interview before a panel of experienced chamber professionals.
This year’s competition drew entries from chambers throughout the U.S and Canada. To ensure the fairest competition, applicants are grouped into five categories based on: annual revenue, membership, area population, and several other factors.
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