News & Events
ACCE Recognizes Laurens County Chamber of Commerce as Their 2008 National Chamber of the Year
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| Mick Fleming, president and CEO of ACCE, presents the 2008 National Chamber of the Year Award to the Laurens County Chamber of Commerce Friday evening in Pittsburgh, PA. |
The Laurens County Chamber of Commerce was one of four chambers recognized as “Chamber of the Year” during the ACCE Annual Awards Gala at the Omni William Penn Hotel. The award was sponsored by Microsoft. More than 1,400 Chamber professionals from across the country and several foreign countries attended the five day conference.
"It is a great honor to be named the ACCE 2008 National Chamber of the Year among such other great chambers. Our entire membership, volunteers, staff and board of directors have made our Chamber an award-winning success and a catalyst for Laurens County’s future. We look forward to building on this wonderful honor," said Rob Clapper, president and CEO of the Laurens County Chamber.
The Laurens County Chamber of Commerce was one of two chamber finalists in its category that has demonstrated its success in community leadership and organizational strength by being among the top in the nation for financial and membership growth as well as making a demonstrable impact on key community priorities in areas like economic opportunities, education, healthcare, and cultural vitality.
"Being named a ’Chamber of the Year’ is an honor that we could have never imagined was achievable several years ago. Our members and the Board of Directors continually give their time, talents, and service to further the quality of life for all of Laurens County. Our selection as a National Chamber of the Year is validation and acknowledgement of their hard work," said Jim Firmin, Chairman of the Laurens County Chamber Board of Directors.
The process to apply, qualify and win the Chamber of the Year award involves a multi-stage operation. During all stages chambers compete amongst peers from similar dues income levels: under $200,000, $200,000 - $499,000, $500,000 - $1 million, and over $1 million dollars. One hundred five chambers from across the United States qualified to enter the Chamber of the Year competition by meeting or beating the national average or median for their dues income level in four of these seven points: net income, current ratio, net assets, net assets as a percentage of annual expenses, net gain in membership sales dollars, retained members dollars, and retained member accounts.
