​O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce & Industries named winner of International Industry Award

 
O’FALLON, MO (July 20, 2017) — The O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce & Industries has been named the 2017 Chamber of the Year by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), an Alexandria, Va.-based association of more than 7,500 chamber of commerce professionals, and 1,300 chambers of commerce, around the world.

Chamber of the Year is the nation’s only award recognizing the leadership role chambers have in their communities. 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.
 
O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce & Industries’ President and CEO, Erin Williams along with the organization’s Director of Member Engagement, Nina DeAngelo and Chairwoman of the Board, Brenda Lowder, accepted the award July 18 at ACCE’s Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.
 
“Being recognized as the Chamber of the Year by ACCE is an incredible honor and accomplishment! This award is the highest honor that we could receive. The members of the O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce & Industries deserve to feel incredibly proud of what we have been able to accomplish together. Through their ideas, hard work and collaborative mindset, our organization offers strong, relevant programming which strengthens our businesses and community. Personally, to say I am honored to be part of this organization is a huge understatement,” said Erin Williams, O’Fallon Chamber President and CEO.

Chambers of commerce 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. The winner is selected from among the top three finalists based on an in-person interview before a panel of experienced chamber professionals.
 
This year's competition drew numerous entries from chambers throughout the United States and Canada. To ensure the fairest competition, applicants are grouped into five categories based on: annual revenue, membership, area population, and several other factors.
 
OCCI Board Chairwoman, Brenda Lowder wants everyone to know that “It took all of us to bring this trophy home and reflecting upon our great membership, we are collaborative, resolvers, leaders, connectors and advocates. The structure of our Chamber brings out the best in all of us.”