West Des Moines Chamber Of Commerce Named Finalist For Prestigious Chamber Of The Year Award

West Des Moines IA

28 May, 2022

1:51 PM

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Press release from the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce: May 26, 2022 The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce (WDM Chamber) has been named a finalist for the 2022 Chamber of the Year award, presented by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). ACCE is an association based in Alexandria, Va., that has over 1,600 chambers of commerce and related business and economic development organizations as members, representing more than 9,000 professionals in the industry. The award is the most prestigious and competitive recognition presented annually by ACCE. It recognizes the leadership role chambers of commerce 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, economic prosperity and quality of life. "This year's finalists are among the most impactful organizations within the chamber industry," said ACCE President & CEO Sheree Anne Kelly. "We're in the midst of a chamber renaissance. Chambers of commerce have never been more essential to regional prosperity and are being called on to serve as partners, thought leaders and innovative problem solvers in new ways on new issues. Congratulations to our 2022 finalists." Chamber of the Year winners will be announced on Wednesday, July 27, during the Awards Show at ACCE's Annual Convention in Indianapolis, Ind. The Chamber of the Year award program is sponsored by Personify. "This is an incredible achievement, and we are honored to be named a finalist along with other outstanding Chambers across the nation," said Katherine Harrington, President & CEO of the WDM Chamber, "We are grateful to our members, board of directors, committee leaders, volunteers, and the entire West Des Moines community for their investment of time and resources allowing us to design sustainable programs and events as we create a more inclusive and accessible community. And a special 'thank you' to the innovative WDM Chamber team for their hard work in positioning West Des Moines as the best city in the world to live, work, and play." 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 in ACCE's Annual Chamber Operations Survey, including net revenue and assets, membership account retention and membership dollar retention. 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 interview before a panel of experienced chamber professionals. To ensure the fairest competition, applicants are grouped into four categories based on: annual revenue, membership, area population and other factors. This press release was produced by the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author's own.