The Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce has awarded with Accredited status by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
The Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce announced that after a self-review, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has awarded them with Accredited status. This honor puts them among the top three percent of chambers nationwide.
"Accreditation validates a chamber as having programs that benefit its local economy and positively influence its community,” said Raymond P. Towle, IOM, CAE, U.S. Chamber vice president of Federation Relations and Institute for Organization Management.
The only program of its kind in the country, U.S. Chamber Accreditation recognizes excellence in chamber planning and performance. To achieve Accreditation, a chamber must demonstrate quality programs, clear organizational procedures, and effective communications by meeting minimum operation and program standards in the areas of governance, program development, government affairs, and technology.
"Of the 7,022 chambers in the United States, 206 are Accredited,” Gary Farlow, Chamber president and CEO, explained. “And only nine chambers in the state of Tennessee are Accredited. It is gratifying to know that professionals in the field outside our community consider our Chamber to be among the best in the country. We are honored to be in such good company with the top three percent of chambers of commerce in the U.S.”
Of the nine Accredited chambers in Tennessee, two are 3-Star, three are 4-Star and four are 5-Star. In the last Accreditation process in 2011, the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber moved from a 3-Star rating to a 4-Star rating.
“This recognition marks 35 years of Accredited status,” Bernadette Douglas, executive vice president, noted. Ms. Douglas has worked for the Chamber of Commerce since the initial self-study was implemented.
She continued, “The Accreditation process requires us to take a thorough look every five years at all of our policies and procedures to be sure we are staying current and safeguarding the trust that our members have placed in the board and staff to be a successful and relevant organization.”
This past year Chamber staff, led by Lisa Pickel, spent countless hours completing the Accreditation process.
“Our task was to demonstrate competency in nine core areas ranging from finance to facilities,” Shannon Ritzhaupt, chairman of the board, explained. “The result of our hard work is evidenced by this impressive rating. But in truth, we should all be extraordinarily proud of this milestone achievement. It was a true team effort.”
The Chamber received special recognition and areas of note for the following:
• The Chamber has developed an excellent Board Member/Officer Orientation program.
• The Chamber’s efforts to utilize ChamberMaster for event registrations and payments as well as membership invoices are noted.
• The Chamber is recognized for its partnership with the Bradley/Cleveland Industrial Development Board.
• The Chamber has developed an excellent Style Guide. It has made great efforts to modernize its website and publications to have the greatest impact for the community.
• The Chamber achieved a perfect score in the Human Resources, Program Development and Facilities sections.