The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced this week that the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce has been awarded its 40-Year Five-Star Accreditation rating.  Only 55 chambers out of more than 7,000 chambers in the country have achieved this highest level of accreditation ranking. 

“We are extremely proud to be awarded our 40-year accreditation with Five-Star rating by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  Accreditation is one of the most prestigious honors bestowed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and offers an excellent measurement tool for chambers of commerce to achieve the highest standards of organizational excellence in representing their member businesses and communities,” said Lakeland Chamber President Kathleen Munson. “Achieving the highest level of accreditation is a tribute to the outstanding leadership of our Chamber volunteer leaders and professional staff, who unselfishly contribute their time and talent to make Lakeland such a tremendous place to live and work.”

The Accreditation program with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce defines organizational excellence in chamber planning and recognizes chambers for outstanding contributions toward positive change in their communities. In order to achieve accreditation rating, chambers undergo a comprehensive evaluation in nine areas:  governance, finance, human resources, government affairs, program development, communications, technology, facilities and benchmarking.

To successfully complete the accreditation application, Chairman of the Board Anu Saxena (ASC geosciences, inc.) appointed an Accreditation Review Task Force to lead the Chamber through the evaluation process.  The Chamber would like to recognize the following leaders who worked with staff for more than six months to successfully complete the application:

Chair: Melinda Harrison (Watson Clinic LLP)

Governance: Timothy F. Campbell (Clark, Campbell, Mawhinney and Lancaster, P.A.)

Finance: Walker Wilkerson (The NCT Group, CPAs, LLP)

Human Resources: Don Selvage (SHR Human Resources, LLC)

Government Affairs: Mark E. Wilson (Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.)

Program Development: Maureen Shaw (Flower Cart Florist)

Communication: Sam Nimah (Southern Wine and Spirits of Florida)

Technology: Todd Baylis (Cipher Integrations, Inc.)

Facilities: Joe L. Ruthven (The Ruthvens)

Benchmarking: Paul Noris (Bank of Central Florida)

The Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce represents more than 1,800 businesses in the Greater Lakeland area.  The Chamber was first accredited by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1968, and has successfully achieved its accreditation every five years since then. 

Tags: 5-Star, Accreditation, US Chamber of Commerce

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