Chamber receives CCAA accreditation
The Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce is one of eight chambers to recently receive distinction as an Accredited Alabama Chamber of Commerce.
Greenville joined the Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce, Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, Sumter County Alabama Chamber of Commerce, Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce and The Chamber, Gadsden & Etowah County.The announcement was made at the CCAA’s summer convention in Point Clear, AL in July.
One of the most prestigious programs of the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama is the Accredited Alabama Chamber program. The Accredited Alabama Chamber of Commerce program sets standards of excellence for chambers in the state of Alabama. It recognizes chambers that have achieved those standards while offering guidelines for those to improve their effectiveness.
The Accredited Alabama Chamber of Commerce program is designed to promote public awareness of chambers as community development, business membership organizations.
Through the peer review process, the Accredited Alabama Chamber of Commerce program looks at six standard topics: organization, mission focus, professional administration, financial management, communications, and advocacy. Recipients must meet or exceed the benchmarks set forth through the process.
“We are thrilled and extremely proud to receive accreditation by the CCAA,” Salter said. “The application process is very detailed and thorough and takes a good bit of time to complete. We’re excited and proud that we were able to meet each of the criteria standards. Our staff, board of directors, and overall organization works extremely hard for the betterment of our membership and overall community and we’re honored to display the AACC designation logo.”
“We’re in good standing as far as all six standard categories are concerned,” Salter added. “The Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce is a 360 member-driven organization whose mission is to promote and facilitate the growth of the business community for our members and we work hard to ensure that we promote each and every one of our members in the most positive, professional manner possible.”
“It takes a team of dedicated folks working together for the betterment of the community to make a difference, and we have a really good organization with a dedicated group of board members and community leaders that work together each and every day to make the Chamber’s organization the best that it can be for its members and community,” Salter said.
Paige G. Hutto, President and CEO of the CCAA, commended the recipients by saying, “The commitment shown by each local chamber that receives the Accredited Alabama Chamber of Commerce distinction shows their continued pursuit of high professional standards and assures their business members they are investing in an organization working on their behalf for the greater good. These chambers are good stewards of their resources, provide valuable benefit to their members, and are catalyst for economic prosperity within the communities they serve.”
Though the accreditation doesn’t offer any tangible awards for the chamber, the legitimacy is a prize in and of itself.
“It’s a nice validation that what you’re doing as an organization is relevant,” Salter said. “Working to create programs that will help retain and expand the existing business community; attracting new businesses and residents; and striving to improve the quality of life for those who live, work and play in Greenville and Butler County – that’s what it’s all about for us.”
