It’s an exciting time to be in the chamber of commerce industry and to be a chamber in Georgia.  Many chambers have risen to the challenge to provide unparralled leadership and direction, helping their members and communities thrive.  This type of performance is a reflection of the solid organizational infrastructure built through much hard work and diligence.

In 2011, the GACCE Board of Directors sought a way to recognize chambers in the state that have focused internally on their operations to assess their strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to create efficient, effective organizations positioned to deliver great value.  Thus the Georgia Certified Chamber program was created.

The purpose of the program is to facilitate continuing excellence in the chamber industry and to foster a pro-business environment across the State of Georgia.  Chambers must meet standards in organization, service intent and capacity, professional administration, financial management, communications, and advocacy in order to achieve the designation.

With over 150 chambers of commerce in the State of Georgia, the 23 chambers that were recognized as Georgia Certified Chambers during the Opening Luncheon of the 2016 GACCE Volunteer Leader Conference held at the Macon Marriott City Center Hotel in Macon, GA on Monday, November 7 received a prestigious honor that distinguishes the high quality, expertise, and strong leadership displayed by accredited chambers.  These chambers make up a total of 48 chambers of commerce that have been recognized with this distinction over the past five years.

The following chambers of commerce make up the 2016 class of Georgia Certified Chambers:

1.   Albany Area Chamber of Commerce

2.   Berrien County Chamber of Commerce

3.   Blairsville-Union County Chamber of Commerce

4.   Carroll County Chamber of Commerce

5.   Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce

6.   Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce

7.   Columbia County Chamber of Commerce

8.   Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce

9.   Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce

10.  Douglas County Chamber of Commerce

11.  Fayette Chamber of Commerce

12.  Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce

13.  Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce

14.  Lee County Chamber of Commerce

15.  Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce

16.  Pickens County Chamber of Commerce

17.  Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce

18.  Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce

19.  Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce

20.  Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce

21.  Warren County Chamber of Commerce

22.  Washington County Chamber of Commerce

23.  Wilkinson County Chamber of Commerce