AMERICUS — It’s an exciting time to be in the chamber industry and to be a chamber in Georgia. Many chambers have risen to the challenge during these tough economic times to provide unparalleled 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 program is modeled after the U.S. Chamber’s accreditation program. 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 Georgia Certified Chamber designation.

With over 150 chambers in the State of Georgia, the seven chambers that were recognized as Georgia Certified Chambers during the Opening Luncheon of the 2014 GACCE Volunteer Leader Conference held Nov. 6 at the Marriott Macon City Center in Macon, received a prestigious honor that distinguishes the high quality, expertise, and strong leadership displayed by accredited chambers. These seven chambers join 40 other chamber members that have been recognized with this distinction over the past three years.

The following chambers make up the 2014 class of Georgia Certified Chambers: Americus-Sumter County Chamber, Fannin County Chamber, Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Chamber, Greater Macon Chamber, Randolph County Chamber, Waycross-Ware County Chamber and White County Chamber.