The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce has been awarded 5-Star Accreditation by the United States Chamber of Commerce. This prestigious honor puts the Lafayette Chamber among the top 1% of chambers nationwide. The reaccreditation recognizes the Chamber for its sound policies, effective organizational procedures and positive impact on the community.
Accreditation is the only national program that recognizes chambers for having programs that benefit their local economy. In order to receive Accreditation, a chamber must meet minimum standards in their operations and programs, including areas of governance, government affairs and technology.
"The goal of reaccreditation is not simply the reaccreditation certification. This reaccreditation process is a great opportunity for self-assessment and incremental improvement," said Reaccreditation Committee Chairman Jerry Greig. "Additionally, it gives us a great opportunity to involve the membership in reviewing our processes as well as learning more about their Chamber."
"The effort generates pride among the members and creates a new core group of volunteers who are knowledgeable about the Chamber and ready for leadership positions," said Rob Guidry, Chamber President & CEO. 
Chambers who have already received accreditation must become reaccredited every five years to maintain that distinction. This spring, the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, accredited since 1990, and a team of volunteers went through the process of reaccreditation in which the strengths and weaknesses of nine key areas were evaluated. Those areas included the following:
- Governance
- Finance
- Human Resources
- Government Affairs
- Program Development
- Communications
- Technology
- Facilities
- Benchmarking
"The opportunities afforded to the Chamber, its staff and volunteers by the reaccreditation process were many. A sincere appreciation to our Task Force Chairmen, Donna Landry, Russell Richard, Elise Bouchner, Don Briggs, Jan Swift, Bob Miller, George Graham and Steve Oubre for leading the Chamber staff and volunteers in the accreditation process," states Chamber Chairman, Flo Meadows.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.
The Accreditation Program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the only one of its kind to monitor the dynamic chamber of commerce industry. Rolled out in 1964, the Accreditation Program was developed by a team of chamber executives and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for continuous improvement of local chambers of commerce.
Lafayette Chamber Finalist for National 2011 Chamber of the Year Award
The Lafayette Chamber is now a finalist in the 2011 Chamber of the Year Award Program! This is a tremendous honor that only 7 chambers have received this year' recognizing the chamber as among the best in the nation. Applicants for the award are judged by a panel of peers and previous award recipients from across the country.
The Layette Chamber was specifically commended for its strong connection between understanding member needs, linking those interests to the chamber's strategic focus and programs and communicating engagement opportunities to its members.
The Chamber President & CEO Rob Guidry and V.P. of Operations Cydra Wingerter will represent Lafayette at the finalist interviews during the 2011 Annual Convention in Los Angeles, CA in August. The interview serves as an opportunity for a panel of seasoned chamber professionals to further explore the chamber's programs and management practices.
The winners of the 2011 Chamber of the Year Award will be announced during the Awards Evening on Thursday, August 4th.
Redesigned Website Receives National Award for Communications Excellence
The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce has been recognized as a national leader for its recent website redesign, www.lafchamber.org. The Chamber's 2010 website redesign received a Silver Award for surpassing "the fundamental standards and criteria of communications excellence."
Rob Guidry, Chamber President & CEO, noted that the website was a major component of the organization's electronic media. "We've consistently been at the forefront using developing technology to communicate with our members, with our website serving as our virtual ‘front door' along with our social media efforts."
Joining in celebration was another nationally recognized firm, Bizzuka. The Chamber partnered with Bizzuka in the update, drawing on the resources of the Chamber member which has its global headquarters in Lafayette.
"We are delighted for our Chamber colleagues and proud of our part in transforming their website to its current award winning caliber," Bizzuka CEO John Munsell said.
Chamber Vice President of Marketing Bruce Conque noted that the ACE Award enhances the advertising opportunities of www.lafchamber.org. "We provide a quality mode of advertising for our members to promote their products and services."
"There is truly exceptional communications work being done in the chamber profession, and ACCE is proud to recognize these achievements," said ACCE President Mick Fleming.
The Awards for Communication Excellence (ACE) is an annual competition that recognizes excellence in all areas of communications. Winners will also be recognized at the annual ACCE convention on Thursday evening, August 4th in Los Angeles.
