Accreditation with the United States Chamber of Commerce is the only program of its kind that defines excellence in chamber planning and recognizes chambers for outstanding contributions toward positive change in their communities. The purpose of the U.S. Chamber’s Accreditation Program is to facilitate continuing excellence in the chamber industry and to foster a pro-business environment across America. By earning Accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a chamber shows its dedication to:
- Reviewing, improving, and promoting strong business practices
- Recognizing leadership and outstanding contributions to the community
- Supporting the principles of free enterprise and promoting pro-growth policies at federal, state, and local levels
- Establishing best practices and staying in-step with industry changes
With approximately 7,000 chambers in the United States, Accreditation with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a prestigious honor that distinguishes the high quality, expertise, and strong leadership displayed by accredited state and local chambers of commerce.
Becoming a leading-edge organization means scrutinizing the entire operation; from governance, program development, human resources and technology to communications, governmental affairs, finance, facilities and benchmarking, chambers of commerce are reviewed and graded by peers in the industry. Following this extensive review process, chambers earn status as Accredited; Accredited with 3 Stars; Accredited with 4-Stars and Accredited with 5-Stars (the highest level of accreditation).
History of Conroe/Lake Conroe’s Accreditation
In 2015, under the leadership of Scott Harper, the Conroe/ Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce earned its first accredited status with the US Chamber by being recognized as a 3-Star organization. It was a momentous occasion for the chamber and the Conroe/Lake Conroe community. Taking a step back and letting unbiased, third parties look at our operations and stewardship, and confirming that we’re doing what we tell our members we’re doing is good for the chamber and good for business…and accreditation is good for five years!
In late 2019 and early 2020, even as the pandemic was unfolding before our eyes, members of the chamber’s leadership team began the process of resubmitting our application for accreditation. At the forefront of the process was correcting missed opportunities from 2015 and highlighting those areas of improvement over the past five years. From volunteer leadership to staff and committees and members, the work gets done because of a commitment to excellence…and the Conroe/ Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce was rewarded with the highest possible designation…Accredited with 5-Stars!
Benefits of Accreditation
What does this mean to our membership and the greater community? The chamber is rock solid in its organization, financial health, program development, advocacy, and leadership…all of which reflect on our core values…and the first one that says…Lead from the front! As one of only two 5-Star Accredited chambers of commerce in the Houston metro area…and only 21 in the entire state of Texas, we are excited and proud to see what the future holds for this great organization!