2023 Chamber of the Year Winners Announced

The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives announced the winners of the 2023 Chamber of the Year competition, sponsored by Personify, at the Annual Awards Show during #ACCE23 in Salt Lake City.

Chamber of the Year is the most prestigious and competitive award presented by ACCE and is the only globally-recognized industry award that honors top chambers of commerce. Those honored with the Chamber of the Year designation have demonstrated organizational strength and made an impact on key community priorities.

“Chambers of commerce play an increasingly vital role in promoting regional prosperity,” said ACCE President & CEO Sheree Anne Kelly. “Earning this pinnacle achievement reflects their commitment and drive to ensure the vibrancy of their communities and organizational success. Congratulations to all of our winners on their outstanding leadership, dedication to their communities and serving as role models for the chamber profession.”

The 2023 Chamber of the Years are:

Category One
Pearland Chamber of Commerce – Pearland, Texas

Meet in the Metaverse: During the workday, Pearland experiences a net loss of 15,000 people. Workers travel into Pearland but even more leave the city they live in for a job. The Pearland Chamber launched a metaverse-style workforce development site, WorkinPearland.com.

• The comprehensive job board and workforce resource center is a virtual immersive and interactive website. It even boasts live event days where job seekers can interact with hiring companies.
• Since March of this year, 200+ jobs have been posted and over 1,800 booth interactions have been recorded

Category Two
North Central Massachusetts Chamber – Fitchburg, Mass.

Shoring Up Support: Latinos are the largest minority group in North Central Massachusetts and start businesses at three times the rate of the general population. But they weren’t tapping into the business support systems that existed in the area until the chamber stepped in.

• The Latinx Business Support Initiative provides financial resources, programs and business networks, using data to inform its efforts.
• Through the initiative, the chamber awarded 44 micro-loans totaling over $950,000, plus an additional $25,000 in micro-grants. Latino businesses received over 300 hours of technical assistance. These efforts resulted in the creation or retention of 57 jobs.

Category Three
Gwinnett Chamber – Duluth, Ga.

Pro-Business Ballot: Over the past two years, the Gwinnett Chamber has created two 501(c)(4) organizations to boost public policy efforts. Both entities took action as a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) hit the ballot.

• Inform Gwinnett is focused on educating chamber members on pro-business policy issues. The Gwinnett Fund better supports pro-business needs in the public sector.
• Both raised money to support the renewal of a SPLOST in 2022, which passed with 64% of the vote and won all voting precincts in Gwinnett County.

Category Four
Orlando Economic Partnership – Orlando, Fla.

Going Digital: Economic developers no longer need a driving tour of Orlando to scope out locations for a new project. A first-of-its-kind digital twin showcases the local ecosystem, immerses developers in the Orlando story and highlights the city as a business destination.

• The digital twin covers 800 square miles and highlights five geographic areas, a virtual 3-D copy of the region with different data sets, like talent and infrastructure, layered throughout.
• The 100 in-person demonstrations helped contribute to business attraction that resulted in over 1,600 new jobs since the digital twin was unveiled in 2022.