2025 Chamber of the Year Finalists Announced

ACCE is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2025 Chamber of the Year title. Twelve chambers will compete for the most prestigious and competitive recognition in the industry. Chamber of the Year is sponsored by GrowthZone.

“This year's finalists represent excellence in the chamber industry,” said ACCE President & CEO Sheree Anne Kelly. “Each has shown how chambers can lead as community partners, forward-thinking leaders and problem solvers to drive growth and make a lasting impact on regional prosperity. We congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition.”

The 2025 finalists are:

Category One:

Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce | Chino, California

Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce | Paducah, Kentucky

Rowan County Chamber of Commerce | Salisbury, North Carolina

Category Two:

Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce | Holland, Michigan

Greater Jackson Chamber | Jackson, Tennessee

Greater Conroe/Lake Conroe Area Chamber of Commerce | Conroe, Texas

Category Three:

Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce | Sarasota, Florida

Greater Fort Wayne Inc. | Fort Wayne, Indiana

Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership | Ocala, Florida

Category Four:

Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce | Memphis, Tennessee

Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce | Grand Rapids, Michigan

Greater Topeka Partnership | Topeka, Kansas

The Chamber of the Year award recognizes excellence in operations, member service and community leadership. 

Chambers of commerce interested in competing for the award must first qualify by participating in a vigorous multi-stage process. Organizations entering the Chamber of the Year competition must meet minimum thresholds in at least three of five key performance areas in ACCE’s Annual Chamber Operations Survey, including net revenue and assets, membership account retention and membership dollar retention.

Qualifying chambers enter the competition with a written application addressing all aspects of organizational operation and programmatic work. Applications are scored by peer chamber executives to determine finalists. The finalists then move on to an interview before a panel of experienced chamber professionals.              

To ensure the fairest competition, applicants are grouped into four categories based on annual revenue, membership, staff capacity, area population and other factors. A strong conflict of interest policy signed by all volunteer judges ensures a competitive and fair playing field for applicants. 

Chamber of the Year winners will be announced on Wednesday, July 23, during the Awards Show, presented by Comcast Business, at ACCE’s Annual Convention in Philadelphia, July 22-25. Register here.