2026 Chamber of the Year Finalists: Category One

Since 2007, ACCE has annually recognized chambers of commerce for their work leading businesses and communities with the Chamber of the Year award. As the needs of businesses and communities continue to evolve, a chamber's ability to adapt, thrive and think strategically is paramount to achieving success and spurring economic growth. Here’s a look at a few programs that helped earn these chambers a spot as a Chamber of the Year finalist in Category One.

You can watch all the finalists' short overview videos on YouTube.

 

Murray-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce | Murray, Kentucky

The Murray-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce is building a stronger workforce pipeline through the Murray Works Foundation. The initiative connects students, educators and employers through career awareness, hands-on exploration and business-education partnerships. Programs such as SPARK, Bus2Business and LIFT help students better understand local career opportunities while giving educators and employers more ways to align classroom learning with workforce needs.

The chamber shows strong student engagement, with more than 400 high school seniors participating in Bus2Business, and survey results indicating that students discovered new career options and felt more prepared to explore job opportunities.

 
Greater Mason City Chamber of Commerce | Mason City, Iowa

The Greater Mason City Chamber of Commerce is addressing child care as a workforce issue through Child Care Works. The initiative brings together families, providers, employers and community partners to expand access to care and strengthen the local child care network.

Results include 144 additional child care slots filled, a 20% increase in employees and a 72% reduction in waitlisted children between January 2024 and February 2026.

Chambers of commerce qualify for Chamber of the Year through a rigorous multi-stage process that evaluates organizational performance, operations and programmatic work. Applicants are grouped by budget category, reviewed by peer chamber executives and finalists complete an interview with experienced chamber professionals, with conflict-of-interest policies in place to ensure a fair competition. Learn more.

Read more about finalists from other categories: Category Two | Category Three | Category Four

Learn who will be the Category One Chamber of the Year at the #ACCE26 Awards Show on Tuesday, July 21 in New Orleans.
The Chamber of the Year program is sponsored by GrowthZone. Can’t make it? Follow @ACCEHQ on any social media platform to see who wins as it happens!