The Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce has been awarded Accredited status by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The prestigious honor puts Flower Mound among the top 3 percent of chambers nationwide.
“Accreditation validates a chamber as having programs that benefit their local economy and for positively influencing action in their community,” said Raymond P. Towle, U.S. Chamber Executive Director. “We applaud these organizations for advancing the principles of free enterprise.”
Jane Foster, Chairman of the Board of the Flower Mound Chamber, said the road to accreditation was long but well worth it.
“This past year, the executive staff of Cindi Howard, Kelly Heslep and Kathy Beahm and the Accreditation Committee spent countless hours completing the process. Our task, to demonstrate competency in nine core areas ranging from finance to facilities,” said Foster.
“In 2011, we hired an independent accounting firm to conduct a full financial audit. The result of our hard-work is evidenced by this impressive rating. We should all be extraordinarily proud of this milestone achievement.”
Cindi Howard, Executive Director of Operations of the Flower Mound Chamber, agreed.
“Becoming Accredited is a dream that often times seemed too far to achieve, however, with the help of our committee and the Executive Team we decided that we weren’t going to stop until we had succeeded. It was a true team effort,” said Howard.
Accreditation is the only national program that recognizes chambers for their effective organizational procedures and community involvement.
In order to receive Accreditation, a chamber must meet stringent standards in their operations and programs, including areas of governance, government affairs, and technology. This extensive self-review can take 6 to 9 months to complete. The final determination is made by the Accrediting Board, a committee of U.S. Chamber board members.
As of today, there are over 7,000 Chambers of Commerce in the nation and of them only 233 are accredited.
“We are fortunate to have a Board of Directors who believed this dream with us. This award places us in an elite ring of honor as one of only twenty out of the over six hundred chambers in the state of Texas to be an Accredited chamber.” added Kathy Beahm, Executive Director of Membership Services.
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.
“We continually strive for excellence and genuinely desire to serve our members in a meaningful and productive way,” said Kelly Heslep, Flower Mound Chamber Executive Director of Programs and Events.
“This award places us in the company of the most respected and successful chambers in the country. We are delighted.”
For more information on the Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce, contact them at 972-539-0500, [email protected] or www.flowermoundchamber.com.
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