Reach for the Stars

For more than 40 years, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has offered the Accreditation program to recognize chambers that stand out from the crowd. Accredited chambers employ the most widely acknowledged elements of success in critical areas of organization structure, leadership, and operations. We believe this program has extreme benefits for the chamber as an organization and for our members.

Board Chairman Brett Reum, Ryan-Reum Insurance says, “The Kankakee Regional Chamber of Commerce is over 100 years old, and still the Board of Directors is committed to keeping the organization fresh and vibrant. Some of the initiatives that have been started to meet this commitment are working together to meet U.S. Chamber accreditation standards, development of new partnerships and relocation to our new home. The change is all part of the Chamber’s strategic plan to strengthen the economic vitality of its members and the 21 communities we serve.”
 

The Chamber’s Vice Chairman of Government Affairs, Brenda Baird of Baird Consulting says, “The U.S. Chamber Accreditation program nationally recognizes state and local chambers on the quality of the organization’s performance. Most importantly, it provides an excellent reference guide for the chamber to use through its future strategic planning process. These plans will provide the framework for improved programs of work, program policies and operations which benefit Kankakee County and the many businesses we serve. It’s an exciting time to be involved!”

Accreditation will help the Kankakee Regional Chamber of Commerce achieve national, regional, and local recognition for leadership, contributions to the community, and organizational operations. The process will allow us to review, improve, and promote sound business practices, bylaws, policies and procedures.
 

Chambers must apply for reaccreditation every five years. The Kankakee Regional Chamber of Commerce is currently going through this process. Accreditation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce defines excellence in chamber planning and performance and shows chambers how to reach and maintain these standards. It helps measure achievement and recognizes members and staff who contribute to the good of their communities.

The Accreditation process will give us the opportunity to define strengths and weaknesses in nine critical areas.

• Governance
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Government Affairs
• Program Development
• Communications
• Technology
• Facilities
• Benchmarking

Examples of organizational success are recognized by a star ranking. The final ranking, Accredited, 3-Stars, 4-Stars, or 5-Stars, depends on the chamber’s ability to meet the nine standards of excellence. With only one 5-Star Chamber in the state of Illinois (Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce), we hope to acquire this elite status.

Pam Dunlap of Peoples Bank, Vice Chairman of the Chamber’s Internal Affairs says, “The reaccreditation process is an intensive self-assessment. We are very fortunate to have community leaders, with expertise in many different areas, contributing to that process.” We would like to thank all our volunteers that are currently helping us go through reaccreditation. We really appreciate it!