FORT COLLINS — The Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce has received five-star accreditation for the third time. It is one of two chambers in the state and one of 190 chambers across the country to receive accreditation.

The award comes from the United States Chamber of Commerce, which had its board meeting last week. The Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce received a four-star rating; Fort Collins has the only five-star chamber.

“Now more than ever, chambers of commerce have stepped up to serve as a resource to the  business community and advocates of free enterprise,” Raymond P. Towle, U.S. Chamber vice president of Federation Relations and Institute for Organization Management, said in a written statement. “Through the pandemic these chambers continue to lead while maintaining transparent governance practices, sound financial controls, safe work environments, value in programming and effective communications. They are commended for their sound policies and practices, and for this great accomplishment.”  

Accreditation is the only national program that recognizes chambers for effective  organizational procedures and community involvement. In order to receive accreditation, a  chamber must meet minimum standards in operations and programs, including areas of governance, government affairs and technology. This extensive self-review can take six to nine months to complete.  

“In a way, accreditation is validation. It is external validation that compared to our peers and a set of exacting national standards, the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce is  performing at a very high level for our members and the community,” said Ann Hutchison,  Fort Collins chamber president and CEO. “It has been the expectation of our board of  directors that we participate in this program, which is voluntary and involves a significant  amount of work.

“But it’s worth it because it forces us to methodically examine what we’re doing and focus  on making improvements. To remain at the highest level of accreditation for the third time  is very gratifying,” said Hutchison. 

The accreditation application, which took several months to complete.The chamber received perfect scores in the human resources, communications, facilities and benchmarking sections of the application. 

The accreditation examining committee noted the chamber’s work with Northern Colorado Prospers, Reignite Our Economy, WorkinNorthernColorado.com talent portal and business retention and expansion efforts. The chamber was also recognized for its leadership roles in regional initiatives including The Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance and the Fix North I-25 Business Alliance. 

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