NISSWA, Minn. – GrowthZone, provider of ChamberMaster, the market leader of member management software and services, recently announced the winners of its 2017 Chamber Innovation Awards competition.
The competition recognizes innovative programs, events, and ideas that challenge the status quo. Entries were received from a wide array of chamber organizations of all sizes and from across the globe.
The winners were selected by a distinguished panel, including Chamber Pro Frank Kenny, Shari Pash of Strategic Solutions for Growth, and the ChamberMaster team.
Entries were judged on creativity, community impact, value to chamber, value to members, and replicability. The overall competition winner was awarded the $1500 grand prize. Three additional $500 prizes were awarded to the first-place winner in each of the following categories: Small Chamber (400 members or less), Medium Chamber (401-999 members), and Large Chamber (1,000+ members).
Vail Valley Partnership (CO) was awarded the Grand Prize for its SmartBusiness Eagle County program. Also earning top recognition was the Large Chamber winner, Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce (MI), with their Moving Flint Forward initiative; the Medium Chamber winner, Visalia Chamber of Commerce (CA), for its Visalia SOUP event; and Small Chamber winner, Scottsbluff/Gering United Chamber of Commerce (NE), for its Strengths Finder Training.
“Our region is blessed to be home to a number of high-quality resources that support businesses and entrepreneurs. But, it’s a complicated world, and it’s rare that business owners and entrepreneurs are familiar with all the resources available to them to support and grow their business ventures. Knowledge is power, and missing access to an available resource can mean the difference between success and failure. We created the SmartBusiness Eagle County program to create a single point of contact for all local & regional business needs. The result is a coordinated network of resource partners that will quickly route businesses to valuable information, available programs, experience, and expertise to help businesses succeed. We are honored to be recognized by GrowthZone” said Chris Romer, Vail Valley Partnership president & CEO.
Honorable Mentions included the Plano Chamber of Commerce (TX), Greater Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce (NC), Shelby County Chamber of Commerce (IN), Excelsior Springs Area Chamber of Commerce (MO), and Waupaca Area Chamber of Commerce (WI).
“Each year, the chambers have raised the bar by bringing fresh, imaginative ideas to the forefront of the chamber world. The innovation and creativity of the submissions is truly inspiring. With over 100 entries this year, it was exceedingly difficult to narrow down the finalists. We are grateful to Frank and Shari not only for evaluating the submissions, but for their continued passion for helping member-based organizations grow and succeed,” commented John Cook, GrowthZone VP of Marketing.
The top five innovators will be featured in The Big Book of Chamber Ideas, scheduled for release this fall.
About GrowthZone
With headquarters in Nisswa, Minnesota, GrowthZone, providers of ChamberMaster Membership Management Software, has helped close to 3,000 member-based organizations grow and retain membership, generate revenue, engage and communicate with members and prospects, and streamline their day-to-day operations. For more information, visit http://www.growthzone.com/.