Auburn Hills Chamber Recognized as Outstanding Chamber in Michigan

I’ve often humorously referred to the Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce as the best Chamber of Commerce in Auburn Hills.  All joking aside, the Chamber does an outstanding job of representing the business community in Auburn Hills and also importantly, works cooperatively with the City.  Due to the fact that Auburn Hills has a substantial business presence, it is of course in the best interests of the Chamber and the City to provide outstanding services to the business community, in addition to the many quality services that we provide to the residential citizens and visitors to the City.  And while the City and the Chamber are two separate and distinct organizations, their Executive Director, Denise Asker, clearly sees the benefits and advantages to working closely with the City to achieve the mutual goal of strengthening our business base and contributing to its success.

So it comes as no surprise to me that on October 2, 2014 in Muskegon, at the Michigan Association of Chamber Professional Leadership Conference and Annual Meeting, the Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce was named Outstanding Chamber in Michigan.  “The Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce received this award based on its accomplishments in leadership and governance, financial stewardship, business advocacy and member programming,” said Bob Thomas, Director for the Michigan Association of Chamber Professionals. “Among the chamber’s noted achievements were the demonstration of financial stewardship required to grow from a small chamber to a mid-size chamber, its innovation in programming for women, its collaboration with other non-profits in the area, and the commitment to excellence in its governance structures.”

The Outstanding Chamber of Commerce award is presented to chambers of commerce that achieve high scores on a comprehensive application judged by chamber of commerce professionals from other state associations around the country.  Applicants must demonstrate quality, innovation, and effectiveness of programming in the areas of leadership and governance, finance, business advocacy and programming/membership development. The award is modeled after the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Accreditation process for recognizing best industry practices.

Based on the above criteria for selection, it is apparent that this is no cakewalk.  To receive the recognition our Chamber has received means you have to earn it.  This is not honorary.  And I can tell you firsthand that the staff of our Chamber, under the leadership of Ms. Asker, has earned it!

CONGRATULATIONS to the Staff, Board of Directors, Chamber Ambassadors and Committee Members.  And congratulations to the many businesses who are members of the Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce who now have bragging rights that they belong to this year’s Outstanding Chamber of Commerce in Michigan.

Tom Tanghe, City Manager