KCCE Annual Awards Presented
At the 52nd Annual Celebration of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Executives (KCCE) last week, Shawna Burton of Greater Louisville, Inc. was named the 2017 Executive of the Year. Kent Oyler commented in his letter of recommendation that Shawna “is a very important part of our team. She leads by example.” Shawna has served on the KCCE Board of Directors for the past six years. She has been a mentor to many across the state with her knowledge of the chamber industry and her infectious personality. Shawna is a true professional and we are fortunate to have her as a part of our organization.
KCCE was proud to add two more awards to honor chamber personnel – Staff Member of the Year and Volunteer of the Year. The 2017 Staff Member of the Year was awarded to Katie Lopez of the Christian County Chamber of Commerce. Her dedicated work with military affairs and compassion for community growth and synergy were defining qualities of her application. The 2017 Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Steve Rinehart with the Danville – Boyle County Chamber of Commerce. His tireless work with workforce, the Teacher’s Academy and service on the chamber board highlighted his extensive application. We are honored to showcase these individuals with the understanding that no chamber executive is successful without a wonderful staff and no chamber staff is successful without dedicated volunteers.
Also at the awards dinner, KCCE designated one chamber in the state as a Kentucky Certified Chamber. This new designation is a blind, peer-reviewed best practices certification awarded to chambers who meet nationally benchmarked criteria on internal organization, processes, financial controls and service to members. The chamber that was honored with this designation was Hopkins County Regional Chamber of Commerce in Madisonville, KY The Kentucky Certified Chamber program is only the third of its kind outside of the U.S. Chamber Accreditation. It helps chambers analyze the policies and procedures they have in place as well as best practices in multiple areas. It also gives executives an additional tool to examine the inner workings of their organization and involve the board with this process.
KCCE also presented the following awards:
Outstanding e-Newsletter
(winners chosen based on layout, appeal & good mix of content)
Group I Mercer County Chamber of Commerce
Group II Danville - Boyle County Chamber of Commerce
Group III Bardstown-Nelson County Chamber of Commerce
Group IV Murray – Calloway County Chamber of Commerce
Group V Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Outstanding Website
(winners chosen based on design, layout and ease of navigation)
Group I Mercer County Chamber of Commerce
Group II Logan County Chamber of Commerce
Group III Frankfort Area Chamber of Commerce
Group IV Hardin County Chamber of Commerce
Group V Greater Louisville, Inc.
Outstanding Publication
Group II Woodford County Chamber of Commerce (Woodford Living Magazine)
Group III Bardstown – Nelson County Chamber of Commerce (Membership Directory)
Group IV Murray – Calloway County Chamber of Commerce (Chamber Viewbook)
Group V Greater Louisville, Inc. (Legislative Agenda Booklet)
Outstanding Special Event
Group I Cynthiana – Harrison County Chamber of Commerce (Walking Dead Festival)
Group II Logan County Chamber of Commerce (Tobacco & Heritage Festival)
Group III Marion County Chamber of Commerce (Country Ham Days)
Group IV Murray – Calloway County Chamber of Commerce (Annual Dinner)
Group IV Christian County Chamber of Commerce (Annual Dinner)
Group V Commerce Lexington (Emerge)
Group V Bowling Green Area Chamber (SCK Launch)
Outstanding Member Retention
Group I Cynthiana – Harrison County Chamber of Commerce (99.3%)
Group II Logan County Chamber of Commerce (96%)
Group III Marion County Chamber of Commerce (94%)
Group IV Somerset – Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce (94.6%)
Group V Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce (88%)
Group V Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce (88%)
Outstanding Membership Growth
Group I Greater Breckinridge Chamber of Commerce (12%)
Group II Woodford County Chamber of Commerce (9,6%)
Group III Marion County Chamber of Commerce (8.2%)
Group IV Somerset – Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce (8.4%)
Group V Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce (4%)
Outstanding Social Media
Group I Mercer County Chamber of Commerce
Group II Logan County Chamber of Commerce
Group IV The Chamber at St. Matthews
Group V Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
