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The Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce achieves five-star status
By Heather Murrie
Contributing Writer
The Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce is seeing its star rise among other U.S. chambers. This month the U.S. Chamber of Commerce awarded the Charleston chamber with a five-star accreditation, the highest ranking possible.
“I received a phone call from the U.S. chamber last Wednesday in which they were just kind of quietly informing me at that time. It is a huge honor, and we worked very hard to achieve this goal,” said Charles Van Ryssleberge, the Charleston chamber’s CEO.
This status has been awarded to 20 out of 332 chambers nationwide. The USCC boast’s that “the brightest examples of organizational excellence are recognized by their three to five star ranking.”
Some other Southeastern chambers that have achieved this status are South Carolina’s Anderson and Spartanburg chambers, as well as Mobile, Ala., and Orlando, Fla.
The USCC has offered the accreditation program for more than 40 years. Thirty years have passed since the chamber had applied for this accreditation. When Van Ryssleberge became CEO in 2003, he almost immediately presented obtaining the accreditation as a chamber goal.
The accreditation program recognizes chambers that are unique and that use elements of success in critical areas that include finance, facilities, technology, governance, communication, government affairs, program development, organizational structure and human resources.
“(Such recognition) is largely about our big ideas. We tackle projects that have a large impact on the community,” said Brian Moody, chamber chairman.
Van Ryssleberge added, “We have a significant focus on what I would call community and regional infrastructures that impact the Lowcountry.”
Successes include the “Vote Yes Campaign,” which will generate $1.3 billion for infrastructure improvements in the Lowcountry through the half-cent sales tax, he said.
“We have also aided in the growth of all levels of education and have made progress in military base retention. We have 28,000 military; 1,100 of those jobs were on the list for transfer, eliminating the positions in the Lowcountry. We are fighting for 500 of those jobs,” Van Ryssleberge said.
Among other national contributions, the chamber feels that Charleston plays a significant role in the war on terror.
“Over 30 percent of the supplies that are sent over to Iraq come through Charleston,” Van Ryssleberge said.
Moody anticipates that the recent five-star accreditation “will improve our membership drive, which will in turn only improve our community involvement.”
For the immediate future, the chamber’s strategic objectives for 2006 include:
Education. To mobilize the resources and leadership necessary to achieve excellence in academics and career preparation.
Growth. To facilitate a balance between sustainable economic growth and a healthy community environment by increasing quality jobs and average annual wages.
Public Policy/Government Reform. To be the leader in building coalitions and mobilizing resources for the purpose of electing quality candidates and strengthening business influence in the adoption of sound public policy.
Regional Advancement. To build consensus among community leaders and create a shared vision of cooperation and trust to effectively address regional issues.
Resource Development. To establish, implement and maintain a comprehensive resource plan that ensures financial stability and growth, effective internal operations and a positive image in the community.
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