LANSING, MI– The Michigan Association of Chamber Professionals (MACP) recognizes four Detroit-area chambers of commerce as finalists for the Outstanding Chamber of Commerce Award—Mid-Size Category: The Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce, Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce, Livonia Chamber of Commerce and the Macomb County Chamber of Commerce are competing for the top prize against the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce this fall. Less than fifty chamber organizations in the state were eligible. Winners will be announced October 27, 2016 at the MACP Chamber Convention in Ann Arbor.

“Finalist chambers were selected for forward-thinking programming, collaboration, and leadership in their communities,” said Bob Thomas, MACP Director. “These chambers represent the best of the best in the state.”

The Outstanding Chamber of Commerce Award is presented to chambers of commerce based on a comprehensive application judged by leading chamber professionals from across 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. Finalists must score a minimum of 80/100 points on their total application. The highest scoring application will receive the annual award, modeled after the US Chamber of Commerce Accreditation process for recognizing best industry practices. The small chamber category is defined by annual revenue budgets between $250,000 and $750,000.

The Michigan Association of Chamber Professionals is the industry association for over 300 chambers in Michigan. Its mission is to build excellence in chambers of commerce through organizational and board-level resource support, professional development for chamber staff and to promote the importance of chambers of commerce across the state.