The Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce was named the 2021 Chamber of the Year for the state of Florida in the category of chambers of commerce with an annual budget of over $1 Million.
It’s the third time the Kissimmee/Osceola Chamber claims this award, last winning in 2017 – winners must sit out of the running for two years after winning.
The award was presented at the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals (FACP)’s Annual Conference last week in Jupiter.
It recognizes Florida chambers of commerce that excelled in areas like financial stability, membership recruitment and retention; governmental relations; strategic planning; technology; communications; special events; innovation and accomplishments over the past three years.
Among the accomplishments of the Kissimmee/ Osceola County Chamber during the past three years included: pivoting to utilize technology to engage with its members during the pandemic; transitioning from fair-share dues to a tiered dues structure, which resulted in an increased ratio of revenue to number of members, even with the onset of the pandemic; nominating and receiving two FACP Professionals of the Year Awards; and contributing $14,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors in Osceola County.
Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber President/ CEO John Newstreet deflected credit to its region-wide membership.
“The team here at the Chamber works hard, but the story we tell is made by our members,” he said.
In addition to Chamber of the Year, the chamber also won a Communications Award in the Public Relations category for their COVID-19 Rebound and Recovery email communications and COVID-19 resources webpage. That’s also the third individual award for the local chamber since 2018.
