Walton County Chamber of Commerce: Rated Top Chamber in USA, 30-A.COM

Walton County Chamber Voted #1 in USA
www.waltoncountychamber.com

When the Walton County Chamber of Commerce went up against more than 3,000 other chambers in the annual competition hosted by the National Association for Membership Development, President and CEO Pam Tedesco knew it was going to be a tough fight. After all, it wasn't all that long ago that there was talk of shutting down the group and creating two smaller organizations to serve the northern and southern parts of the county.

Now the fight was on against groups from throughout the United States. Did the Walton County Chamber have the right stuff? Could it go the distance? Would it stay on its feet or be KO'ed?

No time for fear. First came the application and a boatload of statistics. Then a second application after making the first cut among organizations having the year's best statistics. Finally, the ultimate test: a face-to-face interview in Toronto before a panel of tough judges Ð a flurry of 10 questions to be answered in 20 minutes.

The result at the final bell? Walton County was named the national champ: Best Small Chamber for Membership Services and Programming. According to Pam Tedesco, it's been an uphill battle to bring the group from its near-closure to its current success. Pam credits the Board of Directors for their dedication to serving Walton County's business community and therefore putting the group back on track. These efforts gave Pam a good starting point when she came on board two years ago. Pam came to the area with her husband and children from upstate New York, where she was executive vice president for the Chemung County Chamber of Commerce for four years. She has also held positions in regional management positions with Manpower, Inc., as well as marketing and promotions for Sysco Foods. "Being named as the best small chamber in the nation is truly a phenomenal accomplishment for our chamber. It reflects the level of cooperation from all aspects of our organization's focus as indicated in our logo: business, community, government - working together. What's next? Further assistance for the business community as we continue to realize phenomenal growth, while guiding it according to the community's 20-year vision that resulted from our recently held input sessions. Maybe even being recognized as the nation's best medium sized chamber before too long!"