Nashville Area Chamber Receives National Recognition for Innovative Education and Communications Efforts
This week, a record number of chamber leaders converged on Nashville’s Music City Center for the Association Chamber of Commerce Executives’ (ACCE) annual convention. This three-day conference showcased Middle Tennessee to some of the nation’s top business and economic development leaders. With more than 1,200 member chambers, ACCE represents business organizations in 92 of the top 100 metro areas in the U.S., as well as in many smaller communities throughout North America. As the host city chamber, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed peers from across the country while challenging conventional thinking in order to propel the region forward.
During the conference’s annual awards show, the Nashville Area Chamber received ACCE’s Regional Innovation Award for their work with Middle Tennessee Reconnect. This award recognizes organizations committed to building strong and vibrant communities through groundbreaking collaboration and program development, focusing efforts on an innovative economy, livable communities, social inclusion and a collaborative style of governance.
"As we continue to pursue our state Drive to 55 goal, the work of the Nashville Chamber has been crucial in connecting adults with higher education and ensuring we are linking adult learners with in-demand, high wage degree programs,” says Mike Krause, executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
Middle Tennessee Reconnect Community is a 9-county collaborative dedicated to supporting adults to enter or re-enter higher education and move through to completion of a postsecondary degree or high-level credential in order to move into a career pathway or move forward with their current employer. This collaborative includes public and private nonprofit postsecondary education institutions, the region’s three workforce development boards and community and employer partners. For more information about Middle Tennessee Reconnect, visit midtnreconnect.org.
In addition to receiving the Regional Innovation Award, the Nashville Area Chamber received an ACCE Award of Communications Excellence for their 2016 Regional Economic Development Guide. This comprehensive profile showcases the business economy in the Nashville region, including data around demographics, economy, workforce, target sectors and case studies regarding regional business successes. Click here to view this year's guide and to learn more about economic development in the Nashville region.
“Site selection consultants informed us about the type of information needed in order to best evaluate and compare economic regions, and we developed this all-inclusive guide based on their feedback,” says Courtney Ross, chief economic development officer at the Nashville Area Chamber.
The 2017 ACCE Convention was made possible through the generous support of many sponsors and exhibitors, including organizations and businesses that have close ties to the Nashville Area Chamber. The Nashville Chamber Host City Partners include Calvert Street Group, Ford Next Generation Learning, Infintech, LLC, Livability.com and The Tennessee Valley Authority.