Chamber Gets Four Stars

The Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce once again places itself among the top Chambers in the country.

Recently, the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce announced that it had received its four-star accreditation from the United States Chamber of Commerce.

That comes after a comprehensive self-review of the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce’s policies, organizational procedures, and impact on the community.

Chamber officials said the organization had to demonstrate competency in nine core areas as part of the accreditation, ranging from finance to facilities.

Local Chamber officials said that having the four-star designation puts the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber among the top 3 percent of chambers nationwide.

Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce President Julie Paysen said countless hours were spent by staff, the Chamber board, and volunteers to complete the accreditation process.

“It is a huge undertaking,” said Paysen. “We had a huge team of volunteers headed up by Mr. Joe Ferguson, who gathered us all together and we each took a section. It is a super planning tool, but it took a lot work. We are grateful for the hard work and the reward we received in return.”

The Chamber said that other members of that accreditation team included Clay Fisher, Stacy Miller, Bill Wheeler, Greg Roach, Burt Holmes, Greg Pitts, Brian Akin, and Jane Pitts.