VALDOSTA — After review by the United States Chamber of Commerce, the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce has again earned a five-star accreditation.

Out of the 7,000 local and state chambers around the nation, only 211 chambers are accredited, said Moore Hallmark with the United States Chamber of Commerce. The Valdosta-Lowndes chamber is one of 14 accredited chambers in Georgia, and it is one of 125 five-star chambers in the nation.

The accreditation process is a “very intensive, self-evaluative process that all chambers go through. It’s also a prestigious honor and distinction that signifies the high quality of expertise and strong leadership from the chamber and volunteer leadership,” Moore said.

When chambers are being accredited, Moore said they are judged on five different areas of operation: governance, finance, human resources, government affairs, program development, communications, technology, facilities and benchmarking.

“Accreditation is not permanent,” Moore said. “It must be examined and reissued every five years because five years from today, you may not be the same organization. In fact, you may be worlds apart from where you are today, and as representatives of the business and growth you must be ready to grow and change with it.”

When announcing the Valdosta-Lowndes chamber has earned another five years as a five-star chamber, Moore said, “Not only have you achieved the accreditation process, but you have far exceeded the basic requirements, and have, once again, been rewarded by receiving the five-star designation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.”

“It’s a big deal to be a five-star chamber. Thank you very much to the staff. They work so very hard to get to that,” said Lee McArthur, chairman of the chamber.

Myrna Ballard, president of the Valdosta-Lowndes chamber, said the honor of being designated a five-star chamber is a reflection of the Valdosta-Lowndes community.

“We have a five-star community here, and a five-star community deserves a five-star chamber, and what a five-star accreditation really means is that the Valdosta-Lowndes business community gets it,” she said. “They understand that by working together that our voice is so much stronger than if just one individual business is lobbying or advocating on behalf of an issue. They know that by working together, we have the opportunity to build the most pro-business community in Georgia.”

The Valdosta-Lowndes chamber has maintained a five-star accreditation since 2008. The Valdosta-Lowndes chamber has maintained accreditation for 30 years.

Jason Smith is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1257.