Grundy County Chamber receives prestigious recognition at state conference

The Grundy County Chamber of Commerce & Industry has been awarded the Outstanding Chamber of the Year by the Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (IACCE). The recognition was announced on November 15 during IACCE's annual conference at the President Abraham Lincoln Springfield DoubleTree hotel.

The IACCE honors chambers in two membership size categories among its over 140 members. This award highlights organizational excellence and allows for benchmarking chamber strengths, focusing on leadership, finance, advocacy, and membership development. Recipients are selected by members of the Mid-American Chambers Executives from a six-state area.

“The Grundy County Chamber of Commerce & Industry, under the leadership of President & CEO Christina Van Yperen, impressed the judges with their programs and outreach,” stated IACCE Executive Director Lisa Weitzel.

Van Yperen was joined by Events & Marketing Director Lena Wickens and Administrative Director Christy Kelly at the awards dinner attended by about 100 chamber professionals.

One highlighted project was the collaboration with Grundy Economic Development Council on the Grundy Resiliency Project. This initiative received a $600,000 grant from U.S. Economic Development to assist nuclear host communities in developing diverse economies. The funding supports local entities in evaluating economic impacts and community capacity building.

A judge commented on this project: “The Grundy Resiliency Project sounds like an excellent plan to inform and guide comprehensive community planning, business attraction, infrastructure investments, and marketing.”

In addition to this project, the award recognizes financial strength, advocacy work advancement, growing membership, and new programming such as Empower—an event focused on women’s mental health launched in 2023. The latest Empower event saw over 140 attendees participate in discussions on women's mental health.

“The growth and efforts recognized through this award have been years in the making," Van Yperen said. "But this year our team brought many projects and programs to the next level for our members and our operation." She added that receiving industry peer recognition is gratifying for all involved.

For more information about the Grundy County Chamber visit grundychamber.com or call 815-942-0113.