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SARASOTA, Fla. (September 25, 2018) – The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce earned its Certified Plus designation and won 2 awards for Outstanding Communications submissions at the Annual Florida Association of Chamber Professionals Conference this past week in Sanibel Island, Florida. The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, in addition to the Greater Tampa Chamber and West Orange Chamber, earned the Certified Plus designation, which only 19 Chambers hold in the State of Florida. This designation recognizes Chambers for sound business practices and for providing responsible and innovative programs to benefit their membership and denotes our Chamber as a leader in the state. “The Florida Association of Chamber Professionals congratulates the recipients of this prestigious distinction,” said Tammy C. Bracewell, President of FACP. “We are proud of each Chamber’s dedication and commitment to excellence within the business community. The Certified Chamber of Commerce program sets standards within the industry and recognizes chambers that have met those standards while offering guidelines for those to improve their effectiveness. In many ways, it is like the good housekeeping seal of approval for a chamber of commerce.” The other two awards were Outstanding Communications Excellence, and we submitted the Decide the Date campaign in the Public Relations category and our Annual Meeting Your Story videos in the Audio-Visual category. We won best in the State of Florida in both categories in a year with a record amount of submissions. These awards prove that your Chamber is a leader in many areas and we are working to bring innovative ideas to our business community to cultivate prosperity and quality of life through our member businesses. About the Certified Plus Designation: In, 2003, FACP implemented the distinction of Florida Certified Chamber to recognize standards of professional excellence in Florida. In 2012, the association enhanced its certification program to include a Certified Plus designation, for chambers of commerce that score an 86 or above during the judging process or are an Accredited Chamber through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Both the Certified and Certified Plus designations recognize chambers that have met high standards and strengthened free enterprise by protecting the business environment. ### About The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit organization that works to cultivate Sarasota's prosperity and quality of life through our member businesses. For more information, call 941-955-8187 or visit online at www.sarasotachamber.com. About the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals (FACP) FACP is a statewide organization whose mission is “Advancing excellence in chamber management” and whose vision is “Enhancing Florida's business communities by cultivating successful chamber professionals.” For more information, contact Tammy Bracewell, President, FACP, at 1-800-226-3269 or via email director@facponline.com.