Washington, D.C. - United States Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) congratulated the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, sponsor of the 2003 Maryland Congressional Procurement Conference and Exposition, on winning a prestigious award from the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE).
David T. Boddie, Executive Director of the 2003 Maryland Congressional Procurement Conference and Exposition and former Executive Vice President of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, will accept the coveted Award for Communications Excellence (ACE) at the ACCE’s 20th Annual Convention, scheduled for August 11-15 in Orlando, Florida.
The award recognizes the Maryland Congressional Procurement Conference and Exposition held July 10, 2003, at the Universities at Shady Grove Conference Center, which Boddie organized. Congressman Van Hollen was the Honorary Chair of the Conference and its keynote speaker.
“I was pleased to participate in this important event, which brought representatives from our local business community together with large and small businesses from around the region to further their knowledge and ability to take advantage of procurement opportunities, both within and outside of government,” stated Van Hollen. “The Chamber, and particularly David Boddie, worked tirelessly to produce an exciting and productive conference, and it was a privilege for me to serve as the Honorary Chair. David certainly deserves this prestigious award for his efforts.”
“In addition to opening doors and creating new business in our region, the conference enabled the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce to open its own doors to important segments of the business community, which up to that point had stood on the sidelines and not active with the chamber,” said Boddie. “Among new participants were Bechtel National, small businesses and leading technology firms attracted to the conference themes of communications interoperability and Homeland Security.” In addition to Maryland representation, the Conference attracted metropolitan Washington presenters and exhibitors Unisys Federal of Reston, Virginia and WMATA of Washington, D.C. Federal, state and local government procurement processes were examined, and large corporate and association procurement and purchasing needs were discussed.
“The Gazette, WJLA Channel 7 and Comcast donated tremendous advertising print space and air time, which greatly contributed to our success,” said Boddie
Honorary Chair Van Hollen presented the keynote address at the conference and exposition. Thirty-two concurrent workshops were held around a sold-out expo. Additional speakers at three general sessions included Lt. Governor Michael S. Steele, Washington Gas Chairman, President & CEO James H. DeGraffenreidt, Jr., and U.S. Department of Commerce Middle East Assistant Secretary Jay Brandes. Sponsors were Washington Gas, PEPCO, Web Emerse, EZ GSA, and many others. “Nicholas W. Brown, President, Affinity Network Solutions and Dr. DeVance Walker, Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, served on the Executive Committee,” said Boddie
County Executive Douglas M. Duncan and Fire Administrator Gordon Aoyagi were part of a consortium of 60 speakers and procurement experts who addressed the daylong event, which concluded with the farewell reception for former Police Chief Charles Moose.
Van Hollen will serve as Honorary Chair of the 2004 Procurement Conference and Exposition, which is scheduled for September 22, 2004 at the Universities at Shady Grove. Sponsors and presenters should contact the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce at 301-738-0015.
About ACCE
The entries receiving ACE Award for Merit meet and exceed the fundamental standards and criteria for communications excellence. This year’s ACE competitors drew 324 entries from chambers throughout the country. Forty-one judges spent over 200 hours of judging and provided comprehensive feedback for each participant. Judges’ backgrounds included experience in the fields of public relations, printing and design, special events planning, fundraising, journalism, economic development, web design and public policy.
The Awards for Communications Excellence (ACE) is an annual competition that recognizes excellence in all areas of communications. ACE continues to be the vehicle for the chamber community to promote effective chamber communications as well as highlight initiatives, introduce events and inform members.
“The ACE Awards truly recognizes and honors all of the hard work that each Chamber puts forth in their marketing communications,” said Beth Simos, Chair of the ACE Awards Committee and Director of Marketing and Communications at the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce. “They offer an educational opportunity for all Chamber marketing staff to learn new communication methods as well as enhance their individual Chambers’ marketing efforts based upon the judges comprehensive and valuable feedback.”
ACCE is proud to honor, reward and celebrate the achievements of outstanding communications programs, campaign and projects in the chamber industry,” added ACCE President Mick Fleming.
For more information about the ACE awards, contact Jennifer Ellis, Manager, Member Services for ACCE at 703-998-3550 or go to
www.acce.org for more information.
Established in 1914, ACCE is the only national association uniquely serving the professional development needs of individuals managing chambers of commerce throughout the United States and Canada. Representing more than 5,500 chamber professionals, ACCE enhances the industry knowledge, leadership skills, and management effectiveness of chamber executives through education, trend analysis, benchmarking, and best practices. ACCE promotes the highest standards of professional excellence and integrity within the chamber industry.