METAIRIE, LA — The Jefferson Chamber has been named an “Award of Excellence” winner in the Communications Excellence awards program presented by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). ACCE, an Alexandria, Va.-based association, represents more than 8,000 chamber of commerce professionals, and 1,300 chambers of commerce, around the world.

ACCE’s annual Awards for Communications Excellence, sponsored by Golden Openings, Inc., is designed to showcase top communications and marketing work of chambers of commerce and similar organizations. Several thousand award entries have been submitted since the launch of the organization’s Awards for Communications Excellence, which is now in its 34^th year.

The Jefferson Chamber received an Award of Excellence for its LiveWell Jefferson Campaign. LiveWell Jefferson was formed in early 2017 as a new initiative of the Jefferson Chamber focused on creating and cultivating a culture of health and wellness among the business community and residents of Jefferson Parish. The LiveWell Jefferson campaign strives to produce more productive employees, help attract and retain talent, build staff morale, combat employee absenteeism, minimize staff turnover and reduce healthcare costs for employers. More information can be found on www.livewelljefferson.org.

A panel of communications and marketing professionals from five U.S.-based chambers of commerce evaluated entries, which were organized by category — based on the chamber’s annual budget — and entry type: advertising and marketing, campaigns, digital and publications. With more than 150 entries submitted in 2018, judges recognized 13 entries as Grand Award winners and 41 as Award of Excellence winners. Three Best in Show awards will be announced July 18 at the ACCE Annual Convention in Des Moines, Iowa.

In conjunction with the LiveWell Jefferson Campaign, three members of the Jefferson Chamber team will be presenting at the “Catalysts for Healthy, Prosperous Communities” seminar at the ACCE Convention.

The LiveWell Jefferson Campaign materials were designed in partnership with Buisson Creative.

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About the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives
The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, founded in 1914, serves more than 8,000 chamber of commerce professionals, and 1,300 chambers of commerce or similar organizations, around the world. ACCE’s members come from nearly each of the largest 100 metropolitan regions in the United States. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, the mission of ACCE is to support chamber professionals so they can lead their communities. Learn more about us by visiting www.ACCE.org.

About the award sponsor, Golden Openings, Inc.
Golden Openings, Inc., sponsor of the Awards for Communications Excellence, is a one-of-a kind business that offers a wide variety of products and services for grand opening, ribbon cutting, ground breaking and key to the city needs. The company has been in business over 17 years and has coordinated over 10,000 events and worked with over 8,000 chambers.  Golden Openings’ many awards include the 2017 U.S. Chamber of Commerce ‘Dream Big’ Small Business of the Year and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce 2017 ‘Community Champion’ award.  For more information, visit www.goldenopenings.com.

Louisiana’s health rankings are shockingly low, with Jefferson Parish falling to 12^th in overall health out of all 64 parishes. LiveWell Jefferson, a new health & wellness initiative of the Jefferson Chamber formed earlier this year, is looking to shine a light on those companies that support a culture of health and wellness in the workplace in Jefferson Parish.

LiveWell Jefferson has created two opportunities to showcase how your company is creating a healthier workforce:

LiveWell Champions is a designation through the Jefferson Chamber that recognizes companies that foster a workplace focused on health and wellness. This designation is opened to all companies in Jefferson Parish, regardless of membership with the Jefferson Chamber. In order to receive the designation of a LiveWell Champion, companies must first become a Level 3 Well-Ahead Well Spot and reach certain benchmarks based on 5 pillars of health: Nutrition, Physical Activity, Tobacco Cessation, Work-Life Integration and Environment.

The LiveWell Healthy Business Awards highlight and celebrate members of the Jefferson Chamber that are actively engaged in healthy initiatives in the workplace and provide ideas for healthy changes that can be made within the organization. In order to be eligible for a LiveWell Healthy Business Award, businesses must be members of the Jefferson Chamber.  Those organizations with representatives serving on the Chamber’s Health and Wellness Committee are not eligible to participate. Awards are given according to organization size. Winners will be recognized at the Chamber’s Business Awards Luncheon in the Spring of 2018.

For more information on the LiveWell Campaign or to apply for the LiveWell Champions and LiveWell Healthy Business Awards, contact Christy Marino at christy@jeffersonchamber.org or 504-835-3880.