Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (CACCE) Names Honorary Lifetime Members

COLUMBIA, SC-  October 1, 2007 – The Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (CACCE) recognized two retired chamber executives from North Carolina and South Carolina at their Annual Management Conference at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, SC on Thursday, September 6, 2007 during the awards dinner.  Carroll Gray was honored as the recipient of the prestigious award from North Carolina and John Garman was selected from South Carolina.

Carroll Gray joined DesignStrategies, LLC (Greenville, SC and Charlotte, NC) as President in 2006 and is in charge of Planning and Community Development. Gray was CEO of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce for 21 years (10/84 to 12/05) and during his tenure grew the budget 1,340 percent. In 2005, the Charlotte Chamber was the largest privately funded chamber in the U.S.  During this period, the chamber helped attract more than 2,100 new and expanding companies, created more than 200,000 jobs and raised $17 billion in capital investment.

During John Garman’s tenure as President, the Anderson Area Chamber dues income increased 32 percent and total chamber income increased by 40 percent. Under his leadership, the chamber was the first in the nation to be awarded Five Star Accreditation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Garman was selected by CACCE as South Carolina Chamber Executive of the Year for 2003.  On August 17, 2006, the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) presented John T. Garman, CCE, with a Lifetime Member Award.

The CACCE Honorary Lifetime Member awards are given to those individuals who have made major contributions to the chamber of commerce industry and have made significant difference on economic development and other leadership endeavors in their region. An individual is nominated for honorary lifetime membership by a member of the Board of Directors.  This individual is a member in good standing with CACCE for a minimum of five years, has worked as Chamber professional for a minimum of ten years, or has retired from Chamber work.

CACCE is a professional development organization dedicated to improving the educational opportunities for chamber of commerce executives and staff members in North and South Carolina.  The organization was formed in 1994 when the North and South Carolina state chamber associations merged.  For more information on CACCE, or any of CACCE’s conferences or programs, call Erin Granger at 803.733.1123.