New recognition platform gives residents and visitors an easy way to share great local experiences
The Huron Chamber of Commerce has launched Huron Accolades, a new community recognition platform designed to help residents, visitors, customers, clients, and supporters celebrate the businesses and organizations that make Huron County such a strong place to live, work, visit, and do business.
Huron Accolades gives people a simple way to share their love for local business. Whether someone has received outstanding service, enjoyed a memorable meal, found the perfect local product, worked with a helpful contractor, or seen a business going above and beyond for the community, they can now send an Accolade and help tell that story.
“Huron County is full of businesses and organizations doing excellent work every day, and we wanted to make it easier for people to recognize those moments when they happen,” said Colin Carmichael, Executive Director of the Huron Chamber of Commerce. “Huron Accolades gives the public a simple way to say, ‘that was great,’ while also giving local businesses meaningful testimonials they can share and celebrate.”
The platform is designed to support both recognition and visibility. When a business or organization receives an Accolade, it can be shared on social media, websites, newsletters, and other marketing channels as a testimonial. For small businesses, that kind of authentic community feedback can be especially valuable, helping to reinforce trust and highlight the real experiences of local customers and supporters.
Huron Accolades also builds on the Chamber’s 20-year history of celebrating local excellence through the Spirit of Success Awards. The awards have long recognized business achievement, community contribution, innovation, and leadership across the region. Huron Accolades adds a new year-round layer to that tradition by making it easier for recognition to begin with the people who experience local excellence first-hand.
In addition to serving as a public recognition tool, every Accolade may also support nomination consideration for local awards programs, including the Huron Chamber’s Spirit of Success Awards and the South Huron Business Excellence Awards, subject to each program’s eligibility criteria. That means a few words of appreciation can become both a testimonial for the business and a potential first step toward broader community recognition.
The new platform is also part of the Chamber’s wider effort to encourage people to shop local and support businesses throughout Huron County. Alongside ChamberPerks, Huron Accolades gives the Chamber another practical way to help residents and visitors discover, celebrate, and support local businesses.
“Shop local is not only about where people spend their money,” Carmichael said. “It is also about how we talk about local businesses, how we recommend them to others, and how we celebrate the people behind them. Huron Accolades gives the community a new way to do that.”
Businesses and organizations will be able to use Huron Accolades in practical ways as well. Registered participants can receive a custom URL and QR code that can be shared with customers, clients, visitors, and supporters. Those links can be placed on table-toppers, receipts, menus, stickers at the cash register, email signatures, websites, newsletters, posters, and social media posts, making it easy for people to send an Accolade in the moment.
For the public, the process is simple. Visit Huron Accolades, indicate the business or organization you want to recognize, and share a few words about what made the experience stand out. The Accolade is then sent to the recipient, giving them a chance to celebrate the recognition and share it with their own audience.
Huron Accolades is launching with a focus on local business recognition, but the platform has been designed with room to grow. Over time, it may also support additional awards and recognition programs led by other organizations, associations, BIAs, or community partners across Huron County.
For now, the Chamber’s message is simple: when a local business or organization makes your day, say so.
Send an Accolade. Share the story. Celebrate local.
The Huron Chamber of Commerce is one of Canada’s fastest growing Chambers, connecting community leaders since 1990. Representing businesses across Huron County, the Chamber focuses on growing the local economy, supporting business success, and strengthening our towns and villages. As an independent, non-profit organization, the Chamber advocates for business and community interests, facilitates collaboration, and convenes stakeholders to develop and support a vibrant and thriving county.