Recruiting and retaining member businesses is on the mind of Ben Looper as he prepares to serve as 2011 board chairman of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce.

Looper, 35, of Canton, president and CEO of Southeast Restoration Group, will accept the gavel during the organization's annual meeting next week.

He is succeeding Mark Goddard, manager of commercial marketing for Cobb EMC, who served as the chairman last year.

The meeting next Thursday at the Northside Hospital-Cherokee Conference Center begins with networking at 11 a.m. and lunch at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $67, and seats remain available.

Along with the gavel pass, the event includes the presentation of the First Citizen award, considered the county's top honor; and the Volunteer of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year awards as well as recognition of outgoing and incoming chamber board members. New this year will be the presentation of a Superior Customer Service Award.

Pam Carnes, president and CEO of the chamber, said 310 tickets have been sold so far, exceeding its goal of 300.

To recruit new and keep current members, Looper said he will interact with local businesses by using social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. He also wants to further enhance the chamber's website at www.cherokeechamber.com.

Continuing the promotion of the chamber's Going Green initiative, which encourages and recognizes local companies for accomplishments in conservation, is also on Looper's agenda for 2011.

The program started under the leadership of Goddard, who said the Chamber so far has received signed commitments to participate from 33 businesses.

"Thirty-three is a great number" for the first year of the new initiative, Goddard said.

Looper and the chamber board in February will start on an application to participate in the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives' Georgia Certified Chamber Program.

The state accreditation, he said, shows the public the chamber is committed to doing everything it can to be effective for its members.

The program gives local chambers an opportunity to review internal operations to ensure proper mechanisms are in place to manage finances, adhere to bylaws and to "flourish as an organization," Mrs. Carnes said.

The application is due in June, and the chamber could hear back from the state association as early as late summer or early fall, according to Mrs. Carnes.

Goddard said 2010 was a year of successes for the chamber.

The chamber added 196 new members, an increase from 177 added in 2009. Its rolls now include more than 974 members.

Goddard said he's proud of the roster growth, which he attributes to businesses' understanding of how important the chamber is.

"It's an opportunity for people to network," he said.

The chamber offers members services such as networking breakfasts and "after hours" events; ribbon cuttings and ground breakings; business expo and holiday market events; professional development programs; and job listing, business referral and promotional opportunities.

It held 74 ribbon cuttings in 2010, up by one from 2009, and broke ground for one business, down from three in 2009.

Looper received his associate's degree in business from Kennesaw State University.

In addition to his service with the chamber, he is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes board of directors. Looper is a past member of Lanier Joint Development Authority's board of directors, United Way of Cherokee County board, Crawford & Co. contactor board and contractor panel, Cherokee County YMCA board of directors, Hawks Ridge Golf Club steering committee and 2010 A Day for Reinhardt University executive committee.

He and his wife, Brandy, have three children, Kennedy, 10, Holden, 7, and Mabry, 4, and attend First Baptist Church of Canton.

As incoming board chairman, Looper said he's not only honored to serve the chamber members, but also all of Cherokee County.

"It's also an opportunity to promote the community throughout the state of Georgia," he said.