Last week, the Chamber was named a 2011 “Small Business Influencer Champion” by Small Business Trends and Small Biz Technology. The award, determined by more than 125,000 online votes and a judging panel, “honors companies, organizations, and people who have made a significant impact on the North American small business market.”

The Chamber was recognized for the annual America’s Small Business Summit, which brings together more than 600 small business owners, managers, and entrepreneurs from across the country to learn, network, and lobby their elected representatives in Washington, D.C.

This three-day event, now in its eighth year, offers tips for growing one’s business and insight from Washington leaders on pressing policy issues. The Summit also provides attendees with an opportunity—through the Rally on Capitol Hill—to educate members of Congress on the issues that are impacting their bottom lines.

“Being named a Small Business Influencer Champion shows that one of the most effective ways to influence small business issues is to ensure that they are given a voice in Washington,” says the U.S. Chamber’s Senior Vice President of Communications Tom Collamore. “America’s Small Business Summit is just one of the many ways the Chamber does that.”

Visit www.uschambersummit.com to start making plans to attend the next America’s Small Business Summit.