Denver, CO (June 30, 2017) – Two American Cheese Society (ACS) projects, the ACS Certified Cheese
Professional® Exam and the ACS Safe Cheesemaking Hub, were recently honored with American
Society of Association Executive’s "Power of A" Awards.

The American Society of Association Executives, or ASAE, represents over 35,000 individual members
from over 7,400 trade organizations and professional societies. Their "Power of A" Awards highlight the
association community's valuable contributions to society on the local, national, and global level. The
awards honor the outstanding accomplishments of associations and industry professionals in the areas of
strengthening lives, forging a more trained and highly competitive workforce, enhancing the economy,
driving innovation, and making a better world.

The ACS Certified Cheese Professional® Exam (ACS CCP® Exam) was honored with a Gold “Power
of A” Award for its success in developing and advancing professions and professionalism within the
cheese industry. Just 23 Gold winners were honored this year, out of more than 150 entries. The ACS
CCP® Exam was launched by ACS in 2012 to support the artisan cheese industry by fostering education
and recognizing the skills, professionalism, and knowledge of individuals working across all domains of
the industry. The exam evaluates the knowledge and skills required to perform specific job activities
related to working with cheese, from the time it leaves the creamery to the time it reaches the consumer. There are currently more than 700 ACS CCPs® in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

ACS’s Safe Cheesemaking Hub was honored with a 2017 Silver “Power of A” Award for its valuable
content and innovative approach to collaborating with allied groups and reaching beyond membership to
work to enhance industry safety. This innovative website, launched in March 2017, serves as a “one-stop
shop” for resources, research, training, and tools to enhance industry food safety practices. The website
is focused on resources for small- to -mid-size producers and the retailers who sell their products in the
United States. Access to the site is available publicly, as the resources compiled on the site are vital to
the continued health and growth of the entire American artisan and specialty cheese industry.

Nora Weiser, ACS Executive Director, explains that as a small association, ACS strives to do a lot with a
little – focusing on new approaches to really help members and industry in meaningful ways. “It feels
great to have the association industry recognize our efforts as innovative and creative. We know our
members value the resources we work so hard to provide for them, and this is a nice validation that not
only do we serve our members, but we do so in ways that go beyond the usual association offerings.”

ASAE will promote this year’s “Power of A” Award winners through an Association Spotlight message to
its members, letters to elected officials, and promotional materials for “The Power of A” Summit Awards
Dinner on October 4, 2017 in Washington, DC, where this year’s winners will be honored.