The NACM Board of Directors has constantly been on the lookout for new ways to enhance the services provided to the membership. The NACM Board of Directors mandated the research that culminated in our new, national Mechanic’s Lien and Bond Service. “We feel strongly that NACM—whether locally or nationally—should be the first service provider of choice,” said Jim. “After all, when the day is done, NACM will be there for its members. NACM cares about its membership.”

“NACM Affiliate services—whether it’s industry credit groups, collection services or credit reports—are invaluable,” he added. “The networking and information shared through a credit group are must-have tools. You can’t create that kind of network for success without NACM.” Jim’s advice to the membership is simple: “Get involved with your NACM,” he said. “Whether it’s through a credit group or by attending local events, it’s an essential ingredient to success.”

One of the other strategic challenges Jim hopes to confront involves membership and revenue. “We must find a way to boost membership. This is where we—the members—can really make a big difference,” said Jim. “We, as credit leaders, can encourage our companies and our customers to join NACM. The benefits of membership continue to be enhanced—we need to market the value to both our companies and our employers.”

“I can’t think of a time that I attended an NACM Credit Congress or a teleconference, and didn’t learn something meaningful for my career,” said Jim. “I just attended the annual FCIB Global Conference in November and was simply blown away by the level and depth of the content of the sessions.”

The role of chairman is to provide guidance and direction to the entire Board with respect to strategic initiatives and objectives. “In order to lead, the chairman/chairman-elect must be able to effectively engage the Board and the membership as a whole, to work on and through the issues the Association faces,” said Jim. “It also involves listening to the membership and, to the best of our ability, effectively addressing any issues, concerns and/or suggestions that may be presented.”

“My job as Chairman will be to ensure that we, as an organization, continue to anticipate change; progressing with our members. NACM must continue to provide opportunities for professional growth to all credit professionals throughout their careers, without regard to size, industry or market position of the companies that employ them. As the guiding force of the organization, the Board must continue to look at the future of the Association,” said Jim, who admits that there are many challenges ahead. “In my opinion, the greatest challenge remains the fact that the profession is changing and evolving into more of a ‘customer financial services’ role, where the credit executive takes on more responsibility in areas such as treasury and risk management,” he said. “We, as the NACM Board, have an obligation to our members to provide and examine any and all resources to aid them in this change.”

JAMES A. FRIED, CCE, CCM Chairman, 2007-2008

You need not look too far to discover the greatest strength of our Association: it’s clearly the passion and commitment of each and every member. You can see both—the passion and commitment—in NACM’s Board members, Affiliate managers, local Affiliate boards and membership as a whole,” said Jim Fried, CCE, CCM, NACM’s National Chairman for 2008.

Fried went on to explain that as he has continued to pursue professional, continuing education through NACM for the past decade and a half, he has always been impressed by the commitment of his peers. At a local level, Jim said, NACM members have a thirst for education. “My peers have always wanted to be on the cutting-edge of credit issues so that they can lead their companies to creating more profit through the credit process. Knowing the intricacies of the credit function, whether it’s based in law, accounting, finance or customer relations, has always been paramount to me,” said Jim. “All facets of our organization—whether that’s CFDD, an NACM Affiliate, NACM-National or FCIB—continue to be the leading provider of education to today’s credit professional.”

Jim is manager-treasury operations & assistant treasurer for Timex Corporation in Middlebury, CT where he is responsible for worldwide treasury management (including cash management and investments), foreign exchange, insurance and risk management and worldwide credit and collections.

Prior to his service with Timex, Jim was a financial consultant in his own consulting practice, Working Capital Solutions, which worked with large and small companies in areas such as Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, credit and collection issues, risk management programs and cash management. His assignments included Kaman Industrial Technologies, Baumuller, Inc., Heating Oil Partners, Haynes Group and Levy, Diamond and Bello. Jim’s other positions included serving as regional treasurer for Pirelli North America, director of customer financial services for Edwards Systems Technology and director of credit and treasury for B/E Aerospace. He is an active member of the NACM National Board of Directors and served on the Hartford, CT Chapter Board of Directors for NACM. He also served on the Board of Directors for FCIB. Jim holds a B.S. in Accounting and Management from Post University (formerly Post College) in Waterbury, CT and a dual MBA in International Business and Finance from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT. He is also an ACAP instructor for NACM. Jim earned the Certified Cash Manager (CCM) designation from the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) in 1995, followed by NACM’s CCE designation in 1997.

The NACM Board continues to make strides in the areas of strategic planning and governance. “It’s been a pleasure—and exciting—to be part of an NACM Board of Directors that primarily focuses on strategy,” said Jim. “I’ve watched the NACM Board evolve into its current role as the director of strategic planning for the organization. We’ve been true to the organization’s vision statement, ensuring that as the advocate for business credit and financial management professionals, NACM realizes its position as the primary learning, knowledge and information source.”

The NACM and FCIB staffs are also on board. They continue to search for ways to fulfill their duties as the profession’s primary source of education and career growth. In the past six months, it was the NACM staff that asked the Board for approval to upgrade the search engine for the NACM Resource Library. “They also asked the Board to turn the Library into a benefit of membership, making it accessible at no extra cost through the NACM website,” said Jim. “This is a perfect example of the NACM Board and staff working together to set and realize the strategic direction.”

The FCIB staff realized that an online course would get them closer to their role as a primary learning and information source and again, with the FCIB Board’s vision and support, the staff was eager to move forward. “There are countless examples of our organization’s Board moving in tandem with the staff to realize the vision. The vision is the leading influence among all of us,” said Jim. “I’m proud to be part of that team.”

When asked to deliver a presentation on the Patriot Act to an NACM-Connecticut audience, Jim turned to both NACM and FCIB to prepare. “Between the Resource Library, Business Credit magazine, the FCIB Resource Library and information filled in by the staff, I had more information than I needed to prepare a first-rate presentation,” said Jim. “I’ve learned a lot of technical information through NACM and FCIB teleconference programs. It’s so simple: register online, receive the dial-in information and handout material, and you’re ready to go! All without leaving your office.”