Articulating these changes will enhance the quality of NACM National. With the accelerating pace of technology, we plan to focus on presenting educational opportunities over the Internet. As time revolutionized inventory management, the Internet will provide you access to education when and where you need it.
Your Association must build value for each member and embrace the many changes taking place now and in the years to come. There is no doubt in my mind that radical change, with the introduction of competition, will lead to a complex transition in the future. Our strategy is and will be to continue to offer well defined services. This strategy will continue to create an environment that will enhance our professional standing and power. That strength must be demonstrated in continued development of these areas: information, education and continued leadership in the professional arena. NACM is committed to helping you succeed locally, regionally, nationally and globally.
Your comments and suggestions for possible improvements are welcome; I encourage you, our most valued member, to call me. Together we can make a difference. Furthermore, members wishing to participate in realizing our vision through volunteer work—at the committee level, through writing or speaking—we welcome your participation. Certainly, the greater your knowledge and understanding of NACM National, the greater the likelihood you will be able to help us reach our goals.
I am very optimistic about the future of NACM National and proud of our many achievements. I truly believe the year 2000 will be a year of transition and a “new beginning”. I ask you to help your Association weather the events of these past few years and the challenges we will all face as we begin the new century. Let’s preserve our rich NACM history! It is with great appreciation that I thank Lloyd Riffer, CCE, the National Board of Directors and you, the members, for this distinct honor. Most importantly, I am sincerely committed to fulfilling the responsibilities and future challenges of the Chairmanship today and well into the next millennium.
ROBERT J. SABOL, CCE Chairman, 1999-2000
Thanks in large part to our National Board of Directors, I have been given the task of leading your Association into the next millennium. As Chairman of your National Board of Directors, I plan to focus on our organizational achievement and development of our credit professional needs. The core ideology will not change, as they are essential to our mission and goals. Education of our members will always be my first priority and providing each member with comprehensive educational programs will remain a priority of the Association. Today’s credit professionals must maintain a leading edge through the pursuit of knowledge and professional designations. This is a time of great opportunity and an excellent time to let you know “where we are going and how we are going to get there”. In reality, the responsibility for ensuring that your Association exceeds the highest standards possible, lies with the Chairman, the National Board of Directors, our President, Paul J. Mignini Jr., CAE and his capable staff in Columbia, Maryland. Together, NACM® National will make an assessment of 1999 and look to the year 2000, recognizing that we are committed to creating a much stronger future for you, our members.
Needless to say, I am extremely pleased and encouraged by the progress NACM has made during its 103 years of existence. NACM has continued to improve upon its vision—to be the premier global association for credit and financial management. NACM is the voice of the business credit professional across the nation and on Capitol Hill. We have expanded its reach across the border into Canada by founding NACM-Canada, and our international arm, FCIB, represents credit professionals worldwide. NACM’s reach is truly global—something that O. G. McMechan, the credit manager in Toledo, Ohio who had a vision to establish a national credit association, would be proud of.
NACM has provided credit managers worldwide with standards of excellence. Through education and services, NACM, FCIB, CRF and CFDD have helped bolster this profession to become an integral part of today's corporate management team.
I believe an association should measure its progress by how each member benefitted over the past 103 years. Perhaps the most important question each member should ask is: “Have I personally achieved my goals whether they be education, certification or a myriad of equally important professional needs?” Finally, has NACM National provided you—the NACM member—with tangible resources to ensure that you can accomplish your goals? In essence, these thought provoking questions describe NACM’s determination to be the premier global Association, supporting you, the business credit professional.
NACM National will journey into the future by maintaining and improving our competitive edge on a global scale. We must seize new growth opportunities by successfully positioning our Association both domestically and internationally. That will not be an easy task. The surest way to achieve growth will require creativity and discipline in an environment that is constantly changing. Innovation in our core services will be among the most important of tasks for the President and the National Board of Directors. Increased accessibility to those core services will be aided by technology that is revolutionizing the Association as well as the companies where we now work. My intention is to continue pursuing new opportunities related to our core services and improve the quality of our current services.
In an environment of rapid change and increasing pressure to do more with less, NACM affiliates continue to generate superior products and services—from collection and adjustments to credit reporting and group services. NACM National provides leading educational publications and organizes national events such as the annual Credit Congress—NACM is committed to supporting the credit professional, without compromising the quality of services inherent in our operations. Carefully woven into our Association is a clear and realistic understanding of what our members need, as well as a focused plan of what our future role will be.