News, Information and Commentary
January 2020
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Bring up the lights, the show is beginning
A few thoughts from
Jon Flora, President & CEO
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Welcome to 2020. There’s always something exciting about the curtain rising on another new season. This year is sure to be a production beyond the imagination of even the most creative of us. An election with an unusual cast of characters, a crazy world with players difficult to describe, and an economy that seems to defy prediction. Hopefully, we'll also have some comic relief in the coming 12 months.
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What’s in store for NACM Business Credit Services 2020? Education is center stage. A year of monthly webinars featuring interesting topics - all presented at no charge to our members. You can link to information on what’s coming by clicking on the link presented later in this enews.
In response to many requests, we are offering multiple online classes about how to master the Excel spreadsheet. From simple to advanced skills, you learn more about this important tool from a great teacher. Course descriptions, tuition, and registration follows.
On January 23rd, the Hawaii Credit Forum returns to Honolulu with a day of presentations on Collections, Credit working with Sales and Marketing, Automation and more. It’s always a great day of education and networking. Register today by clinking on the link in the article below.
And that’s just in January!
National Credit Congress is coming in June to Las Vegas. Now is the time to apply for a scholarship if you need help attending. Through our Business Credit Foundation, four awards covering the full cost of registration will be awarded in mid-February. Click on the link below to take you to the guidelines. If you qualify, fill out the form and submit by February 14
th.
Finally, this enews includes an economic forecast for 2020 prepared by our colleagues at the Credit Research Foundation. Five experts contributed their views to this interesting piece that will hopefully be helpful to you as you prepare for to go forth into the New Year.
Here’s to a prosperous and interesting New Year. We wish you the best for success and thank you for being part of our NACM BCS family.
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MEET A MEMBER: TIMBERLAND BANK
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Timberland Bank has been a member of our association for 20 years. The bank has a long history of serving local communities and doing it well. So well, in fact, NACM BCS recently moved our business to them.
Their president, Mike Sand, was recently interviewed by South Sound Business. Click below to learn more about the bank.
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WE'RE GETTING READY TO SHIP OUT TO
THE 4th ANNUAL
HAWAII CREDIT FORUM
January 23, 2020 - Honolulu
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Join us in Honolulu for the 4th annual
Hawaii Winter Credit Forum
. Paul Krause, Jaime Gibson, and Jon Flora will be leading the program along with new and different speakers on a variety of topics including:
- Collections
- Credit working together with Sales and Marketing
- Automation in Credit
- A panel of experts to answer any and all questions you have
- Cocktails and pupus
- And, more!
If you're a
k
amaaina
, this is the biggest and best educational program of the year. And, if you're from the other 49 states, i
t's a great time to visit the 50th state to learn and relax...with affordable airfares and hotel rates.
Don't wait! Click below for more information and registration.
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SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS FOR CREDIT CONGRESS DUE FEB. 1ST
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If you'd like to attend National Credit Congress in Las Vegas but you and your company are light on funds, our Business Credit Foundation is prepared to help. Check out the guidelines and apply below:
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CREDIT CONGRESS GOES BACK TO LAS VEGAS IN JUNE
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Plan to be part of the year's biggest educational and networking event this spring June 14-17. Excellent presentations along with all the fun that is Las Vegas. Click below for information and registration.
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THE CREDIT ROUNDTABLE - #9 Letting an Attitude of Gratitude work for you 2020
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As the New Year gets under way, it's a great time to consider what you have to be grateful for and how that spirit of gratitude can impact your life.
In this episode, we talk with our good friend David Brooke,
That Gratitude Guy
. David discusses the benefit of keeping a daily journal and how an attitude of being grateful can change your life. Click below to listen to this and all previous podcasts.
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HAPPENING THIS MONTH
Microsoft Office
Online Training Courses
Offered in collaboration with NACM Commercial Services
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EXCEL CALCULATIONS & CHART INTRODUCTIONS
January 14th; 10:00 - 2:00 PST
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n this course, students are introduced to the fundamentals of using Excel to perform calculations and create charts. They will learn the advantages of using Excel to perform calculations, different methods to perform calculations, how to display and read existing formulas, and create dynamic charts for effective visual data presentation.
Member Pricing: $135.00 PP
Non-Member Pricing: $175.00 PP
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EXCEL DATABASE & LIST MANAGEMENT
January 21st; 10:00 - 2:00 PST
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In this course, students learn the power of Excel as a database. Topics include understanding what Excel requires in the setup of a database, database terminology, how to sort and filter records, setting the data up in an easily managed, good looking table, outlining and doing data subtotals, the power of Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts and more.
Member Pricing: $135.00 PP
Non-Member Pricing: $175.00 PP
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ALSO BEGINNING IN JANUARY
2020 MONTHLY WEBINARS
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Our third year of Monthly Webinars has begun. We again partner with colleagues in California, Nevada, Missouri and Nevada to offer an interesting series of programs designed to help you be at the top of your game as a credit professional. A wide variety of topics offers something for everyone.
Best of all, our
Monthly Webinars are
FREE for our members and customers. Plan to join in for some or all in 2020. And, bring your colleagues!
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The Monthly Webinar Series is a collaboration of:
NACM Business Credit Services
NACM Heartland
Credit Management Association
Southwest Business Credit Services
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SUPPORT INDEPENDENT LOCAL JOURNALISM
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The media world has changed dramatically in the last two decades. Mergers and consolidations have resulted in a loss of local ownership and quality journalism.
There are no longer any locally-owned TV stations in Seattle, and print journalism is struggling immensely in all of the markets NACM BCS serves. The result is that we have a sorely misinformed and divided populace that is being asked to vote, pay taxes for things they may not fully understand, and help make good decisions about their communities - often based on incomplete or incorrect information.
Our member, The Seattle Times, recently presented the following editorial. We urge you to read it, subscribe to your local paper, and take time to know what is happening where you live. Click below for more:
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PUGET SOUND REAL ESTATE REVS UP ONE MORE TIME
If current trends hold, spring may bring a return to the housing market frenzy of two years ago, brokers say, spelling bad news for affordability around Puget Sound.
It's not just Seattle and King County.
Markets are particularly tight in South Puget Sound and Kitsap Peninsula, too.
Read more from our member:
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HOW BOEING LOST ITS WAY
Boeing's new 737 Max has presented unprecedented challenges for the century-old company. Much will be written about this debacle that has parked 400 new jet awaiting approval from the FAA.
The accompanying article from The Atlantic does a particularly good job of looking at failures of leadership by CEO's and the company's Board of Directors. Moreover, the story examines the change of culture that followed the 1995 merger with McDonnell Douglas.
Read more from:
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U.S. POPULATION SLOWS DOWN. WASHINGTON INCREASES 91,000; HAWAII LOSES 5,000 RESIDENTS; ALASKA LOSES 3,600
The U.S. saw its lowest natural increase in population in decades in 2019, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The trend reflects a lower number of births and increasing number of deaths. The data found 42 states and Washington, D.C. had fewer births in 2019 than they had in 2018.
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BP ALASKA SAYS HALF OF ITS PEOPLE WILL NOT GO TO HILLCORP AFTER MERGER
Washington ranks sixth among the top 10 states benefiting from the cruise-ship industry spending.
The cruise industry contributed $837 million to the state’s economy, representing 3.5% of all direct spending in the U.S. industrywide.
Seattle-based Holland-America is a member of NACM Business Credit Services as is:
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Our colleagues at the Credit Research Foundation have gathered projections from five respected authors. Each offers their view of the coming year.
To quote our friends at CRF: "
This is truly an extraordinary body of work and we are extremely grateful to the authors who devoted time and energy to share their thoughts with our community!
We are glad to share their work and hope you enjoy it. Click below:
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As our lives fill with all kinds of automation, security can be a concern. In its recent customer newsletter, State Farm Insurance included suggestions for how to manage your digital assistant. We're glad to share it here.
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Washington's Legislature convenes for a 60 day session on January 13th. NACM BCS will be monitoring their activities on behalf of our member companies, and will alert you to anything that requires active involvement by our membership. We remain concerned about new efforts to increase tax on businesses - especially smaller companies.
Among the key topics we will be following include:
- Possible new attempts to pass a Capital Gains Tax
- I-976 budget adjustments and Court cases
- Additional business taxation for homelessness programs
- Road use charging in place of the gas tax (see below)
Additionally, we will keeping an eye on Seattle and other municipalities for any new laws or taxes that may impact our member businesses.
Finally, we also will be watching watch the legislatures of Alaska and Hawaii for initiatives in those states.
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WASHINGTON TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION TO RECOMMEND MILEAGE FEE IN LIEU OF GAS TAX
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Like several states, Washington's legislature has come to the realization that users of electric and fuel efficient vehicles don't spend as much money on gasoline. The result is less gas tax money being generated for road construction. As a replacement, the State's transportation commission is recommending implementaton of a per mile charge for cars and trucks as a replacement. Read more to learn more about the impact on you and your company:
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START OFF 2020 BY BUILDING YOUR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK.
JOIN OUR LINKED IN AND FACEBOOK PAGES.
CLICK ON THE ICONS TO BE PART OF OUR GROWING OUTREACH.
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If you're looking to fill a position or looking for a position to fill, check out or Job Center. It's a continually changing group of postings for those seeking employees or those looking for a job.
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MAKE A PLAN FOR 2020 AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE
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When you were younger, it’s likely that you had a counselor or supervisor helping you navigate your career and your life. You didn’t have to think too hard about what you wanted for the future. Now, it's time to plan your life and career.
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EVENTS & EDUCATION CALENDAR
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Coming soon! Look for you electronic ballots in March and plan to vote for your Board of Directors March 11-20.
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Puget Sound Area
January 9
11:30 a.m. Floor -
Duke's Chowder House
January 15
11:30 a.m. Tacoma Construction -
The Poodle Dog
* Note location change
11:30 a.m. Food -
Duke's Chowder House
January 16
11:30 a.m. Wiring -
Duke's Chowder House
11:30 a.m. Eastside Construction -
13 Coins, Bellevue
11:30 HVAC -
Duke's Chowder House
Honolulu
January 23
Meetings combined with the Hawaii Credit Forum
Anchorage
January 15
12:00 a.m. Alaska Suppliers and Food -
ReHARU
* Note location change
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Upcoming Professional Programs, Seminars and Conferences
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2020
January 23, 2020 -
Hawaii Winter Credit Forum
Honolulu, HI
April 16-17, 2020 -
Southwest Business & Construction Credit Conference
Tempe, AZ
June 14-17, 2020 -
NACM National Credit Congress
Las Vegas, NV
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January 13 -
CFDD Seattle Holiday Meeting
January 20 - CFDD Tacoma Christmas Social and Holiday Auction
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January 12-15 - National Insulation Contractors Exchange
Scottsdale, AZ; Jon Flora and Jan Minniti invited to present
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Serving the Commercial Credit profession since 1899
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NACM Western Washington Alaska Hawaii | 800-423-5710
P.O. Box 3665 - Seattle, WA 98124 | www.nacmbcs.org
All Rights Reserved
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