We congratulate Linda McPherson as she prepares to enter retirement at the end of the month (although she'll still be helping us in June). In her role as Data Contribution Manager, she has guided your contributed A/R data to selected partners for use in commercial credit reports. As the longest serving current employee, Linda has seen much change over nearly four decades and provided a guiding hand to the technology side of our business. Linda was also a Groups facilitator for most of the years she has been with NACM BCS.

John Woods, who has worked for and with Linda for __ years will be leading our Data Collection Department beginning June 1. Welcome, John, to your new role.

Best wishes, Linda, for a terrific new chapter and thank you for your service.

The Seattle Times has been awarded a 2020 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for its yearlong coverage of the two deadly crashes of Boeing’s 737 MAX jet.

The top journalism accolade is the newspaper’s 11th Pulitzer Prize and third win in the National Reporting category. It is also The Times’ third Pulitzer for coverage of Boeing . For more click below:

The Seattle Times

The Anchorage Daily News was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service on Monday for “ Lawless ,” a yearlong examination of the failures of the criminal-justice system in communities across Alaska. The series was reported in partnership with ProPublica.

It’s the third Pulitzer Prize for the Daily News in the newspaper’s history — all in the public service category. Click below for more:

ADN

Experian conducted a consumer research study with 1,005 consumers to better understand how the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is impacting spending, credit and financial well-being. The survey was conducted March 27 – April 3, 2020, using a third-party online consumer panel..

Experian

Achieving balance in our lives while being confined to our home environment can be overwhelming, but amid COVID19, many individuals are finding ways to thrive within a new normal. International meeting planner Helms-Briscoe offers a few tips from Hilton for brightening your days and staying productive at home.

Helms-Briscoe

Last week the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal from a defendant who had been convicted of a felony charge under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (“CFAA”), the federal computer crime statute. The Supreme Court will resolve the issue of whether the CFAA applies to employees who use their authorized access to employers’ computer systems to misuse those systems, including to steal data. The courts of appeals have been divided on this question for the past 8 years. It is an issue of high significance to business because this statute allows individuals or companies victimized by violations of the CFAA to bring a civil action against perpetrators for damages and injunctive relief.

Read more from international law firm Dorsey-Whitney.

Dorsey-Whitney

As global economic conditions evolve, finance teams are expected to do more than ever – including keeping up with higher credit application volumes from some industries, while still ensuring that there is no increase in risk to their organization. There are tools available to help you during these uncertain times. 

Did you know that increasing your focus on gratitude can lead to better communication with friends, family and co-workers? Or that it can increase your happiness, attitude and self-esteem?

With all of the uncertainty COVID-19 has brought f or us, better communication and happiness are needed more than ever. By embracing the incredible power of gratitude, and by using simple exercises to break old habits and beliefs, you are able to re-program and re-energize your outlook to an extremely positive mindset that you can use for the rest of your life.

Our good friend, David Brooke who was a guest at the 2016 Western Credit Conference in Seattle and the 2017 Hawaii Credit Forum, is offering a full-length 18 part course designed for someone who wants to refocus and re-frame their life based in gratitude.

Click below for more information and to see if it's something that's right for you.

The Gratitude Guy

NACM BCS member, Starbucks plans to reopen 85% of its U.S. coffee shops by the end of this week, with an emphasis on mobile ordering, contactless pickup and cashless payments, as more cities and states ease lockdown restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Seattle Times

Although the economic pain of tourism’s collapse is excruciating, the COVID crisis has given us an opportunity to think about what Hawai‘i should look like as it recovers. Which visitors do we miss now? Which ones were creating frustration? What sites are benefitting from a respite from the crush of visitors? In short, what should Hawai‘i tourism look like when it recovers and how can we do a better job of managing the destination in the future?

The University of Hawaii proposes options for the post-COVID future.

UHERO

Notices that companies must file with the state in the event of mass layoffs provide an indication of the severe toll the COVID-19 pandemic has had on many Alaska businesses, including the high-paying oil and gas sector.

Anchorage Daily News

As part of its ongoing commitment to serving valued companies like yours, UTA is offering new incentives and solutions.

Leverage UTA’s partnership with WorldPay, the largest credit card processor in the world and take advantage of the following promotion.

Find out how much you can save using UTA's new Mobil App and Web Portal. Just call us at NACM Business Credit Services for more information.

800-423-5710

Take advantage of the Job Center at nacmbcs.org. You will find current listings as well the opportunity to post your openings. It's a free service that comes with membership in NACM BCS.

Job Center