Celebrating 120 Years
1899-2019
News, Information and Commentary
January 2019
A few thoughts from
Jon Flora, President & CEO
2019 - our 120th year
Welcome to the 2019! This new year marks our 120 th anniversary serving the commercial credit profession.   

In 1899 our association began life as Seattle Men’s Credit Association later joined by the Tacoma Men’s Credit Association. Although the names were a little corny from today's perspective, this rich history makes us one of the oldest businesses and business organizations in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and Hawaii.

Throughout the coming year, we’ll be bringing you reflections on the past 120 years.
We will also be bringing new opportunities to help you in your work as a credit professional.

This begins with monthly online webinars. These programs were wildly successful and well received in 2018, so we come into 2019 with a complete list of new offerings designed to support you and your work. The full list of presentations is posted here on our calendar.

We also begin 2019 with our 3 rd annual Hawaii Credit Forum. Whether you live in Hawaii or on the mainland, you will find the program to be worth your time and modest registration fee. Below, we introduce our keynote speaker just to give you a taste of what's to come. For more information, click on the registration button below.

In March, look for a Lien Seminar including options for rookies and veterans. More information will be coming soon.

Sometime in the late winter, we return to Alaska for another try at our Holiday Forum. Canceled because of the December earthquake (everyone is okay, by the way), we’ll soon have a date for the replacement effort. Just stop the ground from rumbling.

This spring, NACM National Credit Congress comes to Aurora, Colorado. If you’re planning to go, now is the time register if you want to take advantage of early bird pricing. There’s also still time to apply for a scholarship from our new Business Credit Foundation. Fill out the form and submit no later than February 1st.

In 2019, we can likely expect new compliance rules and scrutiny. We may not like the rules or the work/expense that accompanies their implementation but there will be no choice. 1899 was definitely easier. We intend to offer educational opportunities focused on compliance.

Finally, whether you call it the Seattle Squeeze, Via-Doom, or Car-mageddon, it 's coming on January 11th. If you live, work or plan to visit in the greater Puget Sound area, prepare for at least three weeks of highway hell throughout the region as the new Seattle Waterfront Tunnel prepares to open. The 100,000 vehicles that currently use the soon-to-closed Viaduct will have to go...somewhere else. The article below by the Seattle Times is worth a read so you and your company can prepare. It's also important to note that this really won't be just three weeks. This disruption will drag on for years because of major construction projects. Perhaps it's time to pump up the tires on the old Schwinn!

120 years is a long time. Over the decades, this association has always been focused on serving the needs of our members and customers. We look forward to continuing that important tradition as 2019 gets underway.

We wish you a successful and prosperous New Year. Thanks for joining us for this great ride.
A moment in time
In 1907, NACM Business Credit Services operated under the label of Seattle Merchant's Association. The image above came from the cover of a little booklet that contained the organization's by-laws for that time in our history.
EDUCATION
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ONLINE WEBINAR: JAN. 27, 2019
FREE TO MEMBERS
$79 FOR NON-MEMBERS

"HOT TOPICS IN INTERNATIONAL CREDIT MANAGEMENT"
In this global economy, for many companies it’s not a question of if you’re going to sell your products internationally, but more likely, when is it going to happen? Join international credit expert Gary Mendell, President of Meridian Finance Group, who will address some of the hottest topics in international credit management including:
  • Updates on credit conditions in major export markets.
  • How changes in supply chains are fueling longer terms.
  • Tariffs and their impacts on international credit risks.
  • Review of available tools and techniques for managing trade credit
If you sell internationally, this is for you!

12:00 - 1:00 PST
11:00 - 12:00 AST
10:00 - 11:00 HST
1:00 - 2:00 MST
  • July 17-27, 2019
  • June 22-July 2, 2020
  • American Univ., Washington, D.C.
NACM's Graduate School
Join the ranks of outstanding credit executives who have mastered the Graduate School of Credit and Financial Management. Enhance your educational and professional experiences by enrolling in GSCFM. For more info, click below:


Scholarships
Our association has scholarship opportunities available. Whether you're interested in a coming conference or taking a class, let us help you. Awards are available year-round.

Deadline for Credit Congress applications is February 1st. For more information, click on the link below or call us at 206-728-6333

CONFERENCES & SEMINARS
THE 3RD ANNUAL
HAWAII WINTER CREDIT FORUM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 24TH
HILTON WAIKIKI BEACH HOTEL
HONOLULU, HI

ALL NEW PROGRAMS AND SPEAKERS

The Hawaii Winter Credit Forum has become one of the "must-do" conferences of the year. It's appropriate for credit, finance and other management professionals. Whether you are located in Hawaii or the mainland, this year's presentations offer high value to management at all levels.

Airfares are reasonable. It's raining and snowing. NOW is the time to come to Hawaii.. We've made the Forum affordable, so don't come alone. Bring your company associates!

Deadline for registration is January 18th , so click on the button below to join us.

Meet the Keynote Speaker
Thea Dudley
Credit Overlord
Pocket Protectors LLC

In her three decades of work as a credit and collections officer, Thea Dudley has trekked across deserts to recover goods, taken FBI interrogation classes to learn negotiators’ “tells” and suffered through more lame reasons for extending credit then she can count. She knows how to decide whose worthy of credit and how to go after those who abuse the privilege. 

Thea has been a major force in the building industry and the credit profession as an advocate for business financial health awareness through education, presenting seminars and webinars for many associations.

An interview with Thea appears in this month's NACM Business Credit Magazine. Be sure to read it in the paper version or online.

We're excited to have Thea Dudley join us in Hawaii. You won't want to miss this opportunity.

SEE YOU IN HAWAII
Fast Fact: If the current US business expansion lasts through July 2019, it will be the longest expansion in the history of the United States at 121 months in length.
(source: National Bureau of Economic Research, 09/24/18) . 
National Credit Congress
NACM invites you to retreat into the beauty and serenity of Aurora, Colorado for our 123rd Credit Congress & Exposition.

May 19-22, 2019
Immerse yourself in the conference while relaxing in the picturesque and rustic-chic atmosphere of the brand new Gaylord Rockies!


BUSINESS NEWS
HAWAIIAN AVOCADOS SHIPPED TO SEATTLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 25 YEARS
3,000 pounds via Alaska Airlines

For the first time in a quarter century, Hawaiian avocados have been shipped to the mainland. Hawaii's avocado industry opened in earnest in early December with weekly shipments of about 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms) of avocados to two Seattle-based wholesale produce companies. Hawaii avocados were first shipped to Alaska in 1987, and the fruit started getting sent to the mainland U.S. by 1989. The shipments stopped in 1992 over concerns about fruit flies spreading from Hawaii to the continental U.S. This new effort shows a bright future for the Hawaiian-grown fruit.

COULD 2019 MARK ALASKA'S ECONOMIC TURNAROUND?

Cautious optimism in forecasts

Many predict the state’s recession will finally bottom out—making Alaska one of the last energy-dependent states to begin recovery since oil prices tumbled about three years ago.

The Alaska Business Monthly takes a look at the forecasts and optimism for 2019.

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MOUNTING COSTS IN SEATTLE HIT GROCERS, RESTAURANTS

New taxes, minimum wage

Thanks to an accumulation of new and increased taxes, a rising minimum wage and a tight labor market, costs for many grocery stores and restaurants are rising at double digit levels.

The Seattle Time takes a look at the experience of family owned Taco Time, a northwest institution for more than four generations.

SEATTLE'S VIADUCT CLOSES FOREVER ON JANUARY 11th IN PREPARATION FOR TUNNEL OPENING NEXT MONTH

"Worse traffic period ever"

Your guide to Seattle's Hwy. 99
3 week closure

Seattle's KING 5 offers up a guide to dealing with the transition to the new, $4.2 billion Hwy. 99 tunnel on the city's waterfront.

One thing is for sure: the tunnel will impact traffic movement around the entire Puget sound region. KING's look at how to understand and handle the tunnel's upcoming excitement might be helpful.

Why sit in traffic and be inconvenienced? We recommend getting out of town and joining us for the


January 24th, Honolulu

ALASKA EARTHQUAKE
During December's quake, a truck from NACM member Carlile Transportation was hit by a rolling boulder. The truck was totaled; the driver is okay. (Rumor has it that he spent that afternoon writing several pages in his Gratitude Journal!) It's also worth noting that our member PACCAR builds pretty safe Kenworth trucks!

Thanks to our Board member, Cassie Sheehan, for sharing the image. 

Cassie serves as Director, Billing and Credit for Carlile Transportation.
CREDIT REPORTS & TOOLS
Best Practices in Online Business Credit Application Forms
Our partners at D & B Credit offer their insights and industry best practices when it comes to creating an online Business Credit Application form. Click below to read more and let us know if you would like further help.

New tools just for you
As the needs of credit professionals and their companies change, so too must the offerings of NACM BCS. We have recently entered into a new partnership with CEBRS that offers our members and customers a number of products and services designed for the future. Some are credit related; some are not. All can be of help to our members and all come with exclusive pricing for you - our NACM BCS customers.

We've selected five options and encourage you to talk with your company's leadership about what fits your needs. Just click below for more information.

Let us know what you think!

Best Products. Best Partners.
CAREER PLANNING
STAY UP TO DATE
The NACM BCS Job Center gets a lot of traffic. Whether you are trying to hire or looking for the next stop on your career path, this is our most active link. And, it changes all the time. Be a frequent visitor!

Fast Fact: The unemployment rate in July 2018 for Americans with at least a bachelor’s degree was just 2.2%. The unemployment rate in July 2018 for Americans who stopped their education after graduating from high school was 4.0% (source: Department of Labor, BTN 09/03/18)   
EVENTS & EDUCATION CALENDAR
Industry Trade Groups
Puget Sound Area

January 8

11:30 a.m. Transportation - Duke's Chowder House

January 10

11:30 a.m. Floor - Duke's Chowder House

January 15

11:30 a.m. HVAC - Duke's Chowder House

January 16

11:30 a.m. Tacoma Construction - Johnny's Dock
11:30 a.m. Food - Duke's Chowder House

January 17

11:30 a.m. Wiring - Duke's Chowderhouse
11:30 a.m. Eastside Construction - 13 Coins, Bellevue

December 19

11:30 a.m. Food - Duke's Chowder House


Alaska

12:00 p.m. Alaska Suppliers and Food - Elim Café


Honolulu

This month's meetings replaced by the Hawaii Winter Credit Forum

Upcoming Professional Programs
Serving Washington, Alaska, Hawaii...and Beyond
NACM Western Washington Alaska Hawaii | 800-423-5710
P.O. Box 3665 - Seattle, WA 98124 | www.nacmbcs.org

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