News, Information and Commentary
October 2019
Who can I serve today?
A few thoughts from
Jon Flora, President & CEO
I’m on vacation and writing this from a place called Gualala (pronounced Walala) on the California coast. It’s a wide spot on Highway 1 overlooking the blue Pacific Ocean with a decent hotel/restaurant managed by a skilled and welcoming young woman, named Neda. I highly recommend it.
As part of my vacation reading, I just finished reading Departures, a magazine for high end world travelers with articles and advertising that’s focused on beautiful people who spend a LOT on vacations. That’s certainly not me and I’m not sure why the mag is even sent to me. But this issue had an article about Hawaii’s food, beverages, and hotels (including some of our members) so I stuffed it in my briefcase and brought it with me.

The Executive Editor of the magazine, a chap named Jeffries Blackerby, wrote “The smallest thoughtful gesture takes on huge significance when you’ve entrusted much of your well-being to people you don’t really know.” Although his comment was in reference to excellent hotel service in exotic places where people named “Jeffries” travel, it made me think about all of us at NACM BCS.

We have hundreds of members who trust us to help them and their companies succeed. Unlike his quote, we know most of you pretty well. A couple of days ago, I was catching up with a longtime customer who said, “You guys work really hard to take good care of us. We appreciate it.” 

Wow! Those are very kind, unexpected and humbling words. While we’re likely not the same as a five-star hotel in Bhutan (starting at $1700 per night), we take good care of our members and customers. Just like Neda on the California coast.

When you call, we answer the phone. When you email, we respond in a reasonable amount of time. If you have a question, we have our Ask-an-Expert panel ready to go. And, we try to keep everything affordable - which may actually be the hardest task today.

Why do we do this? It’s certainly our culture but it goes deeper.

It’s Nancy, who has been our Customer Service Representative for more than 15 years. It’s Jo-Anne who has been our receptionist for 37 years. It’s Ricole who has served our Trade Groups and Education program for 15 years. Paul has led our Collections unit for 16 years. And Linda has been with us for 36 years in Data Collection. Then, there’s the Account Execs with combined service and knowledge from nearly 50 years between the three of them. And, the list goes on.

Our people take pride in serving you and in making sure you have the tools you need to do your job well. Our gratitude for you and your business is real and makes us want to work harder to continually separate ourselves from the pack – especially during tough times when your needs may be more serious. That’s what great service is all about. 

Anyone can sell you a credit report, make a collections call, or pitch you on how they’re better. But not everyone will take the time to guide you through the process of figuring out exactly what you need to solve your challenges and be ready to lend a hand when there’s problem. We can and we do every day. 

Our good friend and occasional conference speaker, David Brooke – The Gratitude Guy, likes to ask the question “Who can I serve today?” Our answer is: you. With pleasure and gratitude.

Thanks for giving us the chance to serve you and for being part of our association family. Go Seahawks!

Best regards,  
MEMBER NEWS
OH CANADA, WE HAVE A NEW REPORT FOR THEE
Effective October 1, NACM BCS is now providing Canadian credit reports through Experian . You will now be able to order your reports through your regular Experian online access. Fewer passwords, easier access, same great price for the same information you're accustomed to seeing.

If you need help learning how to order a Canadian Report contact your Account Rep or NACM BCS Customer Service.

800-423-5710
WORKING REMOTELY IN THE U.S
Our colleagues at The Credit Research Foundation (CRF) have been investigating the utilization of remote workers in the Credit Risk and Accounts Receivable management community as it compares to national statistics from all industries in general.

Take a look at the interesting data our friends at CRF have compiled in recent months.

CRF
NACM BCS ON THE ROAD
A few months ago, our own Jan Minniti, Senior National Account Representative, was invited by High Radius to be on a panel about " Staffing Your Credit Department" at their national conference in Houston. She was joined by 4 others including Dan Meader, VP Solutions Consulting at Experian BIS. Dan recently wrote a follow-up article about the panel discussion featuring several of Jan's thoughts. We think you will find it an interesting read so click on the link below. Thanks to High Radius for including us.

EDUCATION
FINAL CALL FOR REGISTRATION
The Western Credit Conference & CFDD National Conference is just over two weeks away in Portland. If you’re planning on attending and haven’t yet registered, now is the time to book your space. To learn more about the program and to register, click on the following button.

NACM BCS will be represented by Account Executives Jaime Gibson and Ben Cox. If you’re attending, be sure to connect with them. As always, if you have questions about products or services, they will be ready to help you. Have fun in Portland.
ONLINE WEBINAR: Oct. 24, 2019

"Excel Tips & Tricks for Credit Managers"

You, like most credit professionals, probably use Microsoft Excel on a daily basis. But, are you aware of some of the advanced functionality that it offers, specifically related to the credit function?

During this webinar, our presenter will focus on several credit-specific problems, and show you some advanced techniques using Excel as the solution

Alan Dicker is a consultant from the Los Angeles area with a background in commercial credit.

Member Pricing: $30/Call-in line
Non-Member Pricing: $79/Call-in line

12:00 - 1:00 PDT
11:00-12:00 AKDT
9:00-10:00 HST

SAVE THE DATE: DECEMBER 10th
Join us in Anchorage for the annual Alaska Holiday Luncheon & Forum . Good food, great speakers, and tax-free Christmas shopping!

Click below for more information and to register:

SAVE THE DATE: JANUARY 23rd
When you're done in Alaska, join us in Honolulu for the 4th annual Hawaii Winter Credit Forum . New and different speakers, good food and sunset salutations. It's a great time to visit the 50th state with affordable airfares and hotel rates. Click below for more information and early registration.

BUSINESS NEWS
GENIE: WHAT GOES UP,
MUST COME DOWN
Genie, which makes the bright blue construction lifts that are nearly ubiquitous in booming regions like Seattle, has long served as an informal leading indicator for the construction business, which in turn is a key driver for the global economy.

For much of 2019, the company has seen “softening” demand from its key customers. Read more about this unofficial economic forecast below.

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IS THE ECONOMY SLOWING
OR STALLING OR...?
Crawling or stalling? That’s the question hanging over the U.S. economy amid fresh evidence the once-hot labor market is losing steam.

Yet, unemployment is at a record low and hiring remains solid. So, what's up?

Bloomberg takes a look. Click below:

PACIFIC BUSINESS NEWS' TOP 12 PROJECTS AND COMPANIES TO WATCH THIS YEAR IN HAWAII

Throughout the year, Pacific Business News works to get its readers the latest updates on business news in the Islands.
Some of what is published includes companies that are changing the status quo in their industry, or major projects poised to potentially bring Hawaii into the future.

The paper's staff went through stories from this year and identified the top 12 companies and projects to watch this year, categorized by industry.

PBN
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GIVES LIMITED OK TO HAWAIIAN-JAPAN AIRLINES VENTURE

The Trump administration rejected a bid by Hawaiian Airlines and Japan Airlines for antitrust immunity to let them expand a partnership.
The Transportation Department said Thursday it plans to let the airlines sell each other’s flights and coordinate marketing and frequent-flyer programs for service between Hawaii and Japan, but without antitrust immunity they won’t be able to coordinate prices and schedules.

Read more below:

CONSULTANTS OUTLINE POSSIBLE SAVINGS ON ALASKA PORT CONSTRUCTION

Consultants tapped to take a comprehensive look at Anchorage’s long-challenged port renovation believe a third or more can be shaved off the project’s current ballpark price of approximately $1.9 billion.
Recommendations could impact NACM transportation members. Read more from :

$82 MILLION IN TACOMA APARTMENT PROPERTIES SOLD

As the Puget Sound area continues to grow, the South Sound is beginning to become attractive due to its lower realestate costs.

Three apartment deals that closed in September offer more evidence of the Tacoma area’s active and ever-higher-priced real estate market.

Check out the story:

Research Special: The Jones Act
What is it and how does it impact business
The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) has prepared a research report on The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 - otherwise known as The Jones Act . It was a wartime initiative for World War I.

Proponents argue that it's a way to support domestic employment in the maritime industry. Critics argue that the Jones Act is a form of protectionism that impedes domestic trade and increases prices.

UHERO has prepared an interesting study of The Jones Act that delves into the impact of the law on American business. Click below for more:

CAREER PLANNING
NEW OPPORTUNITIES
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.

CALL FOR MEMBER INVOLVEMENT
JOIN NACM IN YOUR STATE CAPITAL

Whether you live in Western Washington, Alaska or Hawaii, Legislative sessions will begin in January. Most of our policy work has historically focused on Washington but this year we will once again be ready to lend a hand to our member businesses no matter where you are operating. The tone of the times suggests any number of things could happen politically and NACM BCS wants to be ready to represent our customer interests.

We are one of the only NACM affiliates that actively participates in government affairs. Our proven track record of success has been behind the passage of excellent public policy for liens, collections and other credit related laws. This alone has paid back the value of for your member dues multiple times over.

In order be effective in this role, we need a few members willing to serve on Legislative Committees for each state and/or be willing make legislative visits when key issues arise. This typically means staying aware of what lawmakers are considering that might impact commercial credit or business in general. When there's something important to our profession, NACM goes into action which means asking members to call on elected officials or engage in member letter writing campaigns. This involvement will give you an up-close view of how our political system works which can be interesting.

If you would like to dip your toe in political waters and help the credit profession, please drop an email to:

We expect the state legislatures will be busy in the months ahead, so let's get prepared ahead of time to support the commercial credit world. Thanks for your consideration!
EVENTS & EDUCATION CALENDAR
Industry Trade Groups
Puget Sound Area

October 10

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

October 15

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

October 16

11:30 a.m. Tacoma Construction - Katie Downs *Note location change
11:30 a.m. Food - Duke's Chowder House

October 17

11:30 a.m. Wholesale Electrical - Duke's Chowder House
11:30 a.m. Eastside Construction - 13 Coins Bellevue


Honolulu

October 15

11:30 a.m. Hawaii Hospitality - Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel

October 18

11:30 a.m. Hawaii Building - Waikiki Yacht Club


Anchorage

October 16

12:00 p.m. Alaska Suppliers and Food - Crowley Fuels
Upcoming Professional Programs, Seminars and Conferences
Serving the Commercial Credit profession since 1899
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P.O. Box 3665 - Seattle, WA 98124 | www.nacmbcs.org

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