Welcome to 2025. This is a perfect time for you to craft resolutions to do something different for your credit department and company. Best of all, NACM can help you in your journey. Consider the following:

• Get involved or re-engaged in an Industry Trade Group. We're doing some new things to support the groups and believe you will find value in the changes.

• Automate your credit application with payment guarantee through our UTA partners

• Take a class and attend our webinars. Learn new things!

• Attend National Credit Congress to learn and network

• Send all your accounts great than 60 days overdue to our Collections team for prompt action

• Make better use of credit reports in managing your company's risk

Take advantage of this annual opportunity to reset your life, career and view on life. Let's get started together on building a better professional connection for you!



A couple items of note about the Mission and Vision statements. We have adopted statements that are consistent with the ones that a number of other NACM affiliates have adopted. It makes sense that we would have similar reasons for existing and a similar vision for our work. The word “empowering” in the mission is especially strong – and our mission is to empower you! You’ll see that the vision talks about “positioning business credit professionals as the foremost corporate asset”. This is what we strive to do and we always welcome your ideas on how we can do this better. 

The Values statement is specific to our affiliate. The NACM BCS staff are having discussions about these values to determine how to best live out these values in the work that we do on our members’ behalf. Hopefully, in many cases we already exemplify these values, but there are undoubtedly opportunities to do more. 

If you have questions or feedback about these statements, affiliate President, Laura McMillan would welcome a message from you. Feel free to reach out to her at laurm@nacmbcs.org.

We are excited to announce a brand-new format for our annual Hawaii event, designed to bring together the brightest minds in the credit industry. This year, instead of a single day-long event, we will host three shorter events throughout the year. This new format will allow for more continuous learning and engagement.

Join us on Friday, February 21 for the first installment of Island Insights!

What to Expect:

• Credit Education: Learn from top experts about the latest trends and strategies in credit management.
• Best Practice Discussions: Engage in interactive sessions where you can share and discover effective practices that are shaping the future of credit.
• Industry Collaboration: Network with peers, build valuable connections, and collaborate on innovative solutions to common challenges.

Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your knowledge, exchange ideas, and be part of a transformative experience. Mark your calendar and join us for a day that promises to be both informative and inspiringly.

REGISTER TODAY

Classes to Pursue Your Professional Designations - Starts January 13

If you don't yet have your NACM Professional designations, 2025 will the time to start on that path. To make it easier for you, we will be partnering with our colleagues at NACM Intermountain (Utah) to offer the classes necessary to achieve NACM professional designations. All classes are virtual. Courses include:

• Principles of Business Credit
• Financial Statement Analysis 1
• Business & Credit Law

You will also want to be enrolling in an Accounting Class which you can do at a local college or university. We are glad to help you find an opportunity and welcome your call if you need help.

To register for these classes, please click below:

This month, the Washington State Legislature begins its long session (105 days) with a new Governor, new lawmakers and operating budget challenges. As always, NACM will monitor issues that may impact credit laws and business in general. When called upon, we participate in the process to protect the interests of our members.

For example, every few years someone wants to alter the State's Lien Laws which, after many years of hard work, are already among the best in the nation. When these times arise, we need help from our members to respond to be in Olympia for conversations with lawmakers. These are typically last-minute requests but if we show up in person, we can make a big difference.

If you would like to be part of our Legislative Team and participate in the legislative experience, please drop a note to Jon Flora, CEO, jonf@nacmbcs.org. You can make a difference for our profession!

As State and Local governments deal with a plethora of issues in this news year, previously approved laws are coming into effect. You will want to stay aware of their impact and when necessary, make a call to your legislator or city/county council representative.

Here are some recent stories related to legislation from some of our communities:

• Washington has a bunch of news laws taking effect on January 1st. Here's what they do.

• Seattle minimum wage hits $20.76. Number of restaurants could decrease by 5% to 8% in 2025.

• Nationally: What changes small businesses should be aware of for 2025

The following news highlights come from other areas of NACM participation:

• Hawaiian Electric Industries sells 90% interest in American Savings Bank | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

• Alaskans backed a measure to raise the minimum wage and establish sick leave. Now employers are trying to make it work. - Anchorage Daily News

• Regulators, advocates warn of utility inaction as Alaska gas shortfall looms - Anchorage Daily News

We have recently learned of the passing of long-time NACM member, Lois Coghlan CCE. She had a notable career, both in the credit and financial sectors as well as in leadership roles within our industry's professional organizations.

She worked for Plywood Supply for many years and became a recognized leader in the credit industry. She retired from the company in 1991.

Lois served as Chair of NACM Business Credit Services Board during the 1986-1987 term, contributing to the association's strategic direction. She was the third woman to be Chair of our affiliate following Arlene Williams (1st) and Alice M.H. McGregor (2nd). She was named Credit Executive of the Year showcasing her excellence in credit management on a national level.

In addition to her NACM activity, Lois served as President of the CFDD Seattle Chapter from 1974 to 1975. She was honored as a Distinguished Member of the CFDD Seattle Chapter for the 1978-1979 period and later became an Honorary Member of the Seattle Chapter in recognition of her many contributions. In 1993, she received CFDD National’s Distinguished Member of the Year award, further solidifying her standing as a respected leader in her field.

In 1994, Lois founded Lien Data USA Inc., a company she operated until selling it in 2004.

After retiring from Lien Data USA Inc., Lois moved to Texas, where she lived with her son from 2004 to 2024.

We extend our condolences to her family and salute Lois for her commitment to NACM, CFDD and the credit profession

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