I have been associated with NACM for over 20 years. Quite honestly, it is hard to believe that so many years have passed. It seems like yesterday I was directed by a past manager to attend an industry trade group meeting. I was a young and very inexperienced credit manager who was reliant upon receiving direction from my boss.

As I look back, he was very much a mentor to me. With patience he taught me the ropes of how to work productively and effectively as a credit manager in the construction industry. Much of what I do today can be attributed to what I learned from him while working in my first job as a credit manager.

My first industry trade group meeting felt very much like walking into a foreign land. Attendees seemed friendly enough but they were reviewing reports and speaking in a shorthand that was totally unfamiliar. Toni Larsen was my guide who helped me gain a better understanding of what was going on and helped me understand how to properly conduct myself while in these meetings.

Industry trade group meetings were where I learned NACM was much more than a monthly lunch where helpful trade information was exchanged. I quickly learned about seminars, collection services, the Intermountain Credit Education League (ICEL), additional credit reporting resources, certification programs and, most importantly, people that would help me in my journey as a credit professional.

As I look back, NACM has been there for me every step of the way. There was a time I accepted a position with a non-member company. One of my conditions for employment with that business was that they become a member of NACM. To successfully function in my position as a credit manager, NACM had to be there. If the company would have been unwilling to join, I would not have made the move. 

NACM is a resource that truly takes rough stones called credit managers and makes them smoother with the hopes of one day becoming polished. Notice I say "hope." In all of my years affiliated with this wonderful association, I still find I have surfaces that require smoothing and eventual polishing.

When I was young (not that I'm that old, yet!), I was naive and thought that someday I would arrive at a point in life where everything would make sense. I didn't necessarily think I would know it all but I thought, at least, it would all make sense. I have since realized this whole experience we call life is a process - a journey, if you will. The end goal of understanding it all is rather elusive but I cannot imagine my professional life without the resources made available through NACM.

NACM is so much more than a monthly trade group meeting or a credit report. NACM is a guide to help in navigating new territory. It also helps reinforce the importance of proper interactions with our peers and reacquaints us with roads less traveled. The resources available through our association are substantial, yet, unfortunately, for many they are unfamiliar.

I encourage all, myself included, to explore new horizons and investigate how NACM can help you do a better job. Don't hesitate to talk with any of the NACM staff and ask what they can offer to help you be a better credit manager.