We've only just begun. (Credit Column).(Editorial)

Not long ago, someone asked me whether I would be happy when my year as Chair was over. So many different thoughts ran through my mind: I thought about all of the goals I had set for the Board to accomplish on behalf of the membership and about all of the things that I wanted the Organization to become. My answer to the question was--and is--a firm 'no.' Truthfully, there are times that I wish that we had more time because, in many ways, I feel as though we have just begun.

Your National Board has set an aggressive agenda and has begun to address the many challenges. My job as your National Chairman is to chart the course so that projects can continue well beyond my term as Chairman.

One goal that is important to all of us in this profession is to increase awareness about the vital role that business credit plays, and bring attention to the importance of the credit function and the business credit cycle in the corporate scheme. NACM set about to determine whether the signals that we--as credit professionals--see every day in the course of granting business credit could be captured and analyzed, leading to development of the NACM Credit Managers Index.

With help from Dr. George Gallinger, Associate Professor of Finance at Arizona State University, long-time supporter of--and friend to NACM--we created the survey from which the Index is calculated. The Index was under development throughout 2002, being tested to see whether it could stand up to other well-known leading indicators. In February, the results of the Index were released to the business press for the first time. Several business journals picked up the story that the NACM Credit Index told, among them the Dow Jones News Service and Barron's Business Journal. Michael Niemira, a business reporter for the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, wrote about the launch of the index in the bank's newsletter, saying that the NACM Credit Manager's Index provides "unique and timely information about the economy and that will make it a sure winner over time."

If you haven't participated in the NACM Credit Managers Index, I urge you to do so. The index is live each month from the 20th through the 25th, so that results can be tabulated and released on the first business day of every month. Without your help, the Index will not have a broad, sweeping impact on the business press--which I think that you will agree, will help all of us in the long run. Please remember to log Onto the NACM web site every month and complete the survey, which takes about three minutes to complete. The stakes are high...the rewards are immense: bringing recognition to the critical role we play in the business economic environment.

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