Thanks for the memories.(commentary)

IT'S BEEN AN EXCITING YEAR AND A PRIVILEGE TO have served as your National Chairman; never in my wildest dreams did I think that I'd have the many experiences I've enjoyed this past year. I've pinched myself many times trying to figure out how I was afforded this fantastic opportunity.

I'd like to share with you, just a little, what the past year has been like for me. My term serving as your Chairman started out last June at the New Orleans Credit Congress. How proud I was to take the oath of office and to be honored with such responsibility! The thoughts running through my head while being on that General Session stage included,"How will I follow such great footprints left by those who served before me?"

As your NACM Chairman, I also serve as a member of the Board of Directors of FCIB (Financial, Credit & International Business) and the Board of Trustees of CRF (Credit Research Foundation). Immediately following last year's annual convention, my first endurance test arrived: I was home just 24 short hours when I turned right around and headed to Brussels. While I was in Brussels for the FCIB Board meeting, I also had the honor of attending the FCIB Spring European conference with attendees from all over Europe, as well as from the United States. That trip gave me a new appreciation for the expansive reach of credit: it's truly a global environment in which we now work.

I also attended the FCIB Board meeting and conference last Fall in Palm Beach, Florida where the discussions focused on Central and South America; and the FCIB Board meeting held during the International Credit Executive's (ICE) conference last month in Chicago. For any of you whose companies are involved with international sales, I would strongly recommend you take time to consider the benefits offered through this branch of our organization.

And for those of you who sell direct to the federal Government and know first-hand the difficulties with communication and getting paid, don't overlook NACM's Government Business Group (GBG). The Financial Services Center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Austin, Texas has honored GBG by selecting it to co-sponsor its very first Open House in July. Any of you that are interested in a one-on-one ...