June 13, 2013: Columbia, MD—The National Association of Credit Management (NACM) honored Stacey Smythe, CCE of Kent, Washington as the 2013 NACM Mentor of the Year during the association’s 117th Annual Credit Congress and Exposition, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 19-22, 2013. Smythe is a credit manager at Progressive International, a source for a wide range of functional, inventive and fun kitchen gadgets and tools geared to individual tastes and all levels of cooking know-how, also located in Kent.

Smythe is recognized for her contribution to the establishment of a mentor program for those new to the field of credit management for her local Credit and Financial Development Division (CFDD), CFDD Tacoma. She believes that education is a key component of a well-rounded life, both personal and professional. Guided by the belief that continuous learning is a worthy objective to be pursued individually and among peers, she is well known within NACM and CFDD for sharing her well-honed knowledge and wisdom. Empathy and encouragement characterize her approach to helping colleagues move through the credit landscape.

June 13, 2013: Columbia, MD—The National Association of Credit Management (NACM) honored Caron, Munsen, CBA of Spokane, Washington with the 2013 CBA Designation of Excellence Award during the association’s 117th Annual Credit Congress and Exposition, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 19-22, 2013. Munsen is the credit manager at Haskins Steel Co., Inc., one of the largest Metal Service Centers serving Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, Western Montana and Northeast Oregon, which is located in Spokane.

While at Haskins, because of her commitment to the value of education in the field of credit management, the importance of having a credit policy and following procedures to perform due diligence on potential and existing customers was recognized and incorporated into their credit department. Munsen was recently highlighted in NACM’s Business Credit magazine in an article discussing her dedication to the project of getting approval at her company to contribute their accounts receivable data to the NACM database. She is proud of the contributions made in that light to the business community.

June 17, 2013: Columbia, Maryland—The National Association of Credit Management (NACM) honored Kathleen Tomlin, CCE of Dublin, California as the 2013 O.D. Glaus Credit Executive of Distinction* during its 117th Annual Credit Congress and Exposition, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 19-22, 2013. The Glaus Award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the credit profession, who upholds the tenets of lifelong learning and who is highly esteemed by his or her peers. Tomlin is regional credit manager at Central Concrete Supply in San Jose, a company recognized for engineering higher-performing concrete, delivering high early-strength, low shrinkage and superior permeability with a significantly lower carbon footprint than standard ready-mix concretes.

Tomlin, exemplifies all the attributes of an experienced and dedicated credit professional. She has been active in the credit field for over 26 years, and is a member of NACM affiliate Credit Management Association (CMA). As Brian Atteberry, chairman of the CMA Honors and Awards Committee, said, “Kathleen represents the qualities we value and is considered by her peers to be an innovator, results-oriented individual who works for the benefit of the profession.”

June 17, 2013: Columbia, Maryland—The National Association of Credit Management (NACM) honored Hector Benitez, CBF of San Jose, California with the 2013 CBF Designation of Excellence Award during the association’s 117th Annual Credit Congress and Exposition, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 19-22, 2013. Benitez is manager of credit and collections at Equinix, Inc. of Redwood City, a company that operates global International Business Exchange data centers in 15 countries worldwide, promoting safe and efficient data sharing.

The Credit Business Fellow (CBF) designation is NACM’s intermediate professional certification.* Individuals earning the CBF have met specific academic and participation-based benchmarks, and are knowledgeable about and have contributed to the field of business credit. NACM’s Designation of Excellence Awards honor those designation holders who strive for excellence in all aspects of their professional development. Based on his noteworthy record of accomplishments and service, Hector Benitez was chosen as this year’s outstanding CBF designee.

June 12, 2013: Columbia, Maryland—The National Association of Credit Management (NACM) honored Val Venable, CCE of Houston, Texas (Meyer Park/Willowdrome area) with the 2013 Alice M.H. McGregor Award during its 117th Annual Credit Congress and Exposition, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 19-22, 2013. NACM’s highest honor is the Alice McGregor Achievement Award, which memorializes one of NACM’s great leaders. This prestigious award recognizes creative approaches and consistent high performance that benefit the recipient’s company, affiliate, the national organization and the business credit profession. The award acknowledges exceptional achievement and an outstanding record of contributions to the profession. Award recipients serve as role models, set standards for others and apply their professional expertise outside of their companies. NACM was proud to present this award to Venable, who is the director of credit for Ascend Performance Materials, manufacturers of polyamide raw white and solution dyed fibers and filaments for textile and carpet yarn applications in Houston.

Venable has decades of service and accomplishments with NACM. Most recently, she testified at a May 21 hearing of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 held at NACM’s Credit Congress. Venable was one of three panelists that spoke about the problems that unsecured creditors have in dealing with the Bankruptcy Code’s Section 547 preference provisions.