2021 November/December CreditConnections Newsletter

A MEMBER NEWSLETTER FOR NACM CONNECT CREDIT PROFESSIONALS VOLUME 9

NACMCONNECT.ORG

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ISSUE 6

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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

TEAM WORK

NACM CONNECT NEWS Interconnections is Now CreditConnections We have changed the look and condensed the content to allow for quick reference to information and upcoming events. We will continue to publish content on member news and encourage submissions. Please contact Lillian Novak at lillian.novak@ nacmconnect.org if you would like to submit content for publication.

We Would Love Your Feedback!

We would love your input as we redesign nacmconnect.org. All ideas are welcome – none too little or too big.

1. What is the one feature you love about our current website design that you would like us to keep?

2. What features would you like us to incorporate that we don’t currently offer on our current design?

3. What features need further improvement?

4. Do you have an example of a website design that you love?

Please email your ideas to Gabriel Castillo, NACM Connect Marketing Manager, at gabriel.castillo@nacmconnect.org.

This is your Association and therefore your website. We’d like to deliver what the membership wants! ■ CREDITCONNECTIONS

Who Takes the Blame When a Team Makes a Mistake?

Working with a team of people comes with several benefits, especially while working on important projects. Tackling work is easier when tasks can be divided among several people and when multiple employees get to share their opinions.

When a team succeeds, all members are eager to take credit.

But who takes the responsibility when a team messes up? That question is a difficult, yet important one to answer, said Benjamin Jones, professor of strategy at Kellogg, during a Kellogg Insight podcast, When Teams Mess Up, Who Takes the Fall? “Because we see the output of a team, but it’s very hard to see in many settings who exactly did what on the team,” he added.

According to Jones and Brian Uzzi, professor of management and Continued on Page 21

KEY DATES NOVEMBER 4 BACK TO THE FUTURE CHICAGO CONFERENCE VIA ZOOM NOVEMBER 5 Q&A: CAREERS IN CREDIT VIA ZOOM NOVEMBER 9 BACK TO THE FUTURE CHICAGO CONFERENCE VIA ZOOM NOVEMBER 10 CREDIT 103 VIA ZOOM NOVEMBER 11 BACK TO THE FUTURE CHICAGO CONFERENCE VIA ZOOM NOVEMBER 16 & 18 BACK TO THE FUTURE CHICAGO CONFERENCE VIA ZOOM NOVEMBER 18 INDIANA BEST PRACTICES GROUP VIA ZOOM NOVEMBER 23 BACK TO THE FUTURE CHICAGO CONFERENCE VIA ZOOM NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

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October 20 through November 23

2021-2022

In This Issue

01 04 08 10 11 12 14 18 20

Board of Directors

Coming Soon with Your Help – An All New NACM Connect Website Who Takes the Blame When a Team Makes a Mistake?

Back to the Future CHICAGO Credit Conference GATEWAY Round Up: Credit Conference & Cardinals Game Credit Congress Wrap-Up InterConnection Community Hub Illinois Construction Stuff and Stuff Group Meetings and Events Calendar Place a Checkmark Next to Your Group!

NACM Connect Industry Groups Member News

NACM Connect Mission Statement To provide a forum to its members within the credit profession for education, networking and business resources.

Vision Statement Striving to have the most comprehensive and leading NACM affiliate serving the commercial credit profession by consistently exceeding the members’ expectations.

Value Statement We are committed to the highest ethical standards and recognize that our Association must take a leadership role in our profession.

Through our integrity and dedication we will earn the respect of our members as we know that our success as an Association depends on their trust in us. By creating strong relationships we will attain the loyalty of our members and alliance partners. We continuously seek to build an environment for learning to enhance the knowledge and expertise of our members.

The CreditConnection newsletter is published bimonthly by NACM Connect, a not-for-profit Association affiliated with the National Association of Credit Management. For membership information, visit our website at www.nacmconnect.org, call 800.935.NACM or fax us at 847.253.6685. NACM Connect Headquarters is located at 3005 Tollview Drive, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008.

CHAIRPERSON Mike Hill, CCE MiTek USA, Inc. VICE CHAIRPERSON Kevin Stinner, CCE, CCRA Pinnacle Agriculture Distribution TREASURER Brendon Misik, CCE, CICP Nutrien DIRECTORS—TERMS ENDING 2022 Joe Lange, CCE, CCRA Brenntag Great Lakes, LLC John-John McEvilly, CBA, CICP Encore Presentation Services Adam D. Ross, CCE Feralloy Corporation George Valletti, CFO/COO Ginsey Home Solutions DIRECTORS—TERMS ENDING 2023 Curtis Litchfield, CCE Land O' Lakes/Purina Mills Luz Moreno, CCE, CICP Klein Tools Jeff Weber Uline Yazmin Yepez, CBF, CCRA, CICP Mitsubishi Electric Automation Inc. DIRECTORS—TERMS ENDING 2024 Edward Patrick, MBA American Refining Group Deb Rollman, CICP Burnham Holdings, Inc. Dale Semple The Equity Jared Silver M. Holland Company Regina Stricklin, CBF Robert Bosch Tool Corporation PRESIDENT Phillip J. Lattanzio, CCE, COO NACM/Chicago-Midwest SECRETARY Kerry Jensen, CPA Chief Financial Officer COUNCILOR Patrick Nelson, MBA ACCO Brands, Inc. EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR Linda Herbst Senior Marketing Administrator ASSOCIATE EDITORS Lillian Novak, CGA Chief Communications Officer Margaret Krafft Senior Marketing and Education Specialist

NACM Connect 2021 Virtual Conference and Events To Come Lillian Novak, Chief Communications Officer, NACM Connect We’re off to a great start with the 2021 NACM Connect Credit Conference, even though we once again had to change it to a virtual conference to cover both Chicago and Columbus. We are so sorry we missed all our members being in one room again and certainly hope we can change that in 2022.

attendance has been great for our first offerings. The full conference schedule and registration form can be found at www.nacmconnect.org/2021-nacmconnect-virtual-credit-conference.

We will soon be working on scheduling our 2022 spring annual meetings, and are confidently moving forward.

Watch future newsletters and our website for information on these meetings.

They will be scheduled from April through June, with the official Annual Meeting and Induction of the Board taking place on April 21st in Rolling Meadows. Our conference schedule is also set with Gateway taking place on September 13 and 14, Chicago on October 25 & 26, and Columbus on November 9 & 10. Mark your calendars now to save the dates! ■

We are recording all of the live sessions and they will be available until midJanuary. So it’s not too late to sign up!

The conference began October 20th with our dynamic keynote speaker, Randy Fox and the drawing of the names for this year’s Robert L. Vodraska Scholarship Foundation raffle winners. Congratulations to Tara Love, Kelly Hall and our grand prize winner Veronica Bena for winning our tech prizes!

We were able to get each speaker that was scheduled for the Chicago Conference to present via Zoom, and CREDITCONNECTIONS

Phil Lattanzio, CCE, COO, NACM Connect (above) shared opening remarks on the virtual conference and introduced the Opening Keynote Speaker, Randy Fox (below).

2022 SAVE-THE-DATES ANNUAL MEETING: April 21 CREDIT CONFERENCES Gateway: September 13 & 14 Chicago: October 25 & 26 Columbus: November 9 & 10

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NOVEMBER 4 thursday 10 A.M. CST LITIGATION 101

Speakers: Thomas Fawkes and Brian Jackiw, Tucker Ellis LLP

All credit professionals will need to engage in litigation at some point in their careers in order to enforce contractual rights, recover losses from a defaulting customer, or defend against claims made by a counterparty. However, litigation can be expensive, time consuming, and fraught with uncertainty. During this presentation, our presenters will provide a primer on the litigation process (both in bankruptcy court and in the state and federal courts), the obligations of a litigant, and steps that should be taken – both before and after litigation is commenced – to increase the likelihood of a successful, cost-efficient outcome.

NOVEMBER 4 thursday 2 P.M. CST PREPARING FOR PREFERENCES Speaker: Randall Woolley, Askounis & Darcy, PC

You know one of your customers is struggling and you begin to worry about a bankruptcy filing. They have been paying you, but you know if they do file you could be facing preference demands. What can you do to mitigate that risk? We will give you some tips in this session and show you why preparation is the best defense.

NOVEMBER 9 tuesday 10 A.M. CST SKIRTING THE POST OFFICE: CONVERTING YOUR CUSTOMERS TO ELECTRONIC PAYERS Speakers: Joe Batie, Chief Commercial Officer, Caine & Weiner; Frank Dispensa, Vice President, Client Operations; Dean Middleton, President, United*Tranzactions; Michael Williams, Vice President Strategic Partnerships, United*Tranzactions

We’ve all experienced delays in postal deliveries which were only made worse during the pandemic. Because of these delays many companies are seeking ways to convince their customers to get onboard the electronic payment train. In this session you will hear how experts in the field of getting paid and getting paid electronically have successfully moved companies to 21st century payment methods.

NOVEMBER 9 tuesday 2 P.M. CST WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU ASKED: WHY” Speaker: Bob Starinsky, Management Consultant, Tradewinds Group, Inc.

Why are some organizations successful performers, when other, very similar organizations, are marginal performers at best? The answer is simple. Successful organizations constantly reinvent themselves, by questioning the status quo. In today’s business environment, change is the only constant. Organizations that regularly, if not constantly, engage themselves in self-reflection and self-improvement, are the organizations that stand the greatest chance of not merely success, but outright survival in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace. These are organizations that are asking themselves tough questions about what they want to be, how to get there and the best possible way of getting things done. They are future oriented and action oriented at the same time. Quite simply put, today, every organization is in two businesses at the same time - their day-to-day, or “core” business and the “change” business.

This presentation provides leaders and managers of organizations of all types with practical advice and techniques for engaging in continuous, self-reflection and self-improvement intended to keep their organizations laser-focused and lean.

NOVEMBER 11 thursday 10 A.M. CST MANAGING THE REMOTE CREDIT DEPARTMENT – Dominic Biegel, Senior Manager, Sales Process Lead, Bectran

Join us to explore how to successfully leverage technology to make working from home life easier, whether you’re with a large, small or medium size company. We’ll review what aspects of credit, collections, claims, payments and cash application procedures have been automated with software and how this is extremely important for successful remote work.

We will also discuss examples of companies that successfully transformed in office credit departments to remote thanks to technology and how these companies were able to get approval for their technology project.

NOVEMBER 11 thursday 2 P.M. CST BUILDING AND MOTIVATING HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS Speaker: Nicole Caley, MBA, APM, ARM, APSC, President & Founder, Payables Solutions Partners, LLC

In today’s world, the most sought out organizational leaders are part manager and part HR professional. Join veteran leader Nicole Caley in this session to learn skills necessary to elevate you into a true leader, instead of simply a manager. We will discuss how to identify your leadership style and how to develop the interpersonal skills needed to take charge. By learning to examine functional conflict and create strategies, you will not only staff your function effectively, but lead it to its fullest potential as well — building a high-performing team.

NOVEMBER 16 tuesday 10 A.M. CST USING SECURITY TO EXPAND YOUR CREDIT BOUNDARIES –

Speaker: Jerry Bailey, Executive Sales and Education Services Manager, NCS

Have you had to tell a salesperson to turn away a sale because the credit risk is too great?

Do you have customers, with past due invoices, asking for additional time to pay? Has a customer placed an order much larger than any in their history? Secured transactions were created to promote commerce, encourage lending and sales, and have played a vital role in driving our economy. Discover how secured transactions can increase your sales while protecting your receivables. Secured transactions can allow you to sell to marginal accounts you may typically avoid, expand the credit lines for customers exceeding their existing credit line, and furnish to construction projects that carry high credit risk.

NOVEMBER 16 tuesday 2 P.M. CST CREDIT APPLICATION REVIEW

Speakers: Thomas Fawkes and Brian Jackiw, Tucker Ellis LLP

Credit Applications are an integral component of the credit underwriting and review process, and are commonly used by credit professional for a variety of reasons, including the evaluation of new and existing customers, the granting, conditioning and termination of credit, and as a tool for enforcing rights and remedies against defaulting customers. During this presentation, our presenters will examine the benefits of credit applications, best practices for designing an effective credit application, tips for maximizing customer compliance with the credit application process, and when and how credit applications should be updated.

NOVEMBER 18 thursday 10 A.M. CST RETHINKING RECEIVABLES: AI-DRIVEN CASH MANAGEMENT Speaker: Christopher Rios, Vice President, Dun & Bradstreet

Modern receivables cash application is about intelligence driven automation to drive efficiency, increase working capital and achieve synchronization between systems and parties. Learn why 41% of credit professionals polled agreed that cash application is the most likely back office process to be automated in the next 12 months and the benefits of doing so.

NOVEMBER 18 thursday 2 P.M. CST WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THE ECONOMY TODAY? Speaker: Charlie Munro, B.Riley Wealth Management

What’s up with the FED? What about all the borrowing? What about inflation and prices?

Are we in a bubble or a rebound?? Join us as Charlie Munro provides easy to understand comments on these and other concerns about the economy. Charlie Munro brings extensive industry experience and specialized knowledge to his role as a Senior Vice-President with B.Riley Wealth Management. During his more than 40 year financial services career, he spent over two decades as an institutional bond underwriting and trading manager. He subsequently transitioned his deep understanding of securities markets to his work helping investors achieve their financial goals. He has also spent the past 20 years sharing his interest in and knowledge of the economy and financial industry by serving as an Adjunct Professor of Economics & Investments with Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. He earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.S. degree Finance from University of Florida.

NOVEMBER 23 tuesday 10 A.M. CST US CHINA TRADE WAR

Speaker: Bill Liu, President, NaviAsia Advisors

US President Donald Trump has complained about China’s trading practices since before he took office in 2016. The US launched an investigation into Chinese trade policies in 2017. It imposed tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Chinese products last year, and Beijing retaliated in kind. The trade war between the two largest economies shows no sign of easing. What’s next? Who will blink first? This presentation will guide you through the trade war and lead you to rethink the future of US-China relationship.

Back to the Future: Gateway

Gateway Roundup Lillian Novak, Chief Communications Officer, NACM Connect September was a busy month for our members in the Gateway Region. We were able to hold our only live Credit Conference this year and we were also able to attend a Cardinals game – the one where they officially made it into the playoffs. In both instances it was so great to be back in live situations with our members once again. A heartfelt thank you to all members who attended these events, and to our speakers, conference exhibitors and Cardinals game sponsor, Caine & Weiner.

We hope to see you next year at more live events; and, in the meantime, enjoy our photo essays! ■

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Back to the Future: Gateway & Cardinals Game

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NACM Connect

2021 Credit Congress, Kansas City, MO Lillian Novak, Chief Communications Officer, NACM Connect to be back in person again”, and it certainly was. Attendance was lower than normal, and the expo was smaller than normal, but the spirit has never been greater.

Credit Congress came alive again in October. Several hundred members of NACM nationwide make the trip to Kansas City to once again enjoy the benefits of attending the premier NACM annual event. From the opening reception to the closing night party one sentiment resounded: “It’s so great

The traditional Sunday evening NACM Connect/Caine & Weiner reception was replaced with a much less formal and much more fun event at Chicken ‘N Pickle – a local event space where we gathered, ate, drank and played a few games of pickleball. Competition on the courts was fierce, but all in good fun.

Thank you Caine & Weiner for helping make the evening such a huge success.

As has become habit, NACM Connect walked away with an award honoring one of our members. Devon Glenn, CBA, Ferguson Enterprises was named the CBA Designation of Excellence recipient for 2021. The award

recognized the many contributions Glenn has made to the Association and to the credit industry over the past years. Congratulations, Devon!

Many NACM Connect members also had speaking roles at the conference including our President, Phil Lattanzio, CCE; NACM Vice Chair Kevin Stinner, CCE; attorneys Tom Fawkes, Brian Jackiw and Bruce Nathan; partners Chris Ring (National Secured Transaction Services), Dominic Biegel (Bectran), Chris Rios (D&B), and Troy Wangen (True Partners).

We are looking forward to being together again for the 126th Credit Congress and Expo in Louisville, Kentucky, taking place from June 5 to June 8, 2022. ■

Congratulations Rich!

Congratulations to NACM Connect’s Credit Reporting Consultant Rich Steinkoenig on receiving the Dun & Bradstreet Rep of the Year award for 2019 and 2020 at October’s Credit Congress. Additionally, NACM Connect also received the top affiliate award from D&B. Below: Bob OBrien (left) presents Rich with the award.

Get Connected Now!

https://www.nacmconnect.org/interconnection-hub

NACM Connect InterConnection Online Community Hub

CREDITCONNECTIONS

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

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Log In To Your Community Home Check out new discussions, events and tap into resources.

Connect One-To-One Or In Groups You can find other members easily and network privately in 1:1 or group chats.

Be a thought leader and start new discussions related to your business, project or challenges you’re facing.

CREDITCONNECTIONS

ACCESS THE NACM CONNECT COMMUNITY FROM ANYWHERE AND AT ANYTIME! The InterConnection Community Hub allows you to share best practices, inspiration, tips, and ideas with other NACM Connect members.

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To get started, please contact Lillian Novak, CGA Chief Communications Officer lillian.novak@nacmconnect.org.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

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Illinois Construction Stuff and Stuff by and in the name of the assignee, who shall have as full and complete power to enforce the same as if such proceedings were taken under the provisions of this act by and in the name of the lien claimant. (Source: Laws 1903, p. 230.)

This section isn’t a new part of the Statutes, and was important enough

“ Illinois Construction Stuff and Stuff Norm Cowie, CCE “I can’t pay you right now,” Frank said. “My customer is being a jerk and holding up all of the draws. But I will pay you, eventually, from other jobs if I have to.”

“I appreciate it,” I responded. “Do you want me to lien it?”

Frank is a homebuilder and a longtime customer going back to the 70’s when his father owned the business. We had never had any payment issues with him, so you’d think we wouldn’t talk about liening one of his jobs. But while most liens will have some adversarial nature to them, not every lien is soaked in acrimony. In this case, the lien would be friendly to him, but not so to his difficult customer. At least that was the hope.

“Yeah,” he replied. “I hate to ask, but I have asked some of the trades to lien it.”

“Tell you what,’ I added, “I’ll remove any finance charges too, but we’ll let them bill out so you can send them to your customer.”

CREDITCONNECTIONS

“Good idea,” he exclaimed.

Some years ago, another customer of ours was in a similar predicament and sort of took advantage of our forbearance by holding all payment on us for over a year as he litigated, and then demanding we accept a settlement when he settled his own claim.

So, we went over some details that would help prevent a repeat of that unfortunate case. Frank said he could make payments against the liened balance, and said he would pay unrelated invoices in terms. We also talked about the possibility that he might pay off the lien prior to resolving his own, and I told him we could assign our lien claim to him if that happened.

This is covered by Section 8 of the Lien Statutes which says this:

...the owner could decide to ... serve a notice under Section 34 of the Statutes requiring suit be filed within thirty days or the lien be forfeited.

That’s a risky move though, because the lien claimants might call his bluff...

to be included in 1903 when they were first enacted.

(770 ILCS 60/8) (from Ch. 82, par. 8)

If he paid us off and held off releasing our lien, the owner could decide to scramble the eggs by serving a notice under Section 34 of the Statutes requiring suit be filed within thirty days or the lien be forfeited. That’s a risky move though, because the lien claimants might call his bluff which might end up costing the owner more in legal fees.

Sec. 8. All liens or claims for lien which may arise or accrue under the terms of this act shall be assignable, and proceedings to enforce such liens or claims for lien may be maintained

The other problem with assigning liens is that if you accept another party’s lien, you are taking on any defenses to that lien. In our case with my builder, if I assigned our lien to them, I could NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

PAGE 12

Illinois Construction Stuff and Stuff give him all of the invoices and proof of deliveries since we’re a material supplier. He probably wouldn’t need more than that.

However, if the roles were reversed and he was assigning his lien to us, there would be a lot more involved, such as time-cards to support the labor fees, his subcontractor’s bills and other stuff. And there might be contested extras, especially if the owner told them to do additional work, but didn’t sign the paperwork yet. It might require more testimony from the party that assigned the lien claim, so you have to be sure you’ll have cooperation if that becomes necessary.

Another thing that can happen with cooperative liens is the sharing of legal counsel to lessen attorney fees.

Section 9 of the Statues provides for this as follows: Sec. 9. Any two or more persons having liens on the same property may join in bringing such suit, setting forth their respective rights in their complaint…

If one attorney was handling multiple liens on the same job, he/she could cut down some of the fees for things that might otherwise be duplicated in separate actions. If we assigned

our lien claim to Frank, this would allow him to combine his lien and ours into one action. There could still be issues if the owner had varying defenses to the lien claims. Also, there might be occasions where it would be advantageous to have another lien claimant’s lien attacked because you could put more money in the pot everyone would be sharing. Section 9 also allows for this possibility.

The plaintiff and all defendants to such complaint may contest each other’s right without any formal issue of record made up between them other than that shown upon the original complaint.

You couldn’t do that if you had the same attorney for competing positions.

Norman Cowie, CCE is Director of Credit for Paramont-EO, Inc. He has written articles appearing in the Chicago Tribune, Cynic Magazine, Business Credit and the Herald News. His current book titled, "The Illinois Mechanics Lien Statutes … and other construction stuff" is available for sale through NACM Connect. He also has ten published humor/ fantasy novels, some through traditional publishers Echelon Press, Quake Books and Draumr Publishing, although more recently he has transitioned over to Indie publishing.

Norm’s most recent book, MOONED, is now available in hardcover. MOONED is a young adult book adults can read about a dog and cat turned into were humans by their werewolf master. Fun action. Check it out on Amazon.

Norm can be reached at norm.cowie@paramont-eo. com, or feel free to visit him at www.normcowie.com which features past NACM Connect articles.

I don’t know how Frank’s problem job will end up, but while he fights the owner, we’ve perfected our lien claim.

Meanwhile, he paid everything else on his account unrelated to this job, and I have confidence he’ll make payments on the lien if he can’t resolve it right away.

Good luck, Frank.

Norm ■

Why TRUST a CLLA Certified Agency?

Rigorous Code of Ethics CLLA Certified Agencies adhere to relevant regulations in the collection of commercial debt, use generally accepted accounting practices and adhere to standards to protect and safeguard their clients’ funds. To find a CLLA Certified Collection Agency near you, visit :

www.clla.org/list-of-certified-agencies/ CREDITCONNECTIONS

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

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Credit Group Meeting Calendar NACM Connect - Illinois/Wisconsin Local Industry Credit Group Meetings DATE

GROUP

MEETING LOCATION

November 11

Northern Illinois Heating & Plumbing Wholesalers Credit Group

Ditka's, Oakbrook, IL

November 15

Ad Media Credit Group

Zoom

November 16

Metal Distributors Credit Group

Zoom

November 16

Electrical Distributors Credit Group

Zoom

November 16

International Credit Professionals Credit Group

Zoom

November 17

Institutional Credit Association Credit Group

Ditka's, Oakbrook, IL

November 18

Basic Material Credit Group

Zoom

November 23

Building Suppliers

Zoom

December 7

Masonry Credit Group

TBD

December 9

Northern Illinois Heating & Plumbing Wholesalers Credit Group

Wildfire, Schaumburg, IL

December 14

Floor Covering & Wall Tile Credit Group

Conference Call

December 14

Metal Distributors Credit Group

Zoom

December 14

Electrical Distributors Credit Group

Zoom

December 16

Ad Media Credit Group

Zoom

December 16

Building Suppliers

Greek Islands, Lombard, IL

NACM Connect - Missouri/Kansas Local Industry Credit Group Meetings DATE

GROUP

MEETING LOCATION

November 5

Central Illinois Electrical Distributors Credit Group

Bella Milano, Springfield, IL

November 11

Kansas City Builders Credit Group

Hereford House Town Square

November 17

Electrical Distributors Credit Group

Bartolino's, St Louis, MO

November 19

Refrigeration Warm/Cool Air Suppliers Credit Group

Bartolino's, St Louis, MO

December 2

Caterpillar Dealer Credit Group

Conference Call

December 3

Mid Missouri Construction Credit Group

Addisons, Columbia, MO

December 9

Kansas City Building Materials Group

TBD

December 15

Electrical Distributors Credit Group

Bartolino's, St Louis, MO

December 17

Refrigeration Warm/Cool Air Suppliers Credit Group

Bartolino's, St Louis, MO

NACM Connect - Pennsylvania Local Industry Credit Group Meetings DATE

GROUP

MEETING LOCATION

November 10

Building Trades Group

Hoss's Steak & Sea House, Altoona, PA

November 16

Construction/Plumbing & Heating Group

Bravo, Cranberry Township, PA

November 17

Food Group

Bravo, Waterfront-Homestead, PA

November 23

Electrical Suppliers Group

Bravo, Waterfront-Homestead, PA

December 8

Building Trades Group

Hoss's Steak & Sea House, Altoona

December 15

Food Group

Bravo, Waterfront-Homestead, PA

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Credit Group Meeting Calendar NACM Connect Indiana/Michigan/Ohio Local Industry Credit Group Meetings DATE

GROUP

MEETING LOCATION

November 9

Electric Industrial Supply Credit Group

Brann's, Wyoming, MI

November 9

Fort Wayne Building Materials Credit Group

Don Halls Gas House Restaurant, Fort Wayne, IN

November 10

West Michigan Heating & Plumbing Wholesalers Credit Group

Brann's, Wyoming, MI

November 11

Indiana Wholesale Floor Covering Credit Group

Conference Call

November 11

Columbus Wholesale Electric Credit Group

McNaughton-McKay Conference Room, Cols, OH

November 11

Lumber & Building Materials Credit Group

Conference Call

November 11

Michiana Credit Association Credit Group

Hilton Garden Inn, Elkhart, IN

November 16

Indiana Electrical Suppliers Credit Group

Conference Call

November 16

Automotive Suppliers Credit Group

Conference Call

November 17

Indianapolis Building Trade Suppliers Credit Group

Blakley Corp. Conference Room, Indianapolis IN

November 17

Metal Service Center Credit Group

Antonio's, Canton, MI

November 17

Cleveland/Akron/Canton Food Suppliers Credit Group

Papa Joe's, Akron, OH

November 17

Cincinnati Construction Suppliers Credit Group

Rusty Bucket Restaurant & Tavern, Liberty Township, OH

November 18

Cincinnati Dayton Wholesale Electric Credit Group

Century Inn, Cincinnati, OH

November 18

Michigan Electric Supply Credit Group

Antonio's, Canton, MI

November 24

Plumbing & Heating Wholesalers Credit Group

Ferguson Enterprises Conference Room, Indianapolis IN

December 8

West Michigan Heating & Plumbing Wholesalers Credit Group

Brann's, Wyoming, MI

December 9

Michiana Credit Association Credit Group

Hilton Garden Inn, Elkhart, IN

December 9

Columbus Wholesale Electric Credit Group

McNaughton-McKay Conference Room, Cols, OH

December 14

Electric Industrial Supply Credit Group

TBD

December 14

Fort Wayne Building Materials Credit Group

Don Halls Gas House Restaurant, Fort Wayne, IN

December 15

Indianapolis Building Trade Suppliers Credit Group

Blakley Corp. Conference Room, Indianapolis IN

December 21

Automotive Suppliers Credit Group

Conference Call

December 21

Indiana Electrical Suppliers Credit Group

Conference Call

December 22

Plumbing & Heating Wholesalers Credit Group

Ferguson Enterprises Conference Room, Indianapolis IN

December 15

Cleveland/Akron/Canton Food Suppliers Credit Group

Papa Joe's, Akron, OH

NACM Connect - Nebraska Local Industry Credit Group Meetings DATE

GROUP

MEETING LOCATION

November 9

Omaha Builders Credit Group

Watkins Concrete Block (Nebco), Omaha

December 14

Omaha Builders Credit Group

Teleconference

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Credit Group Meeting Calendar NACM Connect National Industry Credit Group Meetings DATE

GROUP

MEETING LOCATION

November 2-4

National Agricultural Credit Conference

Jekyll Island Club, Jekyll Island, GA

November 9

National Metal Industry Raw Material Group

TEAMS

November 10

Northeast Regional Metal Distributors

TEAMS

November 10

National Tool & Accessories Manufacturers Credit Group

Zoom

November 11

National Electrical Manufacturers Credit Group

Zoom

November 14-15

National Plumbing, Pipe & Heating Credit Group

Sheraton Sand Key, Clearwater Beach, FL

November 15-16

National Home Centers Credit Group

Sheraton Sand Key, Clearwater Beach, FL

November 16-17

National Consumer Products Credit Group

Sheraton Sand Key, Clearwater Beach, FL

November 18

National RVMH Credit Group

Flamingo, Las Vegas, NV

November 18-19

National Steel Mill Credit Group

Zoom

November 19

National Circuit Board Group

Zoom

December 9

National Paper Packaging Credit Group

Zoom

December 9-10

National Underground Utilities Supply Credit Group

Hampton Inn Gateway, Orlando, FL

December 16

National Metal Producers Credit Group

Zoom

NACM Connect - New York Local Industry Credit Group Meetings DATE

GROUP

MEETING LOCATION

November 9

Western New York Food & Beverage Supply Credit Group

Eagle House, Buffalo,NY

November 10

Rochester Plumbing & HVAC Credit Group

REPORTS Conference Call

November 12

Buffalo Building & Construction Credit Group

Eagle House, Buffalo,NY

November 16

Central New York Building Credit Group

Colemans, Syracuse,NY

November 18

Rochester Building Credit Group

Cerames, Rochester,NY

November 19

Best Practices Group

Eagle House, Buffalo,NY

November 23

Buffalo Plumbing & Electric Credit Group

Eagle House, Buffalo,NY

December 8

Rochester Plumbing/HVAC

Conference Call

December 10

Buffalo Bldg./Const. Group

Eagle House, Buffalo,NY

December 14

WNY Food and Beverage Supply Group

Eagle House, Buffalo,NY

December 16

Rochester Building Group

Cerames, Rochester,NY

December 20

Albany Building Credit Group

Conference Call

December 21

CNY Building Group

Colemans, Syracuse,NY

CREDITCONNECTIONS

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

PAGE 16

Event Calendar LOCATION

PRESENTER / INSTRUCTOR(S)

Zoom Videoconferencing

10 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. CST

Thomas Fawkes and Brian Jackiw

CREDIT CONFERENCE Preparing for Preferences

Zoom Videoconferencing

2 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. CST

Randall Woolley

November 5

Q & A: Get to Know our New Careers In Credit Job Board

Zoom Videoconferencing

11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. CST

Leslie Harrison, SPHR, CGA

November 9

CREDIT CONFERENCE Skirting the Post Office: Converting Your Customers to Electronic Payers

Zoom Videoconferencing

10 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. CST

Joe Batie, Frank Dispensa, Michael Williams

November 9

CREDIT CONFERENCE When Was the Last Time You Asked: Why

Zoom Videoconferencing

2 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. CST

Bob Starinsky

November 10

NACM Connect Credit 103

Zoom Videoconferencing

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. CST

Dave Condon, CCE

November 11

CREDIT CONFERENCE Managing the Remote Credit Department

Zoom Videoconferencing

10 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. CST

Dominic Biegel

November 11

CREDIT CONFERENCE Building and Motivating High Performing Teams

Zoom Videoconferencing

2 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. CST

Nicole Caley, MBA, APM, ARM, APSC

November 16

CREDIT CONFERENCE Using Security to Expand your Credit Boundaries

Zoom Videoconferencing

10 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. CST

Jerry Bailey

November 16

CREDIT CONFERENCE Credit Application Review

Zoom Videoconferencing

2 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. CST

Thomas Fawkes and Brian Jackiw

November 18

CREDIT CONFERENCE Rethinking Receivables: AI-Driven Cash Management

Zoom Videoconferencing

10 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. CST

Christopher Rios

November 18

NACM Connect Indiana Best Practices Discussion Group

Zoom Videoconferencing

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST

Thomas Fawkes and Brian Jackiw, Tucker Ellis LLP

November 18

CREDIT CONFERENCE What’s Going on with the Economy Today?

Zoom Videoconferencing

2 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. CST

Charlie Munro

November 23

CREDIT CONFERENCE US China Trade War

Zoom Videoconferencing

10 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. CST

Bill Liu

January 5, 2022

NACM Connect Credit 101

Zoom Videoconferencing

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. CST

Dave Condon, CCE

January 6, 2022

Basic Financial Accounting

Zoom Videoconferencing

5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. CST

Curtis Litchfield, CCE

DATE

EVENT

November 4

CREDIT CONFERENCE Litigation 101

November 4

CREDITCONNECTIONS

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

PAGE 17

Join an NACM Connect Industry Credit Group

√

Place a Check Mark Next to Your Group!

If you placed a check mark then you are benefitting from networking with other credit executives in your industry.

Group members share invaluable credit information that may be used to make independent decisions with respect to the extension of credit. Discussions include shared information on common

customers, the latest in technology for credit management and other creditrelated topics. Group members have access to expanded tradeline data from 12 additional participating NACM affiliates―at no cost! In compliance with the Federal Antitrust Regulations, group activities are monitored by NACM trained and certified administrators.

If you did not place a check mark, contact Themis Vlahos, CCE, CGA, Director of Group Services by email at themis.vlahos@ nacmconnect.org or call him at 800-935-6226 x6428.

NATIONAL

ILLINOIS, NEBRASKA, WISCONSIN

MISSOURI

 Agricultural Credit Conference

 Advertising Media  Basic Material  Building Suppliers  Electrical Distributors  Floor Covering & Wall Tile  Institutional Credit Association  International Credit Professionals  Masonry  Metal Distributors  Northern IL Heating & Plumbing Wholesalers  Nebraska Builders & Industrial Suppliers  Wisconsin Best Practices

 Agricultural  Caterpillar Dealers  Central Illinois Electrical Distributors  Electrical Distributors  Kansas City Building Materials  Mid Missouri Construction  Midwest Regional Food Service & Supply Purveyors  Refrigeration & Warm/Cool Air Suppliers

 Architectural Metal & Glass  Auto Glass  Circuit Board Suppliers  Christian Suppliers  Coated Paper & Film Manufacturers  Construction  Consumer Products Manufacturers  Electrical Manufacturers  Firearms & Ammunition  Foodservice Distributors  Garage Door & Operating Devices Manufacturers  Home Centers & Building Materials  Home Healthcare Suppliers  Horticultural Distributors International Flat Rolled Steel  Leisure Living Manufacturers  Lawn & Garden  Manufactured Housing  Meat Packers  Metal Buildings & Components  Metal Industry Raw Material Suppliers  Metal Producers  Musical Instruments  Nursing Home Suppliers  Paper Packaging  Plumbing, Pipe & Heating Manufacturers  Professional Apparel Manufacturers  Steel Mill Industry  Tool & Accessories Manufacturers  Truck, Trailer & Waste Equipment Manufacturers  Underground Utilities Water Products CREDITCONNECTIONS

INDIANA, MICHIGAN, OHIO  Automotive Suppliers  Cincinnati Construction Suppliers  Cincinnati/Dayton Wholesale Electric Supply  Cleveland/Akron/Canton Food Suppliers  Columbus Wholesale Electric Supply  Ft Wayne Building Materials  Grand Rapids Electrical/Industrial Suppliers  Grand Rapids Lumber & Building Materials  Indiana Electrical Suppliers  Indiana Wholesale Floor Covering  Indianapolis Building Trade Suppliers  Indiana Best Practices  Metal Service Center  Michiana Credit Association – Manufactured Housing  Michigan Electrical Supply  Plumbing & Heating Wholesalers  West Michigan Heating Wholesalers

NEW YORK  Albany Building Supply  Best Practices  Buffalo Building & Construction  Buffalo Plumbing and Electric Supply  Central New York Building Supply  Central New York Food & Beverage Supply  Rochester Building Supply  Rochester Plumbing and HVAC  Western New York Food & Beverage Supply PENNSYLVANIA  Pittsburgh/Altoona Building Trades  Pittsburgh Construction, Plumbing & Heating  Pittsburgh Electrical Suppliers  Pittsburgh Food Suppliers  Northeast Regional Metal Distributors USER AND SPECIALTY GROUPS  Law Firm Forum  National SAP Credit & A/R Users

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

PAGE 18

Caine & Weiner Giveaway

$150

2021 Quarterly Giveaways

OCTOBER | NOVEMBER | DECEMBER Place a collections claim with Caine & Weiner anytime during the months of October, November and December and become eligible to win a $ 150 The Capital Grille gift card.

Each claim you place will be eligible for the drawings.

Enter as often as you like!

For information on placing claims, please contact Jim McGee at 847.407.2348.

You may also place a claim online at www.caine-weiner.com.

CREDITCONNECTIONS

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

PAGE 19

NACM Connect Member News

Welcome New Members & Reps NEW REPRESENTATIVES

Briggs & Stratton Corporation Paul Bowe

Loretta Mikel ABR Wholesalers Inc.

Buckeye Corrugated, Inc. Ben Derhammer Complete Interactive Technologies Mike Meldrum Core Electric/ Michigan Pump Dave Mengel

Scott Jones Certified Power Inc.

IMCD US, LLC Karen Ferrell

Scott Swan Directions Credit Union

Mid-Cape Home Centers Nicolette Asack

Automne Heather Eby-Brown Company

Nagle Companies Tom Blume

Tony Luneke Fireplace Stone & Patio

National Kwikmetal Service L.P. Elena Arrington Rawlings Sporting Goods Company Brittany Guritz

Rocket Industrlal Danielle Kostroski Sievert Electric Service & Sales Company Michelle McMillan SPI Co Rose Crasi SPI Co / GLT Products Janet Nutt Thompson Hine LLP William Curran Upstart Shijie Jia

Mindy Fenton Avery Dennison Corporation Javier Chanto Bosch Security Systems, Inc.

Hynes Industries, Inc. Jennifer Schmidt

Rick Curtis Rick Curtis

Kim Hugo-Caudle Airosol Co., Inc.

Susan Rusch Foremost Farms, USA Brian Burks GEON Performance Solutions Thomas Pakulski Great Lakes Data Racks & Cabinets Peter Iacobellis INX International Ink Company Kaye Heilman Kalmbach Feeds, Inc.

Margo Williams Meritor, Inc. Hanna Dunsmore 0 W Lee Company, Inc. Kelly McDonough Ozark Ready Mix Company, Inc. Michael Miller R3 Safety LLC Anthony Shimkus R&B Foods, (Mizkan Foods) Dawn Lyon RKA Petroleum Companies Inc Heather David RKA Petroleum Companies, L.L.C. Christopher Schaeffer R.P. Fedder Industrial LLC Stuart Sprigler Star Leasing Co Charmayne Addison TriMark SS Kemp & Co. Michelle Desko Whitaker House/ Anchor Distributors Renee Torre X-Rite Company Brett Bartling Warren Distribution, Inc.

Robin Leuck Kirby Risk Corp Mike Hill Koorsen Fire & Security Inc Christina Pehote Martin’s Flooring Carpet One Liz Sternberg Medela LLC

Join CFDD

CFDD Chapters focus on education, networking, and professional support for employees of member firms of the National Association of Credit Management. They offer scholarships for Credit Congress, our National Conference, designations, Business Center Magazine, our National Newsletter, NACM Knowledge Center, and much more.

For more information email Sam Bell, CFDD National Board of Directors Chairperson, at sam.bell@louisvilleladder.com or contact Kelly Shock, CCRA, CCE, Vice Chair – Member Services and Publicity, at kellyshock24@gmail.com.

Or visit https://nacm.org/cfdd-home.html CREDITCONNECTIONS

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

PAGE 20

NACM Connect case that the people you haven’t seen before are more likely to be the source of the problem,” Jones explained.

Since placing incorrect blame while working on a team can happen so easily, it is crucial to be aware of any power dynamic that might be at play.

“If you’re charting your own career path, working with powerful eminent people poses risks,” Jones said. “It says that you’re probably less likely to get credit for a good outcome and you’re more likely to get discredited for a bad outcome. So, you might want to be choosy about who you hitch your own reputation to.” ■

Who Takes the Blame When a Team Makes a Mistake Continued from page 1

organizations at Kellogg, placing blame comes down mostly to reputation. They found that the same people on a team who celebrate when things go right are often not the ones who get criticism when things go wrong.

“That double standard should make us question how we give credit and how we give blame,” Uzzi said. “What typically happens is, they assign the most credit to the most eminent person on the team.”

This phenomenon is something they call the Matthew Effect. It essentially means those who have a positive reputation only improve their reputation in other people’s eyes over time. For example, if two people are writing a book together, the senior author is more likely to get most of the credit even if they only did 5% of the work, Uzzi explained. “Because the false credit that was assigned to you just adds to your eminence, which only makes it more likely that next time you’re going to get more,” he added.

CREDITCONNECTIONS

When a team makes a mistake, there are three ways this scenario usually unfolds. One, everyone on the team takes equal responsibility. Two, those who usually get the positive feedback also take the criticism. Or three, those who do not generally take credit when things go right take the heat for a mistake.

Uzzi and Jones put this to the test to see which scenario was most likely.

They looked at retractions of books as an example. “What we found was that when there’s a retraction, the lion’s share of the blame lands on the junior author,” Uzzi said. “Which is interesting because when the paper does well, we credit the senior author.”

Jones said this may happen because human nature is to trust a more wellknown person than someone who is newer, even though an original team member can mess up just as easily as someone more junior. “If you have one person who you feel pretty clear about because you’ve seen a lot of their prior work and you’re confident in that person and you see other people on the team who you aren’t confident about because they don’t really have much of a reputation yet, it’s more likely to be the

NACM Connect InterConnection Online Community Hub

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

PAGE 21

Careers In Credit

Get to Know our New Careers In Credit Job Board!

Save Your Spot!

PRESENTER Leslie Harrison, SPHR, CGA Vice President of Membership, Staffing and HR NACM Connect

ZOOM EVENT Friday, November 5, 2021 11:00 -11:30 am US/Central

CREDITCONNECTIONS

To register, visit the NACM Connect Calendar at www.nacmconnect.org/calendar/ or email leslie.harrison@nacmconnect.org.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

PAGE 22

NACM Southwest Giveaway

$150

2021 Quarterly Giveaways

OCTOBER | NOVEMBER | DECEMBER Place a collections claim with NACM Southwest anytime during the months October, November and December and become eligible to win a $ 150 The Capital Grille gift card.

Each claim you place will be eligible for the drawings.

Enter as often as you like!

For information on placing claims, please contact Kelly Hall at 317.225.4281.

For more information visit www.nacmconnect.org.

CREDITCONNECTIONS

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

PAGE 23

Merritt Search One of the best tools we use in the Chicagoland market is Merritt Credit Bureau. With their services we can check out a job to see if there are any mechanics liens or foreclosures. Between Merritt and our NACM Distributors Group, we can see almost everything going on in our marketplace. I heartily endorse both organizations.

Norman Cowie, CCE, Director of Credit Paramont-EO, Inc.

avoid getting involved in a project that already has lawsuits with other suppliers, tax liens or mechanics liens in the chicagoland market.

YOU HAVE A NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE! County coverage includes: Cook | DeKalb | DuPage | Grundy | Kane | Kankakee Kendall | Lake | McHenry | McLean | Peoria | Will Winnebago and more..

Cost for each search:

To request a “Merritt History” search, complete the form located on the NACM Connect website under the Services tab. Choose Merritt Search from the dropdown menu. Your request will be submitted to Merritt Credit Bureau, Inc. Results will be returned directly to you.

►

Company name (as plaintiff & defendant) search: $40

►

Owner/Member/President search: $40

($36 when requested as an additional search w/company name)

►

Job site address search: $40

►

State of Illinois UCC Search: $40

►

Copies of UCC: $2 per page

►

No information/Search fee applies: $40

For additional information, please contact Paula Slyder at 937.401.2710 or paula.slyder@nacmconnect.org CREDITCONNECTIONS

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

PAGE 24

BEST-IN-CLASS PEOPLE, BEST-IN-CLASS PROVIDER Express Services

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More importantly, we know how to help you overcome them. For more than 50 years, with our vast experience and industry leading insights, we have developed and refined a wide breadth of products and services to meet your specific business needs. Whether you need a single service or a customized program, NCS is ready to be your full-service provider.

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Collection Services | UCC Services | Notice & Mechanic’s Lien Services | Education & Resources

CREDITCONNECTIONS

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

PAGE 25

NACM Connect Emerging Leaders

LUNCH & LEARN

Emerging Leaders Group is geared towards younger members new to the credit industry!

nacmconnect.org

CREDITCONNECTIONS

EMERGING LEADERS Handling Deliquent Accounts

MODERATOR: JEFF WEBER, ULINE

JARED SILVER, M. HOLLAND COMPANY

FREE ZOOM OPEN FORUM ROUNDTABLE WHEN

Thursday, January 20, 2022 12:00 ─ 1:00 p.m. CST Via ZOOM Registration Deadline: January 19, 2022

COST

FREE

Questions? Contact Lillian Novak at lillian.novak@nacmconnect.org or call 847.483.6478 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

PAGE 26

Indiana

WEBINAR ZOOM MEETING INDIANA BEST PRACTICES DISCUSSION GROUP We understand that information in today’s credit world is vital.

Participating in a Best Practices Discussion Group will provide you with credit-specific education, contacts in the local credit community and the opportunity to share ideas with fellow colleagues.

About the Best Practices Discussion Group Unlike traditional credit groups, the NACM Connect Indiana Best Practices Discussion Group is not industry specific. Your entire company may attend each meeting including your associates, members of the credit department and even the CEO of your organization. Any NACM Connect member company is welcome to join the group. Each meeting will discuss best practices and no specific customers will be mentioned.

About the Group Meetings Four times each year, the Best Practices Discussion Group will hold a roundtable discussion. Local meetings will be held in the Indianapolis, Indiana area. We will focus on various credit-related topics relevant to today’s business professional. NACM personnel, a member company or guest speaker will facilitate a lunch meeting.

Objectives of the Best Practices Discussion Group • Determine necessary improvements for your credit and/or accounting departments and organization.

Next Meeting Topic: ALL THINGS CREDIT Presenters: Thomas Fawkes and Brian Jackiw Tucker Ellis LLP

Date: Thursday, November 18, 2021 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. EST Location: Webinar/Zoom Meeting For More Information or to Register: Please contact Kelly Hall at kelly.hall@nacmconnect.org or 317.225.4281

• Analyze how other organizations achieve high performance levels.

• Use gathered information to enhance your company’s performance.

nacmconnect.org CREDITCONNECTIONS

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

PAGE 27

CreditConnection NACM Connect 3005 Tollview Drive Rolling Meadows, Illinois www.nacmconnect.org 800.935.NACM

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