JoAnn (Jo) Rettke, CCE
Credit Manager
Ferguson, a Wolseley Company

Steve M Martinson
Global Credit Manager
H.B. Fuller Company

JoAnn Malz
Corporate Director, Customer Financial Services
Pentair, Inc.

Alicia Burns
Senior Credit Analyst
Schwan's Food Service, Inc.

Classes & Seminars
Stay sharp by taking advantage of half-day and full-day seminars, classes, breakfast meetings, webinars and lunch & learns throughout the year. Choose from a variety of hot topics revolving around fraud, credit law, collections, and innovative tools and techniques. For more information on upcoming training opportunities, see our calendar.

Courses
CAP and ACAP classes are the courses a credit professional needs to take to obtain a CBA, CBF, or CCE. These courses were developed by NACM and we are proud to offer them throughout the year for the Twin Cities area. Check our calendar for upcoming classes. For more information on the program visit NACM.ORG.

Fresh Ground: A Breakfast for Business Credit Thought Leaders.
Organized once a year, the Fresh Ground is an annual networking opportunity − a way for you and your companies to engage in collaborative learning, and to connect with others in order to improve business practices and stimulate corporate growth.

The Fall Forum
Once a year we take over a hotel in the Twin Cities for this large networking event. Although the annual Forum itself is a great networking opportunity, preceding it is an informational afternoon. Previous topics have included "Working in a Multi-Generational Workplace"; "Who Moved My Cheese?" and "Using Technology to Assist in Communications". Consider spending an afternoon with your fellow members each year and learn from the presentation and each other.

Professional Credentialing
Show the world you mean business. Forius is one of the only NACM affiliates to offer ALL classes required both for the Credit Business Associate (CBA), and Credit Business Fellow (CBF) credentialing exams. Forius also has the largest number of credentialed members of any affiliate ... which means you have access to the education, support, and networking opportunities you need to prepare successfully for the Certified Credit Executive (CCE) designation.

Achieve recognition for your expertise
As a professional, you know that continuing education is a must to ensure your success. Commit to your success by participating in the Credit Administration Program (CAP) and the Advanced Credit Administration Program (ACAP). Managers repeatedly say they highly value the degree of knowledge and efficiency gained by their staff members who pursue credentials. In the words of Reese Dyer, CCE, Credit Manager, Ecolab, "Credentialing is not directly about getting a promotion; it's about being a professional. It shows that you take what you do seriously with pride, determination and commitment."

What Credentials are possible for a Credit Professional?
Credit Business Associate (CBA)
An academic-based designation that signals mastery in three business-credit related disciplines: basic financial accounting, business credit principles and introductory financial statement analysis. There is no minimum work experience requirement for this designation. Preparatory classes for the CBA are offered in the Credit Administration Program (CAP).

Credit Business Fellow (CBF)
The second level of credentialing is an academic and participation-based designation, and requires an earned CBA, 75 Career Roadmap points, and courses in business law, credit law, finance and intermediate financial statement analysis. For a detailed explanation of Career Roadmap points click here. These classes are offered through the Advanced Credit Administration Program (ACAP).

Certified Credit Executive (CCE)
NACM's highest designation, which tells the world you are capable of managing the credit function at an executive level. CCEs are required to recertify every three years; more info is available at NACM.ORG

Prepare for certification with challenging and intensive classroom-style courses offered by Forius. For a schedule of upcoming CAP and ACAP classes go to our Calendar. For more information contact us at (763) 253-4300 or send an email to training@forius.com.

Industry Group Meetings
Whether you're face-to-face or online, there's no substitute for meeting with your industry peers − networking with trusted professionals who can help address your toughest credit challenges. No matter if your market is Minnesota, the Midwest, the U.S. or the world − let Forius be your gateway to industry experts and expertise.

Making credit decisions doesn’t have to be a gamble. Join an industry group and receive up-to-the-minute credit alerts and other critical customer information. Industry groups help keep you on top of what’s going on in your industry ... provide a trusted network to get the right answers fast ... and let you and your peers learn about innovative credit and collection techniques.

Tired of information gaps that slow down your order approvals? Your industry group can help you fill in the missing pieces of your customer’s credit history, so that you can make informed credit decisions with confidence. Through your group, you’ll have access to industry-specific trade information that can help you:

• Manage your high-risk accounts
• Approve orders fast, thanks to 24/7 web access
• Minimize credit risk
• Monitor your ever-changing portfolio
• Stay alert to critical customer changes
• Learn the latest techniques to manage credit processes
• Network with other knowledgeable credit professionals
• Get reliable answers to your toughest credit management questions

A Forius staff member trained and experienced in anti-trust compliance moderates each industry group.

Don’t play guessing games; make informed decisions. Use the email link below to contact us and learn more.

info@forius.com

As a proud NACM affiliate, Forius carefully monitors industry trade credit information exchange and strictly adheres to antitrust regulations. NACM is recognized by the Department of Commerce as a legitimate entity to exchange trade credit.

Industry credit group membership is limited to persons responsible for their company's credit and finance functions. Credit groups are not open to salespeople.

Want to learn more about antitrust regulations? Click here for a free copy of "Antitrust Guide For Business Credit Professionals" published by NACM (requires Adobe Reader).

Community Discussion Forums
With your Forius Association Membership, you and your coworkers automatically receive access to the Member Center Forum − an online discussion board with topics related to credit best practices, tools and techniques, collections, laws, and general business.

Network with knowledgeable peers in the credit field
Forius offers access to people, opportunities and expertise to help make you more effective in your job and give your career an edge. Building communities is an important part of the future of credit. Collaborating − company to company, department to department, credit person to credit person − is the key to surviving in an increasingly competitive and global economy.

Member Center
Looking for help solving a problem but not sure who to ask? Why not ask everyone? The Member Center is an exclusive Forius member online discussion forum created for collaboration with your professional credit colleagues 24/7. It's the place to exchange the latest credit techniques and procedures, discuss legal rulings and regulations affecting business credit, and share your own knowledge and advice.

Business Credit Resource Group
The group meets quarterly to discuss varying topics and learn from subject-expert speakers. Beyond the face-to-face meetings, the group can meet online in its own discussion forum to continue meeting discussions and share further information. Helpful articles and documents can be posted here for all Business Credit Resource Group members to view.

Shared Services Group
This group is a one-of-a-kind, dynamic network dedicated to helping companies like yours improve customer processes. The Shared Services group meets quarterly to connect, collaborate and explore ideas for improving customer relationship management and its underlying processes. Those discussions are then continued between meetings through the exclusive Shared Services online discussion forum, where members share knowledge at any time.

The Association, Who Is Forius?

Forius \for•ee•us\: FOR from the word "forum", the letter I which stands for "inclusion", US for all of us: buyers AND sellers, in the B2B marketplace. The symbol in front of Forius represents the multiple points of view that come together within the realm of community − the variety of perspectives required to achieve collaborative wisdom. Forius is one of the original affiliates of the National Association of Credit Management (NACM), founded in 1896. We offer a great selection of products and services. Start with predictive business credit information from Experian, Equifax, plus our own Forius database with in-depth information in key industries. Enhance staff and department productivity with outstanding training and skill-building opportunities. We'll help you select exactly what you need within a budget you can afford.

Exceptional customer service. We believe strongly that people are key to every successful business relationship. As a Forius client, you'll receive personalized training and support from a highly responsive and accessible sales and service team dedicated to your success. See for yourself why a Forius client recently said, "Quite honestly, some of the best customer service I have experienced from any of the vendors I work with."

A world of resources at your fingertips. We're a dynamic trade association whose members truly enjoy helping each other. Which means you have access to an ever-growing network of ideas, solutions, practical applications, tips and product information − a deep pool of shared knowledge instantly available from one of the most trusted and dynamic business credit communities in the U.S.

Preferred pricing. Our strategic relationships with Experian and Equifax give us significant buying power and leverage ... which means you'll find some of the best prices anywhere on business credit information.

Flexibility. We know you can't possibly anticipate everything that may happen in the months ahead. So your Forius prepaid contract lets you shift dollars among various products and services throughout the year − a great way to stay on top of changing business conditions. Or, if you prefer, choose one of our other buying plans instead.

Commercial Collectors, Inc. has been providing business to business collections since 1961. They offer pre-collection services, free demand service, third party collections, litigation and outsource collection services. Commercial Collectors is a family-owned company that has been in Minnesota for over 50 years!

 

Credit Point Software is an industry leading provider of credit and collections software solutions. Our emphasis is on providing superior configurability of the application, as well as world class support.

 

Moss & Barnett attorneys Michael Etmund and Sarah Doerr practice in matters of commercial collections, bankruptcy, and creditors' remedies law. With the resources of a full-service law firm available to them, Michael and Sarah are prepared to handle all needs arising from account receivables, including pre- and post-judgment collection and enforcement, recovering collateral, as well as issues arising in bankruptcy. As seasoned litigators, Michael and Sarah are ready to assist in that regard, while still emphasizing the benefit of resolving disputes without litigation.

 

As the leading payment solution provider, United TranzActions will help you find the best processing solutions to enhance your cash flow, eliminate processes that are inefficient, and provide you easy-to-understand reports and money-saving ways to manage your receivables and customer payments. Click here to learn more.

 

Vantiv (formerly named Fifth Third Processing Solutions) is a leading provider of payment processing strategies and technology solutions. We'll work with you to develop programs that help simplify payments, while focusing on new opportunities and revenue for your business. Our people, technologies, and partnerships are the Vantiv difference. Let's discuss your future success. www.vantiv.com.

 

Experian has reliable B2B information available with data collected only from qualified third parties, combined with extensive business owner records. This approach has helped Experian build the largest, most accurate database on small businesses.

 

Equifax provides commercial credit reports on more than 24 million entities, including emerging businesses that historically have used credit cards, leases and bank financing instead of trade credit. This unique information from Equifax gives you better intelligence when these emerging entities show up on your company’s doorstep wanting open-account credit.

 

NACM has education and research programs that address the complex needs of credit management today. Your membership in Forius gives you access to all the benefits of NACM.

 

SkyMinder is a great source for your international credit information. SkyMinder is the first service that puts ALL the business and industry information you need in one place. By aggregating data from many of the most well-respected sources from around the world − Coface, Graydon, Equifax, Sinotrust, and more − SkyMinder lets you choose exactly the report you need.

 

Dual membership in NACM

Forius is one of the original affiliates of the National Association of Credit Management (NACM), therefore members of Forius are granted automatic dual membership within NACM.

A trade association with over 100 years of history, NACM conveniently has affiliates located in most states throughout North America. Approximately 17,000 credit professionals from every size of company and field of business belong to NACM.

NACM establishes credit management standards, advocates the credit profession through legislative representation, advances the body of credit management knowledge and offers world-renowned, best-in-class seminars and educational programs. Visit NACM.ORG to learn more.