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Before
the merger between the International Management Council and
the National Management Association, NMA of Knox County got
its start in 1966 as a charter member of IMC - a program of
the YMCA. Initially, it was known around the county as the
Industrial Management Club of Mount Vernon-Knox County and
in 1967, the group had 73 members. Richard Bergman of the
Loma Linda Corporation was the Chapter's first president.
At that time, membership mostly was comprised of foremen and
supervisors of Knox County Industries (44 of the members were
from Cooper Bessemer and seven were from Weyerhaeuser).
In 1978, the group opened the doors to women as members. Seven
years later, IMC of Mount Vernon-Knox County had its first
woman president. Pat Dinsmore then of First Knox National
Bank led the executive board from '85-'86.
Today,
NMA of Knox County has over 65 members from over 38 companies
in the local community. On January 1, 2004, IMC and NMA merged
to become NMA boosting membership and resources to an all-time
high for both groups. With the mission and vision so closely
similar between IMC and NMA, members of the national and grass
roots level recognized the validity of joining forces, so
it became a reality.
While
the term "management" is prevalent in the lingo of the organization,
NMA welcomes people who are in "non-management" positions
but aspire to become managers or would like to develop their
leadership skills. NMA clearly understands that one does not
have to be in management to be a leader. Because of this perspective,
NMA of Knox County has become one of the most successful volunteer
organizations in the area and respected by the business and
professional community. It now reaches beyond local involvement
to national and international communities. Members participate
and develop workshops, educational courses and conferences.
Through these activities, members gain valuable experience
that helps develop skills in leadership, presentation, communication,
financial management, delegating, organizing, controlling
and other management related skills.
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