National Pawnbrokers Association Celebrates 30 Years of Support and Representation for Independent Pawnbrokers
Keller, TX (PRWEB) January 25, 2017 -- The National Pawnbrokers Association (NPA) is celebrating its 30th anniversary as the only national trade organization representing independent pawnbrokers. The current president, Larry Nuckols, announced, “We are proud to continue to further the core goals of the founders of the NPA and are looking to the future for another 30 years of protecting independent pawnbrokers.” The NPA is planning celebrations of the pawn industry’s rich history throughout the year, including a retrospective presentation during Pawn Expo July 11-13, 2017, at The Mirage in Las Vegas, NV.
The NPA was founded in 1987 by Miley O’Neal. Louise Seawright served as its first president in 1988. The formation of the NPA was intended to coordinate a national voice for the burgeoning industry and for national and grassroots representation in Washington, DC for pawnbrokers. In its 30th year, the NPA continues to fight for the future of the pawn industry in the face of threats that could limit a pawnbroker’s ability to provide short-term, small dollar loans to customers who do not have access to other forms of lending. These legislative efforts include educating law makers, protecting the privacy and security of customers’ personal information, and fighting for brick-and-mortar pawnbrokers threatened by emerging technology and online lenders.
Since its founding, the NPA has steadily developed and provided resources, tools, and services aimed to strengthen the pawn industry. These tools include a robust government relations program, the annual Legislative Conference in Washington DC, grassroots advocacy, legislative representation, and the NPA Political Action Committee (PAC.) The NPA also hosts Pawn Expo, the only national convention and trade show for the pawn industry.
The association provides aggressive public relations and community outreach campaigns and requires all members to adhere to a strict Code of Ethics to further this principal goal. President Nuckols noted, “As the pawn industry became more mainstream in the early days of the association, the NPA started to promote a positive and professional image in the media.” As an example, Mr. O’Neal appeared in the New York Times on March 5, 1987, in an article entitled “Now, Mainstream Pawnshops,” contributing to the awareness of the mainstreaming of the pawn industry. Mr. Nuckols added, ”That type of push for positive national awareness is important to the future of the pawn industry and something we continue to do today.”
Additionally, the NPA recently launched the Certified Pawn Professional (CPP) designation, a recognized mark of distinction within the pawn industry. The CPP program is designed for experienced pawnbrokers to further their professional education and earn the designation “CPP.” CPP designees have had at least three years of professional pawnbroking experience and have been certified in a series of CPP learning programs, such as Store Operations, Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations, Human Resources, Product Knowledge, Federal Regulations, and Security, Risk, and Crisis Management. The CPP learning program was created by the NPA in partnership with pawnbroker members who are experts in their field.
For more information about the NPA, visit NationalPawnbrokers.org.
External Communications, National Pawnbrokers Association, http://www.NationalPawnbrokers.org, +1 (212) 365-0691 Ext: 5, [email protected]
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