About Us
The Piedmont Chapter of RIMS serves the risk management community of central and eastern NorthCarolina. Our geographic region includes the Triad (Greensboro/Winston- Salem/High Point), the Triangle (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill), and Eastern NC (Wilmington and the coast).
Piedmont Chapter History
In 1956 the Virginia–Carolinas Chapter was formed. Because the meetings were held in Richmond, Virginia, thedistance was too far for the Carolina and Southern Virginia members to make. In 1964 the Carolinas declared theirindependence with the support of A. Grant Whitney, who became the Carolinas
Chapter first President/ The first meeting was held in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The landmark year was 1971 when it was agreed that the upper half of North Carolina and southern Virginia wouldbe recognized as a separate Chapter and, after much deliberation, was named the Piedmont Chapter.
There is a summary written by George Burt Atkins for the National Conference in 1974 and reprinted in a booklet that was produced for the silver anniversary of the chapter. (Burt also has organized archived pictures from 1970-1985 of various RIMS functions. We are hoping to obtain a copy of this material and will make it available on the website for the viewing by interested members.)
RIMS History
The Risk and Insurance Management Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping members in their chosen field of Risk Management and to provide for them a forum where they can exchange ideas and information. It supports its members by advocating a fair and competitive insurance market, monitoring governmental activitiesand legislation, combating hampering regulations, and offering continuing education programs.
Our emblem, the unicorn, symbolizes competitiveness and burgeoning strength [note: the logo was changed in2011 to the current symbol; see description below]. RIMS champions worldwide recognition of the Risk Management profession by developing the knowledge, understanding, and application of risk management techniques.
RIMS was founded in 1950 with just a few hundred members and five US chapters. Today it has over 88
chapters throughout the United States and Canada, and the growth continues. The Society has over 3,500 member companies throughout the world, represented by 11,000 Risk, Benefit and
Safety Managers or Directors, CEOs, CFOs, General Managers, and Controllers. It is the largest organization of its kind in the world.
Membership is open to corporations, service, charitable, and government entities, and nonprofit organizations. The people representing the members are known as deputy members of the society, and they are responsible forplanning their own risk management, benefits, or insurance programs.
The newer members of our Chapter may not be aware of the name changes of our National organization. In1950, the organization was created and called NIBA. for National Insurance Buyers Association. The first name change was in 1955 and the organization was renamed
A.S.I.M. for American Society of Insurance Management. The last name change occurred in 1975 when it wasvoted that the organization should be called RIMS for what we all know today as the Risk and Insurance Management Society.
Following is the text of a memo sent to chapter officers in January 2011 by Mary Roth, Executive Director of RIMS:
It is my pleasure to announce that on Monday, January 10, 2011 RIMS will unveil a new look that highlights ourcommitment to an all-encompassing approach to risk. Our Board of Directors has voted to change the RIMS logo and shift our brand away from the unicorn that has been with us since 1975.
With the initiative, which includes both a logo and compelling new tagline (pictured above), we aim to capture the evolving nature of risk management. At RIMS, our focus includes strategic and enterprise risk management andfollowing that emphasis, the new branding speaks to both strategy and integration.
As you will see, the new logo incorporates three stripes that represent key areas of service to our members: resources, networking and education. More conceptually, the stripes also represent upward movement, symbolic of growth and action. They join together as they grow, demonstrating the integration of risk management within anenterprise and the effectiveness of collaboration.
Our commitment to being the preeminent professional asset for anyone with risk management responsibilities withinan enterprise is the driver behind our new tagline, "the risk management society." We aim to provide the tools, resources, thought leadership and advocacy needed by professionals in today's business climate, and our re-brand strategy reflects that end. It illustrates the value of the products and services we offer, as well as our unparalleledability to deliver resources that meet our members' ever-changing needs.