CTAA is thrilled to officially introduce our new management company, The Markens Group (TMG). Our partnership began last fall, and our board and committees are already collaborating with TMG to make our association grow and thrive. Read on to learn about the company and meet a few folks who will be regularly working with us.

About The Markens Group

Founded in 1988 by Ben and Jennie Markens, TMG is a full-service association management company headquartered in Springfield, MA. They have a staff of just under 20 association professionals with a variety of specialized skillsets from event planning to marketing/communications and financial management. One of the benefits of partnering with a company like TMG is that CTAA will have access to these specialty services when we need them – without having to hire full-time staff for each functional area.

TMG has a simple, people-focused approach to association management: they connect those with common interests and needs to solve problems, share ideas and best practices, have fun, win, and close gaps. They use proven methods to accelerate growth in member recruitment, retention, and engagement while optimizing back-end efficiencies. Ultimately, TMG works with associations because they are communities of interest and kinship focused on mutuality, common interest, and collective gain. Associations also provide a sense of belonging, inclusiveness, interconnectivity, and reciprocity to their stakeholders, which is important because all human beings want to belong and feel connected with one another.

“When we began TMG more than 30 years ago, we agreed to live by two basic principles: we would only do it as long as it was fun, and we would resolve any dispute or disagreement by answering, ‘What’s fair?’” says TMG president, Ben Markens. “We’re excited to marry our core values with our proven association management skills to benefit CTAA. Or, to put that in a different way, we are excited to welcome CTAA to the TMG family!”

It is also worth noting that TMG is one of only about 80 companies worldwide to be accredited under the Association Management Company Institute’s (AMCI) standard for management best practices. Although association management companies are not required to be AMCI compliant, accreditation demonstrates a commitment to procedural excellence. Accreditation requires that TMG develop and document standardized procedures, such as using written contracts, conducting evaluations to measure client satisfaction, setting financial controls, conducting employee evaluations, and establishing record-keeping protocols. A third-party auditor ensures that these procedures are in line with the AMCI standard and that TMG is effectively carrying them out on a day-to-day basis.

Finally, TMG is a certified Great Place to Work®, aligning with their philosophy that happy employees lead to happy clients.

Meet the Team

Say hello to a few of the faces you will most often see working with CTAA. Many of you have already met Sioux Wilusz, who serves as our association’s Executive Director. While you may have more contact with Sioux, a whole team of professionals is backing her up and rounding out TMG’s service offering.