Human Resources Management Association of Chicago
Professional services
UnclaimedA Chicago-based corporate membership and professional development association for human resources and workforce leaders.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Human Resources Management Association of Chicago, commonly known as HRMAC, is a corporate membership organization serving human resources leaders, practitioners, service providers, and business executives, primarily in the Chicago area. Its work centers on workforce strategy, personnel administration, organizational effectiveness, professional education, peer exchange, and the relationship between human-capital practices and business performance. Unlike many professional associations that operate as chapters of a national body, HRMAC developed as a stand-alone Chicago organization and is described as one of the oldest traditional corporate-membership human resources organizations in the United States. The organization traces its origins to 1915, when Fred V. Cann of Lakeside Press invited representatives of Chicago institutions to discuss employment placement, employee adjustment, employment records, testing, job analysis, and cooperation between schools and industry. The resulting Employment Advisors Club of Chicago held its first formal meeting on November 1, 1915, at the City Club. Early discussions reflected the period's emerging interest in applying systematic methods, including psychological testing and job analysis, to recruitment and employment decisions. The group used a corporate-membership model rather than an individual-membership structure, helping distinguish it from other early employment organizations. During the late 1910s and 1920s, the association became connected with the developing national employment-management and industrial-relations movement. In 1919 it was chartered as the Employment Managers Association of Chicago and became the Chicago Council of the National Association of Employment Managers. When that national organization was renamed the Industrial Relations Association of America in 1920, the Chicago group became the Industrial Relations Association of Chicago, or IRAC. Chicago was one of the largest affiliated chapters and hosted a major national industrial-relations convention in 1920, with discussions covering labor supply, working hours, incentives, radicalism, and Americanization. Throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, IRAC combined educational meetings, conferences, committees, and practical labor-management discussion. Its subjects included paid vacation, wartime labor directives, pensions, profit sharing, wage incentives, manpower utilization, and employee morale. During World War II and its aftermath, members assisted veterans by providing counseling and career guidance through the Air Services Placement Center and connecting separating service personnel with employment opportunities. The organization expanded its membership, hosted speakers of national prominence, and convened regional events addressing the changing responsibilities of personnel professionals. The association marked its fiftieth anniversary in 1965. In the following decade, its programming increasingly reflected the transition from traditional industrial relations toward strategic human resources management and organizational psychology. By 1982, IRAC had adopted its current name, Human Resources Management Association of Chicago, signaling the broader role of human resources in organizational planning and management. In its later form, HRMAC offered professional development and networking opportunities through more than 50 educational and relationship-building events annually, with programming intended to address current business and workforce issues. Its interest groups created smaller forums for peer interaction, while its annual Summit served as a capstone event. In October 2021, HRMAC merged with the Executives' Club of Chicago and formed The HRMAC Institute within the Executives' Club. This transaction changed the association's organizational setting while preserving its focus on human resources leadership, workforce strategy, and executive-level professional learning.
History
HRMAC began in Chicago in 1915 amid growing interest in organized employment management. Fred V. Cann of Lakeside Press brought together representatives of local institutions to consider better methods for placing people in industrial work, adjusting employees to suitable positions, studying employment records, and coordinating schools with employers. The group became the Employment Advisors Club of Chicago and held its first formal meeting on November 1, 1915, at the City Club. Its early agenda included psychological testing and job analysis, reflecting the period's attempt to make hiring and personnel decisions more systematic. The organization used a corporate-membership structure, distinguishing it from some contemporary associations based on individual membership or affiliation with a chamber of commerce. In 1919, correspondence from the United States Department of Labor formally chartered the Employment Managers Association of Chicago. The organization then became the Chicago Council of the National Association of Employment Managers. When the national body changed its name to the Industrial Relations Association of America in 1920, the Chicago organization adopted the name Industrial Relations Association of Chicago, or IRAC. IRAC played an active role in the development of industrial-relations practice. In 1920 it hosted the second annual national convention of the Industrial Relations Association, a three-day event attended by more than 2,000 people from the United States and Canada. Topics included labor shortages, hours of work, incentives, Americanization, and radicalism. By 1921, the Chicago organization was the largest of the national association's 36 affiliated chapters. During the 1930s, IRAC organized educational programs and created committees to address workplace questions such as paid vacation. It also held the first Midwest Conference on Industrial Relations in 1934. The organization celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 1940. During World War II, its programs addressed war labor directives, pensions, profit sharing, wage incentives, essential manpower, and employee morale. In 1945, member companies supported the Air Services Placement Center by assigning personnel to counsel servicemen leaving the Navy, Army, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard and by helping connect them with civilian employment. Membership and programming expanded after the war. In 1950, membership exceeded 200, and the association continued to attract nationally prominent speakers and organize regional conferences. Its 1965 fiftieth-anniversary program took place at Chicago's Conrad Hilton Hotel. That year, organizational psychologist Robert R. Blake presented his Managerial Grid model, an influential framework for thinking about management styles and organizational behavior. In the 1970s, IRAC continued its educational and networking work while increasingly addressing the strategic role of human resources. A conference on the strategic new role of human resource management drew approximately 350 members and included a keynote by Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne. In 1982, the organization adopted the name Human Resources Management Association of Chicago, aligning its identity with the expanding scope of the human resources profession. Under the HRMAC name, the association provided interest groups, professional development, networking events, and an annual Summit. Its programming was designed to help members respond to current workforce and business challenges and develop human-capital practices supporting organizational objectives. In October 2021, HRMAC merged with the Executives' Club of Chicago, creating The HRMAC Institute within the Exec Club. The merger placed HRMAC's human-resources education and leadership activities within a broader executive-business organization.
- 2021
Merger creates The HRMAC Institute
[1]HRMAC merged with the Executives' Club of Chicago and formed The HRMAC Institute within the Exec Club.
- 1982
Current name adopted
[1]The Industrial Relations Association of Chicago changed its name to the Human Resources Management Association of Chicago.
- 1965
Fiftieth anniversary and management-model presentation
[1]IRAC celebrated its fiftieth anniversary and hosted Robert R. Blake's presentation on the Managerial Grid.
- 1945
Veteran employment assistance
[1]Member companies provided personnel to counsel separating service members and connect them with civilian job opportunities through the Air Services Placement Center.
- 1934
First Midwest Conference on Industrial Relations
[1]IRAC held the first annual Midwest Conference on Industrial Relations.
- 1920
Organization becomes the Industrial Relations Association of Chicago
[1]Following the renaming of the national association, the Chicago organization adopted the IRAC name and hosted a large national industrial-relations convention.
- 1919
Chicago employment managers' organization is chartered
[1]The organization received a United States Department of Labor charter as the Employment Managers Association of Chicago and became the Chicago Council of the National Association of Employment Managers.
- 1915
Employment Advisors Club of Chicago is formed
[1]Fred V. Cann convened Chicago representatives to discuss employment placement, job analysis, testing, employment records, and cooperation between schools and industry. The club held its first formal meeting on November 1.
Products and positioning
A long-established, Chicago-centered corporate membership forum connecting human resources professionals and business leaders around workforce strategy, organizational effectiveness, and practical professional development.
Peer networking and professional education
HRMAC Interest Groups
Interest groups provide smaller forums where human resources professionals can exchange experience, discuss specialized workforce issues, and build relationships with peers. They form part of HRMAC's broader event and learning program rather than a consumer product line.
Professional association programming
Professional Development and Networking Events
HRMAC's event calendar offers educational sessions and networking opportunities focused on current human resources, business, and workforce challenges. The programming is intended to provide practical strategies for developing human-capital practices that support organizational goals.
Annual conference
HRMAC Summit
The Summit is described as HRMAC's annual capstone event. It brings together members and other participants for concentrated discussion of human resources leadership, workforce strategy, and emerging issues affecting employers.
Human resources leadership institute · 2021
The HRMAC Institute
Created through the 2021 merger with the Executives' Club of Chicago, The HRMAC Institute carries forward HRMAC-related human resources education and leadership activity within the Exec Club's organizational structure.
Brand decisions
2021
Merger with the Executives' Club of ChicagoM&ABackground
HRMAC had developed a long-standing Chicago-based platform for human resources professionals and business leaders, while the Executives' Club of Chicago provided a broader executive and business forum.
Action taken
In October 2021, HRMAC merged with the Executives' Club of Chicago and formed The HRMAC Institute within the Exec Club.
Aftermath
The merger integrated HRMAC's human resources leadership and educational activities into the Executives' Club structure. Specific transaction terms were not provided.
1982
Adoption of the HRMAC nameStrategyBackground
The organization had operated for decades as the Industrial Relations Association of Chicago, while the personnel profession was increasingly described in broader human resources terms.
Action taken
It adopted the name Human Resources Management Association of Chicago.
Aftermath
The new name reflected a wider role encompassing human resources management, organizational development, workforce strategy, and professional education.
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