1915: ISM is founded in New York as the National Association of Purchasing Agents (N.A.P.A.) with the goals to impress the business world with the importance of the purchasing function to economic well-being and encourage purchasing people to improve themselves and make greater contribution to the companies they serve.
1917: New York University's School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance establishes a course in purchasing.
1917: N.A.P.A. offers its services to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in connection with buying materials for use in the war emergency.
1918: N.A.P.A. is already discussing a code of ethics for the profession.
1920: Commodity committees on fuel, lumber, paper and steel are appointed to supply members with data on their respective fields.
1923: N.A.P.A.'s new ethics committee creates the Principles and Standards of Purchasing Practice.
1925: Local associations are grouped into official N.A.P.A. districts throughout the U.S.
1931: The N.A.P.A. Business Survey Committee is nationally known and relied on by government agencies, businessmen, and economists for regular analysis and forecast of economic conditions.
1939: The Handbook of Purchasing Policies and Procedures of the N.A.P.A., predecessor of The Supply Management Handbook is published.
World-War II Era: N.A.P.A. keeps members thoroughly informed on burgeoning government regulations and contract requirements during the war effort and works with government and industry to establish guidelines for for fair prices or crucial materials.
1948: N.A.P.A. begins a wide-ranging educational program to elevate the knowledge and reputation of purchasers after the war.
1950: The monthly Report on Business is increasingly used by leading newspapers and trade journals to measure the pulse of business.
1956: N.A.P.A. joins the first informal tentative talks on an international organization of purchasing executives, which eventually leads to the International Federation of Purchasing and Supply Management (IFPSM).
1961: The Report on Business is listed as one of the leading business indicators in a monthly report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
1961: N.A.P.A. fortifies its focus on developing a new image of the purchasing profession in the eyes of the public, educators, management and purchasing executives themselves. The project's core encourages professional educators, researchers, and writers to expand the frontiers of purchasing knowledge and establishes faculty internships in purchasing and high-level management courses for purchasing executives.
1964: U.S. President Lyndon Johnson refers to the Report on Business in a nationally televised news conference.
Mid 1960s: N.A.P.A. works with the Junior Achievement Program to help provide American teenagers with practical experience in business.
1965: The Journal of Purchasing (now the Journal of Supply Chain Management) publishes its first issue.
1968: The association becomes the National Association of Purchasing Management, Inc. (NAPM)
1974: NAPM introduces the Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.)
Mid 1970s: NAPM launches an educational program for senior purchasing officers to discuss issues and exchange ideas on purchasing beyond day-to-day departmental operations.
1978: As the participation of women increases in he association, Betty McDonald, C.P.M.. and May Warzocha, C.P.M., are elected to the NAPM Board of Directors. In 1979, Warzocha is elected as president.
1982: NAPM headquarters moves from New York to Oradell, New Jersey.
1984: A computer version of the C.P.M. is introduced.
1986: May Warzocha, C.P.M. in 1986 - first woman to win the J. Shipman Gold Medal Award
1987: NAPM moves from Oradell, New Jersey to Tempe, Arizona, and develops the Center for Advanced Purchasing Studies (now CAPS Research) in conjunction with Arizona State University.
1987: NAPM establishes the Minority Business Development Group
1988: The Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) is created in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Commerce.
1990: The first issue of Supply IN Demand is published.
1996: NAPM develops and launches its first online educational courses.
1998: The 30,000th C.P.M. is awarded.
1998: The Non-Manufacturing Report on Business is developed.
2002: NAPM changes its name to Institute of Supply Management (ISM).
2003: The R. Gene Richter Scholarship Program is launched.
2003: ISM and A.T. Kearney create the Center for Strategic Supply Leadership.
2003: ISM on TV - "The West Wing" (season 5, Episode 1)
2004: The ISM Principles of Social Responsibility are published.
2005: The first ISM R. Gene Richter Award for Leadership and Innovation in Supply Management are awarded.
2006: ISM conducts its first salary survey of the profession.
2008: The Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) launches.
2011: The ISM Corporate Program is developed.
2011: ISM announces the Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity (CPSD).
2011: ISM publishes the Sustainability and Social Responsibility Handbook.
2015: ISM's Centennial Conference was held in Phoenix, May 3-6, 2015.