The Beginning
The National Interim Housing Network (NIHN) was
the first national organization established to bring temporary/interim
housing providers together for the primary purpose of marketing the
industry. Led by Ken Hixon and Bob Greenwald, both from the Dallas, TX
area, the organization attempted to unify marketing for all member
companies to expand business opportunities for all. Inherently, NIHN
was challenged with marketing an industry of small business owners
managing bottom line realities and needing an immediate and specific
return on their marketing investment. With some consolidation of the
industry and some providers expanding faster than others, the premise
of the organization was difficult to achieve. The organization
disbanded after a few years; however, the foundation of camaraderie and
unity of the industry survives even today.
The New Beginning
The Association of Temporary Housing Providers (ATHP) was
established in 1996 as a trade association. The purposes of the
Association were to provide education to providers, to strengthen the
industry’s professionalism for the betterment of the industry, and to
provide a venue in which members could take off their competitive hats
and work together to gain recognition for the overall industry. The
founding board consisted of a wide range of providers from the
industry’s largest at that time to a host of smaller and mid-range
providers. As NIHN’s membership dwindled, the organization merged with
ATHP and the name changed to The Association of Interim Housing
Providers (AIHP). Changing the Association’s name to incorporate
‘interim’ recognized the contributions and history of NIHN. In 2002,
AIHP again changed its name to the current international trade
association known as the Corporate Housing Providers Association (CHPA)
to more accurately reflect the current industry terminology.
CHPA Today
CHPA continually strives to uphold the highest standards
in business and professionalism, provide valuable insight, knowledge
and resources to the industry, and increase visibility among related
industries. The Association continues to mature in both its services
to members and its dedication to the professionalism and ethics of the
industry. More than 220 corporate housing companies worldwide
currently belong to CHPA. In addition, there are more than 50 CHPA
member companies worldwide that offer goods or services to the industry
as invaluable partners to the industry’s success. Over the last three
years, membership has grown by 25% new members annually on average.
The high annual retention rate reflects the value and need for the
Association.
