The IMC of the USA grew out of several associations of management consulting firms. The oldest and largest of these, begun in 1929, was the Association of Consulting Management Engineers (ACME) (now the Association of Management Consulting Firms – AMCF). A growing interest in and demand for a professional association for individual management consultants led about 150 nationwide leaders in the field in 1969 to create the Institute of Management Consultants.

The late Thomas H. Lawrence CMC, FIMC, of Kansas City, founder and chairman of the local firm of Lawrence-Leiter and Co., as president of ACME, was one of the key organizers and leaders in the IMC founding group. Mr. Lawrence also took the lead in creating local involvement in IMC. Thus the IMC in KC was probably the first local IMC chapter to be established. Mr. Lawrence also served two terms as president of the IMC-USA. In 1996 he was honored as a Fellow of the Institute (FIMC), when IMC’s annual national convention was held for the first time in Kansas City.

The local chapter and the national organization have shared a common mission in the more than 30 years of their common history: to strengthen and promote professionalism in management consulting by:

• Publicizing and demonstrating the value of the CMC designation to individual consultants, to clients and to society. Members of IMC are required to adhere to the Institute’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.
  
• Education and coaching in methods and skills in management consulting, both for those considering consulting as a career, as well as less experienced and more experienced practitioners.
  
• Monthly meetings for presentation and discussion of topics significant for management consulting practice, and to share information about client and experience in conducting consulting projects. These meetings also provide opportunities for members to share information on business opportunities, and to learn of each others’ experience and skills.
  
• Collaboration with other groups and organizations to increase awareness and understanding of management consulting: business and industry, community agencies, educational and research institutions, arts groups, and local governments.