MISSION
The Mission of the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is to enhance member success and excellence, promote professionalism and ethical business practices and provide leadership and direction for the kitchen and bath industry worldwide.

HISTORY – NKBA NATIONAL
The NKBA is the premiere association for kitchen and bath professionals. Nearly 50 years after its inception, the Association now has a membership of over 40,000 members.
The Association began in 1963 as the American Institute of Kitchen Dealers (AIKD). The initial treasury balance of $463 was contributed by 14 individuals one night in April of that year. This initial funding amount has led to an association that has become the kitchen and bath industry knowledge resource for both professionals and consumers. To further serve the industry, concentration was expanded from kitchen dealers to today’s total of 11 industry segments. Along with that expansion, some other significant changes have taken place.

One year following the creation of the AIKD, the AIKD Kitchen Show was held in Philadelphia and the first AIKD design contest was also introduced.
The AIKD not only represented kitchen dealers, but it also represented some of the industry segments that are still very much a part of today’s NKBA, such as wholesale distributors and designers. For those pursuing design, the first Certified Kitchen Designer (Robert Weiland) received his certification in 1968. Education was further expanded and as well as interests, with many members also dealing in bathroom design.

In 1981, the AIKD Kitchen Show changed its name to the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS). The show, initially a very small gathering, had since grown to the largest professional kitchen and bath industry show in the world. From its beginnings in small convention centers, only a select few venues in the United States can house the show due to its impressive size.

In 1983, the Association changed its name from AIKD to the NKBA to address the interests of the growing bathroom industry.
For more information about NKBA National, please visit http://nkba.org/about.aspx.

HISTORY – NKBA OKLAHOMA
During the 1990s, many kitchen and bath professionals from Oklahoma were members of the NKBA Texas Chapter because an Oklahoma Chapter had not been established.  These members had to drive hundreds of miles to Chapter meetings, which over time proved to be difficult.  By the end of the 1990s, the members from Oklahoma were ready for a change.

In March 1999, the first meeting of the NKBA Oklahoma Chapter was held at Jay Rambo Company in Tulsa, OK.  Peggy McGowen, CMKBD, of the Houston Chapter came to Oklahoma to conduct the first meeting where officers were elected.  The original slate of officers were:

President – Russ Pippin
Chapter Rep – Sally Sullivan
Programs – Shelly Canning
Membership – Faye Norton
Education – Karen Black
Communications – Carrie Shreve
Treasurer – Gia Hopkins
Secretary – Sue Meyers

Since it’s beginning, the NKBA Oklahoma Chapter has grown to include over fifty members.  Today, the Chapter meets at least four times annually, offering continuing education credits at most of these meetings.

If you are interested in joining the NKBA Oklahoma Chapter, please visit our Membership page for more information.