1920

Several of the 90 college bookstore managers within the American Booksellers Association membership explore coordinating publisher ordering procedures for collegiate divisions while attending the ABA convention.

1921

University of Chicago Book Store Manager Fred Tracht discusses the feasibility of organizing college bookstores with National Association of Book Publishers (NABP) staff member Marion Humble.

July: First known mention of college bookstores in Publishers Weekly.

1923

Oct. 25: NABP invites 200 college bookstore managers to a New York City meeting to discuss ways to increase sales of general books on campus.

Oct. 26: A group of 24 managers attending the meeting decide to form the College Bookstore Association (CBA). They elect Tracht as president. CBA annual dues are $2.

1924

May 12-17: CBA holds its annual meeting concurrent with the ABA convention in New York City. It remains concurrent with ABA until 1930.

CBA membership is 55 stores.

CBA’s Relations with Publishers Committee recommends discouraging educators from selling textbooks direct to students from publishers.

The Textbook Exchange is created to help CBA stores sell dead stock.

First college bookstore industry survey is completed, with 167 replies from 300 member and nonmember college bookstores.

1926

November: CBA membership is 75 stores.

Dec. 18: First known reference of a state’s right to establish bookstore operations.

1927

March 11: College Book Store Association of the Western States District (WCBA) is formally organized.

1928

March: The first quarterly edition of The College Bookstore Association Bulletin is published, a four-page newsletter.

First known reference of the Committee on Certification of College Bookstores.

1929

Midwest Section of CBA is formed to facilitate a regional textbook exchange program.

CBA annual dues are $5.

1930

May 15-17: The annual convention is held independently of the ABA convention at the University of Pennsylvania student union, Philadelphia, PA. First year for vendor exhibits.

Relations with Publishers Committee passes resolutions advocating publishers allow returns within 90 days, as well as requesting no direct sales to students.

NACS begins publishing The College Store magazine six times per year.

1931

April: CBA membership reported at 184 members.

CBA changes its name to the National Association of College Bookstores (NACB).

1932

NACB is reorganized as the National Association of College Stores (NACS).

Board of Directors authorizes Donald Lyman (Columbia University) to explore group buying opportunities on behalf of NACS.

1933

Dues are tiered according to store sales. Stores grossing over $100,001 pay $15 annually.

Dec. 30: Nonvoting bookstore associate membership category is created. Dues are $10.

1934

Conditional free three-month membership offered to any prospective member.

Full membership dues (including rights to participate in the NACS buying group) are $25 for stores with $50,000 or less gross sales; $50 for sales of more than $50,000.

1935

Vendor exhibits are held separately from the annual convention for the first and only time. The Buying Conference is held in New York City in April, with the convention in San Francisco on July 31-Aug. 3.

1936

Board of Directors unanimously passes The Nine Point Plan, recommending publisher practices.

NACS office relocates from Columbia University to 200 Fifth Ave., New York, NY.

Dec. 18: Lyman resigns as NACS’ first full-time executive secretary.

1937

Jan 31: NACS office moves to the New York University Bookstore, 18 Washington Place, New York, NY.

April 26-29: The annual buying conference and convention are reunited in Chicago.

December: NACS office reported to be at 18 E. 41st St., New York, NY.

1938

March 9: First known copy of the Confidential Letter newsletter sent to NACS members (now Campus Marketplace).

NACS offers a Rush Order Telegraph Service to members.

1939

First Operating Results of College Bookstores survey is released.

NACS sells circular to bookstores (entitled Why Do Textbooks Cost So Much?) for distribution to students. More than 75,000 copies are handed out.

Federal government grants NACS income tax exemption; NACS may not engage in cooperative buying.

NACS Board revises the Nine Point Plan into the New Plan for Publisher Co-operation.

1940

March 29-30: The first NACS Virginia-Carolina District meeting (first regional meeting) is held in Durham, NC.

NACS surveys deans’ offices to determine whether or not they prohibit faculty from purchasing direct from publishers for their students.

NACS offers advertising service to stores for use in student publications.

1941

Time Inc. begins using college stores to handle magazine subscription request cards on commission.

1942

March: NACS membership is 149 stores.

The War Production Board institutes a national order against stockpiling goods. Rentals of books and products to students grows.

1943

The College Store magazine reduces from 10 to four issues per year.

NACS office moves to Fred Tracht’s home at 5640 Kimbark Ave., Chicago, IL.

May 13-14: Due to goods shortages, the annual convention is held without a buying conference at the Palmer House Hotel, Chicago, IL.

1945

January: 57 manufacturers and publishers admitted as the first vendor associates of NACS.

NACS office moves to 189 W. Madison St., Chicago 2, IL. 

Feb. 1: Russell Reynolds, manager of the Carleton College Bookstore, Northfield, MN, is named NACS executive secretary and magazine editor.

National Office of Defense Transportation (ODT) regulations prohibit annual conventions. The College Store magazine conducts a Convention by Mail package issue.

Reynolds appears before U.S. House of Representatives debating reinstating national book zone rates.

1946

Annual convention registration is $14.50, including meals.

G.I. Bill of Rights Panel convenes at the convention to discuss burgeoning veteran enrollment and its problems.

First NACS Store Manual.

Lighter, less-expensive paperbound books begin to flood the trade and textbook markets.

1947

The College Store publishes the first Buyer’s Guide.

Article on success of new “book-a-teria” type self-service textbook sales, at Columbia University Teachers College.

1948

June 13-18: First NACS school for bookstore managers (later called Summer Workshops), held at the University of Bridgeport, CT.

1949

NACS receives award of merit by the American Trade Association Executives for outstanding service.

Sept. 13: NACS office moves to 33½ W. College St., Oberlin, OH. Reynolds chooses the college town because it’s halfway between publishing hubs New York City and Chicago.

NACS sponsors five fall state and regional meetings.

1950

April 19: A three-hour Trade Book Clinic is held one day prior to the annual meeting; 100 persons attend.

1952

A week-long NACS Summer Workshop is $65, including tuition, room, and board. Self-service concept is a primary topic of discussion.

November: Representatives from 22 bookstores meet in Sacramento and form the California Association of College Stores.

1953

First known reference of Russell Reynolds’ title change to general manager of NACS.

NACS agrees to administer existing subscription clearing system with Time-Life Inc.

1954

NACS’ state and regional meetings number 17 nationally.

119 companies exhibit at the annual convention. 

NACS staff numbers six people.

1955

NACS goes 18 years without a dues increase.

NACS promotes the Asia Foundation book exchange program.

The first Laymen’s Religious Service, including the NACS Choir, debuts at the annual convention.

1956

Approximately 20% of members use self-service with central checkouts in their stores.

1957

July 8: NACS purchases building at 15 S. Main St., Oberlin, OH.

25 NACS member stores claim annual sales in excess of $1 million.

First NACS Merchandising Contest.

1958

First known mention of the possibility of NACS creating a separate for-profit wholesale division for the sale of paperbacks and remainders to members.

First known mention of the Summer Workshop renamed as the Management Seminar.

1960

Feb. 1: NACS purchases offices at 55 E. College St., Oberlin, OH.

April 19-23: Nearly 200 associates exhibit at what is referred to as the annual meeting Trade Fair.

July: NACS and the university presses publishing scholarly paperbacks join to form NACSUP. Initial stock is 20,000 volumes of 200 titles.

1961

Vendors members decide to assess themselves $40 annually to help pay for NACS educational programming for bookstore members.

The annual convention is renamed the Annual Meeting.

1962

June 22-24: First NACS Graduate Management Seminar is held in Oberlin, OH.

NACS purchases additional property for NACSUP storage. NACSCO Plan approved by NACS Board for placing single-copy orders with publishers.

August: First Associate Bulletin newsletter for vendors produced (published until May 1984).

1963

NACSCORP formed for the distribution of commercial paperback publishers. Westervelt Hall is rented from Oberlin College for two years to handle storage needs.

More than 2,000 combined NACSUP/NACSCORP titles are stocked.

50 member stores sign up to participate in NACSLIT for sales of periodicals and newspapers.

NACS staff grows to 19.

1964

Six of the 12 NACS-sponsored state and regional shows feature vendor tabletop displays for the first time.

1965

The magazine explains how stores can use the new Zoning Improvement Program (ZIP) Code to speed mail shipments.

First joint ABA and NACS Booksellers School is held in Oberlin, OH, with 46 attendees.

First known reference of concerns about Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) for college bookstores.

1966

NACS Board approved permanent status for NACSCORP and establishes a committee to study the new facility.

“…there is a computer in your future and you should start studying the methods by which a computer can assist you in the operation of your store.”—Russell Reynolds.

1967

President Edwin Howard advocates regional areas establish attendance chairmen to help encourage attendance at the NACS State and Regional Meetings.

March: NACS acquires 12-acre parcel on Lorain Street, Oberlin, OH, for its proposed new warehouse for $40,000.

NACS retains legal counsel Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin and Kahn, Washington, D.C.

1968

$250,000 NACSCORP warehouse construction approved by NACS Board.

Magazine article: “Checklist for Stores in the Event of a Riot.”

November: New 33,000-sq.-ft. NACSCORP warehouse completed.

1969

Where the New Textbook Dollar Goes poster distributed for store display.

1971

First Merchandising and Operating Survey conducted (precurser to Financial Survey). Gross margins reported average 25%-32% overall.

Industrywide reports of flat or negative sales are attributed in part to sharp increases in pilferage and postal rates, as well as decreases in state funding.

1972

NACS creates member Placement Service.

1973

NACS Board approves construction of new NACS office space adjacent to the warehouse for $197,000.

1974

International Standard Book Number (ISBN) debuts.

Lehigh University Bookstore, Bethlehem, PA, is the first store fully accredited by NACS.

1975

Russell Reynolds elected president of the International Community of Booksellers Associations.

March 7-10: NACS and the Association of American Publishers (AAP) co-sponsor the first Advanced Seminar educational sessions.

1976

NACS publishes its first Annual Report of association affairs.

April: First Publishers’ Center (later Publishers’ Row) section created for the NACS Trade Fair. 

“Standardized Coding: What’s it All About?” article highlights the use of the new universal product code (UPC) and distribution code (DC).

Creation of the NACS Resource Center offers educational and instructional aids.

1977

NACS Board approves a 22,000-sq.-ft. addition to NACSCORP for $300,000.

1978

Jan. 1: The federal Copyright Revision Act goes into effect.

1979

February: First Large Stores Group (LSG) meeting in Denver, CO.

Sept. 21: Prompted by a request from Russell Reynolds, the Standard Address Numbering (SAN) Agency is formed and begins operations with the ISBN Agency.

Nov. 7: NACS’ continuing education courses are accredited by the Council for Noncollegiate Continuing Education (CNCE), a federal Office of Education agency.

1980

December: General Manager Russell Reynolds retires; Garis Distelhorst becomes NACS executive director.

1981

NACS staff organized into departmental structure. NACS completes first formal budget.

1982

April: AAP and NACS create a 16-page informational brochure for professors titled LINKS.

The College Store Journal: “…authorities are unanimous that colleges and universities have a protectable property interest in their names and symbols.”

“POS—Could It Be In Your Future?”

NACS compiles first strategic plan.

1983

College Stores Research and Educational Foundation is incorporated as a charitable foundation serving the college store industry. NACSCORP donates magazine subscription income to CSREF to support industry education and research.

NACS Certification Committee begins to develop guidelines for a voluntary certification program for managers and store personnel.

1984

April 22-27: Annual Meeting and Trade Fair registration is $135. 

“Is it possible your in-store personal computer could bring you the NACS Bulletin or financial information? It might even give access to NACS guides/manuals or put you online with vendors to order books and supplies.” (NACSNET Data Network proposal)

1985

The College Store Evaluation Service (CSES) debuts.

Bookland EAN adopted as the book industry standard.

First CSREF College Store Salary & Benefits Survey and first Student Watch Consumer Study conducted.

1986

The Certified Store Professional (CSP) certification program debuts.

CSREF Board of Directors established as a separate board. First CSREF Board of Directors Forum held in New York, NY. CSREF Epic Trust endowment fund established.

Dec. 9: 19 AAP publisher members, NACSCORP, and General Electric Co. establish PUBNET for electronic ordering of books.

1989

First CSREF Educational Assistance Grants awarded; $11,100 to 37 buyers.

July 23-26: First NACS Leadership Symposium, Snowmass, CO.

1990

January: NACS Board of Trustees approves a $1.3-million, 25,000-sq.-ft. NACSCORP expansion.

Feb. 23-25: First Private Stores Conference is held in Scottsdale, AZ.

Aug. 2-5: Campus Computer Resellers Alliance holds its first conference in Dallas, TX.

NACS Board agrees to sale of 528 E. Lorain offices to NACSCORP. NACS to build new facilities next door.

NACS Freight Management Program debuts, later growing into the PartnerShip subsidiary.

1991

NACS Copyright Permissions Service debuts.

Nov. 18: Newly constructed NACS headquarters building at 500 E. Lorain St. opens.

1992

Publication of Turning Points: Six Critical Challenges for College Stores, by Gary Shapiro.

1993

Jan. 9: Death of Russell Reynolds.

CSREF Epic Trust reaches $2 million mark.

NACSCORP’s sales success, aided by sales of boxed software, allows it for the first time to declare a $200,000 dividend to NACS.

1994

Publication of Connections: NACS & You, by President Richard McDaniel, provides workbooks to help build campus relations.

October: Completion of 70,000-sq.-ft. NACSCORP warehouse expansion.

December: NACS 1-Day educational programs debut.

1995

The College Store Journal returns to its earlier title, The College Store.

February: ConTEXT, A Conference On Textbooks and Technology, debuts in Dallas, TX.

NACS partners with Monument Information Resources (MIR) to gather information on unit sales of new and used textbooks industrywide.

August: Distelhorst is elected chair of the board of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

First NACS email discussion groups debut: the Textbook Listserv and the Print Shop Listserv.

The NACS website at www.nacs.org goes live.

1996

Joint venture partnership between NACS, ABA, AAP, and R.R. Bowker to reinvent PUBNET electronic ordering service.

1997

July 18-21: First CSREF Think Tank Industry Future Symposium.

July 23: NACS files suit against three publishers alleging illegal pricing discrimination. All settle in 1998.

First five modules of College Store Retailing training manuals debut.

September: NACS begins work on an industrywide product classification system.

1998

February: NACS partners with Cornell Business Services (CBS) at Cornell University to develop CourseWeb, an electronic course material distribution system for stores.

ABA, AAP, R.R. Bowker, and NACS unveil Pubnet 2000, an updated web-based system to replace the PUBNET electronic ordering service. 136

April 17-21: The 75th anniversary celebration of NACS is held as part of the Annual Meeting and CAMEX in Indianapolis, IN.

April 1: NACSCORP begins accepting orders on its website.

June: Brian Cartier is hired to replace Garis Distelhorst as NACS chief staff officer.

NACS monitors the rising number of discounted bookselling websites and new models of electronic book readers.

1999

NACS legal counsel begins surveying 700 publishers to determine if online booksellers are getting preferential pricing.

NACS partners with Collegestudent.com, a developer of online campus communities, to help build CourseWeb enhancements. 300 stores have signed with CourseWeb, later renamed CollegeStoreOnline.

Dozens of institutions affiliate with the new Fair Labor Association, an independent group working to eliminate sweatshop conditions in apparel factories overseas. NACS attends FLA meetings.

June: NACS creates a Take Back Your Textbook Sales campaign with resources to help members compete with online sellers.

Oct. 29: NACS sues VarsityBooks.com for false advertising claims about its discounted pricing.

Nov. 11-16: CSREF sponsors the first NACS Academy for Future Collegiate Retail Leaders.

NACS urges a congressional commission to level the playing field on sales taxes. Web retailers are exempt from collecting taxes unless they have a physical site in that state.

2000

NACS joins the e-Fairness Coalition, a coalition of retail and consumer groups, to find an equitable solution to web sales taxes.

NACS challenges the textbook pricing claims advertised by BigWords.com and eCampus.com. BigWords closes in October.

July 23-25: The NACS/CSREF Industry Future Symposium explores E-Trends in Higher Education—Content and Commerce.

August: The lawsuit against VarsityBooks is settled, with the company agreeing to change its ad wording.

2001

Feb. 28: Wallace’s Bookstores and Wallace’s Book Co. file for bankruptcy, leaving stores, publishers, and distributors (including NACSCORP) in limbo. Company assets are auctioned in April; its eCampus.com site is sold to Book Acquisitions.

July 11: NACS sells most of the CollegeStoreOnline e-commerce service to Sequoia Peripherals.

2002

NACS legal counsel investigates textbook pricing listed on Walmart.com and files a complaint with the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau. NAD sides with NACS.

April: Get to Know the Value of Your Bookstore campaign aimed at administrators launches.

NACS, ABA, and AAP sell their stakes in Pubnet to R.R. Bowker.

The NACS Board authorizes legal counsel to look into overseas websites selling U.S.-published textbooks (intended for foreign markets) to U.S. customers at large discounts.

2003

March: At a CAMEX Town Hall on Textbooks, publishers say they’re acting to keep foreign distributors from selling low-cost textbooks back into the U.S.

The College Stores Research and Educational Foundation changes its name to the NACS Foundation.

A new NACS initiative explores ways stores can reach out to faculty to improve textbook sell-through.

May: NACs publishes the Textbook Rental Compendium to help stores learn more about the new trend.

June: NACS forms a task force with stores and publishers to explore issues with textbook bundles.

Nov. 1: NACS opens its first government relations office in Washington, D.C., and hires Richard Hershman.

2004

April: The new NACS Certified Collegiate Retailer (CCR) credential debuts, replacing the CSP.

June: NACS takes issue with an AAP graphic showing student course material expenditures. NACS says its data was oversimplified, and publisher practices were not fully accounted for.

NACS continues a series of meetings with publishers and later forms a Publisher Relations Committee representing stores and five major publishers.

The NACS Industry Forum convenes industry leaders to discuss what the role of college stores will be over the next decade.

July: NACS legal counsel testifies before a congressional subcommittee on textbook pricing fairness.

NACS provides extensive information to the U.S. Government Accountability Office during the GAO’s investigation into textbook pricing.

2005

January: NACS files a formal complaint of false advertising against VarsityBooks.com, later referred to the Federal Trade Commission.

Jan. 31: GAO senior analysts meet with NACS staff as part of its probe into textbook pricing.

NACS joins the Merchants Payment Coalition to fight rising interchange fees for payment cards.

August: The GAO report to Congress names CD-ROMs and other supplements as the main factors in rising textbook costs; if faculty choose bundles, they should show students the value.

2006

NACS launches the Store of the Future campaign, focusing on five areas prioritized by the NACS Board: retail tech, course materials, campus resource center, service, and general merchandise.

June 10: The NACS Board approves development of business models to help stores get into digital delivery.

September: NACS joins the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) to begin creating a model for campus store standards.

2007

February: The first NACS Foundation Innovation Achievement Award goes to the stores in the San Mateo County Community College District for their textbook rental program, which became widely imitated.

NACS arranges for three store managers to testify on textbook affordability before a congressional panel on educational access issues.

The NACS Board adopts a resolution stating publishers are breaching their relationships with campus stores by selling directly to students, especially at lower prices.

A series of Digital Content Update audiocasts are produced.

May: The congressional panel’s yearlong affordability study concludes rising textbook prices are driven by market supply, not demand, and all parties should work toward solutions.

August: Publishers table a proposal to pilot rental programs due to lack of response from campus stores.

Six major publishers launch CourseSmart, a website to sell and distribute e-textbooks to students; acquired by VitalSource in 2014.

2008

NACS works to modify a federal bill requiring institutions to list textbook ISBNs and prices in course schedules. The Higher Education Opportunity Act later passes.

March: The NACS Board adopts the Digital Content Strategic Planning Task Force’s recommendations to build partnerships, trade infrastructure, and education and awareness to help stores sell digital content, with $200,000 funding.

June: The board approves creation of a subsidiary (later known as NACS Media Solutions) to facilitate digital content sales and distribution for stores.

2009

April: NACS recruits students for the first series of Student Panel online surveys.

June: The NACS Foundation, with TNS Retail Forward, undertakes a major research project to create a roadmap and resources for the College Store of 2015.

Cengage Learning’s plan to rent textbooks directly to students will “create a disadvantage” for institutions and students, says NACS.

Store members grapple with the impact of the mortgage industry crash and rising cases of swine flu.

Online rental company Chegg.com modifies savings claims after NACS files a complaint.

2010

The CCRA Conference and Expo merges with CAMEX in Orlando. For the first time, CAMEX includes an Online Conference component with prerecorded web sessions.

NACS Media Solutions pilots a new digital content platform with 60 stores.

June: NACS Education debuts its first webinar, Open Source Textbook: Bookstore Friend or Foe?

October: A NACS OnCampus Research survey finds 13% of students bought an e-book this fall, with half saying it was required by faculty.

2011

February: The NACS Board votes to allow online-only college stores to join as subscribers.

NACSCORP partners with BookRenter to provide rental services to stores.

May: Amazon sues NACS, after NACS files a formal complaint that Amazon’s textbook advertising is misleading. The matter is settled in 2012.

Oct. 6: First celebration of National Student Day, created by NACS.

2012

For the first time, Student Watch shows price is the primary factor in students deciding whether to buy textbooks.

February: NACS Media Solutions launches a custom publishing initiative.

July: The NACS Campus Retailing Futures Think Tank invites industry and hi-ed leaders to discuss the future beyond the College Store of 2015. The group strongly recommends NACS renew its commitment to independent stores.

NACS acquires a stake in the Licensing Resource Group, representing 180 universities and colleges.

Nov. 12: The Hub online community goes live; email discussion lists close.

2013

NACS merges NACS Media Solutions, OnCampus Research, and NACS Business Development into a new subsidiary called indiCo, focused on independent campus stores.

April 12: NACS purchases the Connect2One buying group. C2O becomes part of indiCo.

June 3-7: 25 young professionals take part in the inaugural NACS Leadership Institute.

NACS joins other organizations in opting out of the swipe-fee settlement with Visa and MasterCard, saying it is insufficient.

2014

First mobile app available for CAMEX.

June: Licensing Resource Group is sold to Learfield Sports.

July: PartnerShip adds truckload broker services.

2015

January: NACS buys part-ownership in the RedShelf e-textbook platform.

Feb. 11-13: First Textbook Affordability Conference is held in San Diego.

NACS sues Purdue University for information about its contract with Amazon to operate a campus store.

NACS releases a white paper, Mapping the Learning Content Ecosystem, with extensive research on the current textbook environment.

2016

February: Connect2One and NACSCORP merge.

UC Davis Stores receives the Innovation Achievement Award for its ground-breaking inclusive access program.

NACSCORP partners with OpenStax to enable faculty to create custom open educational resources and low-cost print versions.

Members approve a bylaws amendment converting geographic NACS Board seats to at-large seats.

Brian Cartier retires after 18 years. Robert Walton becomes the new CEO.

OnCampus Research fields the first Faculty Watch survey.

2017

March: indiCo reorganizes to provide an array of new services intended to help revitalize independent stores.

April: NACSCORP and Connect2One merge with indiCo.

2018

Sales of counterfeit textbooks grow online. NACS partners with publishers to provide information to stores on how to spot them.

October: indiCo unveils resero, a new cloud-based POS system for higher-ed retail.

2019

May: The NACS Foundation underwrites a major initiative to establish performance standards for independent campus stores.

July: NACS Chief Operating Officer Ed Schlichenmayer succeeds Bob Walton as CEO.

September: While the standards project is underway, the certification program is suspended.

October: indiCo’s book distribution transitions to Ingram Content Group. Most indiCo operations wind down by year’s end.

2020

March: Due to the rising COVID-19 pandemic, NACS staff shift to working from home.

NACS cancels in-person education and conferences or moves them online.

NACS offers resources to help members adjust to pandemic-curtailed circumstances. Many stores are forced to lay off dozens of employees.

The College Store’s May/June and July/August issues are published solely in a digital format.

resero is acquired by Breakwater Tech.

2021

February: For the first time, CAMEX education and trade show are held online only.

The industry’s efforts to resume normal operations are hampered by a shipping backlog and labor shortages.

NACS temporarily reduces store dues.

2022

CAMEX returns to an in-person conference and trade show in Louisville, KY, followed by an online educational conference two weeks later.

April: The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education approves NACS’ proposal to adopt standards for campus stores.

May: NACS launches the Campus Store Insights platform, enabling stores to benchmark financial data and create visual reports.

Remote operations become permanent. NACS sells the headquarters at 500 E. Lorain to Oberlin Community Services but retains the 528 E. Lorain warehouse/office next door.

2023

NACS marks its 100th anniversary with a Centennial Celebration during CAMEX in New Orleans.