Investment Recovery Association

What Investment Recovery Association does

The Investment Recovery Association (IRA) is a private nonprofit professional membership association headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, founded in 1979 and serving investment recovery (IR) professionals responsible for managing surplus, obsolete, and end-of-life assets at large corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. IRA offers two membership tiers — Regular Members (organizations with internal IR departments) and Associate Members (specialized service providers such as appraisers, auctioneers, demolition contractors, scrap dealers, and IT asset disposition specialists) — with one membership covering all employees of an organization.

The association's core products include the IR Learning & Resource Center (an LMS), the Certified Manager of Investment Recovery (CMIR) professional certification, the Asset 2.0 business journal, the IR Articles blog (with more than 250 archived articles), the annual IRA Conference & Trade Show, an online member directory, a service provider directory, an IR job board, and the IR CommUnity online community. The underlying technology stack consists of standard association management and community platforms, including an LMS at ira.mclms.net, a member portal at web.invrecovery.org, and the Small World Labs-hosted IR CommUnity platform; IRA is not a technology company and develops no proprietary AI or software products.

IRA generates revenue through annual membership dues (subscription), conference and trade show exhibitor/sponsor/attendee fees, Asset 2.0 subscriptions and advertising, and CMIR certification fees. Go-to-market is primarily event-driven and content-driven, leveraging word-of-mouth within the IR professional community, the annual conference as the flagship engagement channel, and content marketing via the Asset 2.0 journal and IR Articles blog. Member organizations are cited to receive more than $20 in value for every $1 invested in membership based on independent research.

Name

Investment Recovery Association

Legal name

Investment Recovery Association

Website

https://invrecovery.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Investment Recovery Association is a nonprofit professional membership association serving investment recovery professionals at large corporations, government agencies, and service providers, offering CMIR certification, an LMS, the Asset 2.0 journal, an annual conference, and peer networking resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Asset Recovery, Surplus & Decommissioning Services (EUAIANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Debt Recovery & Asset Recovery (Repossession Coordination, Collateral Recovery) (BPAAAEAE), Repossession & Asset Recovery (Non-mortgage) (FSAKAJAF)

Keywords

• Investment recovery services
• Surplus asset management
• Professional association
• Asset disposition certification
• Circular economy membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The IRA generates revenue through annual membership fees from both Regular Members (organizations whose core business is something other than managing surplus assets) and Associate Members (companies providing specialized services to IR professionals). One membership includes all employees of an organization.
2. Conference & Trade Show: Revenue generated from the annual Investment Recovery Association Conference & Trade Show, including exhibitor and sponsor fees, attendee registration fees, and event-related activities.
3. Asset 2.0 Publication: The Investment Recovery Business Journal (Asset 2.0) is available by subscription and generates advertising revenue. Members receive complementary access as part of their membership.
4. CMIR Certification: Revenue from the Certified Manager of Investment Recovery (CMIR) professional certification program, including study materials and examination fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Investment Recovery Association is a nonprofit professional membership organization that supports investment recovery (IR) professionals and their organizations in recovering value from surplus assets and achieving sustainability goals. It provides organizational membership tiers, the CMIR professional certification, an online Learning & Resource Center (LMS), the Asset 2.0 trade journal, and an annual Conference & Trade Show serving corporate, nonprofit, and governmental IR departments.

Product overview

The Investment Recovery Association (IRA) is a professional membership organization offering a unified platform of resources and services for investment recovery professionals. The core offering includes Regular and Associate Membership tiers, with the IRA providing the IR Learning & Resource Center (LMS) for education, CMIR professional certification, and Asset 2.0 journal as primary member benefits. Additional services include the annual Conference & Trade Show, IR Articles & Blog content library, Member Directory Online, Member Service Directory, IR Job Board, and IR CommUnity platform. These products work together to support IR professionals in recovering value from surplus assets through education, networking, certification, and industry resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Regular Membership Annual organizational membership for companies whose core business is not managing surplus assets. Provides access for all employees, full IR Learning Center access, CMIR certification opportunities, Asset 2.0 journal, IR Handbook, benchmarking study, vendor directory, conference discounts, and investment recovery roundtables.
• Associate Membership Annual membership for companies providing specialized services to investment recovery professionals, including equipment appraisers, auctioneers, demolition and environmental remediation contractors, scrap metal dealers, and IT asset disposition specialists.
• CMIR Certification (Certified Manager of Investment Recovery) Professional certification program with study materials and examination fees for investment recovery professionals to elevate their professional status and credentials in the field.
• Asset 2.0: The Investment Recovery Business Journal Trade publication covering investment recovery trends, best practices, AI applications, sustainability, and industry news, available by subscription with advertising opportunities; members receive complementary access.
• Investment Recovery Conference & Trade Show Annual in-person conference and trade show dedicated to professionals who buy, sell, and manage surplus assets, featuring keynote presentations, educational sessions, exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities, attendee registration, and networking activities.
• IR Learning & Resource Center (LMS) Online learning management system providing exclusive education content, webinars, CMIR certification study materials, and searchable archives of more than 250 articles on investment recovery topics.
• Member Directory Online Searchable online directory of IRA members by industry for networking and business development among investment recovery professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members receive more than $20 for every $1 invested in membership
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• C2 ManagementminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 September 2025C2 Management, a Berryville, Virginia-based asset recovery and electronics recycler founded in 1998, is a member of the Investment Recovery Association. The company has reinforced its membership by advertising in the Investment Recovery Business Journal (Asset 2.0) and escalating its involvement in the organization. CEO Chris Hansen will speak at the 2025 IRA Conference & Trade Show in Westminster, Colorado on E-Waste Recycling.
• Electric Utility Industry Sustainable Supply Chain (Alliance/EUISSCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Electric Utility Industry Sustainable Supply Chain Alliance is a collaborative group of approximately 15 investor-owned and public utilities across the United States working to advance sustainability in the supply chain. IRA and Duke Energy collaborated on developing best practices for investment recovery sustainability, with 'Investment Recovery' chosen as the focus area for 2015. The Alliance publishes annual Utility Best Practices.
• Remanufacturing Industries Council (RIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Remanufacturing Industries Council is the leading industry body that promotes remanufacturing. RIC has developed the American National Standard for Remanufacturing under ANSI. The RIC works on establishing common definitions and standards for remanufacturing as a sustainability practice relevant to IR professionals.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Nareit (National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts): Trade association for REITs and real estate investment companies. Comparable as a membership organization serving enterprises with large physical asset portfolios whose disposition and management activities can intersect with IRA member responsibilities.
• Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA): The primary North American association for solid waste management professionals. Comparable because IRA's asset recovery/recycling content overlaps with SWANA's sustainability and materials management tracks, and both run annual conferences and certification programs.
• Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM): Largest trade association for equipment manufacturers. Comparable because both organizations engage on equipment lifecycle topics and serve member enterprises with significant capital asset bases whose disposition decisions intersect with IRA member activities.

Emerging players

• International Association of Movers (IAM): Global trade association for the moving and forwarding industry. Comparable as a membership organization serving professionals managing asset logistics and disposition, with similar conference, certification, and member directory infrastructure.
• Remanufacturing Industries Council (RIC): Industry body promoting remanufacturing with ANSI standards. Comparable because RIC is an existing IRA strategic partner, both organizations serve enterprises institutionalizing reclamation/reuse, and the standards-setting work directly intersects with IR reclamation processes.
• Sustainable Procurement Tool (The Recycling Partnership): Nonprofit focused on advancing recycling and circular economy initiatives. Comparable because both organizations are nonprofits promoting material recovery, and IRA's 2026 content on Scope 3 emissions and urban mining directly overlaps with The Recycling Partnership's programmatic focus.

Direct peers

• National Association of State Agencies for Surplus Property (NASASP): Association for state agencies that manage government surplus property. Comparable because IRA's government IR department segment includes federal/state surplus asset disposition, and NASASP serves an overlapping public-sector buyer with adjacent disposition practices.
• Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI / ReMA): The leading trade association for the recycling industry, covering scrap metal, paper, plastics, and electronics. Highly comparable as both associations serve enterprises recovering value from end-of-life/surplus materials, with overlapping member segments in metals recovery and IT asset disposition.
• International Asset Management Council (IAMC): Association for corporate real estate and asset management professionals. Comparable because both serve enterprise members managing large physical asset bases (including disposition decisions), with overlapping practitioner audiences in corporate real estate and facilities leadership.

Regional players

• GSA Office of Personal Property Management: U.S. federal agency managing government surplus property disposition. Comparable because federal surplus asset disposition is one of IRA's named customer segments, and GSA's policy work directly influences how IRA's government members execute disposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Investment Recovery Association