Canadian Professional Sales Association, Bankruptcy

Canadian Professional Sales Association (CPSA), a Toronto, Ontario-based non-profit association for sales professionals with over 10,000 members, filed an assignment in bankruptcy on December 31, 2024 listing approximately $52,000 in liabilities.

The association was founded in 1874 by business leaders, including the association’s first president, Warring Kennedy, who later served as Toronto’s mayor in 1890.

The perks of membership included travel benefits — such as preferential rates by railway hotels, trunk privileges from the railways and eventually discounted air travel on Trans-Canada Air Lines — and insurance programs. Members also got to attend annual networking events which attracted the likes of Prime Ministers and Cabinet members.

Membership declined in the 1950s after air discounts were eliminated, and the organization underwent various restructurings over the next several decades.

Prior to its closure, the CPSA offered services including training programs, professional sales designations and a cost-savings program for its members.

In November 2024, the CPSA announced that it would be winding down operations and closing by the end of 2024. 

Fuller Landau is the bankruptcy trustee.