In June of 1980, the IAM took the first steps toward realizing the vision of International President William W. Winpisinger. With the purchase of buildings and land, the concept of building an innovative education facility was underway. A facility where members could come together, share ideas, and “think out loud” about workplace challenges and solutions to those challenges. Winpisinger believed that IAM members not only needed such a facility, but that they deserved one, and the executive committee set about establishing the Center on Placid Harbor in rural southern Maryland.

In 2020, the Winpisinger Center celebrates 40 years of realizing that vision, and of educating and supporting IAM members, officers, activists, and staff. The first program held was Organizing, August 4-14, 1981, in the basement of the Dining Hall. Twenty IAM Staff from across the United States and Canada participated in that inaugural program. From that very first program, the Center has grown and changed to keep up with the needs of the membership.