The concept for Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) was developed in 1937 and the first high school chapter was chartered in Tennessee in 1942. In 1958, the first collegiate chapter of Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) was chartered in Iowa. The Professional Division, originally the Alumni Division, began in 1979 and the FBLA-Middle Level division was started in 1994 for students in grades 5-9.