Pages 1 to 20 - Wisconsin Grocers Association

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CHAIRMAN businesses give members opportunities to show their support for causes they believe in, with or without their names attached. These strong positions on our political landscape have been a long time coming. But now members can support political positions they feel strongly about without backlash for messages they’ve aligned themselves with. Having accomplished these important steps, I’m proud to say our funding areas grew substantially this past year. An important educational and social highlight was our annual Innovation Expo. The 2012 Expo was a huge success! We sold out the floor to our very supportive vendor community, and retailers said the event was not only great, but they are looking forward to attending again this year. The WGA Grocery Industry Golf Outing was also a great success and not only for golfers. It was a financial success for the association as well. Powerful Partnerships Powerful cause, positive results: that sums up our work of building partnerships toward political victories. We did a great job weathering the political front between election recalls, endorsements, advertising, and confrontations that some of our retailers dealt with. Overall, we had a great Grocer’s Day at the Capitol and accomplished many important things. It was all handled professionally and we came out of the political madness a little more battle-ready for next fall’s voting upswing. Overall, we had a great Grocer’s Day at the Capitol and accomplished many important things. We continue to educate our legislators on issues that affect our industry. These are points that continue to be on the forefront of using our advocacy fund program. Strength in Numbers One of our strengths as an organization is that we have become closer by helping each other and offering advice to each other. By doing this we have built strength in numbers. When appropriate, our board has come to fellow retailers for advice and we have communicated on various issues that affect our industry. As an industry we are faced with challenges associated with ObamaCare. It seems like we are daily finding new information about the laws and regulations that impact our businesses. Our number one challenge as an association is to find the right way to understand the laws in a timely manner so those of us in leadership positions can effectively communicate these points to members. I’ve been involved in our family business since second grade when I went into the grocery store before school to fill the bread shelves and after school to sort bottles. In 1977 I started working in the family business full-time. In all my time in the industry I’ve never seen a law passed such as that associated with ObamaCare where people don’t know exactly what it covers. There are many hurdles that today’s grocers face when it comes to the new regulations. For example, if you have an employee under 16 years old, they can now no longer deliver, climb ladders, mow lawns, run a snowmobile or even put trash in the baler. And kids between 16 and 18 can no longer make deliveries. The grocery store is where kids like me learned about grocery operations from first-hand experience. These new child labor laws are restrictive but we need to look for new ways to operate within these restrictions. That’s why the WGA provides educational tools for success. Looking for productive ways to stay on top of product cost increases is another challenge I see on the retail level. Costs are climbing on many items in record amounts. Beef, vegetables, and dairy are the three big areas that will most likely take the largest hit. Staying ahead of rising costs will be critical. These issues are no small matters but I am confident that our board, industry leaders, and retailers are up to the challenges ahead. One of the most intriguing facets of this great industry is that you never know exactly what is on the horizon. The Importance of Forward, Positive Thinking Looking back, I am humbled and honored to serve as Chairman of WGA and to work with an organization that has so many great leaders. One of my proudest accomplishments this year has been the resounding success of the Innovation Expo. It has become a financial success for WGA, and those who attend also gain value and knowledge of the industry. As Chairman, I firmly believe that behind every good man is a great woman. I am blessed that my wonderful wife, Kathy, is so supportive. She not only works in our business but she is willing to help with and do just about anything for the good of the WGA. As we look forward this year and beyond, we need to embrace change because we have a lot of change coming our way. Let’s look for new doors to open, and not focus on doors that may have closed. One of the most intriguing facets of this great industry is that you never know exactly what is on the horizon. So embrace changes ahead and let’s make it a great 2013! 8 WISCONSIN GROCER www.wisconsingrocers.com
WE’RE BACK! Well, actually we never left. The WGA has been here non-stop with the smoothest of transitions from 2012 to 2013! As we’ve worked to lay down and implement our plans for 2013, we’re ready to offer you, as WGA members a substantive and comprehensive set of programs and events throughout the year. Some are tried and true and some are new! The top of our list starts off with our Government Affairs programs. We’ve got a number of critical legislative issues at the Capitol and we need you to join with us for Grocers in the Capitol on April 10 followed by our trip to Washington, DC, for our efforts to keep our Wisconsin delegation keenly aware of the federal issues which impact our industry. Throughout the year we’ll keep you up to speed on legislative issues, alerts on when to take action and bi-weekly GA conference calls to keep you in the loop. We’re in the process of lining up a number of webinars on the health care mandates you’re being forced to comply with and we’ll look to provide information to help you and keep you up to date. And, we’re pretty certain the WGA’s HR Share Group will have quite a bit to talk about during the year with the health care issue. We’ll continue to keep you informed with the everpopular President’s Letter and the WGA’s Wisconsin Grocer magazine. Our Government Affairs e-letter will keep you current on the legislative and regulatory issues in Madison and Washington. Event updates and program information will come your way in a timely and useful manner! We’re working on new member benefits that— depending on your interest—could provide additional health benefits for your associates, financial advice and retirement programs. Member benefits for WGA members! The annual WGA Grocery Industry Golf Outing, the WGA Like our members, we know and appreciate the value of a team effort built around years of experience. Innovation Expo and Chairman’s Award Dinner are all in the planning stages and you can rest assured these events will exceed our efforts in 2012. As always, we can’t do it alone—we need our members to make the WGA a strong and successful association. Serving You Over the years, hundreds of grocers have served the WGA in many different ways. One of the most high-profile roles is service on the WGA’s Board of Brandon Scholz WGA President and CEO PRESIDENT Directors. This year, like in past years we have a very strong board with members and leaders who represent all facets of the industry. Service on the board requires a time commitment for not only the quarterly board meetings but for all of the association events as well as extra service by helping the WGA staff in many of the projects in which we are engaged. Please take note the board members listed on page five, and if you have the opportunity, thank them for their service. We are especially grateful for all they do. When it comes to service, the WGA staff has put in the time. WGA’s Brandon Scholz and Michelle Kussow have logged almost 16 years each while Cheryl Lytle has booked 13 and Operations Director Sarah Decorah has been on board for 9 years. Like our members, we know and appreciate the value of a team effort built around years of experience. Chinese lore says 2013 is the year of the black snake and it is meant to represent steady progress and attention to detail. We’re told that focus and discipline will be necessary for us to achieve what we’ve set out to do. We’re all over it! MEET THE WGA STAFF: A RESOURCE FOR YOU Brandon Scholz Michelle Kussow VP- Government Affairs & Communication Cheryl Lytle Sarah Decorah John Leemkuil President & CEO Events Director Operations Director Membership Services brandon@wisconsingrocers.com As President & CEO, Brandon Scholz oversees the WGA's programs and operations and serves as the association’s main spokesperson on industry issues, legislative concerns and administrative policies. mkussow@wisconsingrocers.com Michelle Kussow is responsible for developing and maintaining the legislative program for the WGA. As chief lobbyist for the WGA, Michelle researches positions and tracks legislation on federal and state issues, lobbies on behalf of WGA members in the legislature, and provides necessary information to WGA members so they can understand and play an active role in the political process. cheryl@wisconsingrocers.com Cheryl Lytle is in charge of the WGA’s Innovation Expo, including sponsorships, promotions, programming and management of the events. Cheryl manages the annual WGA’ Grocery Industry Golf Outing as well as the silent auctions and other fundraising events. In addition, Cheryl serves as the WGA’s point of contact for Wisconsin Grocer magazine ad sales and assists in the production and publication. sdecorah@wisconsingrocers.com Sarah Decorah serves as the assistant to the WGA president on all administrative duties and is the immediate point of contact for members. Her responsibilities include: assisting with all record and bookkeeping functions, handling member requests for information, and maintaining accounts records. Sarah coordinates the WGA HR Share Group, the Education and Scholarship Foundation and maintains membership files and the coordination of the annual membership dues program. jleemkuil@wisconsingrocers.com John represents the WGA and its members in the field, promoting the WGA to grocery store owners and managers throughout the state. As field rep, John works to recruit new members and acts as a resource to all current members. He assists with problem-solving and refers requests of assistance to WGA staff on issues like EBT, coupons, insurance, and other industry topics. Contact John for membership information and industry questions. 2013 Winter WISCONSIN GROCER 9
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Page 17 and 18: LEGISLATIVE Michelle Kussow WGA Vic
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Pages 1 to 20 - Wisconsin Grocers Association

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