Peter R. Sobelton, Chair, is owner/operator
of Sundries Plus, Troy, sundry stores and cafeterias in office buildings
in Greater Detroit. He is a former Chairman of Retailers Fund and Past
President of the Tobacconists Association of America. He was first elected
to the MRA board in 1998.
splus@sbcglobal.net
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James P. Hallan, President and Chief Executive Officer, became President and CEO in 2008 after serving as President and Chief Operating Officer since 1989. He joined Michigan Retailers as General Counsel in 1985. He is chair of the Board of Directors of Delta Dental Plans of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana and a director of the Delta Dental Plan Foundation. He also serves on the Association Advisory Council for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and on the boards of the national Council of State Retail Association Executives and the State of Michigan YMCA.
jhallan@retailers.com
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Joe Swanson, Chair Elect, is North
Metro Detroit District Team Leader for Target Corporation and is responsible
for operations, profitability and human resources for 11 Target stores
in Oakland and Macomb counties, with a total of 2,000 employees. He
has been a member of the Target team for 24 years. He was first elected
to the MRA board in 2001.
photo
D. Larry Sherman, Treasurer, is retired President of Sherman
Shoes, Inc., Birmingham. He is a former Chairman of MRA, Retailers Fund
and the National Shoe Retailers Association. He was first elected to
the MRA board in 1982.
dlssaba@aol.com
photo
Larry Mullins, Past Chair, is owner
of Brandon Tire & Battery
in Ortonville. He is a former Chairman of Michigan Retailers Services,
Inc., a former President of the Michigan Tire and Vehicle Service Association
and a board member of the Tire Industry Association. He was first elected
to the MRA board in 1996.
photo
Bruce Johnson is President and co-founder of Gazelle
Sports, an athletic specialty footwear and apparel retailer headquartered
in downtown Kalamazoo and named Michigan Retailer of the Year in 2005.
He was first elected to the MRA board in 1996.
bjohnson@gazellesports.com
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Orin Mazzoni Jr. is President of Orin
Jewelers, Inc., a family-owned business with stores in Garden City
and Northville. He is Past President of the Michigan Jewelers Association,
Vice Chairman of the Garden City Downtown Development Authority and
past Garden City Chamber of Commerce "Member of the Year."
He was elected to the MRA board in 2007.
orinjr@orinjewelers.com
photo
Joseph McCurry is vice president of The High Point Group and retired
District General Manager for Sears, Roebuck and Co., where he was responsible
for the Detroit district. Previously he served as a store general manager
for Sears in Illinois and Wisconsin. He was first elected to the MRA
board in 1997 and is a past board chair.
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Jean Sarasin is MRA Executive Vice President and oversees the Association's finance, membership and customer service areas as well as managing its day-to-day operations. She joined MRA in 1981 after working in the banking and bookkeeping fields and was named Vice President of Finance in 1990. She was first elected to the MRA board in 2002.
jsarasin@retailers.com
photo
Mark Schrag is owner of Seasons,
an Okemos specialty store offering unique gifts, furniture, jewelry,
gourmet foods and other personally selected merchandise. He is a past
board member of Michigan Retailers Services, Inc., and was first elected
to the MRA board in 1996.
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John C. Smythe is President of the Great Lakes Region for
Capitol Bancorp, as well as President and CEO of Capitol National Bank
in Lansing. He is also chair of the board of directors of Amera Mortgage
Corporation. He joined the MRA board in 2006.
photo
Barb Stein is owner/operator of Great Northern Trading Co.,
Rockford, a specialty gifts and home decor store she opened in 1977.
She is Chairman of the Rockford Downtown Development Association and
serves on the Benefits Committee for the Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce.
She previously served on the Michigan Retailers Services, Inc., board
and was first elected to the MRA board in 2001.
greatnorthern@i2k.com
photo
Thomas Ungrodt is President and CEO of Ideation, Inc.,
Ann Arbor, a leading producer of marketing solutions for independent
gift retailers. He is also owner of three Michigan gift stores and is
chair of the Northern Michigan University Foundation board of trustees.
He is a former chair of the Retailers Fund board and rejoined the board
in 2005, and he was elected to the MRA board in 2007.
tungrodt@aol.com
photo
James Walsh is a recently retired CFO of Meijer, Inc. He joined the
Grand Rapids-based retailer in 1992. He previously held executive positions
with Warehouse Club, Inc., Household Merchandising, Inc., and Jewel
Companies, Inc. all in Illinois. He was named to the board in 2007.
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