October 2, 2000
The Michigan Retailers Association (MRA) Board of Directors has elected officers for 2000-2001.
The new chair is Joseph McCurry, district general manager for the Detroit district of Sears, Roebuck and Co. He has served on the board since 1997 and is MRA's first African-American chair. McCurry succeeds Jan Hayhow, retired president of Lansing-based Michigania, Inc.
Other officers are Mark Schrag, owner of Seasons in Okemos, chair-elect; MRA's Larry Meyer, chief executive officer; MRA's James P. Hallan, president and chief operating officer; and D. Larry Sherman, retired president of Sherman Shoes, Inc. in Birmingham, treasurer.
The Board of Trustees of the Retailers Fund, MRA's self-funded workers' compensation insurance program, has also elected 2000-2001 officers.
The new chair of Retailers Fund is Ann Gail, owner and president of Detroit-based Gail's Office Supply. She has served on the board since 1991. Gail succeeds John K. Godfrey, CEO of Godfrey Jewelers in Battle Creek.
Dan Marshall, president of Lansing-based Marshall Music, was elected vice chair. MRA's James P. Hallan, chief operating officer and fund administrator, and Jean Sarasin, secretary and treasurer, will continue in their positions.
The Michigan Retailers Association is the unified voice of retailing in Michigan and the nation's largest state trade association of general merchandise retailers. MRA's more than 5,500 retail business members operate more than 12,000 stores across the state.