November 9, 2000
LANSING -- One retailer coordinates two local festivals that build community pride and attract young families. Another retailer helps charitable organizations raise hundreds of thousands of dollars by donating merchandise for auctions and events. A third retailer makes it possible for Detroit to host America's Thanksgiving Parade and helped rebuild the St. Vincent de Paul Family Center after a fire.
All three were recognized today as 2000 Michigan Retailer of the Year. The awards honor the most outstanding examples of community giving and involvement demonstrated by retailers all across Michigan.
"As we kick off the season of giving, it's a fitting time to recognize the retailers who display that spirit of generosity year-round," said MRA CEO Larry Meyer.
The awards were presented at the third annual Michigan Retailer of the Year Awards luncheon, sponsored by the Michigan Retailers Association and held at the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing. Awards were given in three categories: small, medium and large (based on annual sales volume).
The award recipients, who were selected by a distinguished panel of judges from the retail industry, universities, local chambers of commerce, foundations, state government and the news media, are:
Melanie Greenfield is a driving force behind two Sault Ste. Marie festivals. She was instrumental in organizing the first Soo Locks Festival in 1999 to celebrate the town's most famous landmark. The festival was expanded in 2000, bringing more than 10,000 people to town for two weekends of concerts, performances and children's events. Kids' Day, another brainchild of Greenfield's, provides a day of inexpensive, educational activities for families with young children.
Greenfield has also coordinated the Downtown Business Association's Fall Festival, which raises funds for the Sault Ste. Marie Fire Department. In addition, Balloons 'n More organizes a Back-to-School Giving Tree to collect school items for needy children.
Thanks to donated merchandise from Tiffany, charitable organizations in southeast Michigan have been able to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to support their causes. In the past 18 months, the store has contributed more than $100,000 worth of merchandise for fundraising auctions, gifts and awards. Tiffany also hosts and underwrites costs for "Breakfast at Tiffany" events that give nonprofits a distinctive venue for special functions.
Organizations benefiting from Tiffany's generosity include Hospice of Michigan, Judson Center for Children, the Detroit Historical Society, the Anti-Defamation League, Cranbrook Academy of Art and Karmanos Cancer Institute, among many others.
Art Van Furniture and founder Art Van Elslander have taken a leading role in community affairs in the metro Detroit area. Art Van's contributions saved Detroit's Thanksgiving Parade from extinction in the 1980s, helped rebuild the St. Vincent de Paul Family Center after a devastating fire and are helping build the soon-to-open St. John Cancer Center.
Art Van also conducts in-store child safety programs, employability training for high school students and a deaf awareness program that teaches sales associates how to communicate with deaf customers using sign language.
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.