For Immediate Release

September 17 , 2007

LANSING — The retiring CEO of the Michigan Retailers Association is inviting Holland area retailers to discuss the future of retailing at a free breakfast on October 2. The event will be held at 8:30 a.m. at the Alpenrose Restaurant in Holland. The local host of the breakfast is Gerry Klaver, owner of Post's Jewelry & Gift Shop.

The event is part of a series of 20 breakfasts being held around the state this summer. The “Hail and Farewell: Larry Meyer Member Appreciation Tour” will allow Meyer to thank MRA members personally and to speak informally about where the industry is headed.

“So many things have changed in business since I arrived in Michigan in December 1972,” said Meyer, who has been CEO of MRA for more than 30 years. “But the core values of putting the customer first, differentiating your business and always seeking new and better ways to do business have remained essential. In fact, these fundamentals are even more critical as Michigan’s economy evolves.”

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 5,500 retail business members operate more than 12,000 stores across the state.

When: 8:30 a.m., October 2
Where: Alpenrose Restaurant
4 East 8th Street, Holland
Call: Kammy Johns at 800.366.3699 to reserve a seat.