For Immediate Release

October 30, 2007

LANSING — John Mayleben, vice president of sales and marketing at Michigan Retailers Association, addressed retail association executives from across the country as part of a panel discussion at the national Council of State Retail Associations conference in Williamsburg, Virginia on October 29. He and two other retail experts discussed issues of data security, including what retailers need to do to comply with industry standards designed to protect the security of customer data.

“In today’s world of data breaches, businesses may need help to stay current with technology and regulations. When a store has news cameras in front reporting on a data security breach, it’s bad for everyone—the store, its customers and the industry. If I can minimize the likelihood of such disasters, everyone benefits.”

Mayleben’s 20 years of “in the trenches” experiences with Michigan retailers and other small businesses have made him a nationally recognized expert in retail technology, transaction processing and data security.

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