Board members seek re-election

Six board members have been nominated for re-election to the Michigan Retailers Association Board of Directors and the Retailers Mutual Insurance Company Board of Directors.

Ballots for voting on the nominees were mailed to MRA members and Retailers Mutual policyholders. Directors will be elected at the annual meetings of the Association and Retailers Mutual on June 27 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids.

Retailers Mutual policyholders also will vote on a measure laying out quorum requirements for annual and special meetings. Directors are strongly urging a “yes” vote, calling it “vital to our ability to conduct business.”

MRA board members seeking re-election to three-year terms are:

Joseph McCurry, vice president of High Point Group and retired Detroit district general manager for Sears. Previously he served as a store general manager for Sears in Illinois and Wisconsin. He was first elected to the MRA board in 1997.

Larry Mullins, chair of the Executive Committee and owner of Brandon Tire & Battery in Ortonville. He is former chair of Michigan Retailers Services, Inc., past president of the Michigan Tire and Vehicle Service Association and a member of the Tire Industry Association board. He was first elected to the MRA Board in 1996 and is a former board chair.

Peter Sobelton, chair-elect of the Executive Committee, owner-operator of Sundries Plus in Troy, and previous owner of Churchill’s Ltd. tobacco and gift stores. He is a former chair of Retailers Fund and former president of the Tobacconists Association of America. Sobelton was first elected to the MRA board in 1998.

Retailers Mutual board members seeking re-election to three-year terms are:

John K. Godfrey, CEO of Godfrey Jewelers, Battle Creek. Godfrey is an elected Battle Creek city commissioner and currently serves as mayor. A former president of the Michigan Jewelers Association, Godfrey was first elected to the Retailers Fund board in 1985.

Jean Sarasin, secretary and treasurer of the Retailers Mutual and the MRA boards, is Retailers Mutual and Michigan Retailers Association senior vice president responsible for the Association’s finance and customer service areas. Sarasin was first elected to the Retailers Mutual board in 1997.

James P. Hallan, president and chief operating officer of Retailers Mutual and Michigan Retailers Association, was named MRA president in 1989 after serving as the Association’s general counsel since 1985. A former assistant prosecuting attorney, he is a member of the State Bar of Michigan.