Directors to be elected at ’07 annual meetings

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

Ballots have been mailed to all MRA members and Retailers Mutual policyholders. Votes also may be cast in person. Directors will be elected at the respective annual meetings of the Association and Retailers Mutual on June 26 in the Straits of Mackinac room at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

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

Barb Stein, owner/operator of Great Northern Trading Co., Rockford, a specialty gifts and home décor store she opened in 1977. She has served on the Michigan Retailers Services, Inc., board and was first elected to the MRA board in 2001.

Joe Swanson, north metro Detroit district team leader for Target Corporation. He is responsible for operations, profitability and human resources for 11 Target stores in Oakland and Macomb counties, with a total of 2,000 employees. He was first elected to the MRA board in 2001.

Two MRA board members have completed their terms and will not seek re-election this year: W. Bruce Rogers, president of Rogers & Co. in Traverse City, and Douglas Schubot, president of Jules R. Schubot Jewellers in Troy. As a result, two retailers are seeking election to three-year terms on the MRA board for the first time. They are:

Orin Mazzoni, Jr., president of Orin Jewelers, Inc., a family-owned business with stores in Garden City and Northville. He is past president of the Michigan Jewelers Association, a member of the Garden City Downtown Development Authority and past Garden City Chamber of Commerce president and “Member of the Year.” He also serves on the Michigan Retailers Services, Inc. board.

Thomas Ungrodt, president and CEO of Ideation, Inc., Ann Arbor, a leading producer of marketing solutions for independent gift retailers across the nation. He is owner of three Michigan gift stores and serves on the board of the Northern Michigan University Foundation. He also serves on the board of Retailers Mutual.

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

Joseph Kay, co-owner of Northland Tire and Service, Inc., an automotive service facility established in Southfield in 1981. He serves as president of the Michigan Tire and Vehicle Service Association and is a member of the Tire Industry Association board. He was first elected to the Retailers Fund board in 1998 and is current chair of the Retailers Mutual board.

Dan Marshall, president of Marshall Music Company, one of the largest full-line music retailers in the country. The Lansing-based, family-owned company operates stores in Lansing, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Detroit and Traverse City. Marshall also serves on the Michigan Retailers Services, Inc. board and was first elected to the Retailers Fund board in 1998.

Larry Meyer, Chairman and CEO of Michigan Retailers Association and CEO of Retailers Mutual. Meyer, who became chief executive of MRA in 1972, received appointments from three Michigan governors, including director of the Michigan Department of Commerce. He served two terms on the Lansing City Council and currently serves on the boards of Boarshead Theater, Partnership for Learning and St. Vincent Catholic Charities.