The Northwest Blazes a New Trail
Over 200 years ago in 1803, President Thomas Jefferson gave charge to 28 year-old Meriwether Lewis and 32 year-old William Clark to blaze a new trail through the uncharted wilderness of the West. The goal was to find a navigable passage to reach the Pacific faster than the British were taking through Canada and make the United States more competitive in the commerce of fur trading. It took Lewis and Clark 2 years, 4 months, and nine days to venture from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean and back, but what they discovered made it worth it.
Over the last year, the same could be said for the formation of a regional grocery association. Granted, our journey hasn't been quite so hard. I've been working from an office with a computer, modern conveniences, and not once have I been required to ride a horse or paddle a canoe to Olympia . Physical challenges of the 19 th century aside, through the hard work of many industry members we are ready to announce the next chapter for the grocery industry in Oregon and Washington.
Starting September, 2006 the Oregon Grocery Association will expand and welcome Washington grocery industry members under one roof. The new organization will be named the Northwest Grocery Association (NWGA).
The NWGA is a reflection of its membership and this is exactly what our identity should always be. As the industry consolidates and retail, wholesale, and manufacturing interests stretch beyond state borders, so should the trade association that represents their interest before state legislatures and regulatory bodies.
The new membership will represent over 85% of the retail market in Oregon and Washington . At the manufacturing level the NWGA will boast the support of Pepsi, Kraft, Frito Lay, Anheuser Busch, Dreyers, Coors, Reser's, United States Bakery and dozens of other key suppliers. The lion's share of the wholesale sector is represented by Unified Western Grocers and Associated Grocers.
Structure Many of you have asked how the association will be managed. We will maintain our office in Wilsonville Oregon as our home base. The OGA Team will remain in tact with Marlene (sarge) Quinn in charge of events, Sandra Wilken overseeing member communications and services, Trudy Macadam on the finances, and Dan Floyd orchestrating our lobby efforts in the Oregon Legislature along with the help of our contract lobbyist Shawn Miller of Miller Public Affairs. Additions will come in the form ofToni Mckinley and Holly Chisa, two contract lobbyists dedicated to legislative, regulatory, and political strategy in Olympia .
Board of Directors The Board of Directors will be reconstituted from the current 13 members to a maximum of 19. The new positions will be filled by members from the state of Washington . The executive committee will remain at five.
Legislative Committees Each state will have its own Legislative Committee that will be organized by the lobby team in that state. The Committee will be chaired by an NWGA Member actively involved in the lobby efforts of that state.
Events For 2007 we are moving forward with our traditional format of the Dinner and Auction in May (Surf's up dude!) and our Convention in September. As the year progresses and we experience the dynamics of a two-state organization, we will take a fresh look at 2008 and determine if any changes are needed to maintain optimal benefit to vendor and retail members.
Goals The Oregon lobby team has become one of the most active and effective business teams in the state. We have developed a great lobby team and have established one of the largest PACs in the state. We will share this year's highlights on Friday morning at the Legislative Update.
In recent years, the industry in Washington has been active in lobbying, but non-existent in terms of PAC activity. The good news is the State of Washington limits the amount that can be spent on candidates each election cycle, so a competitive PAC is within reach. Simply put, our goal is to improve Oregon 's program and bring Washington up to the same level of relative political prominence. With the continued support of the membership, we can do this in short order.
So is the adventure over? Hardly. In fact it has just begun. Lewis and Clark's expedition led to the pioneer movement that became the Great West. The NWGA is now ready to pioneer its new territory.
Change is inevitable in our industry and as I have told the OGA team a thousand times, its not enough to be comfortable with change in the grocery industry, but we need to embrace it and enjoy it. As the President and team captain of your association and its efforts, I am ready to practice what I preach.
We have many challenges that face us over the next two years. In Washington , battles to establish a bottle bill, reform workers' compensation and unemployment insurance, and combat organized retail theft top the list. Oregon faces an all out war against the expansion of the Bottle bill, establishing sanctions against organized retail theft, fighting proposed increases in licensing fees, and electing a new Governor that will work with the industry. These are just the highlights. There are dozens of more issues that we will be actively engaged in passing or stopping.
All this is to say that you are the pioneers that will make the difference. NWGA is your wagon train to get where you want to go, but the leadership, guidance, and success will be determined by you, the NWGA member.
Are you ready to ride? |
