Minnesota Grocers Honor Member, State Lawmaker

The Minnesota Grocers Association presented awards to a grocer and a lawmaker for their service to the industry.

MGA gave out the awards at its annual Legislative and Food PAC Dinner last month at the St. Paul Hotel in St. Paul, Minn.

The 2011 MGA Legislator of the Year Award went to Sen. Tony Lourey (D-Kerrick) for his thoughtful approach in assisting the MGA with issues related to health and human services. Lourey supported an initiative to make Minnesota’s health care system more focused on prevention and less costly by supporting initiatives that pay doctors for quality of care rather than numbers of procedures and are focused on helping people lose weight and quit smoking. He also worked with the MGA to ensure in law that our industry has a seat at the table when the state develops policies on food safety and organics.

Mike Miller from Mike’s Food Center in St. Charles, Minn., accepted the National Grocers Association Spirit of America Award. This award is given to an individual MGA member who demonstrates a commitment to the legislative health of the industry by excelling in the area of government affairs.
Miller’s dedication to the food retail industry shows through in the actions he takes with lawmakers, including store tours, contacting them when necessary, and donations to the Food PAC of Minnesota. He helps educate others in his business and community on the role government plays in their lives.

Founded in 1897, MGA is a state trade association representing more than 200 retail members with nearly 1,100 stores statewide, along with 100 distributors and manufacturers.