PFMA President/CEO Joins FIAE Board
Alex Baloga, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA), has become a member of the Food Industry Association Executives (FIAE) board of directors for 2021.
Founded in 1927, FIAE represents local, state and regional food association executives, supporting the growth of its members’ employees and providing a forum for advancement of the food industry agenda.
“It’s an honor to work with my colleagues across the industry while serving on the FIAE board,” noted Baloga. “The food industry experienced rapid change and many challenges in 2020, which will impact how we move forward. It’s an exciting time to be part of that conversation and growth.”
PFMA president and CEO since 2017, Baloga joined the association in 2013 as director of government relations, was promoted to director of government and public relations a year later, and then to VP of external relations in 2015. He heads the association’s government relations efforts at the local, state and federal levels. He also manages PFMA’s federal, state and Philadelphia Food PACs, as well as the organization’s legislative, pharmacy and WIC stakeholder’s committees.
Baloga serves on the classification and ratings committee for the Pennsylvania Compensation Rating Bureau, and as a board member on the Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Fund. Additionally, he represents PFMA members on the Pennsylvania Lottery Sales Advisory Council.
Baloga was previously deputy finance director for Robert P. Casey’s re-election campaign for U.S. senator, in which capacity he directed the fundraising activities in central Pennsylvania. He has extensive contacts from his time as an associate lobbyist for government relations firm Greenlee Partners LLC, which has offices in Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Further, he worked in Sen. Casey’s government office as a regional field manager, acting as the senator’s liaison to government, community and constituent groups in central Pennsylvania; monitoring local issues and developments and representing Sen. Casey at civic meetings and community events.
Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania-based PFMA, a statewide trade association, advocates for almost 800 convenience stores, supermarkets, independent grocers, wholesalers and consumer product vendors. The association’s members operate more than 3,500 stores and employ more than 250,000 Pennsylvanians.
