Retail has a great story to tell in Minnesota!

Meet Savannah Sepic, MnRA's New Government Relations Manager

MnRA welcomes Savannah Sepic

Meet Savannah Sepic, MnRA's New Government Relations Manager

The Minnesota Retailers Association is excited to welcome our new government relations manager, Savannah Sepic.

Savannah was born in Rochester, Minnesota but has spent much of her life in Madison, Wisconsin. This past May, Savannah graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a double major in political science and advertising.

Savannah recently moved to St. Paul and is already enjoying exploring Minnesota and all it has to offer, including our vibrant retail community.

Savannah served as a legislative intern at the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce where she organized Chippewa Valley Rally, a grassroots member activity similar to MnRA's annual Retail Day at the Capitol. In addition, Savannah researched chamber policies and helped members engage with elected officials.

Following graduation and through the 2018 election, Savannah ran a field office for a political party in Hudson, Wisconsin.

Politics and membership organizations are second nature to Savannah as she grew up accompanying her father--a veteran of the chamber of commerce and association industry--to board meetings.

"I am excited to learn the ins and outs of the association, along with diving into the issues important to our members," said Savannah. "I look forward to meeting everyone and the start of the 2019 legislative session."

Mn Retailers IMPACT Endorses 2018 House Candidates

Mn Retailers IMPACT fund says candidates are good for Minnesota consumers, retailers, and communities

Mn Retailers IMPACT Endorses 2018 House Candidates

Today Mn Retailers IMPACT announced the endorsement of these 12 candidates running for the State House of Representatives:

  • Tony Albright (55B)
  • Sarah Anderson (44A)
  • Drew Christensen (56A)
  • Kurt Daudt (31A)
  • Greg Davids (28B)
  • Pat Garofalo (58B)
  • Jon Koznick (58A)
  • Paul Marquart (4B)
  • Jim Nash (47A)
  • Marion O’Neill (29B)
  • Roz Peterson (56B)
  • Chris Swedzinski (16A)
  • Nick Zerwas (30A)

“Each endorsed candidate is a champion for Minnesota consumers, retailers, and our communities. They understand what the retail industry offers Minnesota’s economy and appreciate the 788,000 jobs that retailers support across the State,” said Mn Retailers IMPACT treasurer Bruce Nustad.



Mn Retailers IMPACT is funded through personal contributions used to support candidates who appreciate retailer contributions to Minnesota communities.

Alexandria Named Retail Community of the Year

Award Recognizes Alexandria's Unique Partnerships That Support Retail

Alexandria Named Retail Community of the Year

After reviewing dozens of applications from across the state, the Minnesota Retailers Association is pleased to announce the community of Alexandria, MN as the Retail Community of the Year in the 2018 Minnesota’s Retail Champions program.

“Alexandria was selected based on the unique partnerships that exist in the community that not only recognize the importance of a strong retail sector as a component of a vibrant area, but for the effort, resources and most importantly the cooperation among those partners,” says Bruce Nustad, Minnesota Retailers Association president. “The Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Merchants Association, the City, Explore Alexandria Tourism, the Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission, community and civic organizations, retailers, and others all work in concert to make the area a strong destination for shoppers. What is truly unique about Alexandria is the retail experiences that are created as the community works together.”

“Alexandria has a unique energy going on right now,” says Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tara Bitzan. “Some of that comes from the collaborations, partnerships and support shared by the various entities, but much of it also comes from the strong business-to-business support going on throughout the community. Instead of competing against each other, businesses are teaming up in many ways and working together for the good of the entire community. The impact of that has definitely been a positive thing for our community.”

“The Downtown Merchants Association is honored to be recognized for the work that is being done to help promote not only the Alexandria Downtown area but also the entire City of Alexandria,” says Pam Botker, president of the Alexandria Downtown Merchants Association. “We work closely with several area organizations to make sure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goal.  The City, Chamber, and Explore Alexandria have a great working relationship with the Downtown Merchants and we often work together to promote events which bring in shoppers from a wide geographical area.”

Representatives from Alexandria will accept the award in person during the Retail Rally event on Tuesday, October 9, 2018, at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park beginning at 2:30 p.m. The event features a keynote speech by Amanda Brinkman, “Retail Lessons Learned While Revitalizing Main Streets Across America”. Brinkman is chief creator and host of the “Small Business Revolution - Main Street”—a critically acclaimed HULU series celebrating small businesses and revitalizing main streets across America, and chief brand and communications officer of Deluxe.

Alexandria is the sole recipient of the Minnesota’s Retail Champions Retail Community of the Year award. Nine other organizations will be recognized in other categories such as Retail Innovation, Advocate of the Year, Retail Employee of the Year, Social Responsibility and Retailer of the Year.

See the awards video including Alexandria here:

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