After reviewing dozens of applications from across the state, the Minnesota Retailers Association is pleased to award Mall of America the Social Responsibility award in the 2019 Minnesota’s Retail Champions program.
“Minnesota businesses are at the forefront of social responsibility and sustainability, and Mall of America is a distinct leader when it comes to innovative programs and modeling what it means to do the right thing,” says Bruce Nustad, Minnesota Retailers Association president. “At Mall of America, sustainability is a way of doing business, and it’s not only important to them, but important to their tenants and guests. Just walking around the Mall, you can see so many ways it works to encourage recycling and reuse while reducing waste. And for every sustainability program you can see, there is another behind the scenes that you can’t, but they are equally important. We congratulate Mall of America on receiving our Social Responsibility award.”
“Mall of America was built with sustainability always at the forefront,” said Jill Renslow, SVP of Business Development & Marketing at Mall of America. “We strive to include a sustainability perspective in all that we do. For example, we have worked hard to design a system that makes recycling easy for our tenants and guests. Few people know we are also home to 30,000 live trees and plants, all while maintaining a pesticide-free environment. Mall of America aims to continue leading efforts in being a good steward of the environment and is honored to accept the 2019 Minnesota Retailers Association Social Responsibility Award.”
Jill Renslow and other Mall of America representatives will accept the award in person during the Retail Rally event on Wednesday, October 2, 2019, at Brookview in Golden Valley beginning at 2:00 p.m. The event features seven 20-minute practical, game-changing, cutting edge retail innovations strategies and ideas. Speakers include local favorite and award-winning news anchor-reporter Robyne Robinson with fiveXfive Public Art.
Mall of America is the sole recipient of the Minnesota’s Retail Champions Social Responsibility award. Seven other organizations will be recognized in other categories such as Retail Community of the Year, Retail Employee of the Year, Social Responsibility, Retail Innovation, Outstanding Achievement, Best Place To Work, and Retailer of the Year.
Retail Rally event information can be found at www.retailrally.com.
After reviewing dozens of applications from across the state, the Minnesota Retailers Association is pleased to recognize Branch with its Vendor Partner of the Year award in the 2019 Minnesota’s Retail Champions program.
“Branch has embraced Minnesota since its move in 2016 and has made a name for itself in a big way,” says Bruce Nustad, Minnesota Retailers Association president. “As a partner to retailers, Branch is helping the industry and its employees adapt to the ever-changing way we work and serve communities. Through its innovative mobile platform, Branch is dedicated to the financial wellness of hourly employees as well as helping retailers retain their workforce . We congratulate Branch as the Vendor Partner of the Year.”
“At Branch, we partner with retail employers and their employees to help overcome obstacles hourly workers face,” says Atif Siddiqi, CEO and founder of Branch. “We are constantly analyzing trends and talking to retail employees about what they need and want so we can work collaboratively with our retail partners to open up opportunities in the employee-employer relationship.”
Atif Siddiqi will accept the award in person and discuss what retail employees want today during the Retail Rally event on Wednesday, October 2, 2019, at the Brookview in Golden Valley beginning at 2:00 p.m. The event features seven 20-minute practical, game-changing, cutting edge retail innovations strategies and ideas, including local favorite and award-winning news anchor-reporter Robyne Robinson with fiveXfive Public Art.
Branch is the sole recipient of the Minnesota’s Retail Champions Vendor Partner of the Year award. Seven other organizations will be recognized in other categories such as Best Place To Work, Outstanding Achievement, Retail Employee of the Year, Social Responsibility, Retail Innovation, Customer Experience, and Retailer of the Year.
Retail Rally event information can be found at www.retailrally.com.
Award Recognizes Alexandria's Unique Partnerships That Support Retail
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.
