Thanks for the memories - Guest Column - Column

DSN Retailing Today, Dec 16, 2002 by Bob Verdisco

Eighteen years. That's a long time to be associated with one organization. It's hard to believe that I've been at IMRA since 1984, and even harder to believe that I've been president since 1990 (thank goodness the term-limits movement never took hold in the association world). And it's very strange to realize that, come Dec. 31, I'll be leaving an organization and an industry that I've served for nearly two decades.

It's been quite an experience. The retail industry and IMRA have been through momentous changes over that period. Comparing our membership list from those early days with today's is a real eye-opener. Some of the earlier members are still with us, but there are also many new names on our roster. And many venerable companies have vanished from the retail landscape, victims of intense competition or the tidal wave of consolidation that swept over the industry.

During my tenure at IMRA, I've seen mass retail become the world's dominant retailing format. There are many reasons for this development, but if I had to boil it down to one, it would be that mass retailers have done the best job of understanding and satisfying consumers' desires.

The technology revolution, which has transformed all forms of business, including retail, was another major development during the past decade, as was the realization of the long-envisioned "global economy" Mass retailers were early to recognize the potential power of technology and harness it to streamline all aspects of their businesses, from the supply chain to the checkout line. They also have established themselves as the pre-eminent players in the global marketplace.

Retailing also has become the driving force in the U.S. economy In every recent slowdown, consumer spending, most of it at mass retail stores, has kept the nation's economic ship afloat. Mass retailers also provide an enormous boost to local economies in terms of well-paying jobs, heightened business activity and increased tax revenue.

IMRA also has changed dramatically since I came on board. It has evolved from its 1969 beginning as the Mass Retailing Institute based in New York City with no presence in the nation's capitol, and an emphasis on executive seminars and workshops for its member companies, to today's IMRA, the world's leading alliance of retailers and suppliers, headquartered in the shadow of Capitol Hill, with a proactive and highly effective government affairs operation, and a focus on delivering outstanding substantive business value to our members. Our discipline-focused education and networking events have grown both in prestige and scope. Today attendance at an IMRA conference is a must for successful mass retail executives. And since we welcomed our supplier members as full-fledged partners in the association (a development I'm particularly proud of), our events have become venues for relationship-building, strategic business planning, and mutual problem-solving.

The phenomenal growth and success that mass retailers have achieved in recent years are directly related to the efforts of IMRA. Take a look at today's most successful mass retailers--some of whom are among the largest businesses in the world--and you'll find that most of them are IMRA members. And if you look a little deeper, you'll find that these companies are among the most active members we have: they help plan our conferences, they weigh on our lobbying efforts, and they work with us on research projects that benefit the entire industry. They recognize that IMRA is their association--that their commitment to us helps us deliver on our commitment to them.

None of this would have been possible without the dedication, talent and creativity of an extraordinary group of professionals: the IMRA staff. Throughout my term as president, they've maintained a level of expertise and a spirit of commitment that other associations would be hard-pressed to match. And our members, whom I'm sure would agree with me, have been the beneficiaries.

As I look back, I am extremely proud of IMRA's achievements. We've taken on legislative issues that other organizations were reluctant to address, and won significant victories for our industry and consumers. We've become a fount of indispensable knowledge for the industry not only through our educational conferences, but also by means of the astonishin g amount and variety of relevant information that we generate and distribute on a regular basis. In short, we've become what we strive to be: "Mass Retailing's Essential Business Resource."

And while I'm dishing out praise, I also want to say how proud I am to have been associated with IMRA's member companies. There's more to mass retailing's success story than the numbers; there's also a rarely heard account of outstanding community service. The most successful mass retailers--ironically, the same companies most often lambasted as "insensitive" to local concerns--have an unequalled record as good citizens. These companies pour millions of dollars into local projects and devote thousands of free hours every year to community service.