Award honors individuals working to preserve a free and independent food distribution system
Tacoma, WA – National Grocers Association (NGA) President and CEO Greg Ferrara recently presented NGA’s Spirit of America Award to Ray Sprinkle, president and CEO of URM Foods, and Mike McShane, URM’s VP of procurement and profit centers. The award was presented at the Washington Food Industry Association’s Connect! Meeting in Tacoma, WA.
NGA’s Spirit of America Award has been presented since 1982 to individuals who provide leadership in the areas of community service and government relations and are committed to a free and independent food distribution system.
“Since beginning of the pandemic, industry leaders like Ray Sprinkle and Mike McShane have dedicated their time and expertise to tell our industry’s story to lawmakers, moving the needle towards solutions that benefit America’s independent community grocers,” Ferrara said. “They have focused on urging lawmakers and federal agencies to enforce existing antitrust trust laws that protect independent grocers from anticompetitive tactics. NGA’s success toward reviving and enforcing the Robinson-Patman Act can be directly attributed to the hard work of industry leaders like Ray and Mike.” said Greg Ferrara, NGA president and CEO.
For the past four decades, the Spirit of America Award has honored individuals who have provided leadership in the areas of community service and government relations on behalf of the food distribution industry. The award is NGA’s way of recognizing industry leaders and their hard work to establish a free and independent food distribution system.
“Mike and Ray’s efforts have been valuable during NGA’s efforts and strong voice over the last several years urging Congress and FTC to enforce antitrust laws and explaining how the supply chain works so that members of Congress and the public can understand this often-complex issue,” said Chris Jones, NGA SVP of government relations and counsel. “They told the story of how rural communities rely on their local independent grocers and the impact that the growth of power buyers has had on retailers, local communities and suppliers.”
Over the years, the NGA Spirit of America Award has become a prominent and memorable acknowledgement of the dedication of more than 550 recipients, including past Presidents George Bush and Gerald Ford, former Vice President Dan Quayle, former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin Powell, and former Speaker of the House Tom Foley.
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