Page 13 - NSA GALA JOURNAL 2015

Haile Rivera
Executive Director
“The Power of Partnerships”
Welcome to the 26th annual banquet of the National Supermarket Association.
It is a great privilege to serve as the Executive Director of the National Supermarket Association, an organization that is highly-respected in the industry and one which advocates passionately for the interests of its members. I would like to thank the Board of Directors, including our Founders and Past Presidents, for your guidance and mentorship.
Since my arrival in June 2015, I have been tasked with making sure that we establish and build strong mutually-beneficial partnerships with our corporate friends, elected officials, government agencies and other key stakeholders.
One of my priorities has been to increase the opportunities for our members to make a significant impact in their stores and in their communities. With the full support of our President and the Board of Directors, the NSA has launched NSA Cares. This initiative aims to form an umbrella under which all of the NSA’s altruistic programs can operate and flourish. During the month of October, the NSA was proud to launch the first-ever autism awareness campaign, not only here in New York but also in Connecticut and New Jersey. I would like to acknowledge the support of our media partners – Telemundo and La Mega – for helping to make our autism campaign a success. Under the NSACares initiative, we will continue to build on the NSA’s commitment to giving back to underserved communities.
With the growing challenges and policies that are affecting our members and the industry overall, we are also aggressively advocating for our members at the city, state, and federal level. In our efforts to reform WIC, we have met with the NYS Department of Health and have ongoing conversations with them to reform WIC.
We have been consistently holding meetings with key elected officials, such as Senators Adriano Espaillat, Jeff Klein, Jose Peralta and Assembly member Marcos Crespo, to make sure that they understand how current
WIC policies and regulations are affecting our members and their communities.
Locally, we have been on the front lines advocating against Intro. 632-A, a bill that we feel, if passed, will impact our members’ ability to grow within our industry. We have been in constant conversations and meetings with members of the City Council , including Julissa Ferreras, Antonio Reynoso, and Rafael Espinal with the clear objective of stating the facts of why this bill is simply not good for our members and small businesses in the City.
In our efforts to establish strong partnerships, the National Supermarket Association recently became an official member of The Business Council of the State of New York, the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce and the United States Chamber of Commerce. As we continue to passionately advocate for our members’ interests, we are clear that we need to have strong partnerships in place in order to continue to be the leading voice of the independents across the country.
It is evident that well-defined, strategic and disciplined partnerships lead to desirable outcomes. It is my hope that with the renewed commitment of all our partners, we will not only continue to build on this year’s successes but also be catalysts for improved partnerships with our community, government and corporate friends - during the months and years ahead. As Henry Ford, one of America’s greatest businessman once said, “coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”
I would like to thank our President Rudy Fuertes, as well as the distinguished members of the Board of Directors, for providing me with the opportunity to be part of a team that is deeply committed to the present - and future - of this prestigious institution and the independent supermarket industry.
Thank you again for your support and partnership. Enjoy the evening!