Associations

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — The Manufacturing Leadership Council, a global business network for senior industrial executives, has elected Dana S. Deasy, group CIO and group VP of information technology and services at BP, to the board of governors.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pamela G. Bailey, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, has announced the addition of two new directors to the association’s federal affairs staff, Nancy Kohler and David Prestwood.

Washington, D.C. -- The retail industry, the nation’s largest private sector employer, added 29,000 jobs in April, indicating that retailers are seeing signs of an improving economy, and as a result, added to their payrolls heading into the summer, according to the National Retail Federation.

Still, the NRF sounded a cautious note.

Walmart’s commitment earlier this year to hire 100,000 veterans over the next five years prompted the USO to award Walmart U.S. COO Gisel Ruiz its 2013 Woman of the Year Distinguished Service Award.

Ruiz was presented with the award at the USO’s 47th annual luncheon where she said the honor was humbling and a surprise.

WASHINGTON — The NRF Foundation, the careers and education division of the National Retail Federation, has launched the Retail Insight Center — a website designed to serve as a resource for researching industry, government, economic and consumer trends within the retail industry. 

The Retail Insight Center is made possible by a contribution from KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500 representing the greater New York area claimed victory over Target this week and offered some harsh words following a ruling by the National Labor Relations Board.

New York -- The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to move forward with the Marketplace Fairness Act, legislation that would allow states to force retailers to collect online sales taxes, if the states choose to do so.  

PALM BEACH, Fla. — The NACDS Annual Meeting concluded with the board of directors dinner and the annual presentation of the industry’s lifetime achievement awards.

Renamed the Sheldon W. Fantle Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996 in honor of People’s Drug Stores’ Bud Fantle, the award was originally established in 1989 to recognize exceptional accomplishments and contributions to the industry.

Receiving the award this year were Bob Loeffler, former CEO of H-E-B and past NACDS chairman, and Chain Drug Review editor David Pinto.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has launched an interactive map that allows users to find licensed online pharmacies by searching through states' board of pharmacy databases.

The site, BeSafeRx, is designed to help users distinguish between legitimate pharmacies and fake ones, noting that fake pharmacies will often use various means to appear legitimate. "If you cannot confirm that an online pharmacy is licensed in the United States, you should not use that online pharmacy," the site states.

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — OfficeMax has been awarded the National Employment Team 2013 “Private Sector Business of the Year” by the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) for its commitment to employing people with disabilities, including veterans.

OfficeMax is one of two organizations — and the only private sector company — to receive this year's CSAVR distinction.