Testimonials:

This industry is in my blood, and I want to serve it to give back what it has brought me.”

“I learned the business from others who were successful and being on the board gives me a chance to communicate how to better serve the industry—as well as make more money—to those who don’t yet know how. It’s important to hand our knowledge over to those who are new or are taking over a family business.  We need to ask them what their most important issues are and help them understand the return on investment they can realize through MIRA’s programs, which save them money through better group pricing on everything they buy and all of their business expenses.”  “If people know what MIRA is fighting for, they will want to be part of it. And if we work together, we can raise our industry to the next level.

It’s very important to be part of the industry you serve. MIRA is an important organization and being part of a great team gives us the voice to fight for what we believe in and the power to know we are being treated fairly.”

“Unity is our strength, and the more members we have, the stronger we become.

It’s rewarding to be part of an organization that is trying to pool resources to compete with the chain stores, such as the programs that have been endorsed by our committees. They help bring in savings with companies that otherwise would never have been presented.” “With more voices comes more success, because the stronger in numbers and participation in our organization, the more viable we become with politicians in our states to bring about positive legislation for our industry, as well as having more leverage in the vendor community to help make us more competitive and profitable.

I volunteer because the association helps shape the direction of the industry and also benefits my business.”

“We should continue to educate our members on the benefits of membership so that they take advantage of our programs. We are all small business owners with common goals and we all compete against the bigger businesses. Binding together in MIRA makes us more competitive against them.

There is strength in numbers, and the more members MIRA has, the more we can get accomplished.

MIRA did a great job on the food stamp initiative in 2010, and I’m grateful for that. However, we’re not done, and more than the next couple of years, I want to see payments released to food stamp recipients bimonthly.”

“As one strong voice, we can support initiatives that will enable us to compete with national chains such as Walmart, Kroger, and 7-Eleven or fight legislation that will hurt us.

MIRA is the voice of the food and beverage industry, and by working together, we can continue to promote food and beverage initiatives.

I believe in the effectiveness and spirit of the staff and members of this organization. I recommend that all members read the MIRA mission statement to get a sense of how important it is for everyone to promote membership.

This is my industry and MIRA serves this industry. I like being part of a successful organization and being involved in change and influencing new laws.” 

“Without MIRA, who will fight for the retailer in Michigan and Ohio? MIRA is the voice for all retailers, and more numbers means a stronger voice. If more of us support MIRA and keep it successful, we will be able to fight more effectively.

There is strength in numbers and higher membership makes a good impression. Legislators and lobbyists will listen to an organization with 4,000 members.