2011 Power 50: No. 48 Peter Larkin

Peter Larkin moved quickly to stamp his signature on the 1,500-member National Grocers Association but not before he listened to independent grocers' voices.

Larkin initiated a nine-month project, titled Member Value Project, which set him on a listening tour of grocers in 17 states, and conducted several surveys that polled members on the value of NGA and what the association needs to do better.

Membership feedback resulted in eight initiatives, ranging from technological innovation to expanded government relations, all designed to better serve membership needs.

“Peter has reenergized the membership, using the talents of the organization to achieve NGA's agenda and to support the members. He is reinforcing the legacy of NGA's advocacy of the independent retailer,” said Joe Sheridan, executive vice president, Wakefern Food Corp., who serves on NGA's executive committee.

Larkin has also brought in some new blood at NGA headquarters in Arlington, Va. — membership director, director of education and research, and government relations manager — to provide needed support to execute the initiatives.

Operating at the heart of the nation's capital and facing an upcoming presidential election year, NGA is obligated to keep its members abreast of political crosscurrents. “Our members rely on us for political intelligence and we are prepared to do that for them,” Larkin told SN.

Most immediately, NGA is closely monitoring proposed rule changes by the National Labor Relations Board and the U.S. Department of Labor that would facilitate union elections. NGA helped defeat the Employee Free Choice Act, a similar pro-union measure, which died last year in Congress.

Larkin expects taxes to be a topic of debate in the coming weeks especially in light of the nation's debt crisis and pressures for fiscal reform.

Larkin will have his hands full working with other retailer groups in again seeking relief on debit-card interchange fees after the Federal Reserve's disappointing decision last month to cap debit-card interchange fees at 21 cents, nearly double the rate that the Fed had previously proposed.

He noted that a class-action lawsuit filed in 2005 by the Merchants Payments Coalition, of which NGA is a member, against MasterCard, Visa and their member banks, alleging that the interchange fees set by the companies violated antitrust laws, is still ongoing. A trial date has been set for September 2012, said Larkin.

Larkin will seek collaborative partnerships to advance independents' interests.