Thomas Zaucha 2008

Tom Zaucha is entrenched at the Arlington, Va.-based National Grocers Association.

At age 64, one would think Zaucha would be contemplating retirement like his counterpart, Tim Hammonds, at Food Marketing Institute. On the contrary, Zaucha told SN he wishes he had 20 more years to effect change and drum up bipartisan support for the independent sector. Barring any health issues or lack of the drive to get up in the morning to do the job, the industry can expect Zaucha to be at the helm of NGA protecting entrepreneurship and fighting to preserve family- run businesses for at least the immediate future.

“I love being an advocate and change agent. When I see something broken, I want to fix it,” he told SN.

To that end, Zaucha has led NGA over the last three years to change the credit and debit card interchange fee system that the industry views as unfair and anticompetitive. Last week the House Judiciary Committee cleared the way for a full House vote on H.R. 5546, which would allow retailers to collectively negotiate the escalating fees with Visa and MasterCard under Justice Department oversight. Besides movement to pass this legislation, NGA, along with others, filed a class-action lawsuit in 2005 that is still pending against Visa and MasterCard for alleged price-fixing of credit card interchange fees.

This campaign — as well as the association’s success in preventing efforts to repeal the Robinson-Patman Act, which prohibits price discrimination, as recommended by the Antitrust Modernization Commission — preserves a level playing field for independent grocery retailers. “We are still driven by a philosophy that says the consumer benefits from a diversified marketplace with price competition, value, quality and variety of products and services.”

Permanent repeal of the Estate Tax, an ongoing battle, has yet to come to fruition. The issue cuts deep to the hearts of all independents. As much as Zaucha hears about how small business is the engine that runs the economy, he said he doesn’t see enough bipartisan support for small independents. “The rhetoric is great, but the policy followthrough is lacking,” he said. Zaucha eventually expects compromise legislation on the Estate Tax issue.

To make sure the independent’s voice is heard, Zaucha said, the association has sought participation in the Global Associations Landscape project, which seeks cooperation among associations to cut down on duplication of efforts. Zaucha said cutting duplication among associations is a good thing, but he questions the practicality of working together as one global body, given various parties’ different perspectives and interests on specific issues. “The bottom line is, we want to be a part of those discussions and provide input and learn as much as we can.”

— CHRISTINA VEIDERS