Industry Intelligence

The Minnesota Grocers Association presented its 2012 MGA Legislator of the Year award to state Sen. David Senjem at the group’s annual Legislative and Food PAC Dinner late last month in St. Paul.

MGA honored Senjem, a Republican from Rochester, for his “unwavering commitment to the retail food industry.” Senjem has authored legislation “designed to remove the red tape surrounding running businesses in Minnesota,” MGA declared. “His dedication to the overall health of Minnesota’s economy is second to none. He also understands the role of the food retail industry within a community, as he regularly has breakfast at a grocery store, where he is able to discuss the news from St. Paul and hear about how to improve the community.”

In 2011, Senjem worked to limit the scope of administrative rules that create more burdens without legislative approval and helped pass legislation to conform Minnesota’s tax laws to the federal health care law, making the administrative side of filing taxes easier for businesses.

Founded in 1897, MGA has more than 200 retail members with nearly 1,100 stores statewide, as well as approximately 100 distributors and manufacturers.