Two long time executive directors of industry trade groups are stepping down or changing roles.
The Board Retailers Association (BRA) said Executive Director Melissa Clary is leaving the organization as of Jan. 9. Melissa had worked with BRA for nearly five years and was the point person on several projects including the Survival of the Fittest series, the Retail Summit and Industry Boot Camp.
IASC Executive Director John Bernards
BRA is looking for someone to take Melissa’s place. In the meantime, BRA’s Elizabeth Peavy will handle day-to-day operations.
The International Association of Skateboard Companies is also looking for a new executive director. John Bernards told me he is ready to work less, and will take on the role of Executive Director Emeritus and remain very involved with IASC.
John said IASC expects to have a new executive director in place early in the year and is in the process of identifying candidates.
See Page 2 for the BRA press release on Melissa’s departure.
Press Release:
BRA FOCUSED ON CONTINUING SERVICE TO SPECIALTY ACTION SPORT RETAILERS AMIDST STAFF CHANGE
LONG-TIME BOARD RETAILERS ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LEAVING
The Board Retailers Association (BRA), the preeminent non-profit organization representing over 550 specialty action sport retailers, is saddened to announce the departure of Melissa Clary as BRA Executive Director, effective January 9th, 2011. In her role at BRA, Melissa handled retail and manufacturer relations, BRA’s educational initiatives including Survival of the Fittest, Retail Summit and Industry Boot Camp, as well as tradeshow related activities and oversight of BRA’s member benefit program.
“Melissa has been with the association almost five years and was instrumental in organizing and growing BRA into what it is today by increasing our membership over 60%, adding member benefit programs including our private label initiative and cementing the association’s place in the action sports industry,” said Mike Duncan, BRA President.
“Words alone cannot express our gratitude for all the things Melissa has done for the association” said BRA Co-Chair and Co-Owner of Surfside Sports, Duke Edukas. The rest of the BRA Board of Directors echoed Duke’s sentiment “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much to Melissa for her personal and professional contributions to BRA over the last few years. It has been an amazing journey and privilege to work alongside her. She has been directly responsible for the giant strides the organization has made and she will be greatly missed!”
While the association looks back fondly on Melissa’s tenure with BRA, efforts are underway to move the association forward in 2011. BRA’s Board of Directors remain 100% committed to the association’s strategic goals and the programs currently in place.
Business will continue as normal and plans for the upcoming year are on track. BRA remains focused on serving the needs of our specialty retail members. The association is solid financially and the Board of Directors is confident that the new BRA Executive Director, once they are identified and hired, will continue to take the association to the next level as Melissa did during her service.
In the immediate future, for matters related to BRA, please contact Mike Duncan at mike@boardretailers.org or Elizabeth Peavy at elizabeth@boardretailers.org. Elizabeth will be handling day-to-day responsibilities until a permanent replacement is identified.
“I cannot express the gratitude I feel for the experiences and people I have had the pleasure of working with over the past five years. It has truly been an honor to serve the board sport specialty retail community and I wish the best for each of you and the association moving forward. I have made many connections over the years and I will covet those relationships, as well as the memories, as I move forward to pursue new, personal endeavors,” said former BRA Executive Director, Melissa Clary.
“We love Melissa very much here at Coastal Edge as I’m sure many shops do and we wish her the very best in her new endeavors,” said D. Nachnani, BRA Co-Chair and Owner of Coastal Edge.
About BRA
The Board Retailers Association (BRA) is a non-profit trade association representing almost 3,000 action sport storefronts across the country. The association serves as the preeminent voice, for independent retailers on a grassroots level with manufacturers, trade show representatives, and other associations. BRA also works to provide educational resources and exclusive discounts and savings from vendors on the day-to-day costs of business. For a complete explanation and description of Retail Member benefits, visit www.boardretailers.org
