The Wisconsin Grocers Association Board of Directors announced Mike Semmann as the new president and chief executive officer, replacing Brandon Scholz, who recently retired.
Semmann brings more than 25 years of trade association experience and joined WGA as the vice president of government affairs. In that position, Semmann has been instrumental in shaping the association’s advocacy efforts, specializing in lobbying, policy analysis, and trade association management.
“The board is impressed with Mike’s strategic insight, his track record of innovation and operational excellence, and advocacy leadership,” said Bob Jaskolski, WGA’s chairman. “We are confident that Mike is the best person to help advance the interests of Wisconsin’s competitive grocery industry now and into the future.”
Semmann said, “I am honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to lead the Wisconsin Grocers Association and advocate on behalf of its members. Wisconsin’s grocers are focused on serving their communities and I look forward to working collaboratively to address the challenges and opportunities facing the grocery industry.”
Prior to joining WGA, Semmann held key positions in both the private and non-profit sectors. He most recently served as the senior account executive at SAS, the nation’s leading data analytics firm as well as the executive vice president/COO for the Wisconsin Bankers Association, where he oversaw advocacy, legal, and communications initiatives. He co-founded Advancing AI Wisconsin, a grassroots organization that was focused on increasing awareness of machine learning’s impact on the state’s economy.
The Wisconsin Grocers Association is a non-profit trade association established in 1900 to represent independent grocers and grocery chains, warehouses and brokers, vendors, suppliers, and manufacturers before all levels of government. The WGA represents nearly 350 independent grocers with multiple locations across the state, more than 200 retail grocery chain stores, warehouses and distributors, convenience stores, food brokers and suppliers. Wisconsin grocers employ over 30,000 people with over $1 billion in payroll and generate more than $12 billion in annual sales in Wisconsin resulting in approximately $800 million in state sales tax revenue.
