FMI Glen P. Woodard Jr. Award Presented to Potash Markets CEO

Art Potash, CEO of Potash Markets, has received the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Glen P. Woodard Jr. Award for his contributions on behalf of the food industry in government and public affairs. The award was presented at FMI’s Midwinter Executive Conference in Orlando, Fla.

Potash, the second generation of his family to run a small grocery chain in downtown Chicago, represents independent operators in such efforts as rallying behind the Durbin amendment, which proposed to bring fairness and transparency to swipe fees as a provision under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. During the initial process of the swipe fee legislation in 2010, Potash hosted two press conferences on the issue in Chicago and Washington.

Potash continues his involvement in government affairs as vice-chair of FMI’s Public Affairs Committee. His bipartisan spirit is shown by his service on several retail committees and his dedication to battling Wall Street on behalf of the industry.

As well as his public affairs work in Washington, Potash still manages to his hometown markets first and strives to give each customer a personal experience.

“Art is a natural diplomat with a real gift of bringing to light the local impact of national issues in an accessible manner,” noted Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of Arlington, Va.-based FMI. “He embodies advocacy in action, and as such expresses the ideas undergirding the Woodard Award.”