Wisconsin Grocers Association

What Wisconsin Grocers Association does

The Wisconsin Grocers Association (WGA) is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1900 and headquartered at 1 E Main St., Suite 404, Madison, Wisconsin. It represents grocers operating in Wisconsin through two membership tiers — Retail Membership for grocery retailers and Allied Membership for industry suppliers and vendors — and delivers a portfolio of services centered on legislative advocacy, educational programming, networking events, and industry publications. Core offerings include the Innovation Expo (annual trade show and educational conference), Northern and Southern Golf Outings, Grocers in the Capitol Day, a Women's Networking Forum, the Wisconsin Grocers Magazine, Position Papers, a Friend of Grocer Legislative Scorecard, Political Action infrastructure, and the WGA Foundation scholarship program. There is no proprietary technology product; the association's primary outputs are advocacy, events, and member communications distributed via its website, social channels, and direct outreach.

WGA's business model is membership-dues-driven recurring revenue, supplemented by event participation, magazine advertising, and sponsorship. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; prospective members contact the association directly. The go-to-market motion is community-led direct membership sales to a vertically segmented Wisconsin-only audience of grocers and their vendor partners, with marketing spanning organic social (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram), content (Wisconsin Grocers Magazine, Position Papers), PR (press releases), and in-person events. The organization is privately governed by its member base, has 11–50 employees, no subsidiaries, no parent company, no funding rounds, and no disclosed M&A or restructuring activity. Leadership consists of CEO/President Mike Semmann and Director of Development & Events Kendra Pahnke.

Name

Wisconsin Grocers Association

Legal name

Wisconsin Grocers Association

Website

https://wisconsingrocers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Wisconsin Grocers Association is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1900, representing Wisconsin retail grocers and allied suppliers through membership dues, legislative advocacy, industry events, and the Wisconsin Grocers Magazine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The association generates revenue through annual membership fees from retail grocers and allied industry members. Membership provides access to advocacy representation, networking events, educational resources, money-saving programs, and industry publications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Wisconsin Grocers Association is a membership-based trade association that represents grocery retailers and allied industry vendors operating in Wisconsin. Its core offering is an annual membership (Retail Membership for grocers and Allied Membership for suppliers) that delivers legislative advocacy at federal, state, and local levels, networking and educational events, money-saving programs, and industry communications.

Product overview

Wisconsin Grocers Association is a trade association offering a membership-based portfolio of services for grocery industry professionals. The core offering includes Retail and Allied Membership tiers providing access to educational seminars, networking events, legislative advocacy, and money-saving opportunities. Key events include the annual Innovation Expo (trade show with educational sessions), Northern and Southern Golf Outings, and Grocers in the Capitol Day. The WGA Foundation administers a scholarship program for members. The association also publishes Wisconsin Grocers Magazine and provides government affairs representation at federal, state, and local levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WGA Retail Membership Annual membership tier for retail grocery operators in Wisconsin providing access to legislative advocacy, educational seminars, networking events, money-saving opportunities, and the Wisconsin Grocers Magazine.
• WGA Allied Membership Annual membership tier for allied industry partners and vendors that supply or serve grocery retailers in Wisconsin, providing networking, trade show visibility, and sponsorship opportunities.
• Innovation Expo Annual trade show and educational conference hosted by the Wisconsin Grocers Association featuring grocery industry exhibitions, seminars, and networking opportunities for retail grocers and allied members.
• WGA Foundation Scholarship Program Educational financial assistance program administered by the WGA Foundation that provides store scholarships to members of the Wisconsin Grocers Association.
• Government Affairs Services Advocacy and legislative representation service provided to members, including monitoring of legislation, position papers, political action, and the Friend of Grocer legislative scorecard.
• Wisconsin Grocers Magazine Member industry publication providing news, updates, member features, and advertising opportunities relevant to Wisconsin grocers and allied vendors.
• Northern Golf Outing Annual golf networking event held in northern Wisconsin for WGA members and allied industry partners.
• Southern Classic Golf Outing Annual golf networking event held in southern Wisconsin for WGA members and allied industry partners.
• Grocers in the Capitol Day Annual legislative advocacy event hosted by WGA that connects Wisconsin grocers with state legislators in the Capitol.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ohio Grocers Association: State-level trade association for Ohio grocers. Same dual-tier membership structure (retail + allied), government affairs focus, and educational events, making it a strong structural comparable.
• FMI – The Food Industry Association: Major food retail trade association serving supermarkets and grocery operators with advocacy, education, and research. Comparable model and member overlap with WGA's retail constituency, though broader in scope.
• Michigan Retail Grocers Association: Michigan's state-level grocery trade association. Same advocacy/education/events playbook for a Great Lakes neighbor of Wisconsin, serving an overlapping supplier (Allied Member) base.
• National Grocers Association: The national trade association for the independent grocery industry. Directly comparable to WGA in mission (advocacy, education, networking) and member base, but operating at the federal level rather than a single state.
• Indiana Grocery & Convenience Store Association: Indiana state trade association combining grocery and convenience retail. Mirrors WGA's membership-based model with advocacy, education, and events for retail members and allied suppliers.
• Minnesota Grocers Association: State-level grocery trade association for Minnesota. Closest structural peer to WGA: similar membership model, state-specific advocacy, events, and industry publication serving an Upper Midwestern grocer base.
• Illinois Food Retailers Association: State grocery/retail trade association serving Illinois. Operates the same membership + advocacy + events model for a neighboring state's grocers and suppliers.

Broad incumbents

• Consumer Brands Association: Trade association representing consumer packaged goods manufacturers — the supplier side of the grocery industry. Comparable advocacy/events model and a natural counterpart to grocers' associations, including WGA's Allied Members.
• NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores): Large national trade association for the convenience and fuel retail industry. Adjacent retail-channel trade association with comparable advocacy/events model, though focused on convenience rather than grocery.

Regional players

• Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce: Wisconsin's statewide chamber of commerce and manufacturers' association. Same state-specific advocacy and member-services model as WGA, but representing a broader employer/manufacturer base rather than grocers specifically.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WIGrocerSpotted
• Facebookfacebook.com/WisconsinGrocersAssociation
• Instagraminstagram.com/wiscogrocers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wisconsin Grocers Association