Melissa McAleer Cross, president of McAleer’s Office Furniture in Mobile, has been elected to the Alabama Retail Association’s board of directors. Her two-year term began Jan. 1.
Her parents, Jim and Camilla McAleer, founded the business in 1979 to fill a need in Mobile for a store that exclusively sells office furniture. To differentiate itself from competitors, the business has nearly $1 million of in-stock inventory, ready for same-day pickup or next-day delivery.
Cross started her work life as a lawyer in California, moved into the real estate and home building industries in Texas and then began working for a large office furniture manufacturer based in Iowa. She has been president of McAleer’s since 2012. In 2015, she and her father shared the Gold Alabama Retailer of the Year title in the Annual Sales $1 Million to $5 Million category. In 2021, she earned the Silver Retailer of the Year Award in the Annual Sales More Than $5 Million category. Cross serves on the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce’s board and chaired its total resource campaign in 2020 and 2021, leading a team of 40 volunteers to exceed the campaign’s goal, both years.
McAleer’s, an Alabama Retail Association member since 2020, also has a Pensacola, Fla., location.
“We initially joined the Alabama Retail Association because of the cost-effective workers’ compensation insurance, but soon discovered all the association does to support our state’s retailers,” said Cross. “I’m passionate about our state and the economic health of all small businesses. McAleer’s appreciates how the association supports and promotes us.”
The Alabama Retail Association represents retailers, the largest private employer in the state of Alabama, before the Alabama Legislature and the U.S. Congress. Our 4,300 independent merchant and national company members touch almost every aspect of daily living. Whether voicing the retail view when public policy is made, educating members about issues that impact them, negotiating rates for benefits and services or communicating the retail story, the Alabama Retail Association and its members are better together.
MEDIA CONTACT: Nancy Dennis | 334.551.0643 | 800.239.5423
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