The Alabama Retail Association (ARA) is pleased to announce that Melissa Cross has been named Chairman of the ARA Board of Directors. She assumed the role in October 2025, succeeding Michael Gee, and brings extensive leadership experience and a strong commitment to Alabama’s retail community.

A Mobile native, Cross is the owner of McAleer’s Office Furniture, a multigenerational, family-owned business that has served the Gulf Coast for decades. After gaining experience in law, real estate, and the office furniture manufacturing sector across the country, Cross returned home in 2012 to help lead the family business.

She initially joined McAleer’s as president before ultimately assuming ownership, guiding the company through a period of strategic growth and modernization while preserving its long-standing reputation and community roots. In 2025, she expanded her entrepreneurial footprint with the purchase of Seating Source, an import business serving clients nationwide with an exclusive line of executive and conference room seating.

Under Cross’s leadership, McAleer’s Office Furniture has earned numerous state and national honors, including multiple Alabama Retail Association Retailer of the Year awards and recognition as one of the 100 fastest-growing businesses in under-resourced communities in the United States. She is widely respected for her advocacy on behalf of small businesses and economic development and has participated in programs such as SBA Emerging Leaders and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses.

As ARA Chairman, Cross will continue to advance the association’s mission of strengthening Alabama’s retail industry and supporting retailers across the state.