Jon Hurst has served as President and CEO of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts (RAM) since 1990. RAM was established in 1918 as “The Voice of Retailing,” and today is a statewide trade association of approximately 4,000 member companies. The membership ranges from independent, “mom and pop” owned stores to larger, national chains operating in the general retail, restaurant and service sectors of the retail industry.
RAM has two equally important missions: 1. To provide public affairs leadership on behalf of all retail sector employers aimed at our public policy and opinion leaders, as well as to our consumers; and 2. To provide education, consulting and group buying savings for small employer members as they work to serve their customers, recruit and retain workforces, and to survive and thrive in the most competitive industry sector on the planet. The retail industry in the Commonwealth is the backbone of our local Main Streets, supporting over 928,000 jobs and operating in more than 73,000 brick-and-mortar establishments.
As CEO of RAM, Hurst manages the member services, education and public affairs missions of the organization, as well as day-to-day administration. Hurst also serves as Chairman of the Board of the Massachusetts Retail Merchants Workers Compensation Group, Inc., a non-profit group organized by RAM in 1991. He also heads the Retailers Association of Massachusetts Health Insurance Cooperative, the first non-profit small business health insurance cooperative authorized in 2012 by the state. Hurst has served on various state advisory boards, including the Economic Development Planning Council, the Statewide Healthcare Quality Advisory Committee, the Health Policy Commission Advisory Council, and the Workforce Competitive Trust Fund Advisory Committee. Hurst has served on numerous non-profit boards, including the Beverly YMCA, Beverly Main Streets, the National Retail Federation, and also served as Chairman of the National Association of State Retail Association Executives. Prior to serving at RAM, Hurst worked in public affairs roles for the Hershey Foods Corporation and the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, as well as at the Ohio House of Representatives. Hurst graduated from the Ohio State University in 1981. Hurst and his wife Jan have three grown sons and reside in Beverly, Massachusetts.
