NRRDA's Origins

The brainchild of seven founding members – Robert Kopka, Ian Matthes, Jeff Vernis, Brian Cafritz, Michael Amaro, Joe Hassinger and Jacqueline Canter – NRRDA began with a series of conference calls discussing the need for an industry-centered organization focused on the defense of retail and restaurant businesses. The founding members soon formed an advisory board and invited their clients to join. These initial clients included JC Penny, U.S. Foods, Home Depot, and Ruby Tuesday. Their goal was to assemble a group of attorneys, claims professionals, and industry representatives into an organization in which clients themselves are primary.

With that goal in mind, the founding members wrote into the By Laws certain restrictions on the number of attorneys who can join. Today, the percentages of membership are roughly 50% industry representatives, 40% attorneys and 10% vendors. NRRDA's first national conference was in Dallas, Texas, and it has grown in attendance each year. NRRDA remains committed to providing an open, inclusive forum for the advancement and legal protection of the retail and restaurant industries.