Iowa Grocery Industry Association

DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa Rep. Kraig Paulsen and Sen. Swati Dandekar have accepted invitations from the Iowa Grocery Industry Association to be the legislative speakers at the organization’s 2010 Grocers Care Day event on Tuesday, February 23, at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines.

Paulsen has been a part of the Iowa Legislature since he was elected to the House of Representatives in 2002. The Republican serves District 35, which essentially covers northern and western Linn County and the cities of Center Point, Central City, Fairfax and Hiawatha, among others.

A professional attorney by trade, Paulsen is the Minority Leader in the House and sits on the Administration and Rules Committee. The resident of Hiawatha also served as the Republican Whip from 2006-08.

Dandekar, a democrat, was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2008 after serving six years as a representative from 2002-07. She represents House District 18, which also spans northern and western Linn County but includes a small part of Cedar Rapids and the entire city of Marion.

The first person of Indian origin to earn a seat in the Iowa Legislature, Dandekar serves on the Commerce, Economic Growth, Rebuild Iowa, Transportation and Ways & Means Committees. Dandekar, who lives in Marion and works as a community leader, is also a member of the Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee.

“We are delighted to have Representative Paulsen and Sen. Dandekar speak at our annual legislative forum this year,” said Iowa Grocery Industry Association President Jerry Fleagle. “Both Kraig and Swati have been outstanding members of Iowa’s Legislature since being elected in 2002 and everyone within the grocery industry in Iowa has a large amount of respect for them both.”

Grocers Care Day is an annual event hosted by the Iowa Grocery Industry Association in which all of its members are invited to take a proactive stance on legislative issues that could affect the grocery industry, both positively and negatively. This day provides industry leaders in Iowa the perfect opportunity to speak out about the issues that are important to them. And not only does it allow them to voice their individual opinions but it helps make the state legislators more knowledgeable about the food industry.