The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced the hiring of James Lawson as the organization’s Business Manager for the United States Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) MemberPerks program, which is administered by NTRA Advantage.

Based at the NTRA’s Lexington headquarters, Lawson will oversee USEF MemberPerks, which offers significant savings on products and services from John Deere, Sherwin-Williams, UPS, Toshiba, Office Depot, Office Max, Equine Travel Advantage, FarmVet.com and others to USEF members.

Lawson comes to the NTRA from LexisNexis, where he managed law firm solutions for some of the top firms in the country.

“I'm excited about being a part of the NTRA and USEF,” said Lawson. “I've been a member of the USEF for a number of years, received the USEF regional Horse of the Year honor for my horse, Worthy’s Fantasy, and personally seen the value of the USEF MemberPerks program. I look forward to combining my professional strengths with one of my favorite passions—horses.”

“The USEF is an important component of the NTRA Advantage program, and we are delighted to bring in someone of Jim’s background to provide even greater value to USEF MemberPerks participants,” said Terry McElfresh, Senior Vice President of NTRA Advantage. “Jim knows firsthand the benefits offered through NTRA Advantage, and also the satisfaction of supporting companies that have a demonstrated interest in the horse industry.”

The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, KY, and New York City, NY. NTRA press releases appear on the NTRA website at www.NTRA.com.