The Co-op celebrated our 2017 annual owner dinner on October 6th at the ARC Pavilion. This year’s event was the best attended owner dinner in recent memory, with more than 150 owners, friends, and family arriving to enjoy each other’s company. The Co-op Kitchen prepared a wonderful meal comprised of savory appetizers, an autumnal array of vegetarian and omnivorous chili, and tasty sweet-breads for dessert.
The meeting itself consisted of four sections. The night kicked off with a questionnaire for owners to answer. Volunteer facilitators helped guide participants through the survey, which will be analyzed and reported on by the Board. Look forward to seeing those results in a future edition of The Localist!
Member of the Board, Xopher, expounding on he Co-op with a fellow Co-op owner.
Next, Laurie Niles, the BOD President, spoke about the Board’s vision and accomplishments over the past year. Laurie’s explanation of the Global Ends policy was of particular importance. The Global Ends Policy helps to connect the Board to the operations of the store. Laurie shared with owners what the Ends are and how the Co-op realizes them in practice.
Laurie was followed by Peter Ratner and Lauren Kennedy, both Board members. They explained the Board’s decision to change the dates of all future Annual Meetings and Board Elections. Meetings and Elections will now take place in the Spring of each year, in order to better align with the Fiscal Year. They also announced the upcoming special election which will give our owners the opportunity to extend the terms of our current Directors by three months, so that the change in Board elections does not create temporary vacancies on the Board.
The evening was rounded out with a presentation by the Co-op’s General Manager, Liza Tedesco. Liza delivered an informative State of the Co-op address. She reported on the Co-op’s sales performance over the last year, and reiterated the ways in which local, community owned businesses are more vital than ever in this age of increasing corporate consolidation. Folks lingered late into the evening, enjoying food, drink, and good conversation.