by Ann Hoyt, Board Vice President
Soon we will begin gearing up for our October Annual Meeting and the election of Willy Street Co-op’s Board of Directors. That makes it a good time to let you know what the Board has been doing and why it is so important that we have a slate of interested, informed, and committed Owners running in our 2022 election.
Updated Mission, Vision, and Values
Over the past year we have spent significant energy working with our General Manager and staff to develop an updated statement of our mission, vision, and values. In that process we learned about the massive changes that have rocked the grocery and our Co-op as a result of the unexpected continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic. We took seriously the need to understand the issues we face regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and, as a Board, focus on our relations to all of our Owners and members of the community. Added to that, we studied the competition we face in the local and online grocery scene and our need to be fiscally responsible and build our reserves. All of this has been interesting, exciting, and challenging work.
Expected Changes
Have you read about the expected changes in food retailing? Some industry experts say the grocery industry has witnessed more change in the past two years than perhaps in the past decade. Consumers (particularly young and elder consumers) are becoming “hybrid shoppers”; they are shopping for food both in-store and online. That means we’ll need to do both well when our customers go hybrid. And you are all aware of supply chain shortages (all those empty shelves!) that have required nimble behind-the-scenes efforts to discover new suppliers and acceptable substitute products.
Labor Shortages
Labor shortages have impacted the Co-op as they have other grocers in the area. At the same time, the Board and management are dedicated to providing competitive wages and an open, diverse, and positive working environment. To balance these demands, you will begin to see efforts to automate some of our processes as we maintain high customer service standards. Westsiders, you’ll be getting a chance to meet Sally the Salad Robot, and we’re planning to pilot scan-and-go checkout lines at West. You can be sure these innovations are not intended to replace any of our employees. The goal is to make our operations as efficient as possible while working to become a top employer-of-choice in our community.
Step up
As a Board, we have worked closely with our consultants, Step Up, to reassess our mission, values, and principles with an equity lens. Many of us have participated in online courses to help us recognize our biases, where they may come from, and how we can uproot them. Working closely with management, we included DEI principles in our mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities. At this point, management is preparing specific goals, tactics, and metrics to increase DEI throughout the organization, including at the Board and senior management levels. In the meantime, the Board’s Policy Committee is reviewing all Board policies to recognize and remove all unintentional bias.
We are aware we are operating in a highly competitive and highly capitalized market. We are constantly watching creative adaptations to changing market forces in the county and in our immediate neighborhoods. It is important that you, an Owner, shop the Co-op, help us improve, and keep our cooperative values and principles alive and thriving in Dane County.
Run for the Board
This is an exciting time to be on the Board. We are making significant changes to remain current with grocery trends, improve the quality and justice of our cooperative workplace, and serve our Owners and communities with quality, efficiency, equity, and grace. There’s plenty of time for you to consider contributing your talents, perspectives, and commitment to the Co-op by running for the Board of Directors.