by Stephanie Ricketts, Board Member
As we move further into the New Year, we have the opportunity to participate in many of the familiar rhythms of the year. For some this may be weather or nature related, for others it can be an eagerness for change or perhaps work rhythms. Your Co-op’s Board has some rhythms as well.
January meeting
In January we often have our first Board meeting in a couple of months. The holiday season is busy for the grocery industry; the Board tries to give as much mental space to the operational team as possible during this time. At our January meeting this year we reviewed four different policy monitoring reports presented to the Board, followed up on a few monitoring reports with action items from a previous meeting, received a financial update, and discussed our continued relationship with Step Up: Equity Matters, among other things. If you would like in-depth information about our Board meetings, we post the agenda and minutes in stores and online after they have been approved.
Board committees
In addition to Board meetings, your Board also has committees who meet regularly. One such committee is the Board Development Committee (BDC). At the beginning of each calendar year, the BDC focuses on putting the finishing touches on the election process for the upcoming election of Board Directors.
From a business perspective, cooperatives are unique. “A co-op, or cooperative, is a company that is owned by customers who invest in the business.” By being a member of the Co-op, you are a part Owner. (A small aside, while members “own” the Co-op, I think it is worth emphasizing that our membership model does not exclude anyone from shopping at the Co-op. We do not require a membership to shop in store or online.)
Annual election
A significant benefit to being a partial Owner of your local Co-op is that each Owner number is eligible to vote on matters concerning our Co-op. The most frequent vote is our annual election of Directors to the Board. The Board consists of nine Owners; who are they? They are Owners, just like you, who through one path or another decided that they wanted to invest in their community through the Co-op’s Board of Directors.
Send us a message
Perhaps this year, as part of the annual rhythms, you have an itch to plug in locally. Or, perhaps around this time of year you often resolved to learn a new skill. Maybe you’re just interested to hear more about what exactly a Board of Directors does. Great! Send us a message, we would love to discuss anything you have questions about.
Board email
The best way to connect
with us right now is via email.
The Board can be reached at Board@willystreet.coop. If you’d like to reach out to one specific Board member, let our Board administrator (b.becker@willystreet.coop) know who you would like to connect with. We hope that the rhythms of winter find you happy, healthy, and possibly, looking to connect with your Co-op in a deeper way.
