The month of June can mean different things depending on one’s particular vantage point. It is the month when we, in the Northern Hemisphere, celebrate the summer solstice; the month with the longest days and the shortest nights. It is the end of the traditional school year, as well as Dairy and Alternative Dairy Month, and National LGBT Pride Month.
Fiscal Year End
In our case, June marks the last month of our fiscal year. It is in this month that we do our level best to complete our planned projects, and make one last push to achieve budgeted numbers before we usher in the new fiscal year. It is the month when the management team finalizes and presents the coming fiscal year’s operating and capital budgets to the Finance Committee for review before forwarding their recommendations onto the Board for their review and (hopeful) approval. Busy, busy month.
Thinking back on the concluding fiscal year about to end, it was a time of great activity in which our cooperative accomplished great things. Together we opened our third retail store, Willy North! We grew sales year over year by roughly 10%, a BIG accomplishment in this era of stiff and ever-changing competition. We grew our staff to 410 and our Ownership from 31,000 to over 35,000. Nicely done.
Upcoming Annual Elections. Vote!
Last month, I reminded you of Board member Jess Pernsteiner’s “5 Reasons You Should Run for the Board!” from April’s issue of the Reader (http://tinyurl.com/lcwxpgl), as well as shared various aspects of the job a Board member is asked to do. This month I want to share reasons to vote.
Serving on the Board is a significant opportunity to participate in our cooperative. Another way Owners have to participate in our cooperative besides purchasing the goods and services we have to offer is to vote in the annual election. This is your opportunity to have a say in who you feel will best represent your voice and viewpoint on the Board, as well as what decisions need to be made to best serve the needs of our cooperative.
In the July issue of the Reader, you will find a ballot, along with candidate statements and an explanation of three additional items on the ballot. You will be asked to vote for up to four candidates to fill the four open seats.
In addition to casting your vote for four new Board Members, we are also asking you to consider a bylaw change, along with the approval of the expenditure of funds that will allow the Co-op to grow—as Holly Fearing, Willy Street Co-op Board President, so beautifully alluded to in her report in this issue to the right. She also included a detail of dates that pertain to the upcoming election.
Owners are also invited to learn more about the upcoming ballot in person at one of three information sessions we have scheduled, one at each retail store, starting at 6pm on July 5th, 6th and 10th, at Willy North, Willy East, and Willy West respectively.
You will be able to vote online, or cast your paper ballot at any one of our retails, as well as at the Annual Meeting and Party. If you care to vote online, we need your current email address. If you are not sure if we have your current email address on file, call or ask Customer Service for assistance. Please note, that if you are part of a household membership, only one vote will be allowed, and should both names submit a ballot, only the primary Owner’s ballot will be counted.
The Co-op consists of various stakeholders that serve one another; from our Owners to our staff to our vendors to our Board, we share a connection that makes us stronger together. As I have been known to say, “mind your own business,” and make your vote count!
Special store hours—closing at 7:30pm
Please take notice, early in the next coming month (July), we have two closing early dates. The first is on Sunday, July 2nd, for our fiscal year-end physical inventory count. The second is two days later on Tuesday, July 4th, in recognition of Independence Day. On both dates we will close at 7:30pm at all our retail sites.
