Grow for the Good of the Movement
Martha Whitman, Board President La Montañita Co-op, New Mexico
Oryana 2020: A Vision for the Future
Steve Nance, General Manager Oryana Natural Foods Market, Traverse City, MI
Why Growth Matters
Sarah Christensen, General Manager Green Tree Natural Grocery, Mt. Pleasant, MI According to Green Tree Natural Grocery GM Sarah Christensen, planning for growth is not an option. You've got to 'Grow or Die'. This is an excellent short talk to incite and inspire.
Patronage Dividend: Presenting GM Recommendations
The “Patronage Dividends for Food Co-ops” Toolbox (available as a free download in the Columinate library) describes the power of patronage dividends as a tool for building strong cooperatives and outlines the steps needed to implement this system. One of the key moments in a co-op’s business cycle comes at the end of a fiscal year when it becomes clear how much profit the [...]
Engaging Employees in Open Book Management
By Helena O'Connor 169 Nov-Dec 2013 A few staff members crowded the back of the small room. Latecomers straggled in until most chairs were full. A huge white board with a crosshatch of lines and columns, numbers and spaces stood at the front. The general manager called everyone to order. The weekly huddle had begun. One by one, department managers posted their weekly sales [...]
Bringing Open Book Management to Life at Just Food Co-op
By Melanie Reid 169 Nov-Dec 2013 Justice and Just Food Co-op in Northfield, Minn., opened its doors in 2004. Once the co-op had successfully navigated the initial challenges that every startup faces and began to experience stable finances and sales growth, management felt it was time to engage the staff in the continued success of the business. A training session during a National Cooperative [...]
Great Idea: Sharing the Leadership Role
As well as being a consultant with CDS Consulting Co-op, Art Sherwood is the board president at Bloomingfoods Market & Deli in Bloomington, IN and is heading into his third and last term as president. As he thought about how to prepare others to take on the role, he believes that alignment is as important to leadership as it is to perpetuation. “My approach [...]