Columinate Manager on Contract (MOC) consultants provide essential support that strengthens co-ops in transition—through both short-term and long-term agreements. MOC services are more diverse than many people may appreciate. The program serves food co-ops needing various management support, and MOC provides leadership in a wide range of scenarios.  

Each MOC consultant has years of management experience. Garland McQueen heads the Manager On Contract program and at present is managing a startup, Wasatch Food Co-op in Salt Lake City, Utah. Also currently delivering management services through Columinate are Wynston Estis, providing training and GM support at Sno-Isle Co-op in Everett, Washington; and Chris Morris, the MOC at Community Foods in Tallahassee, Florida.  

(Note that active efforts are underway to recruit more consultants for the MOC program. If interested, contact garlandmcqueen@columinate.coop.)   

Manager on Contract can step in when a co-op's general manager (GM) is leaving and the board of directors needs support during the hiring of a replacement. Or, an existing GM may need coaching and training to strengthen their skills before and during a co-op expansion. Startup co-ops bring an even wider range of challenges and leadership roles that can be needed from a manager on contract. McQueen, representing the MOC program, says he receives ongoing requests from startups for management support. 

Quite often the MOC consultant will continue to be available for months after the formal engagement, weighing questions and sharing ideas with the co-op's manager.

MOC agreements typically extend for several months. However, adding to the value of the contractual relationship, quite often the MOC consultant will continue to be available for months after the formal engagement, weighing questions and sharing ideas with the co-op's manager. This adds to the word-of-mouth knowledge of MOC services; a lot of the calls McQueen receives are from people who have heard the program recommended by someone in another co-op. 

Impacts and outcomes 

Asked to point to key outcomes of the MOC program for the local co-op, McQueen was quick to emphasize improved efficiencies in operations, something an experienced manager can bring to retail operations, workplaces where the attitude—We've always done it this way—can be a barrier to improvement. The counter statement, says McQueen, is this: When you continue doing what you have been doing, you will keep getting what you got. 

McQueen says he employs such decades-old business wisdom to impart everyday lessons. While each co-op has a specific set of circumstances, common standards and operating efficiencies can help bring out the best from the people and the existing facility. Assisting these changes toward more efficiencies, a great deal of staff coaching and training is typical in an MOC assignment. 

In the area of finance, McQueen again emphasized resulting efficiencies: the outcome should be a soundly managed department with a clear chart of accounts, good controls, timely vendor payments, and reliable financial statements.  

In the area of GM transition, there is a strong need for ensuring good staff treatment, supported by MOC coaching and training. Improving operating efficiencies and boosting staff morale are both essential for a successful transition to new management leadership. Personnel decisions are often necessary and may not be easy, but throughout the process the MOC must work to foster a positive work environment for the staff. 

Finally, MOC engagements typically involve much work with the co-op's board of directors: boosting the board's business understanding and confidence, guiding the management transition, and facilitating strong alignment and collaboration between board and management. This attention to managing internal relations is another vital contribution by the MOC consultant. 

The special challenges of startup co-ops for a manager on contract are even broader than the needs of an established co-op that is undergoing a transition. Startup MOC roles potentially include market analysis, project management, establishing financial systems, interim general management, and the transition to a permanent GM.  

In an upcoming second part to this report, McQueen and other consultants will have more to say about Manager on Contract work with startup co-ops.