River Valley Co-op in Northampton, MA is a jewel among startups with over $25M in annual sales and robust growth. Rochelle Prunty, the GM at RVC takes us through the co-ops history, as well as a possible future, in which the region has many more River Valley Co-ops and an exponentially greater impact on its members, staff, and communities.
John Tashiro shares with us some of the "wisdom of the Bamboo". Tashiro, the newly appointed General Manager at Onion River / City Market in Burlington, VT applies some of this wisdom to being courageous leaders in the retail co-op sector and entices us all to "be the bamboo".
By Carolee Colter, Lauren Olsen, Marilyn Scholl 183 Mar-Apr 2016 It takes a lot to manage a food co-op. Co-op general managers (GMs) are responsible not only for the retail operations but also for budgeting, financial analysis, marketing, information technology, and human resources—functions that are provided by corporate headquarters to managers of chain stores. Co-op GMs, in addition to the demands of the business, [...]
Lizzy Haywood, CEO of the newly expanded People's Food Co-op in LaCrosse and Rochester, asks tough questions and shares her vision for some of the pathways to the future for co-ops. Let's imagine together with Lizzy what we could all accomplish with bold leadership.
Holly Fearing, Board Member at Willy Street Cooperative in Madison, WI breaks down the barriers to being strategic, making hard choices, and being fearless. And beware the 'killer but'!
In this short presentation Alex Stone, of CooperationWorks!, expresses the importance of knowing vulnerability. Especially in a leadership position.
Michelle Oliver from Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op says that being a leader requires knowing yourself. Know your strengths and know your weaknesses. Understand where you need support and ask for it.
Weaver Street Market General Manager Ruffin Slater on the Magic of Commitment. Ruffin shares what he sees as the power of making a commitment and all that follows from making a decision.
Martha Whitman tells the story of La Montanitas experience with growth through acquiring stores in new markets. Â Watch and learn about the leadership of the board of directors as they engaged their membership throughout the process.
In Tucson, AZ competition is ramping up and the leaders at Food Conspiracy are taking decisive action. Hear from GM Kelley Kriner about the steps that the management at Food Conspiracy took to make the Co-op a strong and sustainable force in the community.
