by John Cleary, Board President
The arrival of pallets of potting soil and mulch in front of the store is always a welcome sign of spring. It also means an uptick in business as customers get back to outdoor projects and buying plants from the greenhouse. While this extra cash flow really helps carry the business through the rest of the year, it is also a challenge to manage seasonal variations in labor needs and finances. We hope to see you in the store year-round!
The Board is so appreciative of all the work by the staff this past year. Gaining membership in the Independent Natural Food Retailers Association (INFRA) gave us access to lower prices, especially on the Cadia brand line of items across a wide range of grocery categories. This cooperative of over 350 natural food retailers will continue to help us grow our business. As ordering volumes increase, we will gain access to volume discounts with our main supplier KeHe. The re-set of the hardware side of the business is another huge accomplishment that took a tremendous amount of time and energy from staff. There are so many new products, now displayed on new shelving that maximizes our space. This project overlapping with the start of the Greenhouse season has kept everyone extremely busy. Thank the staff when you see them!
The primary focus of the Board in the upcoming months is to work on a multi-stage plan to replace and repair critical parts of the building—particularly the grocery side roof, the walk-in cooler and the back wall/loading dock area. These are major projects and some of them will be difficult to pull off without disrupting the customer experience. These project will also require raising additional funds and the Board is working on a plan for this. We are actively recruiting for new Board members to join our team, starting this fall. We welcome any committed and interested members to consider joining the Board and especially those that want to help tackle these types of projects. It is tremendously rewarding (and interesting) to be involved at this level. You get the chance to continue building this cooperative to meet its potential. My Board involvement has made me appreciate shopping here so much more. Join us!
Board Members
- John Cleary, President <johnclearyvt@gmail.com>
- Carla Siegle, Vice President <carla@littlebrookvermont.com>
- Maureen Lynch, Secretary <maureen.mlynch@gmail.com>
- Jeremy Matt, Treasurer <jeremy.matt@gmail.com>
- Allen Freund, Liaison to the Building committee <allenfreund123@gmail.com>
To contact as a group: board@plainfieldcoop.com
The Co-op Board meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 6-8 p.m., in person at the Co-op. Board Meeting Minutes can be found here
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New Board Members wanted!
We are actively seeking new Board members to be appointed immediately or who could join through our regular election process at the Co-op Annual Meeting in September. Board meetings are held once a month, from 6-8 p.m., either in-person or on Zoom. This is a very rewarding position since so much is happening with our wonderful new store. Board members also receive a 7% discount on store purchases as a thank-you for their service.
Email board@plainfieldcoop.com for more info or call John Cleary at (612) 803-9087.