Whole Foods Erie Co-op Board of Directors
MEETING AGENDA
July 22nd, 2020, 5:30-7:30pm
Virtual meeting; hosted by Leslie Watson of Columinate
Attending: Cole Schenley - President, Shari Gross - Vice President, Alison Kaminski - Secretary, Michael Barron - Treasurer, Directors; Amanda Gates, Wren Dugan, Claire DeSantis, Freda Tepfer
Absent: Chauncey Dumbuya
Guests; WFC Produce and Perishables Manager - Paul Gates, WFC Marketing Manager - Heidi Yeagle and Leslie Watson of Columinate
Preliminaries:
● A. Kaminski was made co-host of meeting
● Owner Forum; No other member owners present
Agenda:
Approval of June Minutes; A. Kaminski
W. Dugan motioned to approve June minutes. C. Schenley seconded, roll call vote, all in favor. Motion passed.
Treasurer Report; M. Barron
Michael expressed he would ask that GM continue this month and work to set a meeting regarding duties, so he can adequately report in August.
GM Financial Report; L. Nieratko
14% sales decrease because of Pandemic. June 15th MTO opened again. Food Truck is now out on bookings. Wellness Department has taken a serious dip in sales but is rallying. $17, 567 will be absorbed into equity from 2019-2020.
PPP grant will be used FFFI ( Fresh Food Initiative, due Aug. 14th) would help with securing assets (refrigerators, freezers, etc.)
In light of the CHROMA Mural and WIC program adoption, S. Gross suggested Gannon University’s $5,000 grant for public art.
The Board of directors found GMs Financial Report acceptable. .
GM Policy Review; B10- Environment
Started to allow reusable bags and accepting some returns. Our rain gardens are still up and running. Purchase of plastics is down. Glass recycling is still down. Waste is still disposed of responsibly. Energy star rating is 88, which is really good. They will be featuring us in their July report. F. Tepfer brought up the concern about the Ends Committees being disbanded, because of the pandemic. Her concern was about the indoor air quality. She suggested verbiage change regarding indoor air quality survey or metric. L. Nieratko and F. Tepfer agreed to table this addition to policy and to research and discuss at a later date.
**Board was unanimous in finding GM compliant.**
Board Policy Evaluation; D7 - Relationship to Investors
In light of the current work conditions, the board agreed that they would be working to improve upon this relationship through the Coop Culture Committee.
Secretary's Note -- Do we have access to the survey results and comments?
Board was unanimous in finding GM compliant.
Board Learning; Produce Department Manager, Paul Gates
As produce Manager, he changed the entry process for pricing - leaving the changes to a .50 differential. He has changed suppliers in order to keep with acceptable margins. He is trying to keep the prices as low as he can for our customer base. He has been working through long term pricing plans to find and secure the weak spots.
Local producers Weeping Willow, Clarion River Organics were bought by a Pittsburgh buyer, but they have a minimum order of $1500. Emanuel Kurtz was another local Amish seller that fell out of communication. He would like to establish new local initiatives, but there are issues revolving around wholesale prices. Farmers can make more money selling at a Farmers Market. Pricing and shelving make working with local sellers problematic. Ideally, a local seller will come forth with a good product at the right price.
New Business:
WIC/Product Statement; L. Nieratko
Because we are coming into greater times for greater food insecurity, we are moving toward having more certification in order to qualify for more funding. She is asking that we add “Products required to maintain WIC certification” to our Ends Statement. She anticipates products will meet resistance, because they are not organic or NonGMO, but offered that she has been in conversation with other Cooperatives about offering slotting - in conjunction with other Cooperatives (Mariposa, South Philly Food Co-op) She expressed that this could lead to WIC adopting other suppliers as WIC Certified. Leslie Watson confirmed that in Minnesota, WIC allowances have shifted.
C. Schenley motioned to accept GM request to add WIC products to our Policy Statement, S. Gross seconded, F. Tepfer was the only director opposing. Motion passed.
CHROMA Mural; L. Nieratko
Asking for consideration of a $6500 expense for a mural - celebrating community and fresh food, in collaboration with Erie Arts & Culture and the CHROMA Guild. It would be displayed on the front, west facing wall, of the Coop. The expense could be included in a 5 - 10 year expense to repaint the wall. This expense will come out of our marketing budget and will increase visibility and publicity for the Coop and the artists. Partick Fisher, Executive Director of Erie Arts & Culture assures us that we will work with a reputable, reliable local artist.
C. Schenley motioned to accept GM request to commission a CHROMA Guild Artist through Erie Arts and Culture for a mural on the west face of the building, S. Gross seconded. Motion passed. Annual Meeting Plan was tabled for August meeting.
**Next Meeting: Aug. 26th, 5:30 pm - Virtual Invite pending**
Meeting adjourned at 7:30 pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted, 8/11/20 ~ A. Bodine - Board Assistant Minutes reviewed and submitted for BOD approval, 8/23/20 ~ A. Kaminski - Secretary