Whole Foods Erie Co-op Board of Directors
MEETING
October 28th, 2020, 5:30-7:00pm
Zoom online meeting hosted by L. Nieratko
Attending: Cole Schenley - *Presiden*t, Shari Gross - Vice President, Alison Kaminski - Secretary, Michael Barron - Treasurer, Directors; Amanda Gates, Wren Dugan, Claire DeSans, Freda Tepfer
Guests; Heidi Yeagle-_WFC Marketing Manager_, Kevin Schaaf - Member Owner Preliminaries;
Owner Forum; No owners present had comment.
Consent Agenda
C. Schenley mooned to approve the Sept. 2020 minutes with suggested edit, C. DeSantis seconded, all in favor, motion passed.
Treasurer Report; M. Barron
19 new members and 7 refunded members. Reasons for requesting stock refund included moving and one about the WFC choice to post the BLM sign.
C. Schenley mooned to approve the Oct. 2020 Treasurer's Report, F. Tepfer seconded, all in favor, moon passed.
GM Reporng; L. Nieratko
Sales for September were down 7.3%, with transacons down 28.5% - much of which is due to Cafe operation and sales being cut due to pandemic measures. Cafe staff is working to make up sales in holiday meals and special offers.
Cash balance is $289,648. Cash expenses for September include a 3 payroll week and property taxes (15k). Net income for September - $14,134.
FYIs
ECRS (New POS) - $81,017 down payment made for ECRS to begin work. Implementation is underway.
Market Study - LeAnna emailed all the Board members with the market study but plans to include it in the Board packet.
WIC- WFC is signed up with a distributor through NCG to support required inventory. The process from here on is uncertain and still has a lot of variables including how the holiday impacts distributors. Chroma Mural - The dedication for the mural is planned for November 1st.
C. Schenley mooned to accept the GM Report for Oct. 2020, S. Gross seconded, all in favor, motion
**passed.**
Policy Reporting; B9 - Investors
Member Owners are interested in better interacting with the Coop. B9.5 is tough to report on, because of the Pandemic. The Outreach and Marketing Department is looking to do more virtual educational opportunities. B9.6 held nothing outstanding to report upon.
C. DeSans mooned to find the GM compliant with Policy B9 - Investors, F. Tepfer seconded, all in favor, moon passed.
Board Policy Evaluation
C2 - Accountability and Delegation of the Manager
Discussion; F. Tepfer reported she would like to do more on Ends and Limitations. C. Schenley felt the board, on the whole, has been compliant. .For example, C2.3 Organizational Policy could use a beer rubric for more consistent evaluation. L. Nieratko suggested the Columinate may have some suggestions. A. Kaminski and S. Gross added that companies are simplifying their evaluation processes.
C. Shenley mooned to find GM compliant with Policies C2 & C4, M. Barron seconded, all in favor, moon passed.
Board Learning: Development of 20-21 Board Education plan; S. Gross
10 minute presentations on different topics to speak on (ie. Fiduciary responsibility, Patronage, Elecons, etc.) Different departments were discussed as presenters. Operations, Food Truck and Cafe were suggestions. S. Gross agreed to work with L. Nieratko to fill out the Board Education Calendar. Board members agreed to share what department they would like to hear from.
Other Board Discussions:
Annual Meeting Debrief; C. Schenley
There were two more member owners more in attendance than in years prior. H. Yeagle expressed that she was disappointed with the turn out. The movies presented will be posted to the WFC youtube channel.
GM Evaluation Committee Discussion; C Schenley
L. Nieratko was sent a letter regarding her input. Nov. 7th was a date set for her to share information. S. Gross suggested these things be set before the new board convenes. She has agreed to do her best to respond in this me period.
Long Term Planning Calendar; A. Kaminski
Strategic Direction Committee planning was shared. Financial Study, Long Term Strategy, yearly to 3-5 years. Goals were items listed on a short calendar occurring in November.
**Board retreat; C. Schenley**
There was discussion of this occurring between Dec. and Jan. There are two (3-4hour) meengs as part of this Retreat. A. Kaminski offered to create a Doodle poll to find a day and me to meet. Market Study is up for review in December. There was discussion about the November and December meengs. L. Nieratko expressed that roles should be discussed and defined to keep everyone moving together.
Closings
Exiting Directors - Wren, Claire and Chauncey - were thanked for their time and service to the board. Next virtual WFC BOD meeting is scheduled for Nov. 18th, 6:30 - 8:00 pm Meeting Adjourned at 6:47 pm.
Executive Session was conducted.
C. Schenley motioned to post Board Meeting minutes online upon availability, S. Gross seconded, all in favor, moon passed.
Minutes respectfully submitted, A. Bodine - Board Assistant