Whole Foods Erie Co-op Board of Directors
MEETING MINUTES
February 24th, 2021, 5:30-7:30pm
Zoom online meeting; L. Nieratko Hosting
Attending: President - Cole Schenley, Vice President - Shari Gross, Secretary - Alison Kaminski (attended late), Treasurer - Michael Barron, Directors: Derek Golembeski, Freda Tepfer, Kevin Schaaf, Amanda Gates
Absent: Allison Jones
Staff Personnel: General Manager- LeAnna Nieratko, Human Resources Manager - Natalie Conway, Marketing Manager - Heidi Yeagle, Business Office Manager - Ben Bowman, IT Systems Manager - Jason Mucio*, Board Assistant* - Alethea Bodine
AGENDA:
Owner Forum; There were no comments from member owners present.
Consent Agenda; C. Schenley
January Minutes were accepted as edited. Motion was made by S. Gross to approve the Jan. Minutes as edited. K. Schaff seconded. No discussion. All were in favor. Motion passed.
Treasurer Report; M. Barron
There were 17 new member/owners in Jan. Three requested refunds of equity, two of the three stating moving from the area as their reason for refund of equity.
D. Golembeski asked if there was a way to determine when the member/owner shopped last before requesting a refund of equity. H. Yeagle shared that many times these member owners have not shopped within quite some time. L. Nieratko shared that she would ask Heidi and Jason to provide this information to the Treasurer for the March meeting.
Motion was made by G. Golembeski to approve the Jan. 2021 Treasurer's Report. S. Gross seconded, all were in favor. Motion passed.
GM Reporting; L. Nieratko
FYIs
“Sew the Love” Fundraiser for the Second Harvest Food Bank
As of February 1st, a portion of the sales from face masks - donated to the Co-op by Alice Nick (of Wellness) and Eryn Schaefer ( of Grocery) - is being donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank.
“We Love Our Member Owners” Promo
For the month of February, all member-owners received a one-time use 20% discount on a shopping trip.
Snowstorms and Shipping Delays
Several times during the months of January and February there were significant shipment delays. This impacted produce primarily, but can have long lasting impacts when customers see empty shelves. WFC
is working to secure additional vendors to minimize the impact this has on customers where possible.
Downtown Store Presentation
On 2/17, L. Nieratko presented to the Community Engagement Council to seek their feedback on the potential for the downtown store. The idea was well received with questions and comments primarily around product mix. Listening Sessions will be held every Sunday in March.
Member-owners & Equity
5 yr Inactive Members, 147
5 yr Inactive equity total; $12,845
Sales for January were down 12% to last year as traffic is down 32%. Much of the deficit is attributed to Food Service, Bulk and Grocery sales being down. The transaction trend is still overall favorable. Net income for the month of January was down 1.1% over a five year average.
GM Monitoring Report(s): B4 - Financial Condition
L. Nieratko reported no new debt. A small equipment loan was paid off. No new purchases have been made. Net income is only -1.8%.
Action steps taken:
● Added promotions to the calendar including the “We Love our Member Owners Sale” and the NCG Member/Owner Coupon Drive for March.
● Replaced our outdoor signage to drive traffic in from rt 20
● Expanded café hours and menu
● Expanding operating hours in March
Review and Revise General Expenses:
● The GM and Business Office Manager are reviewing all current contracts for potential adjustment.
● Review depreciated assets and record keeping to verify accuracy and make replacement plans ● General expense reduction: reduction of repairs and maintenance by 10%, office and general by 27% and marketing by 28%.
● A more realistic plan for Labor expenses into 2021, reserving the option to cut more aggressively if sales continue to stay at the current volume
Motion was made by S. Gross to approve the GM's Reports. D. Golembeski seconded. All were in favor. Motion passed.
Board Policy Evaluation - D2 - Board Job Description; C. Schenley
C. Schenley reported that nothing was marked up for non-compliance, stating only D2.1 - Member Engagement, as the only policy that needs addressing. The Linkage Committee plans to address this during upcoming Sunday Community Listening Sessions in March.
Motion was made by S. Gross to approve Board Policy Evaluation, D2. M. Barron seconded, all were in favor. Motion passed.
**Board Learning; WFC IT Systems Manager, J. Mucio**
J. Mucio spoke about the new POS (ECRS) which was voted upon for purchase in Sept. 2020 for install and launch. There will be a support team that will be with employees over a nine day period, starting Mar. 15th - from installment, to training and launch.
● March 15th is the scheduled install date for Catapult/ECRS
● Data collection, validation, and sanitization have been the main factors for install delay thus far ● The plan is to get familiar with the new system in the same capacity that we are currently using SMS then to move on to ordering, inventory, then webcart
● Follow up will be on a daily basis until all managerial staff is knowledgeable of newest features
Other Board Discussions:
Expansion Project Discussion; L. Nieratko
L. Nieratko shared a document she had been working on with T. Burton(?) regarding Project Development.
GM Evaluation Discussion; C. Schenley
C. Schenley asked committee members to report on their meeting time during evaluation. S. Gross reported that the role of the GM transcends any literal or figurative form of compensation.
An Executive Session was called at 6:38 pm
Minutes respectfully submitted, 3/16/21 ~ Alethea Bodine, Board Assistant