Board of Directors
MEETING MINUTES
June 22, 2022 - 5:30 pm
Hosted in EFC Community Room, 1341 W. 26th
Attending: President - Shari Gross, Vice President - Alison Kaminski, Secretary - Kevin Schaaf; Directors: Derek Golembeski, Liz Bugbee, Amanda Gates, Joelyn Bush, Chauncey Dumbuya Brown Absent: Treasurer - Michael Barron, Amanda Gates, Derek Golembeski
Staff Personnel: General Manager - LeAnna Nieratko; Marketing Manager - Heidi Yeagle; HR Manager - Chris Wrobel
Guests: None
AGENDA:
Shari Gross called the meeting to order at 5:30
Review of Last Month’s Minutes; K. Schaaf
Shari Gross pointed out that “Heidi” was spelled incorrectly in May’s minutes. Kevin Schaaf corrected immediately.
Motion was made by Joelyn Bush to accept the May 2022 Minutes as written. Liz Bugbee seconded. All were in favor. Motion passed.
CEO/GM Reporting
LeAnna reported that sales (26th St. and Downtown combined) were up 8% year-over-year in May, and transactions were up 27%. Downtown is moving closer to its revised monthly sales goal, while 26th St. continues to outperform projections. Cash remained above NCG’s financial benchmark, but LeAnna is keeping a close eye on Downtown’s cash burn situation.
32 new members joined the co-op in May!
The QuickBooks migration still has not been completed. Some data entry issues, combined with learning the new system, have delayed completion by approximately one week.
LeAnna, Vivian, and Chauncey recently attended CCMA in Sioux Falls, SD. LeAnna reported that it was excellent. She and Vivian were able to present the Downtown store project to those in attendance.
LeAnna met with members of Our West Bayfront in early June to share information about the co-op and collect feedback from the community. Comments received were around price perception, space making, and delivery.
Chris Wrobel is organizing staff to walk in the Pride Parade on June 25th.
Terry Bowling and Anthony Godwin from NCG will be visiting both stores in mid-July, looking at innovation and accessibility.
LeAnna reported on upgrades to the bulk department, including updated marketing for reusable jars and new items.
Staff is being cross-trained between stores in order to be flexible and keep payroll lean. B6 - Staff Treatment and Compensation
LeAnna reported that a staff survey, administered by Columinate, was conducted this year. The purpose of the survey was to: obtain accurate, non-anecdotal data on staff satisfaction; identify the co-op’s strengths and weaknesses as an employer; identify areas for improvement in communications and operations; provide data for monitoring compliance with Board policies on staff treatment and compensation; and monitor progress from previous surveys and provide benchmarks for future improvements in employment conditions. 100% of eligible employees participated in the survey, and the co-op was found to be compliant in all areas.
LeAnna confirmed that the annual wage review is to be conducted in October.
Motion was made by Chauncey Dumbuya Brown to accept the GM’s Report and compliance with Policy B6 - Staff Treatment and Compensation. Liz Bugbee seconded. All were in favor. Motion passed.
Board Policy Evaluation; K. Schaaf
C6 - Officers Roles
All board members expressed that the board is in compliance with Policy C6.
Motion was made by Joelyn Bush to accept the Board Policy Evaluation review of Policy C8 - Governance Investment. Chauncey Dumbuya Brown seconded. All were in favor. Motion passed.
Board Learning: Marketing
Marketing Manager Heidi Yeagle provided an update of recent and upcoming marketing activities and initiatives. Heidi & the marketing team have been working on stickers for the new jar library. As part of an effort to highlight local vendors, Ash is creating a document showing all local vendors (location, etc.), which may end up on the website at some point. Other ideas include shelf tags to highlight local products, social media posts about them, etc.
The co-op is again partnering with LEAF to buy a tree. Donations will be collected at both stores. Plastic-free July will be a focus. A case sale - 20% off all full-case purchases - is also coming up in July. And Heidi and team are at work planning an official Grand Opening for the Downtown store, to be held in October.
Board Retreat
As decided on by a poll of board members and LeAnna, the board retreat will be held on August 14th at Asbury Woods, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Department Managers will participate for part of the day. The agenda is still being finalized, in conjunction with Molly Snell-Larch of Columinate.
New Business:
● CCMA - LeAnna, Vivian, and Chauncey recently had the opportunity to attend this year’s CCMA conference in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. LeAnna and Chauncey reported that it was a very useful and enjoyable experience. Chauncey shared with the board some of the key takeaways she gained.
● Product Policy Committee - As this has been under discussion for some time, but had not previously been officially formed, Shari asked if there were volunteers to serve on this committee. Joelyn Bush (chair), Liz Bugbee, and Chauncey Dumbuya Brown, as well as LeAnna Nieratko, volunteered to form this committee. This committee may also include members of co-op staff at some point. It was agreed that the Product Policy Committee would hold their first meeting before the upcoming retreat, although a date was not set at this time.
● Staff Appreciation party update - the staff appreciation party will be held on July 10th, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, at Presque Isle Skating and Events Center
Committee Reports
● Nominating Committee Update - Kevin provided an update on Nominating Committee activities since the May meeting. Heidi presented a proposed nomination/election timeline for review. The committee (Kevin, Chauncey, Alison) held a virtual meeting to discuss, and was largely in agreement with the timeline as proposed. They also held a meeting with Heidi to confirm a couple of slight changes and finalize the timeline. The “OK” was given to start the necessary activities.
Closure:
Next board meeting is July 27, 2022 at 5:30pm.
Next PG reviews:
● CEO/GM - A - Ends
● Board - C7 - Board Committee Principles
*Motion was made by Liz Bugbee to adjourn the meeting. Chauncey Dumbuya Brown seconded. Meeting adjourned at 6:48 PM.*
—
Minutes respectfully submitted by Kevin Schaaf, Secretary