Board of Directors
Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Shari Gross called the meeting to order at 5:39 pm.
Attending: President - Shari Gross, Vice President -Kevin Schaaf; Directors: Sarah Parker, George Kilbert, Amanda Gates
Staff Personnel: Chief Executive Officer/General Manager - LeAnna Nieratko
Guests: There were no member-owners in attendance.
Member Owner Comments: N/A
Review of Last Month’s Minutes: Kevin Schaaf
Motion was made by Sarah Parker to accept the minutes as written. George Kilbert seconded. Motion passed.
Treasurer's Report: Shari Gross
There were 34 new members and 4 requests for return of investment. The finance committee met on 6/18/25. The UNFI system issue was discussed. It was noted that LeAnna received notice from UNCG that our JLF risk pool deposit amount had been increased. LeAnna has been in contact with UNCG about it.
Motion was made by Amanda Gates to accept the treasurer’s report. George Kilbert seconded. Motion passed.
CEO/GM Reporting: LeAnna Nieratko
CEO/GM Report: LeAnna presented and reviewed the May report. May sales were up 8.13% vs last year and 4.71% vs plan. This was despite the UNFI system issue, which caused delivery delays and some out-of-stock situations. LeAnna and the team did a great job of mitigating the issue, which led to minimal impact on the Co-op. Cash balance continued to be lower than we would like, but has been improving, with an average increase of about $20K compared to April.
B6 - Staff Treatment and Compensation: All sections were reported as compliant.
Motion was made by Amanda Gates to accept the CEO/GM report and policy review. Sarah Parker seconded. Motion passed.
Board Policy Evaluation: Kevin Schaaf
C6 - Officers Roles: All Board Members reported compliance with all sections of the policy, citing relevant evidence.
Motion was made by George Kilbert to accept the policy review. Kevin Schaaf seconded. Motion passed.
Board Learning: Shari Gross, LeAnna Nieratko, and Kevin Schaaf discussed their experiences at CCMA, which was held in Duluth, MN, at the end of May. Shari and LeAnna presented a workshop at CCMA on Co-ops in times of crisis, which was very well attended and very well received. All reported that it was refreshing to be around people from other co-ops and to hear that many are facing the same types of questions/challenges/opportunities and the different ideas/solutions people have for handling adversities.
Shari Gross also reminded the Board of CBLD 101, which will be held on July 19th.
New Business:
Nominating Committee: The Board elections campaign is under way.
Policy Governance Committee: The Policy Governance Committee met during May to have an initial discussion around potentially implementing a Crisis Management policy. Shari Gross presented her initial thoughts on the subject. The committee agreed to meet again in August (date TBD) to discuss in further detail.
Member Linkage Committee: Discussion was held around continuing to think about/find ways to make the Board more visible to staff. The committee will continue to meet and provide further updates.
Retreat: The board retreat has been rescheduled for Saturday, September 20th. A new venue is needed, as Asbury Woods has an event that day. LEAF was suggested; LeAnna Nieratko said that she would have staff inquire as to availability and price.
“Everything Co-op”: Shari Gross was a guest on the “Everything Co-op” radio show on June 12th, hosted by Vernon Oakes, discussing her journey with the co-op and development strategies for the food co-op sector.
Closure: Next board meeting is July 23, 2025 at 5:30pm.
Motion was made by Amanda Gates to adjourn the meeting. George Kilbert seconded. Meeting adjourned at 6:47 PM.