Annual Meeting of the Phoenix Earth Food Cooperative
November 21, 2009

Manager Abby Youngs has decided to run the meeting. President Tamatha Brandner, Vice President Karl Richardson, Treasurer John Starr in attendance, along with other board members Yvonne Goodwin, Shawn Stein, Sándor Halász and Lisa Blake.

Quorum for membership is met.

The following is the discussion in brief, although the discussion was long. Lisa Blake agreed to take minutes after someone noticed no one else was (secretary not present?), so the agenda, if there was a physical one set beyond the writing on the board on the wall, is not included.

From the first, many members were upset at the fall-off of membership numbers since the NCGA (National Cooperative Grocer’s Association) in the person of sent representative David Finet (the general manager of the East Lansing Food Cooperative) suggested/mandated a rapid conversion of a yearly membership fee to a member equity system in the amount of $200.00.

Although the board, when passing this measure, did institute a payment system whereby the member could be in good standing as long as the monthly required amount was paid, membership quickly fell off since the emergency meeting in August and after the institution of the $200 lifetime member equity requirement.

Member Anita Rios asks for a volunteer group to reach out to those members who have fallen off the roles. She and others speak to the concept of sweat equity: that people could work off their equity dues.

Claudia Cooper and Anita Rios volunteer to look into both of these issues.

Abby Youngs, general manager, then spoke of the NCGA’s suggestion that a name change would help identify us as a food store. The name change suggested was the Toledo Natural Foods cooperative, which is our name in the state listing of corporations. (Phoenix Earth Food Cooperative is listed there as doing business as, otherwise known as our DBA name.)

Many spoke to the confusion that our current name seems to inspire while others spoke to its long history in the community and the possibility that many shoppers might think the current co-op had gone out of business. Might our old customers not even come to the new place? Much discussion of how to publicize to avoid this follows, as well as passionate defense of both sides of the name change issue.

Other names are suggested, but the first vote is taken for keeping the name as is vs. a name change to ANYTHING else. The vote is 8 in favor of a name change, and 4 against.

At the end of the discussion, the name is decided: Toledo Natural Food Cooperative.

What do we do about the empty board seats? (There are nine seats, six members.) Although some people discuss certain members as possibilities (Peter Tubbs, William Watkins, and John Klear are mentioned, but Peter is not present and John is not going to run at this time), only David Finet steps forth to nominate himself.

David Finet is elected.

Many members discuss their concern for the co-op, which is still in crisis financially and in serious arrears in payments owed to the NCGA for goods delivered. Abby and the treasurer explain that the co-op is being upheld only by the NCGA’s decision to support it while it restructures, as explained at the August emergency meeting.

Members reach consensus that nothing more can be accomplished tonight. Members suggest a Marketing Committee be formed: initial members are Claudia Cooper, Anita Rios, and Andy Stepnik. Donna Eckloff volunteers to help with the graphic design of the new name for the signs, etc., and joins the Marketing Committee.

The meeting is adjourned.