Phoenix Earth Food Co-op (PEFC)
Minutes, Board Meeting 4/22/2015

Location: Main branch of Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, 325 Michigan St., Toledo, OH 43604; Present:Shelly Boraby, Sándor Halász, Alyx Kendzierski, Sean Nestor, Hermann von Grafenstein, Helen Elden (Co-General Manager, Co-GM), Leah Foley (Co-General Manager, Co-GM). Absent:Thomas Fine, Anita Levin, and Nichole Nauden. Resolutions are numbered R1–R3.

The meeting began at 5:45 pm.

1. Approval of minutes
   The minutes of the 3/25/2015 board meeting were approved (R1 5/0/0, for/against/abstention).
2. Potluck
   Shelly reviewed her progress in organizing this year’s first potluck. It would be held on May 2 from 5-7 pm at University Church on 4747 Hill Ave, Toledo. The original plan to have the Slow Foods movement involved was not pursued further. The Church wantedto have an opportunity to introduce themselves to the Co-op community. At the event the Food for Change DVD would be screened.
3. Jackson Loan lawsuit
   Helen gave an update of the status of this lawsuit. The motion for summary judgment had been filed as well as a response to it. The judge has not made a decision yet. The Co-op was not planning to fundraise for a potential settlement. Upon a question from Morgan Blake, Sean clarified that fundraising for advertising could still proceed as a separate campaign.
4. Volunteer program
   Shelly offered to run the volunteer program from June 4 onwards. After a brief discussion Leah suggested changing the phrase open to the public to open to the public, no membership required.

5. General manager’s report

   Financials: Leah pointed to her written report and briefly summarized key points: The cash position had improved; sales had been down, the inventory had been reduced, margins had moved up (33%).

   Meeting attended: Leah reported having attended a meeting of co-op general managers in San Diego. At the meeting every co-op had been assigned to a competitor for analysis. Given the increasing competition in the health food marketplace it had been suggested that the target for co-ops was the mid-level customer – price conscious but still concerned about healthy food choices. Advice of shoppers by co-op staff was key.

   Feedback: Leah reported that Chris Dilley had complemented the Co-op about the renovation of the store.

6. Finance committee report
   The key points of Tom’s finance committee report were similar to the general manager’s report.

7. Proposal to hire Sean Fitzgerald as general manager

   A proposal that had been developed at an earlier meeting was presented. Key points of the discussion and decision-making were:

   • The wording on a one year probationary basis was removed.
   • Sean F’s continued appointment as GM was contingent on satisfactory financial performance.
   • The proposal included incentives to improve the financial management of the Co-op.
   • Jackie McKnown was proposed to succeed Sean Fitzgerald as produce manager.
   • A motion passed to adopt the proposal and to offer the position of General Manager to Sean Fitzgerald (R2, 5/0/0).
   • There was consensus to monitor GM Fitzgerald’s performance on a regular basis. Hermann suggested having a formative evaluation after six months and a full summative evaluation after one year of his appointment. The GM’s evaluation would be based on the Board’s policy register, similar to the procedure that had been used to evaluate Lisa Blake.
   • On Saturday April 26 The Board and Sean F. planned to meet in the store for a brief welcome ceremony and photo opportunity.

8. Marketing campaign

   Slogans and visuals: Sean reported on a marketing meeting that had been held two weeks earlier. Anita had suggested a slogan that could be used for stickers etc.: Know better food—No better food. Ideas from an earlier meeting included Toledo’s organic community. In addition to slogans, there should be two different visuals, depending on the target demographic. One was the standard logo that had been used for some time, to be used in green color. The other, designed by Robert, should be modified to have a black background and white text. Robert’s design could be used for T-shirts or bumper stickers.

   Financials: At a previous meeting various ways of spending campaign money had been compared. Money should be spent in approximately equal parts on NPR radio ads ($2,000) and on print ads in the City paper ($2,320). Themes would focus on green business, best of Toledo. About $1,000 should be set aside for bumper stickers, T-shirts and other gear. Further details of spending were delegated to the ad hoc fundraising committee chaired by Sean. Spending decisions would be made by email approval.

   Start of fundraising campaign: Sean asked board members whether they would be willing to donate money towards the initiation of the campaign. This request yielded $420 during the meeting.

9. Announcements
   1. Sean announced a celebration of his birthday the coming Wednesday, which he would like to use for a fundraiser for a new Toledo community radio station.
   2. Sean would not be available to serve for another term after his current term expired at the end of the year. He encouraged the Board to start looking for a successor.
10. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 7:20 pm (R3, 5/0/0).
    Date of next meeting: We May 27, 2015, if not decided otherwise.

_______________(signed)__________________

Submitted by Hermann von Grafenstein, Secretary