Phoenix Earth Food Co-op (PEFC)
Minutes, Board Meeting 9/23/2015

Location: Main branch of Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, 325 Michigan St., Toledo, OH 43604; Board members present:Shelly Boraby, Thomas Fine (arrived later), Sándor Halász, Alyx Kendzierski, Sean Nestor, Hermann von Grafenstein; Board members absent: Anita Levin; Staff members present: Sean Fitzgerald (General Manager), Helen Elden, Leah Foley (bookkeeper). Members present: Bob Avery, Lisa Blake (arrived later). Resolutions are numbered R1-R3.

The meeting began at 5:41 pm.

1. Approval of minutes
   The minutes of the 8/26/2015 board meeting were approved (R1, 5/0/0 for/against/abstention).

Tom Fine arrived at 5:44 pm.

2. Jackson Lawsuit
   No further developments were reported.
3. Volunteer Program
   No report was made.

4. General Manager’s Report

   Sean Fitzgerald (Sean F.) presented his General-Manager’s-report. Items of discussion were

   NCG meeting: Sean F. had attended the National Co-operative Grocer’s (NCG) meeting in Seattle. At that meeting current and new business opportunities for food co-ops had been discussed. Optimism had been expressed about the Co-op Basics Program, which featured low-cost yet high-quality brands like Field Day. The program appeared to be working well for a number of Co-ops. Based on advice he had received at the meeting, Sean F. announced his plans to carry more Field Day products. This would help dispel the perception that the Co-op was too expensive.

   Painting the building: Sean F. suggested getting volunteers involved in painting the building. The cost of paint and the cost of the volunteers’ time could be counted towards building improvement expenses. The paint’s color should be yellow to orange.

   Plumbing repairs: Sean F. wanted to know if there were any plumbers among members who could help address the store’s plumbing problems.

   Gutters: Hermann mentioned that fixing the gutters should be another high-priority item before the onset of winter.

5. Finance Committee Report

   Tom Fine presented the Finance Committee’s report based on the August P&L (Profit and Loss), Year to Date P&L and August balance sheets.

   Profit: Year-to-date sales were down 12%. Because payroll expenses were down as well—by 16,000 (21%)—a profit of ~$5000 could still be made, as compared to a loss of ~$14,000 over the same time period last year. Although this was a laudable accomplishment in managing the Co-op’s finances, the Co-op’s profit margin was still razor thin. Increasing the number of members and shoppers was urgently needed to improve the Co-op’s long-term financial health.

   Balance sheet: The August balance sheet looked better than last month’s due to an insurance payment covering a recent storm-related freezer failure.

   Tax liabilities: We needed clarity before the end of the year as to our tax liabilities due to the positive resolution of the Jackson Law suit. Mark Mockensturm, an expert in tax law, should be consulted to resolve this question.

6. Outreach Committee Report

   Hermann gave a brief report of the most recent meeting of the Outreach Committee on 9/8/15. Some items were

   Art-on-the-Mall event: This event was considered worthwhile and should be included in next year’s Outreach calendar of events.

   Outreach Meeting Date: It was agreed that future meetings of the Outreach committee were to take place on the second Tuesday of each month at 6pm at the West Toledo Branch of Toledo Public Library.

   Volunteers for Outreach: Volunteers should be utilized more for outreach activities.

   QR Code: A QR code should be generated that could be used on many of the Co-op’s paper-based communications.

7. Marketing Campaign
   Sean Nestor reported on the outcome of the marketing fundraiser. Key points were

   • A total of $3,710.10 had been raised, somewhat short of the goal that had been set but still a resounding success.
   • Launching a fundraiser on a holiday weekend should be avoided in the future.
   • Many people preferred writing checks rather than using the Indiegogo website.
   • Sean would place orders to have items ready in time for the Annual Membership Meeting.
   • A discussion was held as to whether revenues from the fundraiser should be used for radio ads or ads in Toledo City Paper. A majority of board members advocated for placing ads every two weeks in Toledo City Paper.

Co-op member Lisa Blake arrived at the meeting.

8. Annual Meeting
   A motion was passed to hold the Annual Meeting on October 18th at Augsburg Lutheran Church (R2, 6/0/0). Sean promised to write a letter to members inviting them to the meeting.

9. Board Recruitment
   There was consensus that the Co-op needed to generate more interest in becoming a candidate for Board elections. In order to accommodate any late applicants, it was decided that for this year’s Board elections ballots should be handed out at the meeting rather than ballots sent out by mail prior the meeting. Although no formal resolution was passed, it was decided to have an official meeting of the Board just prior to the upcoming Annual Membership meeting.

10. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 6:47 pm (R3, 6/0/0).

    Date of next meeting: Before the start of the Annual Membership meeting at Augsburg Lutheran Church at 6 pm on August 18, 2015.

_________________(signed)________________________
Submitted by Hermann von Grafenstein, Secretary