by Anya Firszt, General Manager
Hello August!
It seems just the other day we were ushering in summer with Memorial Day, and now three page-turns of the calendar later, the other summer bookend holiday, Labor Day, is getting closer by the day.
Presently we are celebrating an abundant supply of fresh produce sourced from local producers this time of year, between the Co-op, CSAs, near-daily farmers’ markets, and backyard gardens, there’s no shortage of fresh vegetables and fruit. Yum.
2019 Annual Meeting & Party
Thank you for making this year’s Annual Meeting & Party (opening night of La Fete de Marquette) an event to remember. The day’s festivities began at 4:00pm, with our annual business meeting at 5:30pm, and ended with the nouveau zydeco tunes of Geno Delefose & French Rockin’ Boogie. Special thanks to the festival organizers, Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center, and our staff who planned for 1,000 gift bags and prepared and served 5,000 meals to Owners.
During the business meeting question and answer period we were asked about a fourth store, particularly the Truman Olson/Park Street location, about which I wanted to elaborate. We are not presently focused on a fourth store, but focused on growing sales, specifically at Willy West, and building cash to pay down the (planned) debt we have incurred opening Willy North and expanding Willy West.
2019 Election results
This year because we had only three candidates running to fill three open seats, we opted to not hold an election. Ideally, we would have a contested election, to give Owners a choice to vote for who they think will best represent them. Even though the next Board election is not until next July, it’s not too soon to think about running for the Board. Consider attending a Board meeting (they are scheduled for the third Tuesday of each month) to get a taste of what the Board does and how the meetings are run.
Welcome incoming Board members Ann Hoyt, Gigi Godwin and Sarah Larson.
The new Board members were officially seated at the July 16 Special Owner meeting.
Best wishes and fond farewells
Thank you to outgoing Board members Pat Butler, Dan Ramos Haaz, and Meghan Gauger.
Pat Butler was elected to the Board to fill a three-year term in 2016, and decided not to run again this year. I can unequivocally say that there is no better ambassador for our northside location than Pat.
Dan Ramos-Haaz was appointed to the Board to fill a vacated seat 2018. Additionally, Dan has served six total years on the Willy Street Co-op Finance Committee, which he also chaired for the last two years.
Meghan Gauger was elected to the Board to fill a three-year term in 2017, however decided to resign with one year remaining in her three-year term. Meghan served not only as a Board member, but Vice President this past year.
Again, thank you all for your years of service and many contributions to our cooperative, and best wishes in your future endeavors. Cheers.
Online shopping and delivery from Willy Street Co-op
This month we launch our online shopping and delivery program. From our door to yours, you can leave the hassle of shopping (and parking) at home. Check it out at shop.willystreet.coop for online shopping and delivery or pick-up services.
Special store hours in the coming few months
• Saturday, August 17: annual staff picnic. Stores close at 6:00pm.
• Monday, September 2: Labor Day. Stores close at 7:30pm.
I scream! You scream! We all scream for ice cream!
Willy West Juice Bar will now be serving ice cream! Enjoy Chocolate Shoppe ice cream in either a cone or a dish.