by Anya Firszt, General Manager
Hello May, Hello Dear Owners
There is a lot going on at your Co-op this month; I want to take a moment to share a few updates with you.
Step Up Assessment and Next Steps
Last summer, the Co-op partnered with Step Up: Equity Matters on a three-year project to advise us on efforts around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). We are now eight months into the work, and Step Up has conducted the scheduled assessment of the Co-op’s leadership, culture, and initiatives. Step Up collected input through various avenues, including an online challenge, employee climate survey, interviews and focus groups with staff, managers, and the Board. The assessment provided Step Up with perspective about our overall strengths and opportunities while understanding the challenges to achieving the results of a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization.
The Board President, Jeannine Bindl, and I have reviewed the Step Up full assessment, and we commit to implementing the recommendations and next steps as suggested. We want to share with you now the conclusions and main points of the executive summary.
“Based on our findings, we conclude that the Co-op must address and improve internal culture, communication channels and content, and talent management practices to set a strong foundation to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse talent base.”
Our next steps will involve working with Step Up to implement and evaluate progress. Over the next year, we will work together to address the most pressing needs Step Up has identified through their assessment by:
• Reviewing organization design.
• Conducting leadership development focused on organizational effectiveness, change management, and equity and inclusion.
• Working on a DEI strategy after the leadership training and development.
• Assessing training approaches and infrastructure with a focus on removing accessibility barriers and deploying training on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Working closely with the newly hired HR director to develop and increase the HR function capabilities.
• Prioritizing design and implementation of a strengths-based confidence-building supervisory model.
We are grateful to the Step Up team for performing this organizational assessment and helping us in this process. We acknowledge that we have work to do and are committed to the journey to becoming a stronger and thriving organization that is equitable and inclusive and more representative and welcoming to all of our communities as a place to work and shop.
We will provide you with updates as we move into and through our next phase of work with Step Up.
What’s Hot? What’s Not? Produce News
Did you ever want to know what you can expect from the Produce department before coming into the store? Now’s your chance! Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director and Produce Category Manager will begin sharing produce news via a weekly email. Please take a moment to read her article in this issue of Reader (page 8) and consider signing up for the weekly email newsletter.
Up and Coming Food Co-op Conference 2021
Willy Street Co-op is again the host co-op for an annual conference called Up and Coming Food Co-op Conference that is designed to provide resources, expertise, and networking opportunities for start-up co-op boards and leadership teams. This event is a virtual event scheduled for May 11-15. This event is a great example of Cooperative Principle 6 (Cooperation Among Co-ops) in action.
Annual Meeting—Save the Date!
Our 2021 Annual Meeting will be a virtual event scheduled to take place on July 8, 2021. So, mark your calendar and plan to attend. Registration is required; check our website for details.
La Fete de Marquette event organizers, Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center, have announced that the event has been canceled out of an abundance of caution for the safety of attendees and staff members who would work the event.
Board Elections
You have one month to decide if this is the year you choose to run for the Willy Street Co-op Board of Directors. The deadline for applications is the end of day on June 1, 2021, and candidates must also attend one of the orientation sessions in May. For more information about the application process and a link to the application form, check out this page on our website: www.willystreet.coop/run-for-board.
Special store hours: May 31
All stores are open until 7:00pm on Monday, May 31 in observance of Memorial Day.
Stay safe, keep healthy, and be kind to one another.