June 6, 2023, Board Meeting Recap
June is here, school is out, and summer begins! I am writing this recap from sunny Sacramento, CA, where I have been attending the annual meeting of the CCMA (Consumer Cooperative Management Association) where people from Co-ops all across the country meet to talk about all things Co-op. It is awesome to hear, see, and meet so many people with love and dedication to the cooperative model and want to learn more about how their Co-ops can thrive. The big message that I am coming away with is that Co-ops, and ours in particular, provide immense value to our communities and ourselves, and we can’t afford to take that value for granted!
Our June Board meeting was held on the 6th at the 1912 Center and included Board members, the General Manager, Co-op staff, and an interested Co-op owner. We reviewed and accepted the General Manager’s well-prepared monitoring reports for the first-quarter fiscal policies. We were pleased to see an increase in sales during the quarter; however, we also saw that higher costs overshadowed those sales increases. First quarters are traditionally difficult and this one was no different. But the encouraging news was that adjustments were made early in the quarter to correct cost offsets and by the end of the quarter margins and trends were headed back in the right direction. The Board also monitored its policies regarding the Board’s calendar and meeting agendas. These are important because they keep us on track and help us do our work. We are required to develop a “workable” calendar, and we recognized that improvements were needed. We made appropriate adjustments that will help us move forward. The Board also discussed the upcoming spring retreat where we will meet on a Saturday to go over issues and strategies that will help us with our governance and planning.
In our Study and Engagement Series, we heard from Lovina Englund, Executive Director, of Palouse Land Trust. Lovina described how the Palouse Land Trust works with individuals and families in our region who want to keep special and important ecosystems and landscapes preserved and protected into the future. This presentation helped broaden the perspective of our Board in the diversity of missions and interests of people that hold the quality of our region at heart. Thank you, Lovina, and the Palouse Land Trust for the work you do! More information can be found at https://www.palouselandtrust.org/.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for July 11, 2023, in the Fiske Room at the 1912 Center (412 E 3rd St, Moscow, ID). The meeting will begin at 6:00 pm. Current Co-op Owners can attend in person or via Zoom. To attend via Zoom, contact the Board's Administrative Assistant at boardadmin@moscowfood.coop for more information and to RSVP.
Further information about our Board meetings is found at https://www.moscowfood.coop/board-meetings.
Sincerely,
Mark Thorne, Board President