Three finalists for the General Manager (GM) position have been selected by a search committee consisting of member-owners, staff, and a council member. The council asked the committee to work with a recruiting firm to do a national search to find the best-qualified candidates to lead our co-op and to send us up to three finalists. The committee has written to the council that it “is unanimous in its belief that any of these three candidates could manage our co-op very well.” 

The council is in the final stages of designing the process it will use to evaluate the finalists and to introduce them to the co-op community. There will be a two-stage process, with the council interviewing all three candidates by Zoom in the first stage. The candidates who the council agrees are a good potential match for the Co-op’s needs will be invited to come to in-person sessions with the member-owners, employees, and the council.  

The hiring decision will be made by the council, using its own judgment and input from member-owners and employees.  

The most important task for the council and the Co-op this year is to hire a General Manager (GM) who will meet the Co-op’s current needs. I’m excited that we have reached the milestone of having three finalists that the search committee deems highly qualified, and I look forward to working with the entire council to review the finalists’ qualifications and interview them.  

Staff and Council Members to Attend National Co-op Gathering in May 

The Consumer Cooperative Management Association (CCMA) Conference is an annual gathering of hundreds of food co-op managers, staff members, directors, and consultants, plus their national allies. The Co-op is investing in the ongoing development of employees and council members by sending a group of five employees and three council members to Portland, Maine for this year’s conference, May 30 – June 1.  

Presented by the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, this year’s conference includes five tracks of breakout sessions:  

• The Foundations of Grocery Greatness 
• Being a Great Employer 
• Diving into Member Engagement 
• Steering the Co-op Ship 
• Strategies to Compete  

The conference is designed to encourage participants “to explore and discuss the ways in which cooperatives serve as catalysts for positive change—fostering prosperity, social justice, and environmental sustainability.” I expect we’ll learn a great deal that will help us fulfill Hunger Mountain Co-op’s mission “to create and sustain a vibrant community of healthy individuals, sustainable local food systems, and thriving cooperative commerce.”