I reported on the first part of our September 13 Annual Meeting in the previous newsletter. The final part of the meeting was Co-op General Manager (GM) Mary Mullally and me looking at the past year of council work and operations and ahead at the upcoming year.  

The council highlights for the last year are:  

• Launching the process renewing the Co-op’s vision, at this year’s Dinner & Discussion​ 
• Collaborating with the GM on the purchase of the adjacent property​ at 707 Stone Cutters Way 
• Hosting many “Co-op Connects” events with the GM to hear from members and other shoppers (see below for information on the upcoming Co-op Connects on October 20) 
• Hosting a Council Candidate Meet and Greet​ ahead of this year’s election 
• Restructuring our committees to make our work more efficient 

It’s up to the new council to set its priorities for the upcoming year. Based on our work and discussions, here’s where I anticipate we’ll be spending some of our energies: 

• Revisit the Ends Policies (our goals for the Co-op) with community resilience in mind 
 
• Complete the process 
renewing the Co-op’s vision  
• Collaborate with GM on strategic planning 
 
• Minor bylaws revisions
 

Mary focused on our local impact, sustainability initiatives, our dedicated employees, and our financial health.  

The Co-op boasts 429 Vermont vendors​, with six new local vendors added in the ​last fiscal year​. We purchased $10.5 ​million of goods and services ​from Vermont vendors​, and we sold $10.5 million in local products, making that 34.6% of sales. (It’s coincidental that both those numbers are $10.5 million; we didn’t resell the services purchased from Vermont vendors, and even some of the goods purchased from Vermont vendors were used at the Co-op rather than resold.) 

Another local impact is our donations. We provided sponsorships and other donations totaling over $95,000​, with a majority helping to alleviate food insecurity in central Vermont. 

The major accomplishment on the sustainability front was building a new electrical room to expand our electrical capacity, allowing us to undertake projects that will reduce our use of propane.​ Right away, we took advantage of the new capacity to replace two small HVAC systems, which are projected to reduce our propane usage by 1,350 gallons next year.  

Mary asked the meeting to take a moment, “to recognize our entire staff to say thank you for everything that they do. They make the store the wonderful place that it is.” She reported we had 193 employees as of the end of the fiscal year in June, 74% of whom are member-owners​. They receive a 20% discount on store purchases, and a whopping 85% participate in the retirement plan​. 

On the financial front, Mary celebrated breaking the $30 million mark in gross annual sales, with $31.4 million in FY2025. That’s 5% growth (not adjusted for inflation). Of that, 35% was local, 28% was organic, and 4% came from other co-ops. 

A couple of bottom-line numbers the Co-op Council and GM keep an eye on are the liabilities/equity ratio, which is a respectable 0.40​, and total assets, clocking in at $12.8 million.  

Our Impact Report, to be released later this fall, will have more details. 

Council Elections 

Voting in council elections ran from 5 pm on September 13 to 8 pm on September 27. The ballot committee met at 7 am on September 29 to count the paper ballots; ballots cast electronically were tabulated automatically. When the votes on paper ballots were combined with the electronic ballots cast, the final numbers of votes were:  

Greg Gerdel ……………. 193
Jeff Roberts ……………. 168
Mark Seltzer ……………..165
Catherine Lowther …… 162 

The top three vote getters win three-year terms, and the fourth-place finisher’s term runs until the end of the voting period after the 2027 Annual Meeting.  

As I mentioned in the previous newsletter, we’ll be joined by another new council member at our October meeting. Lauren Antler, citing time constraints, recently resigned from the council, but too late for her position to be put on the ballot. At its September 9 meeting, the council appointed long-time member Leesa Stewart to fill the position, which she will hold through the council election in 2026, at which time the annual council election will fill the final year of the three-year term. 

Co-op Connects on Monday, October 20, 12:30 – 1:30 pm with the General Manager (GM) and me 

Please join General Manager Mary Mullally, me, and possibly another council member for Co-op Connects on Monday, October 20, 12:30 – 1:30 pm! We’d love to chat with you about the past, present, or future of the Co-op—or anything else on your mind. 

Look for signs on where to find us. 

The Wrap 

‘Tis the season for jack-o-lanterns, but pumpkins can easily be broken by dropping them or ruined by the slip of a carving knife. So, how do you fix a broken pumpkin? 

With a pumpkin patch! 

—Carl Etnier, Council President

Do you have any questions or comments about the council? Do you know any jokes even faintly related to food and/or co-ops? Please email them to me!