Board of Directors 2024 Annual Meeting Minutes

October 16, 2024
Graphics Dept
Table of Contents
Primary Item (H2)

These are the minutes of the Brattleboro Food Co-op Annual Meeting which took place at the Retreat Farm North Barn, Brattleboro, VT on September 21, 2024.

Present:

Board members present: Jerelyn Wilson, Michele Meulendyk, Anneka Kindler, Judy Fink, Johanna Zalneraitis, Denise Glover, Calvin Dame, and Evan Silber.

Approximately 95 shareholders and representatives from Commitment to Community partners were in attendance.

Vice President Report:

Board Vice President Michele Meulendyk welcomed shareholders to the Annual Meeting. She noted that we are highlighting our partnerships with over 30 “Commitment to Community” organizations this year, and reminded attendees that they can volunteer with these organizations to get a discount at the register. She thanked departing Board members Jerelyn Wilson and Judy Fink, and introduced Board candidates Johanna Zalneraitis and Kevin Brennan. She called attention to a proposed bylaw change that determines how Board members are compensated and urged all present to vote. She thanked staff members involved in planning the Annual Meeting, thanked the Retreat Farm for their stewardship of this land, acknowledging that the Retreat Farm is situated on the ancestral homeland and unceded territory of the Abenaki peoples.

Board President Report:

Board President Jerelyn Wilson shared highlights of the Board’s activities during FY24, beginning with the search for a new General Manager, which culminated in the selection of Anthony Santorelli in January. She shared observations and experiences from her nine years on the Board. She cited the amazing work of over 160 employees to keep the store open 83 hours a week. She described the structures, such as the union contract and written policies and procedures for both staff and the Board, that give the Co-op stability, ensure accountability, and allow for the Co-op to evolve as the individuals change over time. She described the Co-op’s contribution to our local community via the Commitment to Community program, our education and outreach activities, the work of our Safety and Outreach team interacting with our neighbors, our shoppers’ Round Up donations, and the fact that we keep our dollars local. Finally, she highlighted the benefits of the cooperative business model itself. She invited shareholders to step forward in helping the Co-op, both through shopping, and via Board service.

Board Treasurer Report:

Anneka Kindler, Board Treasurer reviewed highlights from FY24. Our sales were just shy of $26.3 million, an increase of over 5% from last year. However, this was short of what we had projected. We were able to keep our cost of goods (what we pay for the product we sell) steady – it was up just 1.4% from FY23. Our new catering business generated $450K in sales, far ahead of our projections. We experienced higher-than-expected health insurance claims as well as overdue repairs and maintenance expenses, which all told led to an estimated net profit of $8,000. We returned over $400,000 to our shoppers in the form of discounts, plus we donated over $30,000 in sponsorships and food support to the community.

General Manager Report:

Anthony Santorelli began by providing the context for the Co-op’s performance in FY24, sharing that food prices have increased nearly 25% from March of 2020 through June of 2024 against a 20-year historical average of 2% annually. Our building’s aging infrastructure added to our financial challenges over the past year. He noted that our 10-year average reported revenue – excluding COVID-era federal support – is ($63,000). He reminded attendees that bottom-line profitability is not our only priority, and provided examples of how the Co-op achieves progress meeting our Ends Policies.

End #1 calls for us to be an open, inclusive, and welcoming marketplace, and the feedback we receive from shoppers is very positive. Anthony described how our website, social media, in-store demos, cooking classes, and Food for Thought articles help us bring End #2 (“provide access and education about goods and nutritious foods that are ecologically sound and responsibly sourced”) to life. End #3 asks the BFC to be an enterprise that contributes to a just and resilient local economy. We achieve this through our competitive wages and robust benefits, the taxes we pay to Brattleboro, and our support of hundreds of local vendors. We also contributed over $400,000 to our community last year, which represents 5% of our net revenue, via our discount programs. End #4 focuses our attention on being an enterprise that engages in sustainable and regenerative practices, which we’re addressing via the addition of a Sustainability Coordinator to our staff and a focus on “reduce, re-use, and recycle”.

Anthony added that in FY24, our shareholders volunteered a combined 2,000 hours at our over 30 Commitment to Community partner organizations. He added that the work of our Safety and Outreach team creating connections with our less fortunate neighbors and working with social service agencies has been profiled in both local and national publications. In short, we are more than just a grocery store!

Questions and Answers

  • Donna K-Brooks asked if we had considered resuming staying open until 9, as we used to before the pandemic. Anthony responded that we do not see sufficient traffic in the evenings to justify the expense.
  • Spoon Agave asked if a committee might form to help the Co-op anticipate and adapt in the coming years, particularly concerning climate change. Jerelyn noted that the Ends policies were revised last year in response to concerns about climate change and income inequality, and noted that the Board could form a committee to include interested shareholders to explore this.
  • Lynn Levine asked if the vision of the Co-op included reaching out to the BIPOC community; Jerelyn and Anthony each responded. Jerelyn noted that it’s good practice for all shareholders to participate in the life of the Co-op and to be able to respond when they hear others commenting that the Co-op is (for example) too expensive for them.
  • Julia Morse expressed appreciation for the Co-op’s product selection. She asked if increasing shareholders’ involvement in running the store or increasing the shareholder discount could help keep prices down. Jerelyn shared the nuts and bolts of the shareholder engagement program, where shareholders who volunteer two hours a month at a Commitment to Community partner earn a 5% discount for a month. She added that while years ago we did use a lot of shareholder labor to run the store, we are now a union workplace. Anthony added context, noting that at our size, it’s hard to compete on price with chains such as Hannaford. He’s been looking at the shareholder discount for two years now and it’s something that is periodically re-evaluated.
  • Rob Freeberg commented that the Round Up for Change program is a great way to support local non-profits without affecting the Co-op’s bottom line. He noted that he is not always asked if he wants to Round Up and asked what the policy there is. Anthony responded that this is an ongoing topic at Board meetings. Cashiers are instructed to ask shoppers about rounding up, but some shoppers don’t like being asked, which affects how cashiers handle this. Jerelyn offered a shout-out to Co-op cashiers, saying that they deserve generosity as it is not an easy job. Later, Jeff Carmichael observed that it might be possible to configure our system to automatically “opt in” to rounding up for those willing to do so.
  • Steven K Brooks described education and outreach programs the Co-op has historically offered and asked for clarification around the Co-op’s current hours. Jerelyn noted that we continue to offer those programs and encouraged all to read our twice-monthly e-newsletter. Anthony reiterated that the cost of staying open an additional hour a day would not be recouped in sales.
  • Barry Aleshnick thanked Jerelyn for her inspiring and heartwarming comments about who we are as a community, our relationship to wider economic paradigms, and our role as a community leader and downtown anchor in responding to pressures and risks in our society as a whole. We should be prepared as a community for what might be coming. He asked why our discounts could not be “nested”. Staff responded that last year, we implemented a change to our discounts whereby it is possible for Food for All shareholders (10% discount) to also receive the 5% discount for volunteering for a 15% total discount.

Commitment to Community Partners

Representatives from four of the Commitment to Community (C2C) partners present (Restorative Community Practice of VT, Brattleboro Area Hospice, Downtown Brattleboro Alliance, and ECDC) described the work of their respective organizations.

After all present enjoyed a Co-op-made lunch, shareholders visited C2C tables to learn about volunteering opportunities.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:00 pm.

Shareholders present (does not include children):

  • Alex Wilson
  • Amy Crawford
  • Andrea Watkins
  • Anne M Hier
  • Anneka Kindler
  • Annie Searsburg
  • Anthony Santorelli
  • Arlene Hanson
  • Bob Bonneau
  • Bonnie Girvan
  • Calvin O Dame
  • Charlene Morse
  • Christine Heye
  • Cindy Hebbard
  • Cliff Adler
  • Davida Bagatelle
  • Debora Tramposh
  • Deborah Geis
  • Denise Glover
  • Donna K-Brooks
  • Elizabeth Gentile
  • Emilee Hobbs
  • Erin Pesut
  • Evan Silber
  • Gabriel Sistare
  • James Kirby
  • Janine Tokarczyk
  • Janis Nadler
  • Jeffrey Carmichael
  • Jerelyn Wilson
  • Joan Marshall
  • Johanna Zalneraitis
  • Judy Fink
  • Kathy Carr
  • Ken Heye
  • Kevin Brennan
  • Kipton Tewksbury
  • Leslie Beard
  • Lisa Nichols
  • Lorretta Smith
  • Lynn Levine
  • Marilyn Scholl
  • Marlene O’Connor
  • Megan Sellarole
  • Michael Wells
  • Michele Meulendyk
  • Patricia Fredricks
  • Richard Berkfield
  • Rob Freeberg
  • Robert Lyons
  • Ruth Garbus
  • Ruth Lane
  • Sabine Rhyne
  • Sam Stevens
  • Sarah Brennan
  • Spoon Agave
  • Steven K-Brooks
  • Tom Mosakowski
  • Yolanda Mapes
  • Amanda Moryavaf

Commitment to Community representatives present
(* = also a shareholder)

  • Andrea Underwood Jones*
  • Barry Aleshnick*
  • Benjamin Smith
  • Carla Lineback
  • Cristina Piergentili
  • Cristina Shayonye*
  • Dan DeWalt*
  • David Gessner
  • Eileen Glover
  • Eleanor Thomas*
  • Gail MacArthur
  • Ian Hefele*
  • Jeanne Seymour*
  • Jenn Mapes Couture
  • Jenny Dunklee
  • John Hatton*
  • Jonathan Morse*
  • Lars Hunter
  • Laurel Copeland*
  • Leah Gessner*
  • Marilyn Chiarello*
  • Micah O’Connor
  • Michelle Simpson*
  • Naomi Moody
  • Nate Moody
  • Patrick (no last name provided)
  • Rebecca Best
  • Renee Woliver*
  • Sharon Morrison
  • Susan Barduhn*
  • Susan Parris
  • Tamara Mount
  • Tom Griffith*

Commitment to Community organizations present

  • Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center
  • Brattleboro Area Hospice
  • Brattleboro Walk-In Clinic
  • Downtown Brattleboro Alliance
  • Edible Brattleboro
  • Ethiopian Community Development Council
  • Groundworks Collaborative
  • Groundworks Collaborative – Foodworks
  • Guilford Cares Inc.
  • Halifax Community Club
  • Hilltop Montessori School
  • Marlboro Community Center
  • Planned Parenthood of Northern New England
  • Restorative Community Practice of Vermont
  • Senior Solutions
  • SUSU commUNITY Farm
  • Vermont Independent Media/The Commons
  • Vermont Village School
  • World Learning

cross