Board of Directors Meeting Minutes: August 2026

These are the minutes of the Brattleboro Food Co-op Board of Directors meeting which took place on August 3, 2026.

Present

Directors Present: Kevin Brennan, Calvin Dame, Liv Eck, Anneka Kindler, Evan Silber [Zoom], Sheena Tesch, Jerelyn Wilson, and Johanna Zalneraitis

Staff Present: General Manager Emilee Hobbs, Mudith Kalutota, and Board and Executive Administrator Orion Stange,.

Shareholder Guests Present: Rob Levengood (staff), Spoon Agave, and John Lightfoot.

Jerelyn called the meeting to order at 5:15 pm and welcomed guests.

Welcome and Communication Norms

Board members read the communication norms aloud.

Shareholder Input and Stats

Spoon shared his thoughts about the current state of the Co-op, emphasizing its welcoming atmosphere and positive financial state, and raised concerns about self-checkout registers and the use of AI. [Sheena enters] Discussion of stats focused on reviewing data as it relates to the Ends Policies. The Board discussed trends over time and what has created those trends. Discussion also touched on the increase in FFA, Working, and FFA Working shareholders and why those numbers continue to rise. Emilee will speak with staff to gather more information and report back. [Spoon exits. Evan enters].

Approval of Minutes

JZ moved, and AK seconded, to approve the minutes of the July 6th, 2026 meeting. Discussion: Draft minutes will be watermarked in future packets. The motion to approve the minutes carried unanimously.

Monitoring Reports

1. Board: D.12 Management Succession: Discussion focused on clarifying the wording of this policy. Vote: KB moves, AK seconds. All in favor of accepting the monitoring report. Jerelyn moved to change the wording to delete the words “simple and.” Kevin seconded. Vote: all in favor.
   
2. GM: B.2 Financial Condition & Activities: Discussion: Jerelyn thanked Emilee, Mudith, and Kevin for the significant effort they have put into ensuring the Co-op’s financial stability. Emilee praised staff for their contributions to the Co-op’s success.
   
   The Co-op expects a small profit from FY26, but the final numbers are not yet settled. Expenses have been lower than expected because of lower healthcare claims, staff education on how to file claims, and lower labor costs.
   
   The Q4 performance are lower than last year because, now that the refrigeration project is underway, the Co-op is no longer earning interest from the ERC grant funds. The margin has changed by 1.3% ($80-90k), which has helped the Co-op’s bottom line. Financial strategy has been shifted to account for higher cost of goods and to plan for unforeseen expenses.
   
   The Co-op is 70% of the way through paying for the refrigeration project, and the change in cash liquidity reflects this. The final interest rate with Bank of America is 6.4%, higher than the expected 5.92%, due to the time it took to make the decision.
   
   Cash reserves from refinancing loans now sit around $5k per month. The Board discussed how to mitigate the risk of underinsured cash reserves, since the FDIC only insures $250k per account and one of our accounts holds $1.5m of the Co-op’s $2m total cash reserves. Only 1/6 of our cash reserves are fully insured. This gives the Co-op an opportunity to partner with local banks, ensuring both financial well-being and alignment with Ends Policies.
   
   The Board discussed how to spot potential warning signs in our numbers and in those of our partner banks. Vote: AK moved, JZ seconded to accept. All in favor of accepting the monitoring report. [Mudith exits].
   
3. A.1 End 1 – An open, inclusive, and welcoming marketplace. Kevin moved to review the monitoring report and Johanna seconded.
   
   Discussion focused on the effort being put into ensuring affordability and accessibility despite increasing cost of goods and other factors outside the Co-op’s control.
   
   Discussion also touched on creating a welcoming environment for new Americans who move to the area and for young people. Emilee and Ruth will meet with The Multicultural Center next week to discuss the future of the space in the Transportation Center.
   
   Desire was expressed for an auditable system that tracks who has access to selling their goods at the coop. Vote: Kevin moved, Johanna seconded. All in favor of accepting the monitoring report.

GM Updates

Emilee provided late-breaking updates.

Discussion touched on the damage caused by two brownouts last week. Emilee contacted the VT Department of Health to determine the best path forward and is considering next steps related to aging equipment.

She plans to meet with other local businesses to discuss damage caused by the brown-outs once repairs have taken place. Sales during the disruption have been strong, and staff have been going above and beyond. Catering sales are currently down $100k from the Annual Business Plan, partly due to outstanding payments owed to the Co-op and partly due to the Catering department’s shift away from weddings. Discussion then turned to staff. People and Culture have relaunched the Stay Survey to gather more responses and have added an incentive. Morale on the floor seems to be healthy. Management has been touching base regularly with staff through All Staff Huddles every six weeks and through department-level staff meetings more regularly. Union negotiations are behind schedule. Emilee expressed concern about morale due to wage increase delays and lack of non-steward staff involvement in meetings.

Board Activities

1. Board Recruitment: Last month, Jerelyn encouraged the Directors to reach out to at least one person. Johanna invited John. Next meeting is last one prospective Board candidates can be invited to prior to the election. The Board shared their hopes for a competitive election and for increased staff involvement on the Board. They discussed how best to encourage staff involvement.
   
2. Shareholder Linkage: Discussion included thoughts on improving tabling and shareholder education. Linkage will collaborate with Recruitment during “crunch time” before elections.
   
3. Finance: Finance will meet with Emilee and Mudith in advance of the quarterly financials
   
4. Policy and Bylaw Updates: Jerelyn proposed new language for policy D.9 (Relationship to Shareholders) in light of the discussion from last meeting. The committee has noted the Directors’ comments and will make edits to share at the September meeting.
   
5. Annual Meeting: Discussion touched on the committee’s recent tour of the BMAC as well as their recent meeting. Jerelyn shared updated logistical details about the event. The Board also considered what information was needed from the registration and check-in process. There was general agreement among Board members that no specific information is needed at the time of arrival except, perhaps, a number count.

September Policies to be Monitored

GM: None. Board: D.3 Code of Conduct, D.7 Officers, D.11 Board Audit Requirements (the title of D.11 may change for the sake of accuracy).

What Would You Tell a Shareholder

Meeting participants shared what they would tell a shareholder about this meeting. These comments are shared in the staff newsletter and in Food for Thought.

Meeting Closing

Meeting participants shared their key takeaways from this meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:48 pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Orion Stange, Board and Executive Administrator