GM SEARCH UPDATE: DECEMBER 2021

We have not provided an update for a while, but we’ve certainly been busy! In October, the Committee met with a couple of staff members to get some “on the ground” perspective about what characteristics would be ideal in the next GM. Normally, due to the strictures of policy governance, Board members do not reach out to employees directly (“The only official connection of the board to the operational organization, its achievement, and conduct shall be through the general manager.” – Policy C.1), so this was a rare opportunity to get a window into staff sentiment that will help ensure our next GM will be a good fit.

In November, Beth Neher stepped down from the Search Committee (she has stepped off the Board due to term limits). Kitchen staffer Nick Dickison (appointed to the Board in September) has been appointed to the Committee. We got word of three potential candidates and interviewed one of them. We were disappointed when the other two candidates withdrew from consideration (for reasons unrelated to our Co-op). Our executive search firm and our Columinate consultant continue to identify and pre-screen potential candidates.

In the meantime, the Search Committee is very intrigued by the candidate we interviewed. We consider him a finalist, and he will be coming to Brattleboro in early December to tour the store, meet with staff (both floor staff and managers), and be interviewed by both the management team and the Board.

If you have any questions or comments about the process, please don’t hesitate to reach out – an email to [email protected] will get to the Search Committee.