John Hatton
John Hatton
he/him/his
1. Why would you like to serve on the Board of Directors of the Brattleboro Food Co-op (BFC)?
I am very committed to the Brattleboro Food Co-op. I have served on the BFC Board before, and hope that my history and experience with our Co-op and its governance will be helpful to the next Board of Directors.
2. What experience or involvement have you had with the BFC or other cooperative enterprises?
I was on the BFC Board for 8 years, and Board president for 7 of those years. I stepped down because of term limits, and served another term two years later.
3. What opportunities or challenges do you see in the future for the BFC?
Our Co-op has large and ongoing challenges: local conventional supermarkets who have expanded their natural and organic foods selections; regional competitors (Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods only 45 minutes away, for instance), on-line sellers of natural foods. But also we’re subject to the state of the economy, and have most recently been hit by the pandemic. The challenges are endless. The opportunities? We have huge support from our community, so that’s our core strength – our opportunity, I think, is to use that strength to stay alive and carve out a larger market share and continue to grow.
4. What qualities, skills, and experiences would you bring to your service as a BFC board member?
I’m a team player, good listener, strategist, and over-communicator.
