DUCK SOUP COOP
Notes from the General Membership Meeting
November 12, 2006
The meeting was called to order at 5:05 p.m. by President Nelson. 22 membership units were present for the meeting.
President Nelson welcomed all and announced that a quorum was present.
Kathy Stelford moved that the agenda as presented be the agenda for the meeting. Robin Moremen, seconded the motion, which passed.
Tania Nezrick moved and Nancy Grych seconded that the minutes of the last General Membership meeting be approved as corrected. The correction is to the third line in the mgr. report. It should read “A second produce delivery has been added.” The motion passed.
Manager James reported that Duck Soup had a good year. Sales were strong with an estimated growth of 15% over 2005. This has provided the resources to plan and implement store improvements, and to provide adequate money to cover the April 2007 reset of the store..
The membership was active in 2006, with all member worker positions filled, and Emily keeping track of all member workers.
We have a very stable and responsible staff at Duck Soup, which has contributed significantly to the good vibe and success of the Coop. We thank them. They are the good stewards of Duck Soup.
This year the Health Dept. gave Duck Soup a passing mark of 99 out of 100!
We have a very amicable relationship with our landlord, who has passively declined our offer to buy the coop building. He has replaced the air conditioner and is discussing the repair of the parking lot.
Duck Soup is thriving in an age of the Big Box corporation. Duck Soup is Duck Soup because it is its members. Cooperation is not a spectator sport. Let the staff know what you want. Talk , Call, e-mail.
Assistant Manager’s Report
Loreen extended her thanks to our steady and dedicated staff and our stalwart member workers. She relies on and requests member input.
Treasurer Polensky presented the proposed budget for 2007. She pointed out the following assumptions, upon which the proposal is based;
- 5% increase in sales – a lot of other stores (Wal-Mart, etc.) are carrying organic foods
- 31% realized margin
- no significant increase in sales by credit/debit cards
- all accounts to be paid on delivery or terms
- no dividend income from Frontier
- $20.00 annual membership fee and no change in number of members
- no significant staffing increases
- increase in wages due to cost of living adjustments and projected minimum wage increase.
- increase in utility bill due to higher energy cost
- closure of Coop for 10 days for reset.
- purchase of new equipment for reset
- increased depreciation expense due to same new equipment
- nominal bank financing (if any) for reset costs
Robin Moremen moved and Kathy Stelford seconded that the budget be adopted as presented. The motion passed.
The Outreach Committee was active this year, participating in the Energy Fair in Oregon and tastings coming up during the holidays
The Ad Hoc Committee has been active in planning the upcoming store reset.
Four board positions are to be filled. This year’s class includes, Ruth Peterson, Mary Helen Polensky and Kathy Stelford and Tania Nezrick. All four were willing to serve another term. Patty Ruback is also running as a candidate for one of the positions. No other nominations were offered. Ballots were counted. The vote resulted in the 4 positions being filled by, Ruth Peterson, Mary Helen Polensky, Tania Nezrick and Patty Ruback.
Discussion
Discussion continued with the pros and cons of the store reset, buying the building, and/or moving to a new building. Some points brought up were that we’d like to
enjoy the reset after it is done, not move on immediately afterward. There were questions about whether we’d buy this building or move to another location. Should we take more risks to try to increase the square footage. Is bigger what we want to be?
Peggy J. believes we could increase our sales to $1.5 in this location.
Some would like more info about how to shop in the Coop. Specifically, more info about different diets and how to eat properly, how to use the ingredients we have. Bringing back the tastings was mentioned as a good way to do this. Other items on the wish list include, a deli, a kitchen, a sit down space.
Cynthia Nelson called for members to be involved and thanked the hard working staff for a good year.
Kathy Stelford moved to adjourn. Robin Moremen seconded the motion. The meeting was declared adjourned by the President
based on notes taken at the meeting by Mary Helen Polensky,