The Co-op is deeply rooted in our rich community spirit, where people come together to work on common goals, share a common vision and develop a common purpose. Today we’re calling on the community to come forward to actively create new goals, a new vision and a new purpose in the Village Cooperative. After all, the true meaning of cooperative is in the action, the creation and in the doing. When we act we Co-op; when we shop, we Co-op; when we volunteer we Co-op. Let’s Co-op Together!

We’ll look at all that was created on behalf of the communities the Co-op supports:
• The finances that keep the doors open
• The infrastructure
• Its bylaws
• Its organizational structure
• Its ability to engage its membership, its customers, its staff
• Its potential for raising capital from the community
• Its place in the broader economic market
• Its ability to keep providing services to the surrounding community

There’s a lot of work to be done!

Specifically:
• We are in the process of finding our next General Manager, and in the meantime, an interim manager.
o Paul Rosenberg, our long standing GM of over 18 years informed the board that he’d like to resign from this position this spring. Our goals are to find the most competent replacement possible, to allow for sufficient time for the search, and time for the community to share feedback about potential candidates. Therefore, we are also searching for an interim manager simultaneously.
o A search committee was formed by reaching out to previous board members, town officials, and Co-op members who have skills in committees, business, and cooperatives.

• We are exploring lowering our energy costs by utilizing an energy audit
• We are seeking community feedback through our survey, community meeting, E-newsletter and Facebook page
• We are looking at the organizational structure with the goal of developing systems that support transparency, minimize “silos” of knowledge, promote the exchange of ideas and feedback within and from outside of the organization, and to maximize our ability to innovate with the times while maintain a historical context to guide our efforts.

We’d like to explore an IDEA with YOU!
Small businesses like the Village Co-op that raise less than 1 million in sales per year face significant challenges to keep their doors open to those they serve. In isolation, a store like ours, in the middle of “nowhere”, with a relatively small selection like we have, is buffeted by big factors occurring out on an economic playing field that is tilted to the big guys. We believe we have something unique here though, and we believe with a bit of effort, networking and creativity we can turn isolation into a vibrant ECOSYSTEM. An ecosystem is integrated, efficient, networked, supportive of diversity, and full of independent players that operate in connection.

Can you help us get there?