Your co-op, September 2002

Member reminder on case discounts

The 10 percent case discount is available to all shoppers for in-store and special order volume purchases. It cannot be used in addition to the 10 percent member discount on the 15th of every month.

Board members in the stores

Board members plan to be in the stores the following days and times to hear members’ thoughts about PCC as it heads into the future:

• Greenlake
• Saturday, Sept. 7, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.,
  John Brennan
• Monday, Sept. 9, 6-8 p.m.,
  Alex Rist
• Wednesday, Sept. 11, 10 a.m.-noon,
  Bob Cross

  Kirkland

• Monday, Sept. 9, 2-4 p.m.,
  Judy Lipton
• Wednesday, Sept. 11, noon-2 p.m.,
  Don De Santis

  Issaquah

• Saturday, Sept. 7, 2-4 p.m.,
  Judy Lipton
• Monday, Sept. 9, 2-4 p.m.,
  Mary Simon
• Thursday, Sept. 12, 3-5 p.m.,
  Chantal Stevens

  Seward Park

• Monday, Sept. 9, 2-5 p.m.,
  Reed Schilbach
• Tuesday, Sept. 10, 5-7:30 p.m.,
  John Brennan

  West Seattle

• Thursday, Sept. 12, noon-2 p.m.,
  Chantal Stevens
• Friday, Sept. 13, 3-6 p.m.,
  Reed Schilbach

  View Ridge

• Monday, Sept. 9, 6-8 p.m.,
  Don De Santis
• Wednesday, Sept. 11, 6-8 p.m.,
  Alex Rist

  Fremont

• Tuesday, Sept. 10, 10 a.m.-noon,
  Bob Cross

The schedule is subject to change. Please check our website in the Membership area at Board Activities or call 206-547-1222.

A question for you
Please let us know how you feel about the board’s presence in the stores. Were you able to stop by and chat? Was it helpful? If you did not meet with a board member, why not? Contact us at board@pccmarkets.com , or call teh Board Administrator, at 206-547-1222.

Business basics

The cooperative movement has been a pioneer in many ways over the years, from consumer protection to the introduction of natural foods, and we may be on to something new yet again. In recent years, food co-ops across the country have enthusiastically adopted the policy governance model (see Policy governance below article) as a way to clarify the roles of board and management in running an organization, and PCC is no exception.

Much of the work in policy governance to date has focused on the needs and structures of non-profits and governmental agencies rather than retail businesses, but a new book entitled “Corporate Boards that Create Value,” by John Carver and Caroline Oliver, changes all that.

This book addresses for-profit corporations of all kinds and how policy governance can help reform corporate business practices. It’s received the attention of stockholder activists across the country, and so you may begin to read about it in the business section of the newspaper. Given all the recent, and rightfully placed, concern about corporate greed, we may be ahead of the trend once again!

How to get in touch with us — email us at
board@pccmarkets.com. Your letters are routed to the Board Administrator, who forwards them “intact” to all board members.

Policy governance

Our board of trustees, along with boards of many cooperatives throughout the country, conducts its business using the policy governance model. In this model, the board drafts policy in four categories to direct the cooperative. All instructions to management are given in the form of Ends and Executive Limitations policies.

Ends: The board defines which human needs are to be met, for whom, and at what cost. Written with a long-term perspective, these mission-related policies embody the board’s long-range vision.

Executive Limitations: The board establishes the boundaries of acceptability within which staff methods and activities can be left to staff. Board-Staff Linkage: The board clarifies the manner in which it delegates authority to staff, through the CEO, as well as how it evaluates staff performance on the ends and executive limitations policies.

Board Process: The board determines its philosophy, its accountability, and specifics of its own job. The effective design of its own board processes ensures that the board will fulfill its three primary responsibilities: maintaining links to the membership, establishing the four categories of written policies, and assuring executive performance.

For further information on the policy governance model, you can visit the website, www.policygovernance.com, or feel free to contact the Board Administrator, board@pccmarkets.com or 206-547-1222.