Your co-op, January 2003

Voting for PCC’s future

PCC’s annual election will be held in May. You will be electing three people to the board of trustees, as well as the nominating committee (four to six people) for the coming year. The trustees are elected for three-year terms. The nominating committee members are elected for one-year terms. All active members are encouraged to vote.

Your membership is active for purposes of voting if you are on our list of active members as of March 31, 2003. If you are at the current level of investment (you’ve paid $60 on your membership), and have shopped at least once between April 1, 2002 and March 31, 2003, you are eligible to vote.

You need to have your membership card scanned for us to know you’ve shopped. If you have not fully paid the $60 toward your membership, you must have shopped and made a payment toward your membership sometime between December 1, 2002 and March 31, 2003. In this case, the sticker on the back of your card will read March, April, May or June 2003.

If you have any question about your eligibility to vote in the PCC election, please contact the Board Administrator at board@pccmarkets.com or 206-547-1222, or contact our Member Records Department at
membership@pccmarkets.com

Report on board activities

The board met twice in November, for an all-day training retreat and for the regularly scheduled board meeting on November 26. At the retreat, the board was trained in a variety of areas to help its decision-making process. The morning was devoted to financial and grocery industry topics, and the afternoon to cooperative structure and measuring the toxic effect of pesticides in food.

Most of the board meeting on November 26 was spent continuing the discussion with management about the long-range direction of the co-op, hearing a presentation from the marketing department about presenting PCC to the community, and defining how PCC should approach sustainability as an operating principle for its stores. The sustainability discussion will continue at a future board retreat.

The next board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 28, at 5 p.m. at the PCC Issaquah store classroom, with time set aside at 7 p.m. for members to address the board. Please contact the Board Administrator, at 206-547-1222 or board@pccmarkets.com if you are interested in attending.

Board candidates: last chance to apply

The deadline for completed board applications is January 14, 2003. For an application packet and further information, please contact the Board Administrator, PCC Natural Markets, 4201 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105, 206-547-1222,
board@pccmarkets.com

Who is eligible?
Only active members may run for the board. Active members are defined in PCC’s Articles of Incorporation, Article IV, Paragraph 2. If you have fully paid for the PCC membership, you must have shopped within the last 12 months or voted in the last election. If you have not fully paid for the membership, you must have shopped and made a payment on your membership within the last four months.

Candidacy by petition: PCC’s bylaws
allow for an alternate method of access to the ballot for board candidates, by petition. The nominating committee recognizes the right of PCC members to attempt board candidacy as provided for in the PCC Bylaws, Section X, Paragraph 2.

Questions: Prospective petitioners must contact the Board Administrator for a copy of the guidelines, which must be followed. For all other questions, please contact the chair of the nominating committee, Stewart Rose, at vegfood@earthlink.net or 425-562-4298.

Responsibilities of the board of trustees

What the board does

• Serve as trustees for and provide linkage with the member-owners and shoppers of PCC.
• Establish two types of policies to guide management: Ends to provide direction, and Executive Limitations to prevent unacceptable actions.
• Establish two types of policies to guide board actions: board-CEO Relations to ensure effective communication between the board and management, and board process to ensure excellent board performance.
• Ensure that all activities of PCC are carried out within the law, Articles, and Bylaws.
• Provide wise stewardship of the member investment.

What the individual board members do

• Understand the board’s roles and responsibilities as stated in the bylaws.
• Allocate sufficient time to prepare for each meeting. Trustees receive packets of written information in advance of each meeting.
• Prepare for and attend all scheduled board meetings, held at least five to seven times per year, usually on the last Tuesday of the month, plus serve on one or more board task forces. Board meetings may average four hours; task force meetings 90 minutes to two hours.
• Attend annual meeting each year, usually a half day in April.
• Attend two day-long board retreats each year, usually one in summer and one in winter.
• Visit stores regularly throughout term of office and attend PCC events when possible.
• Time spent on board business may vary from month to month, averaging 10 to 15 hours per month, including preparation for meetings.

Board compensation

• Annual stipend.
• Unique and valuable hands-on cooperative board experience.