Your co-op, November 2001

Bag reuse donation report

Re-used shopping bag for PCC groceries! Every time we use any full-size bag to carry our groceries home, one cent each is donated to the Farmland Fund and to Cash for the Hungry, PCC’s program with local food banks. This applies to paper, plastic, and cloth bags, backpacks, wheeled carts, or whatever conserves resources.

The bag reuse donation has been in effect since November 2000 after an overwhelmingly positive response to a month-long shopper survey. As of September 30, $3,237 has been raised in 2001 through reuse of our bags ($1,618.50 each to Cash for the Hungry and the Farmland Fund). Mention your wishes to the cashier to be sure they are counted!

Ravenna neighborhood meeting held

The PCC Board and management met with about 200 interested members and neighbors at the old Ravenna store building on Tuesday, October 9 to review proposals for use of the store site and gather input on the proposals. The board expects to make its decision on the future use of the building within the next two months.

Five of the six proposals being looked at were for purchase of the property; the other was for a multi-year lease. While some support was expressed for a few of the purchase proposals, most of those present were quite vocal about their continuing desire for PCC to retain control of the site for possible future use.

Please contact the board administrator at 206-547-1222 x126 for more information.

Report on board activities

The board’s September 25 meeting was almost entirely devoted to hearing from parties interested in occupying the Ravenna site, and what they hoped to do with the property. The board chose to present all of these proposals at the October 9 meeting and not screen them further until neighbors had a chance to comment on them.

In late October the board held a two-day retreat in town to refine its understanding of the John Carver model of governance and to begin work on policies giving more future-oriented direction to management. The session was led by Miriam Carver, one of the architects of the model of governance used by the board to structure its work.

The next board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 27, at 5 p.m. at the PCC offices, 4201 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, with time set aside at 7 p.m. for members to address the board. Please contact the board administrator at 206-547-1222 x126 if you are interested in attending.

Looking for a few good leaders

by the PCC Nominating Committee: Genevieve Phillips, Stewart Rose, Nola Freeman, Reed Schilbach

It’s that time of year when the air gets nippier, the leaves change color, and — the PCC Nominating Committee gears up its search for candidates for the next Board of Trustees election!

Didn’t we just have an election? Yes, we did, but it takes time to recruit and get acquainted with potential candidates in order to present the best possible slate to the membership each year.

PCC is directed by a nine-person board of trustees elected by the active membership. Each trustee serves a three-year term, with three positions open for election each year. A trustee may serve no more than three consecutive terms.

The board’s primary responsibilities are to provide wise stewardship of the cooperative’s resources and leadership to maintain the success of a retail grocery co-op with well over $60 million in sales. The PCC Board follows the John Carver model of policy governance.

Nominating committee begins its work by talking to many people about the possibility of serving on the board, providing them with the information they need to decide if board service might be a good fit, and assessing skills to see what is needed. In January, we will be interviewing applicants and offering nomination to those whose experiences, interests, and skills indicate they would be successful board members. The election is held in May, and the new board term begins in June 2002.

Please look over the box below listing duties of the board members. If this sounds like you or someone you know, we invite you to apply and put your experience and skills to work providing leadership for the largest retail food cooperative in the United States. We look forward to meeting you. If you have any questions about serving on the board or about the John Carver model of governance, please contact the Nominating committee through the board administrator at the PCC office, 206-547-1222 x126.

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 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 — one to two hours
• Attend annual meeting each year, usually half a day in April
• Attend two daylong 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 10-15 hours per month, including preparation for meetings.

Compensation:

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

Gift cards — an easy way to give

With holidays approaching, make your purchase of a PCC gift card online at Online gift certificates.

You can also join online. We’re getting a steady number of people preferring to join via our website rather than at the checkstand. We’re always looking for ways to improve our customer service and make it easy and convenient to shop at PCC. Join online.

Looking for interesting fare to cook up for relatives or friends from out of town? Browse through PCC’s FoodWorks program — we post the entire schedule on our website. Click on the icon to the left just underneath the logo on the home page, or Click Here.

Continue to check the website for up-to-date information. Questions? Comments? Contact the Web Team at
webmaster@pccmarkets.com

or call 206-547-1222.