Your co-op, December 2007
This article was originally published in December 2007
2007 fall member meeting
More than 300 PCC members enjoyed an evening of good news and great food at St. Demetrios Hall in Seattle on October 17. This new venue for PCC’s meetings was very well received by our members.
A delicious fall meal was planned and executed by Rita Condon, Leon Bloom and Jill Edwards with the support of the Fremont deli staff. Visit our Web site for the menu and some recipes.
Each dinner table was hosted by a member of the board or management and lively conversations ensued. Here are the discussion questions and a sample of comments from the members who attended.
What do you think of the selection and presentation of meat and seafood in our stores?
- Oven-ready (marinated, etc.) would be good.
- Do not understand the rating on fish; would like it more clearly signed.
- Need better sampling of products in meat and seafood.
How do you feel about PCC’s decision to eliminate plastic bags?
- It’s about time!
- Thumbs up! It’s changed my shopping habits.
- We should stay in front of issues like this.
- Like lowered prices of PCC totes.
Do you have any more ideas about ways PCC can reduce its ecological footprint?
- Paper boxes for deli — too much plastic.
- Focus on packaging as greatest ecological impact in all store departments.
- Encourage walking, carpooling to the stores.
If you’d like to submit input on these or other topics, go to 2007 Fall Member Meeting feedback form where you can give your comments.
Dinner was followed by a brief report from board chair Julie Tempest who noted the astonishing rise in attendance at member meetings over the last few years. Tempest thanked members and reminded them of ways to communicate with the board — by responding to requests for feedback on various issues via mail and email, by attending board meetings, and by talking with board members during the board’s monthly store visits.
Our CEO Tracy Wolpert talked about PCC’s accomplishments in the past six months and plans for 2008. Wolpert reported that PCC is on solid financial ground, projected to end 2007 with sales of $114 million, and ready for expansion to Edmonds next spring.
Kathryn Gardow, executive director of the PCC Farmland Trust, brought everyone up to date on farmland preservation and fundraising efforts. The Trust met a recent fundraising challenge before the November 1 deadline.
Trudy Bialic, PCC’s director of public affairs, led a discussion of the farm bill underway in the U.S. Congress. She was joined by Linda Condon, WSDA’s Organic Crop Certification Coordinator, and Andrew Stout, owner of Full Circle Farm, one of PCC’s favorite local, organic produce providers.
PCC encouraged members to support a fair Farm Bill in a letter campaign last month. Each store had sample letters and contact information for the Senate Finance and Agriculture committees. Also see this information on our Web site.
Our special guests of the evening were Doc and Connie Hatfield, two co-founders of Country Natural Beef (CNB), along with several other representatives of the ranchers’ cooperative. Doc and Connie engaged the audience with stories about the origin of CNB and their way of life and doing business.
Each ranching family received a set of hand-forged metal barbecue skewers designed especially for us by local artist blacksmith Lauren Osmolski. Several PCC members in attendance also won skewer sets as door prizes.
Members who attended the meeting but did not complete the meeting evaluation form may do so on our Web site.
A slide show and a more detailed report are posted on the fall meeting page on our Web site.
Upcoming Talk to the Board event
- Saturday, December 8, 2 to 4 p.m.
PCC Fremont