Harvest Co-op Markets
Board of Directors Meeting
March 1, 2004
Present: Ed Barsamian (general manager),
Andrew Weaver (President), Jeff Rosenblum (secretary),
Mike Wiecek (treasurer), Betsy Adams, Elisa Elonso,
Dave Hermann, and Dave Foley (board members)
Absent: Sujatha Byraven, Kwah Wa'Adabi
The meeting convened at 7:00 pm in the
Community Room of the Cambridge Store.
Revisions to the Agenda: Approval of
minutes deferred to next meeting.
President's Report - Andrew Weaver
Andrew said that he wants to make sure committees
are on target. There has not been a lot of progress
thus far on the membership committee or planning
committee. Committee chairs should set meeting
dates and let the board know when those meeting
dates. Dave Foley said he will talk with Chris
to come up with a solution about the community
fund. Andrew added that financials are looking
up and are better than the past three years. Now
there is room to focus on things like standard
operating procedures and other issues now that
financial picture is better. An upcoming issue
is the assessment and future of the café.
Eyes and Ears of the Board
Betsy had an experience in checkout that pointed out
importance of good front end staff. Mike said that
a friend who is a frequent shopper is frustrated
by changing location of products. Elisa said that
she is happy about state of the store, but dried
herbs run out fast. Dave H. had someone tell them
that the Cambridge deli was laid out in an inefficient
manner and said that Ed may want to rethink the
process and layout of that area. Andrew said that
the JP windows are full of cans that do not make
for an attractive display. Also in JP there are
no small garbage bags or Ziploc bags and Ed should
think about things that help people have complete
shopping experience.
Committee Reports
Membership Committee: Dave F will contact
Chris about distribution of community fund.
Planning Committee: Dave F will be setting
a monthly meeting date tonight. The committee will
be working on a business plan with Ed and plan to
have it ready for the beginning of the fiscal year.
(Jeff entered board meeting at this point)
Board Retreat
Ed reported that Mike Pinholster (former board member)
will come in the morning to run a workshop to develop
a marking/advertising strategy. In the afternoon
senior managers will be presenting SWOTs on their
area of responsibility. The board requested that
Ed send out printed material prior to the retreat.
The retreat will be held in the AME church
behind Harvest from 8:30am to 4pm. Dave F will email
information to the board. Dave F is hoping it can
translate into objectives for the business plan, particularly
around marketing. At the next board meeting retreat
will be evaluated. Dave H suggested that, prior to
the retreat, senior staff be sent any written information
that the board receives.
Dave F wants to include Ronnie Comereau,
who is helping Jeff design café plan, in the
retreat.
GM Report - Ed Barsamian
Ed reported the following:
· Earth Day Celebration in JP April 17 and
in Cambridge April 22
· Wake Up the Earth April 21
· JP 5 year celebration on May 22
· Moved salad bar from JP store to Cambridge
· Raised over $3,000 with card gifts during
the holidays.
· Revamped deli case signs.
[The meeting moved into executive session]
Minutes submitted by Natalie C. Jaeger