Oneota Co-op seeing growth in membership, improvement in finances

The Oneota Community Food Cooperative continued its ongoing series of open meetings with members on Monday night at the Coop. The meetings stem from the Member Outreach Committee to facilitate the board keeping in touch with members, their concerns and questions.  The committee is not new, just operating more formalized than in past years. The meetings occur about three times a year.

As a matter of brief introduction, conveners and board members, Bill Pardee and Steve McCargar shared that the Coop was experiencing improved financial status, and an increase in new members. They also reported the positive work done by new manager, David Lester, who has been in the job about eight months. For the first time this year, the Coop will undergo a full financial audit rather than a less formal financial review process. Pardee and McCargar also reported positive feelings about the strategic planning session in September that included both board and Coop staff.

The remainder of the meeting was spent responding to member comments and questions, mostly relating to governance issues and how the current board sees its role in relation to governance, staffing and operations.