Board Report - December & January

The Merc Co+op Board of Directors

The Merc Co+op's Board of Directors is comprised of nine co-op owners who are elected by the general ownership and serve a three-year term. Any co-op owner can run for a board position.

Guided by a set of policy guidelines and The Merc Co+op's Ends Statements, the board works closely with the General Manager, who provides the group with regular reports on store operations. The board is not engaged in daily store operations.

Board Meetings

All co-op owners are invited to attend monthly board meetings. Early in the agenda, the board reserves ten minutes of space to hear from owners who wish to address the board.

December & January Meeting Review

Mark Sprague, Board member and Owner Engagement Committee member

Last month, the Board welcomed Melissa Williams, as a new member to the board, and congratulated Sofia Galarza Liu and Deon Whitten, who were selected to new three year terms.


Directors elected officers for 2023, who will serve through the Annual Cooperative Meeting in November. They are:

  • President: Sofía Galarza Liu

  • Vice President: Abbey Reinhardt

  • Secretary: Anthony Lang

  • Treasurer: Deon Whitten

General Manager Rita York Hennecke gave her regular updates on events, including sales records that were set for both stores during the holidays. She also updated the board on the management agreement for our KCK location. In late November, the Unified Government of Wyandotte/KCK (UG) County Commissioners unanimously voted to extend our current agreement through the summer 2025.

The Board also reviewed, edited and approved charters for the following ongoing committees:

  • Board Election- Abbey Reinhardt, Chair

  • Owner Engagement- Anthony Lang, Chair

  • Finance- Deon Whitten, Chair

Finally, we reviewed the Code of Conduct for board members. These will be signed by individual members at the next meeting on February 6, 2023.

All co-op owners are invited to attend monthly board meetings. Early in the agenda, the board reserves ten minutes of space to hear from owners who wish to address the board.

 

The Board will also have a retreat on Saturday, February 18 to set goals for the year, as well as continue to build our team.