The holidays bring with them the urge to stay inside by the fire and more opportunities to celebrate with good friends and good food.  As we look to the New Year, the Board of Directors continues to work toward making the Co-op experience the best it can be.

This year we are working to educate ourselves about our local economy.  We will be hearing from a UNCW graduate student about food deserts in our area, discussing the economic principles as described in The Small-Mart Revolution by Michael Shuman (co-founder of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, BALLE), and exploring slow money principles.  We will also be reading about other co-ops’ experiences with expansion, to help us make more informed decisions in the future.  The Board welcomes anyone who wants to participate.  Please come to our meetings held the fourth Monday of each month at 6pm, upstairs in the Tidal Creek Community Center.

The Board would like to thank all those who participated in last month’s Board of Directors election. The Co-op thrives on the commitment of its owners, and your involvement and input is vital to our success. We are pleased to announce that Sherye Bergmann is our new Board member.  Sherye has been a business owner for the past 25 years, and as such, she has learned creativity, motivation, discipline and the ability to stay one step ahead of the market place. Sherye has a passion for living a healthy lifestyle that is based on clean, whole foods, supplementation, and education.

On behalf of the Board and the ownership, we would like to extend our thanks to outgoing Co-General Manager, Jessica Burtt, for her years of dedicated service.  Thank you Jessica!! We couldn’t have done it without you!

Finally, the Board is happy to announce that thanks to the support of our owners and shoppers, we were profitable this year!  In these hard economic times, the ongoing support of our customers is greatly appreciated.  Let’s keep it up in 2011!  We wish you the best during the holiday season.

In cooperation – Your Board of Directors