Happy Anniversary Seward Co-op!
Usually, the Ends letter from the Board President is about our future plans in general. In the past three years, I have written about the racial reckoning of our society and our town. The pain and sorrow after the murder of George Floyd and uprising that followed is still with us. Healing from grief does not operate under any timeframe. In the meantime, we have the opportunity to continue to be compassionate toward ourselves and others. This year, change is upon our co-op and it will impact our co-op for the next 50 years.
As we are in the final months of our 50th year, we mark this year one of change. As many know, Sean Doyle, General Manager of the Co-op, stepped away from his role. We continue to celebrate him and his achievements during his tenure. Along with all of you, I wish Sean the best in his future endeavors.
We are grateful that we have Ray Williams to fill the role of interim general manager. Ray has been an incomparable leader at the co-op for eight years. Ray began as the inaugural store manager for the Friendship store, then he promoted to Operations Manager. In his last role at Seward Co-op, Ray was Senior Human Resources and Operations Manager. I rest assured that between Ray, our dynamic leadership team, and all of our staff, the co-op is poised for success.
In the coming months, the Seward Co-op Board of Directors will select a permanent General Manager. I have been told that this is the most important decision that a co-op board will make. To that end, the board has convened a hiring committee. The hiring committee will make recommendations to the board in the coming months regarding the next steps in the hiring process. The timeline is elongated due to four board seats being up for re-election. Immediately after board elections are over, the attention of the board will turn to hiring a permanent General Manager. I believe that the process will be complete at the latest by February 2023, barring any unforeseen complications.
The board will communicate with Seward leaders and staff using internal mechanisms that are already in place. Owners can watch for updates in your e-newsletters and the Sprout. When appropriate, announcements will be posted on Seward Co-op’s website and social media channels.
Lastly, I would also like to extend warm thank you to board members Jill Krueger and Shiranthi Goonathilaka who are leaving the board. Best wishes to both you and thank you for your service to Seward Co-op.
In peace and freedom,
LaDonna