Building Our Foundation for the Future

Hello to our cooperative community!

One thing that our business has always done well is adapt. We may not always see it while we’re in it, but the world around us is constantly changing. Sometimes—like in a pandemic—that change is painfully obvious. Other times it may be more subtle. But we are always responding to that, and slowly the way that we work evolves. I’ve seen this for the last decade and it’s remarkable. Most of the time it happens organically.

We’re adapting right now. The way we support each other and the way we work has become more and more collaborative out of necessity. Everywhere I look there are people working to support other departments—colleagues cooperating to find ways to improve systems and effect change. We’ll continue to see more of this, and we’ll continue to build on it.

I’m encouraged by all of this because I believe it gets at the heart of who we are. Our ability to collaborate and adapt is what makes us strong. I said it in my first message but it’s worth repeating every day—we aren’t a series of independent businesses. We are one organization. That spirit has kept us in business for more than 80 years, and it’s the foundation for our future. I look forward to building that foundation together.

Updates

Finance
I’m excited to say that we will have a new Finance Director starting at the end of July! As her start date gets closer, I’ll send out more details. Until then, the team is doing a great job keeping everything moving forward.

Human Resources
We’ve started interviewing for our next Director of Human Resources. The HR team is doing a great job of keeping things on track.

Thanks to all of our members and shoppers, and reach out to me anytime!

—Amanda

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Amanda Charland

Amanda Charland is the General Manager of the Co-op Food Stores. She was first hired as the Co-op's Sustainability Coordinator in 2012, and joined the Co-op Leadership Team as Member Services and Outreach Director in 2014. She earned a Master's Degree in Cooperative Management in 2017, and she was promoted to Director of Cooperative Engagement in 2018. She was hired by the Co-op Board of Directors as General Manager in 2022. Contact her at acharland@coopfoodstore.com.

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