The Rooted Carrot Co-op is very similar to running a small business. There is a lot of behind the scenes work happening. Check out what our committees have been up to below. Do you want to get involved? Fill out the volunteer form or email info@rootedcarrot.coop.
Capital Campaign
The Capital Campaign team is currently organizing behind the scenes. They are ready to actively launch Phase 2 of the campaign when a site is secured.
Communications/Membership
The Communication & Membership Committee has been working to increase membership with a new member drive through early April. We have also been seeking opportunities to share the story of the co-op at community events, hosting member potlucks, staying active on social media, and planning spring & summer member mixers. Committee members include Melanie Drake, Melinda Doyle, Sean Williams, Suzanne Riehl, Lisa Nelson, Marci Kemp, Laura Campbell, and Christy Pospisil.
Finance
The finance team is responsible for paying bills, entering transactions into QuickBooks and reconciling our accounts monthly. A monthly Profit & Loss report is presented to the board. Each year we assemble committee budgets and monitor monthly. The finance team is currently looking at additional funding opportunities including a USDA grant and bank loan. The finance committee includes Gina Brown, Tom Wickersham, Sally Rayzor, and Deb Bartels.
Operations
The Operations team is currently working on the National Co-op Grocers’ application and strengthening relationships with our Community Business Partners. The committee includes Paige Everly, Theresa Westbrock, Matt Gordon, and Caroline Lange.
Site
The Site Team is actively searching for a location for the Co-op store. Specifically, we are looking for a site that meets the requirements (size, layout, location, parking, access, etc) that our market study and cooperative consultants have indicated will give the Co-op the highest likelihood of long-term success. To this end, we meet with and maintain communication with building owners, realtors, real estate developers, members of city staff, architects, contractors, a store planner, and grocery consultants to explore all potential options and perform due diligence on any promising leads.
While each person on the site team is a volunteer, we are eager and energetic as ever on prospects and required action. The team is performing at high capacity and as always, we will share more information as soon as we can. Your confidence is important to us – thank you!
The site team comprises Rooted Carrot members Kate Dunning, Christine Sexton, Terry Stewart, Deanna Wheeler, and Tom Blanford. They bring with them a variety of expertise and experience, including in grocery store and foodservice operations, project management, business ownership and operation, fundraising, real estate contracts, and food production and marketing.