January Board Reflection
Dear Open Harvest Owners,
January is a time of introspection. Winter weather on the Great Plains demands us to seek warm shelter amongst family and friends. Forced inside by frigid temperatures, we are also allowed just a little more time to reflect on the prior year and plan for the year ahead.
At the January 8th Open Harvest Board meeting, the Board reflected on the accomplishments and challenges of the previous year and eagerly discussed our 2020 plans for Owner engagement, continued Board financial education, and strategic planning for Open Harvest.
The Board received and discussed the results of the most recent customer survey conducted by email. 194 customers participated in this survey, 156 of the responses were from Owners. Thank you for participating! Responding to surveys like this greatly helps the Board in fulfilling our responsibility to make sure that the co-op is being responsive to customer needs.
We also received and accepted a monitoring report from the General Manager (GM) on L9 – Emergency GM Succession Plan. This policy compels the GM not to operate without a detailed succession plan in place in the event of a GM emergency. The iterative process of policy governance allows the Board and GM to continuously improve our processes for protecting the co-op. Owners can be confident that there is a plan in place to keep Open Harvest operating smoothly in the event of an emergency with the GM.
Finally, the board discussed plans for the upcoming Financial Meeting of Owners, or FinMOO. The FinMOO is your chance to explore financial aspects of our co-op and learn how we can better align the values that guide decisions at the co-op with the realities of doing business in our current food system. As a board we are looking for your feedback on what you would like to be more informed about. Please respond to this survey by January 17th to make your voice heard and contribute to the conversation about co-op finances!
Mark your calendars for the FinMOO on February 13th at 5:30 PM. Think of it as an early Valentine’s date with all your co-op friends! More information about this event will be coming soon. We also hope to see you at our next board meeting on February 5th at 6:00 PM at The Foundry.
In Cooperation,
Matt Pirog
Vice Chair
Open Harvest Board of Directors