Blog

Dear Open Harvest Owners and Patrons,

What full, rich, and deliberate discussions we had for the September 4th Board Meeting! We opened with a discussion about what equity and collectively owning the co-op together means to each of us. Folks shared some common themes of feeling empowered and invested, about trust and resiliency, and how it’s a model that promotes democracy. The GM also shared a few highlights on how the store has prioritized staff well-being that include livable wages (wages have increased nearly 20% since our GM took over!), more full-time staff positions, and a 28.5% increase in contribution to staff insurance benefits in 2019.

The monitoring reports that were reviewed this month covered policies on Member-Owner Rights and Responsibilities (L4) and Engagement of Member-Owners and Customers (L5). All parts of both policies were in compliance. Explore the board page on the website for more about how and what we monitor with policy governance at www.openharvest.coop/board.

Board committees also reported on the elections and annual meeting. And we are excited about both! We have 5 fantastic candidates running for 3 open seats this year. Voting will begin October 18th and conclude at the Annual Meeting on November 1st. Stay tuned for candidate bios in the next Dirt, and a possible Meet & Greet in October. Also, save the date for the Annual Meeting! We won’t have a slew of business to conduct like we did last year, and instead intend to celebrate a successful year at the co-op (we are ending the fiscal year in the black!!). Please, join us. Hear about what your co-op is doing for our community, and our vision for the future. It’ll be at Chez SoDo again with a special guest…

Last, we always conclude the meeting to share reflections on the work that was done, the information presented by the GM, and the discussions had. Here are the highlights Directors would like you all to know:

• The store’s Wellness Coordinator gave a very detailed summary of what’s happening with CBD sales in Nebraska, and the board gave the discussion serious, thoughtful consideration. However, until there is legal clearance, we can not put Open Harvest and our collective assets at risk.
• Owners have a dedicated group of Directors looking out for the health and vitality of our co-op.
• We are also a good group of people to do this work with. Board meetings rarely feel like tedious “work”; discussions are thoughtful, deliberate, and inspiring.
• As Owners, you are always very welcome and encouraged to attend the board meetings, and we appreciate your feedback.
• We are very excited about October! It’s National Cooperative Month and the store has big plans for events including an Owner Drive and Owner Appreciation Week. The Board plans to have a presence in the store throughout the month too, so stop by and say hi.
• Come party with us at the Grand Reveal Grill-out on Friday the 13th!
• Come to the Annual Meeting and hear just how much “in the black” the store got this fiscal year!

In cooperation,

Megan Jackson
Board Chair
Open Harvest Board of Directors