2015 board candidate statements and videos

Maggie Lucas (incumbent)

Statement

For almost 20 years, PCC has played an important role in my family’s life. It is the primary source of our food, recipes, cooking classes and nutrition information. We rely on PCC for food-related environmental news and advocacy. I have been pleased to give back to PCC by serving on the board of trustees for the past six years.

I have served on all four of the board’s standing committees and chaired three of them. For the past two years, I have served as board chair. I have also been the board’s delegate to the nominating committee and worked on multiple task forces and special projects. I have never missed a board meeting, and I take my responsibilities as your representative very seriously. I believe in the mission and values of PCC and remain committed to its success. My training and experience as an attorney, and my perspective as a parent and cooperative member, have helped me in my work as your trustee. I would be honored to bring these experiences and skills to a third term on PCC’s board.

Why do you want to serve on the board?

Six years ago, I had a very high opinion of PCC and was interested in serving on the board. After two terms, I can say that from the inside, PCC is an even better organization than I thought it was. The people who work for PCC are dedicated, talented and smart; it is a pleasure to work with them. PCC’s social responsibility ideals are inspiring. The assistance it gives to its neighborhoods and to other cooperatives makes a real difference. PCC’s environmental efforts, from GMO labeling advocacy, to waste reduction, to ingredient selection, are efforts I want to support. PCC is a model for businesses across our region and the country. I want to serve on the board for another term because by working with PCC my own support of these causes can be more impactful.

What makes PCC a different kind of business?

Many positive attributes set PCC apart, including its triple bottom line, which values environmental stewardship and social responsibility along with financial health. As a cooperative, PCC stands for member participation and helping other cooperatives. All of these ideals attract staff with complementary values. The people who work at PCC really set it apart from, and ahead of, other businesses. It’s not just a job to work there; it’s part of something bigger, something that matters. They care about the health of their patrons. They support their farmers. They work hard to protect the environment and support their communities. Leadership like this is inspiring consumers to demand similar considerations from other businesses; PCC is a model for the future. PCC staff never stops trying to improve the triple bottom line; that’s quite different from your average grocery store.

What experience, skill or perspective will you bring to the board?

Six years of experience as your trustee has given me a deep understanding of PCC, its board, and its governance system, called Policy Governance. My service as chair and on various committees and task forces has given me broad experience in board operations. My training as an attorney has been extremely valuable, especially regarding PCC’s Articles and Bylaws, Policy Governance and internal policies, and some contractual matters. Perhaps most important has been my perspective as a parent, shopper and co-op member. These aspects keep me grounded in why PCC exists and what is important to its members.

Maggie Lucas (incumbent) video:

Sandy Voit (incumbent)

Statement

I joined PCC in 1981 (previously I helped cofound a food co-op in Binghamton, N.Y.), and served on PCC’s board (1985-1994, 1996-1999, 2012-present) starting when I was Dean of Students at Bastyr University (1982-2001). I left Bastyr to become Executive Director of Temple Beth Am (2001-2006), and now am a financial counselor (personal finances, retirement planning, financing college education, and helping divorcing couples negotiate a financial settlement).

I earned M.S. and EdS degrees in Counseling and Personnel Services, and worked at Binghamton University, Albany University, Seattle University and Vassar College. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, primarily involved in Collaborative Divorce.

I’ve been fortunate to work and/or volunteer for organizations with great missions; being an active member in my community is essential. Having worked as a community organizer, I know the value of embracing the organization’s values with which I’ve belonged. PCC continues to serve as a beacon in the retail food industry, especially as a co-op. I look forward to continuing to serve PCC and our members to keep that beacon bright and focused.

Why do you want to serve on the board?

As a 30+ year member I have been actively involved, serving on numerous committees and five terms on the board.

This term on the board has experienced some monumental achievements: taking an active role in I-522 (GMO labeling), opening the new Greenlake Village store (and preparing for opening the Columbia City store), and hiring our first female CEO. Being leaders in natural products brings out competition. PCC needs to continue to grow and prepare for inevitable competition.

Values are the driving force in both my personal and professional life. Natural health, sustainability (environmental and financial), and building community are core issues for me. All three pertain to PCC, and as PCC continues to grow and evolve, I believe my experiences, values, and perspective will help PCC navigate the ever-changing environment.

What makes PCC a different kind of business?

While we must be successful as a business to continue to thrive as a co-op, it is our cooperative values that distinguish us from our “competition,” and makes us better. We stress member education, keep our money in our community, and do so while emphasizing sustainable practices. We actively participate in local and national food policy issues, such as I-522 (GMO labeling).

PCC has been graced with passion, commitment, leadership and loyalty, and we must continue to look out for all of our stakeholders — members, staff, customers, growers and vendors. We’ve created a transformative community and environment where sustainability, doing the right thing, and providing essential education to members, legislators and the community now has impact both locally and nationally.

Adhering to core values such as democratic participation, social responsibility, honesty and education is what helps makes us not just different, but better. We’re not looking to exploit our staff or the environment, or maximize profits to shareholders. PCC has been given a trust by our member/owners to be better than our competition, and to be successful while being true to our values. We must continue to build on these.

What experience, skill or perspective will you bring to the board?

I bring the following attributes to help PCC provide guidance in serving members’ interests:

• Advancing the cause of natural health at Bastyr University for 19+ years.
• As a financial counselor, helping clients find economic value and sustainability with their choices.
• Many years experience utilizing business, financial and communication skills.
• Four decades of involvement with food co-ops.

Sandy Voit (incumbent) video:

Jason Filippini

Statement

Commitment. Experience. Community. These are just some of the key tenets I live by and will bring to the PCC Board of Trustees. Serving as a board member is a convergence of experiences and principles, including an understanding of the co-op commitment, customer experience and goals for success.

As a CPA and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), I have focused on many industries similar to PCC during my career. Whether it was my time at a Fortune 50 public company, at a middle market privately-held entity, or at a public accounting firm leading the audit of PCC, I have gathered a strong base of experience that will be applied to my commitment to the co-op.

I am also a firm believer in giving back to communities. My vast volunteer experience includes a variety of board of director positions over the last 10 years, including Chair and Finance Committee Chair. These leadership roles, combined with my professional and life experience — including being a small lot grower myself — are what guide my personal tenets, community commitment and interest in serving PCC.

Why do you want to serve on the board?

PCC brings a unique attribute to our community. I have seen the positive impact of organic foods and sustainability both personally and throughout our communities. As a regular shopper at the Redmond PCC location, a cultivator of fruit trees and an approximately 1,000 square foot garden, our family is committed to organic foods. Because I experienced the impact that organic foods had on our family health, and because we are active co-op members, I jumped at the chance to be part of the team that is helping PCC navigate the next phase of its success, and advance its mission and values.

What makes PCC a different kind of business?

As the largest member-owned grocery cooperative in the country, PCC operates a dynamic business model, while keeping true to its core mission and values. What sets PCC apart from its competitors is the ability to maintain a strong commitment to community, local growers and sustainability. As a profitable company, this type of operational platform is not common, but it is a critical and important element in expanding the connections within communities that the individual stores, and the company as a whole, serve.

In today’s environment, many organizations would have abandoned or attempted to change in order to meet the demands of high percentage growth. However, PCC stands apart with its model — a success that is reflected in the steady growth the company continues to achieve.

What experience, skill or perspective will you bring to the board?

In previously serving in a leadership capacity on boards, I have experienced first-hand the power of collaboration in order to maintain mission and values. With my cooperative working style and knowledge of industries similar to PCC’s operations and focus, I believe I will bring a well-rounded and fresh perspective to the board. My professional experience as a CPA and CFE have allowed me to study the numbers. There is more to the numbers that communicates a story. That story leads us to responsible decision-making to ensure a commitment to community and sustainability. I look forward to bringing that context to my role as a board member.

Jason Filippini video:

Michael Hutchings

Statement

I am a rarity: a business lawyer with a vision of a world where businesses do more than simply try to make as much profit as they can. I want businesses to pursue social missions too.

My family and I live in Sammamish and for nearly 20 years I have advised Washington businesses in all types of legal matters as well as counseled boards of directors on their fiduciary duties and responsibilities and good corporate governance practices. I have a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Washington and am a member of the board of directors of the Washington State Biomedical and Biotechnology Association. I also serve as chairman of the Corporate Act Revision Committee of the Washington State Bar Association’s Business Law Section. In this role I drafted the nation’s first Social Purpose Corporation statute, which created a new type of corporation allowing Washington businesses specifically to pursue both profitability and a social mission.

Why do you want to serve on the board?

I want to serve on the PCC board because I am passionate about businesses that combine profitability with a broader social purpose or mission and I want to help PCC become the model sustainable business. I believe PCC has the opportunity to capitalize on its mission-driven purpose, its cooperative structure and the increasing public awareness of the benefits of healthy food and sustainable agriculture. I want to help PCC and its members be in a position to affect the nation’s discourse on these ideals, including through a greater ability to donate to sustainability causes and by projecting its mission and ideals to a broader audience. I also want to ensure that as PCC grows it keeps its roots firmly planted in the values and tradition that have made PCC what it is now.

What makes PCC a different kind of business?

PCC is different because it is organized to pursue both profitability and a social mission. PCC’s operation as a traditional business gives it the ability to pursue its mission of creating a sustainable environment for its members and patrons in which the natural and organic supply chains thrive. PCC is also different because it is a consumer cooperative association. This structure presents challenges not faced by most for-profit corporations. For example, in addition to managing PCC’s commercial business, PCC’s board must also focus on members’ needs while still remaining competitive in the market. One of the biggest challenges a consumer cooperative faces as it grows is maintaining sufficient proximity to members while effectively managing a complex organization.

What experience, skill or perspective will you bring to the board?

My legal practice consists of advising boards of directors and management of companies. I work with consumer cooperatives on governance and business issues and believe I can provide valuable insight and experience to the PCC board. I help guide companies to achieve ethical business results and I can use this experience to help PCC’s board and executive team navigate the many ethical, legal, policy and political challenges that PCC and its members face. Perhaps most importantly, I wrote the law that enables Washington businesses to combine profitability with a broader social purpose or mission. This means I will bring to PCC’s board my unique understanding of how PCC can be a successful business while still anchoring its mission so that PCC will not drift away from supporting healthy food and sustainable agriculture over time in favor of additional profitability or some other mission.

Michael Hutchings video: