Your co-op, June 2009

This article was originally published in June 2009

Annual member meeting

People around table at annual mtg

The Scheyers (l-r Vienna, Rick and Cindy Scheyer) were one of the many families who enjoyed the meeting.

The 2009 meeting was a glowing success. Attendance reached yet another record with nearly 375 members joining us at St. Demetrios Hall on April 28.

We got off to a great start with a colorful, seasonal, delicious meal planned by PCC chef Lynne Vea and executed by PCC Fremont’s Blake Caldwell (executive chef), and PCC Edmonds’ Birgitte Antonsen and Alex George (sous chefs). Kudos to Jill Edwards and the terrific meal service team. Special thanks to our vendor partners, Rosie’s Organic Chicken and Fidalgo Bay Coffee, for their generous product donations.

The educational program for this meeting was “Values and Value.” Director of Marketing and Membership Laurie Albrecht talked about the ways PCC supports our mission and the values of our members, highlighting PCC’s community outreach efforts as well as PCC programs that highlight healthful eating, including new Web features.

One of our new Web features is cooking videos hosted by chef Lynne Vea. In the first series, four PCC staff worked with Vea to create a different item from our annual meeting menu. We premiered the videos at the meeting with live commentary from Vea and two of our [former] nutrition educators, Rita Condon and Leika Suzumura. The videos and recipes are posted on our Web site.

Board chair Stephen Tan and CEO Tracy Wolpert reported that our business remains solid, despite the challenges in our current economy. Letters to members from Tan and Wolpert are included in the 2008 annual report, available in stores, as well as on our Web site.
We wrapped up the meeting with campaign statements from our five candidates.

More annual meeting details, including a photo slide show, are available on our member meeting Web page.

Election

The meeting to count ballots for the 2009 election was on May 25, so results were not known in time to be included here. Results are posted now in the stores, co-op office, online, and will be reported in the July issue.

Board meetings

The report on the May 26 board meeting will be published in the July Sound Consumer.
The next board meeting is scheduled for June 30 at the co-op office at 5 p.m. Member comment period is at 7 p.m.

From our two retiring board members

PCC Board member Don Desantis

Retiring PCC Board member Don Desantis

It has been my pleasure and honor to work with many dedicated and wonderful people — board members, staff and co-op members in several terms over the last three decades.
When I first joined PCC we were a small organization — three stores and roughly $12 million in sales. When I returned to the board in 2000 we faced new challenges and competition was fierce. The board had to make tough decisions but we turned the corner and the last six years are a great success story.

I will miss serving on the board but have confidence that PCC will prosper and grow as it has in the past.
— Don DeSantis

Retiring PCC Board member Julie Tempest.

Retiring PCC Board member Julie Tempest.

I want to take a moment to say farewell and thank you for the opportunity to serve you on the PCC Board of Trustees from 2004 to 2009. It truly has been a pleasure to engage with so many of you and to learn what diverse perspectives yet common values our membership holds.

I have appreciated hearing your ideas and vision for the future of PCC. I have the utmost confidence that our devoted members, staff and board will continue to raise the bar for PCC and positively support the organic industry and the health of our communities for many years to come.
— Julie Tempest

Also in this issue

Choosing sustainable and healthy seafood

Choosing seafood that is both sustainable and healthy can be challenging. Is it farmed or wild? Troll-caught or trawled? Alaskan or Chilean? Healthy or toxic? There are so many questions — it’s enough to confuse even the most conscientious consumer.

Genetically modified coffee confrontation brewing in Hawaii

Our morning coffee is brewed from beans grown by 25 million producers in the tropics, primarily in hand-tended backyard plots. On the island of Oahu, Hawaii, biotechnologists from Integrated Coffee Technology Inc. (ICTI) want to change all that.

Public policy report

From time to time, PCC engages in public outreach and policy initiatives as events warrant. Read about some of our recent activities, from PCC staff testifying in Olympia to writing the Obama administration on public policy issues.