PCC Board of Trustees report, August 2016

This article was originally published in August 2016

June Board Meeting

The board met on June 28. The board heard a brief report from the Board Development Committee and approved its four standing committee rosters and task force appointments for 2016 – 2017:

  • Board Development: Bruce Williams (chair), Sandy Voit, Michael Hutchings, Elin Smith
  • CEO Evaluation: Julianne Lamsek (chair), Maggie Lucas, Bruce Williams, Michael Hutchings
  • Finance: Carol Binder (chair), Sandy Voit, Alice Cho Snyder, Tania DePue
  • Member Relations: Maggie Lucas (chair), Carol Binder, Alice Cho Snyder, Tania DePue
  • Bylaws Implementation Task Force: Maggie Lucas (chair), Michael Hutchings
  • Branding Task Force: Michael Hutchings (chair), Carol Binder, Elin Smith

The board reviewed trustees’ roles as fiduciaries. This session was led by Michael Hutchings, PCC board member, and partner with DLA Piper global law firm. He covered trustees’ duties (care, disclosure, loyalty), conflicts of interest, confidentiality, rights and protections. He also discussed the broader base of ethical responsibility that PCC has beyond financial responsibilities due to PCC’s triple bottom line.

We will report on the July board meeting in the September Sound Consumer.

Board of Trustees and Leadership Team Retreat

Photos from Board of Trustees and Leadership Team retreat

Left: (l-r) Board member Elin Smith, Nominating Committee member Janet Hietter, board member Maggie Lucas. Middle: (l-r) Board members Michael Hutchings, Sandy Voit. Right: (l-r) Store Director Celeste Coxen, board member Alice Cho Snyder.

The board and PCC leadership team held a retreat on June 29. The Delaney Duke Group facilitated and it focused on what success looks like for PCC, going into the future, in order to establish a foundation for strategic planning and direction.

2016 CCMA

Board member Sandy Voit and PCC leadership team members Darrell Vannoy, Heather Snavely and Elizabeth Pontefract attended the annual Consumer Cooperative Management Association (CCMA) conference in Western Massachusetts in mid-June.

This year the conference focused on “Disrupting the Future: Cooperative Food and the Next Generation.” There were more than 400 attendees and 30 sessions covering a wide range of topics, including board strengths, cooperative leadership, building alignment for success, co-op growth and funding models, social media techniques and regional collaboration for greater impact.

Next Board Meeting

The next board meeting is scheduled for September 27 at 4:30 p.m. at the new PCC office located at 3131 Elliott Avenue, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98121. Please email us at board@pccmarkets.com if you are planning to attend.

Contact the Board

Email us at board@pccmarkets.com.

Also in this issue

Letters to the editor, August 2016

Recycling vs. composting, Sound Consumer archives, Organic is key to help feed the world, and more

What does "natural" mean?

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration asked the public to weigh in on how the term "natural" should be defined and used on food labels—or whether the agency should regulate the use of the term at all. Here's an excerpt of PCC's comments.

Will carrageenan remain in organic food?

Carrageenan, a thickener used in many foods, is considered a "synthetic substance" due to its extraction process. It must be reviewed by the National Organic Standards Board every five years. Research demonstrates carrageenan's role in inflammation, colitis, cancer and diabetes.