1. Present
Board Members Present:Gerard Adams, Tom Cary, Danielle Cenci, Nathan Creswick, Paul DeLeeuw, Georgia Monroe, Tara Simmons, and Elizabeth Listello
Others Present: Kolene Allen
2. Organizational Business
Kolene Allen was nominated and added to the voting ballot of the Board of Directors, along with Gerard Adams, Tom Cary, Danielle Cenci, Nathan Creswick, Paul DeLeeuw, Georgia Monroe, Tara Simmons, Gail Philbin, and Elizabeth Listello. Everyone present voted. Voted in board members were Gerard Adams (3 yr term), Kolene Allen (2 yr term), Tom Cary (3 yr term), Danielle Cenci (2 yr term), Nathan Creswick (3 yr term), Paul DeLeeuw (1 yr term), Georgia Monroe (1 yr term), Tara Simmons (2 yr term), and Elizabeth Listello (1 yr term). Gail Philbin was nominated President Emeritus and Special Advisor to the Board.
It was then proposed that officers would be:
Gerard Adams, President
Elizabeth Listello, Vice President of Users
Nathan Creswick, Vice President of Producers
Tara Simmons, Treasurer
Kolene Allen, Secretary
Paul DeLeeuw, Chief Information Officer
Motion to approve officers. Motion seconded. Motion carried.
3. Insurance
Tom had concerns about the exclusion clause in section 5B of the Board of Director's insurance policy. Gerard will get clarification and report his findings at the next meeting.
4. Conducting Board Business Online
The board committed to doing minor business online between quarterly board meetings. These meetings would be treated exactly the same as physical meetings as far as the number of votes required to pass a decision. The secretary will initiate meetings. Paul will begin work on setting up this process in an organized fashion.
5. Sub-committees
The Board decided on the creation of 4 sub-committees: Marketing (which would encompass education and outreach), Membership (to include volunteer coordination as well as recruiting new members and volunteers), Vision (to plan for future growth), and Product (to evaluate producers and their products, and any problems that arise). It was suggested that we begin forming these committees and further define their roles at the next meeting. All members who are interested in joining a subcommittee will be encourage to attend the next meeting.
Motion to approve. Motion seconded. Motion carried.
6. Producer Issues
Producer applications: The Board evaluated two producer applications for Betty's Soap Company and Contreras Coffee.
Motion to approve both applications. Motion seconded. Motion carried.
Grand Central Market: Gerard Adams reported on an opportunity to work with Jason Wheeler of Grand Central Market. Jason expressed an interest in purchasing Co-op products for his store. The board discussed how to handle commercial opportunities and the positive impact of having our goods more visible. Gerard will be gathering more information and reporting at the next Special Meeting.
Product Subcommittee: Once this subcommittee is in place, they will be dealing with all non urgent producer issues.
7. Financial Report
Tara Simmons presented the Co-op's Profit & Loss statement for Jan-Dec 2007.
Tara Simmons suggested we move the Co-op finances into a Money Market account with Fifth / Third Bank.
Motion to approve Money Market account. Motion seconded. Motion carried.
8. Planning for the Future
Tom Cary presented reports on his and Nathan Creswick's research on future growth, including membership and storage infrastructures.
Motion to review and discuss reports at the next quarterly meeting. Motion seconded. Motion carried.
9. Website
Paul DeLeeuw announced that he is going to automate the sign-up procedure so that anyone can join the co-op directly from the website. They will no longer need to wait for an email invitation.
10 Marketing-Programming
Tara Simmons requested that she get approximately 500 Co-op brochures to hand out at the downtown Grand Rapids Public Library's Earth Day presentation on April 19, as well as T-shirts and bags to sell.
11 Next Meeting
The next board meeting was announced as May 28. Tara Simmons proposed we email each other to schedule the next Special Meeting to be held in the next few weeks.
Motion to schedule Special Meeting via email. Motion seconded. Motion carried.
MEETING ADJOURNED AT 8:50 PM