From the General Manager's Desk
By Emile Amarotico
Over the years, the General Manager and Management Team have considered the benefit of adding a store manager role to our organizational structure. Store managers are dedicated to the day to day coordination of retail operations. In this increasingly competitive market, where retail execution, achievement of financial goals, and the customer experience are so crucial to success, most of our food cooperative peers have found tremendous value in having a store manager. Of our 10 single store peers with greater than $18M in annual sales, ours is the only one to not employ a store manager.
In the decade from 2004 to 2013, Ashland Food Co-op nearly doubled sales from $15.1M in to $28.6M. Over the last four years, sales growth has been cooling as a result of new and improved competition exacerbated by our own capacity constraints. Thus arises a simultaneous need to enhance operational performance and to pursue strategies to meet the future needs of the Co-op. And, at our present scale our management structure with the General Manager directly supervising 11 department managers dilutes our capacity to drive retail excellence while advancing organizational and strategic initiatives with priority and urgency.
Consequently, at its January meeting, the Board approved adding a Store Manager this year. While we are conducting a national search, we are already blessed with several strong and tenured internal candidates. If you know of someone who can lead a team of experienced managers using a collaborative participatory process to advance the Co-op’s legacy as the region’s premier organically certified and cooperatively owned retailer, please make them aware of this rare opportunity! Click here to view the Store Manager job opening.
More Co-op News
November Change for Good Partner: Southern Oregon Climate Action Now
November Change for Good Partner: Southern Oregon Climate Action Now
November's Change for Good Partner is
October Change for Good Partner: AFC Gives Community Fund
October's Change for Good Partner is
September Change for Good Partner: Center for NonProfit Legal Services
September's Change for Good Partner is
Center for NonProfit Legal Services
The Center for NonProfit Legal Services has provided free/low-cost civil legal assistance to low-income persons and seniors residing in Jackson County since 1972.
August Change for Good Partner: Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center
August's Change for Good Partner is
Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center
(KS Wild)
KS Wild's mission is to protect and restore wild nature in the Klamath-Siskiyou region of southwest Oregon and northwest California.
July Change for Good Partner: Southern Oregon Land Conservancy
July's Change for Good Partner is
Southern Oregon Land Conservancy
Protecting and enhancing precious land in the Rogue River region
to benefit our human and natural communities since 1978
Meet the 1st Street Beet
Welcome to the newly redesigned and reimagined newsletter from the Ashland Food Co-op: 1st Street Beet.
Think of this publication as a resource to know what’s going on in every level of the community: at the co-op, around town, in the region, and on Earth!
June Change for Good Recipient: Our Family Farms
June's Change for Good Recipient is
Our Family Farms, an Oregon 501(c)3 non profit organization, is hard at work educating and inspiring farmers, policy makers and the community at large to support regenerative agricultural practices.
Capiche Conversations: Interview with Tracy Kaiser, Marketing & Education Manager of Ashland Food Co-op
Our own marketing manager, Tracy Kaiser, was interviewed by Melissa L. Michaels for Capiche Conversations.
May Day Community Block Party
Photography by Chelsea Whitney Art
On May 1st, several Southern Oregon businesses came together for a block party to provide a space to gather as a community after a rough spell due to the pandemic and fires. The May Day Block Party was hosted on Main St in Phoenix, where the scent of food trucks mingled with artisan goods such as local cheeses, locally farmed flowers, and even fresh-baked pastries.
May Change for Good Recipient: Rogue Valley Farm to School
May's Change for Good Recipient is
Rogue Valley Farm to School educates children about our food system through hands-on farm and garden programs, and by increasing local foods in school meals.
April Change for Good Recipient: Pollinator Project Rogue Valley
April's Change for Good Recipient is
A Visit with Rolling Hills
Visit Rolling Hills Farm and learn more about owner Dave Belzberg, who the Ashland Food Co-op is so honored to partner with for more than thirty five years.