- Board
of Director Elections
-
What
is a Cooperative Board?
-
Linking
to Members
-
Contacting Your Board of Directors
-
Board Information
-
Board Meeting Dates
North Farm Board Report September (pdf format)
North
Farm Board Report September (html format)
What
is a Cooperative Board?
The role of the board is best understood by identifying with the word
'govern'. When a body governs, it makes decisions on the behalf of others
for the good of the whole. A cooperative board makes decisions that benefit
the co-op's members.
Members
elect a board because it is unrealistic to have everyone participate in the
decisions necessary to run the cooperative. The board acts as a body. The
board body determines the long-term direction of the cooperative. It also
determines the co-op's mission and vision statements, as well as policies
that direct the cooperative's management in running the business.
Board
members hold this decision-making authority only when they are acting in the
board body; individually, each board member is just like any other member of
the cooperative. The board body is clearly a powerful tool of the
cooperative.
Linking
to Members
One
way a board performs the work of the cooperative is to link to its members.
Board members must find out what members need from the cooperative, and then
report to the members on the success of meeting those needs.
Ways
in which members can contact North Farm board members is by phone, fax,
letter, e-mail, or by attending a board meeting. The board also solicits
input from members by way of surveys and balloting. The board in turn then
communicates to the members through articles in the various newsletters of
the cooperative, letters and phone calls, at chapter meetings and at the
annual General Membership Meeting.
Board
Meetings
Members may also
attend Board Meetings. Upcoming meetings for 2002-2003 include:
Board
of Director Elections
The Board
of Directors election process came to a close at the Business Meeting of the
GMM, held on June 1. Earlier in the day, At-Large board member KJ Jakobson
resigned her position, effective immediately, which made for 3 at-large
seats open. The Warehouse, Midwest, and Big West chapter seats were up for
election as well. Incumbents Peggy James, Wendell Nekoranec and Ian Wylie
all secured their seats for another two year term. Newcomers Eileen Kelsey
and Tom Hill won their elections. Jeff Sadlowski ran from the floor of the
Business Meeting for the newly opened At-Large position, and won. He will
fill the remaining time left from Jakobson's position, one year.
Contacting
your Board of Directors
The
North Farm board has nine members. There are four at-large
representatives that are elected by the entire membership base.
Additionally, four board members are elected by their individual chapter.
One representative from the warehouse completes the makeup of the board.
Please
feel free to contact your board of directors. Do you have a compliment to
pass on? Maybe you have an opinion about equity. Your conversations with
your board can run the gamut from deliveries to customer service to product
policy to the General Membership Meeting. These types of communications
should initially be sent to the member services team at North Farm, as they
will initiate the research necessary to answer your communication, yet it is
also important to contact your board of directors as well. As
a member, you are also the owner of this cooperative. Your input is vital for the board to perform their job accurately and completely.
Chapter
States
Michigan
Chapter
Michigan
Wisconsin Chapter Wisconsin
Midwest Chapter
Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois
Big West Chapter
Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana,
North Dakota,
South Dakota, Wyoming
AT-LARGE
REPRESENTATIVE
Wendell Nekoranec, President
422 Palm St., Rothschild, WI 54474
715-359-0155 wendell@synergythinking.com
MICHIGAN CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVE
Mark
Thomas, Vice President
801 Hazen St., Paw Paw, MI 49079
616-657-7745 x3219 thomasm@msue.msu.edu
WISCONSIN
CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVE
Muhammad Kharbush
E1424 Bootjack Road, Wonewoc, WI 53968
608-985-8307 muhammad@mwt.net
WAREHOUSE
CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVE
Ian Wylie
4921 Spaanem Ave., Madison, WI 53716
608-221-2838 iwylie@mail.chorus.net
BIG
WEST CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVE
Eileen Kelsey
7525 Goeke Road, Pecatonica, IL 61063
815-239-1832 no e-mail
MIDWEST
CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVE
Peggy James
940 Fairview Dr., DeKalb, IL 60115
815-758-8211 baddogs@mail.nibcomp.com
AT-LARGE REPRESENTATIVE
Tom Nesler,
Secretary
10829 S. Turtle Townhall Rd., Beloit, WI 53511
608-365-7898 tomnesler@aol.com
AT-LARGE REPRESENTATIVE
Tom Hill, Treasurer
7740 W. 95th Street, Bloomington, MN 55438
952-943-1573 tomhill51@hotmail.com
AT-LARGE
REPRESENTATIVE
Jeff Sadlowski
2525 W. 47th Ave., Gary, IN 46408
219-884-0983 jlandco@juno.com
Any
other questions can be directed to the board's administrator,
Dottie Dykstra,
dottie@northfarm.com,
608-229-2666.
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