Farewells and Reflections: my past 15 years at the Wedge Co-op

I feel privileged to have served as the manager of the Wedge for 15 years, and I am grateful for all the opportunities that my employment here has afforded me. I am happy to have met and worked with many wonderful people over the years. Truly, hundreds of wonderful people. Working closely with our talented and dedicated management team has given me the opportunity to become a better manager and a better person. We learned and grew together as the evolution of the co-op unfolded, and I feel proud of our accomplishments.

I particularly want to thank the Board of Directors for their trust, confidence, and their willingness to give me the opportunity to lead, guide and shape this organization for so many years. In 1989, I took a chance on a job at the small, struggling store that needed significant work to survive and to revive. The board took a chance on me as a manager with atypical experience -- one who had owned a record store, rental property, and an organic farm. I believe my study of macrobiotics and practice of "alternative&quot psychotherapy may have been why they took a chance on me, and also perhaps how I managed to stay afloat amidst the sea of changes over the years: I was sustained by a belief in the larger sphere of life, and a practice of awareness.

From the beginning, the board of directors was supportive of my leadership and direction. When I explained that we'd be spending more on wages and benefits, because co-ops had to set a higher standard of ethics beginning with their treatment of staff, they accepted my decision. We worked together as a team, always thinking about the next step the co-op could take to serve the membership, increase our professionalism and expertise, and make organic and natural food available to more shoppers. We suspected that we could win people to the co-op model by providing a store that wasn't just a store, but a place where people felt valued.

Although success can be measured by various factors, I believe that we have achieved here at the Wedge the creation of a successful, growing, changing, diverse, and incredibly strong co-operative community. And I am proud to be a part of it. We have developed one of the best co-op stores in the country, with the highest sales of any single member owned co-op natural food store. We have created educational programs, nurtured and supported other co-ops, and worked to bring together co-operatives across the metro area and the nation. And all the human dynamics which work together both to create and to resist change have unfolded in some remarkable ways. I have been able to (and sometimes forced to!) grow and change along with the Wedge, the individuals here, the co-op community and our society.

We never imagined so much growth and change back in 1989. It truly has been phenomenal. We had 28 employees then, and now 240. And the diversity of the staff and the members and shoppers has grown in proportion. At that time we were pretty much all the standard type - long haired, college educated, Birkenstock wearing, granola eating, leftist, vegetarian hippies. Our society as a whole has changed and we have changed to stay in harmony with our environment.

I feel proud that the important things have remained the same. What we do at the Wedge is good work. What could be better than providing organic food, supporting our local economy, creating quality jobs, and building community within a cooperative context? Our mission to serve the members to provide excellent goods and services has allowed us to avoid cheap solutions. We never adopted a "cut expenses" attitude at the expense of quality, because that is ultimately a more expensive way to do business. It has been my philosophy that excellence can be achieved in every arena within a culture dedicated to continual improvement. If we have proven something to the co-operative business model, it is that excellence is also the most direct path to success. I appreciate the labor of love, sweat (and occasional tears) by so many people who have created this community co-op that feeds us and serves us all so well. The board of directors and I cherish the culture we have created together.

Being general manager at the Wedge has been a demanding process, and has taken most of my time and energy these past 15 years. It has been longer and more interesting and more challenging than I ever imagined. I now feel that it is my time to grow and change in ways that are not related to this job. I still have other interests to pursue, other work to do.

In April and May I will be orienting and training in a new general manager, who will carry on our traditions of excellence and cooperation. I am excited about the new possibilities that this change will afford me, and yet am sad to leave the many people that I have worked so closely with for so long.

My heartfelt thanks to the board, the staff, and the members and shoppers for the opportunity of serving this community.

Sincerely,
Dan Foley
General Manager