Welcome Lindy Bannister!

By Elizabeth, Archerd Member Services Director

Our new General Manager, Lindy Bannister, began work in April. Some of you already had a chance to chat with Lindy at the Aisle Two Tea Parties in June and July. I've taken a few questions, since the May Newsletter came out. Most people are simply curious, though a few worried members questioned her "corporate" background. It's time to talk with Lindy about her experience, her philosophy and what she thinks about the Wedge.

Originally hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Lindy worked her way down the West Coast and through the Southwest, landing in Texas. Her three college-age sons currently live on the ranch she owns with her husband. Like our last GM, she has an entrepreneurial history. She owned her first business, a restaurant, at age 25, and her approach to running a business that's part of a large organization is no different from running her own business. "You always take care of the customer," she states firmly. "You build relationships with the staff. Customers, staff and the community are all family. It gets real easy when we all understand that we're all in it together."

Lindy hit the ground running. Her own description of her first month here was that a "fire-hose of information&qout; was turned on her. Just as the intensity was reduced, we sent her to the Consumer Co-op Management Association 2005 meeting in Santa Fe, so she could have the experience again, this time learning about the national organizations in the co-op scene. Despite her exclamations of near exhaustion from it all, she appears energized.

She is particularly excited about learning the organic food industry, which she sees as the future of food, and the co-op world. She expresses excitement about our customers being the ultimate owners, as it fits so well with her personal business philosophy. Working for people who view us as the exper ts, who only sell the best, is another enticement. &qout;This is a hugely successful business," she notes, "and I don't see that changing. We'll only make changes that make it easier for customers to shop and easier for staff to do their job of serving customers."

Little changes have already impressed staff members. The institutionalized monthly, two-hour management meeting was replaced by a daily 30 minute briefing, to which assistant managers and shift leads are invited. This helps us keep up with the daily goings on in other departments. Regular communication increases our ability to help each other out. By inviting staff other than department managers, more perspectives are present. The meetings involve plenty of laughter, a great way to start the workday.

Because of her commitment to community involvement, we can expect that as she gets to know us, Lindy will look for more ways to get the Wedge involved with local organizations to provide support for the kinds of ventures valued by Wedge members. She's very interested in supporting research and infor mation about the ways nutrition can prevent diseases such as cancer. Lindy understands the connections between food, health and community in her own life, so coming to work for a natural food co-op seems like a natural next step in her career.

Beginning in October, expec