NEW BOARD PRESIDENT ELECTED - MEET MARCY CORDES

The new year brings a few changes to the Board of Directors. We'd like to welcome new Board Member Kiersten Hegna, and look forward to working with her in the coming year.

I've also decided to accept a new challenge, and was elected Board President at our December meeting.

I'm truly honored to be serving in this new role, and look forward in 2004 to focusing on the Wedge's capacity to serve our expanding membership and sales base.

I'm sure I speak for the entire Board and the store staff in thanking outgoing President Candace Dow for her five years of leadership on the Board. During her tenure, Candace approached her role with boundless enthusiasm for the Wedge, and a wholehearted support of the cooperative principles. One of Candace's most important contributions during her tenure was her work to firmly establish an important underlying principle in co-ops - the role of the Board as a strategic, rather than operational, function in the overall cooperative structure. This is an important legacy - maintaining clear roles helps ensure that we continue as a solid and successful business. Candace will of course continue as a Board member, and I personally am pleased that she will continue to be a resource for the rest of the Board, sharing the experience and expertise she has developed during her years of service to the Wedge.

As always, the new year offers time to reflect on our past and plan for our future. As 2003 came to a close, the Wedge was able to celebrate another great year of record-breaking sales and service to members. The Board is looking forward to taking on new challenges in 2004, including a continuation of our long-term planning and Board organizational development efforts. Thriving co-ops take calculated risks to anticipate and meet member and shopper needs.

If we're flourishing, do we need to do anything new? In an increasingly competitive natural foods environment, the answer is yes. Just look at the number of major chain supermarkets and their increasing focus on organics!

In this rapidly changing market, we'll continue to look at ways to improve our store and our services. We need to continue to gather ideas from other co-ops, analyze local and national trends, and most importantly, hear from our members. We've recently conducted a formal survey to obtain feedback on our members' shopping experience and their relationship to the Wedge. The Board plans to continue the survey process, in order to obtain the most specific and reliable data possible on our members' needs and interests. Look for an update on this process in a future Board report. As always, the Board welcomes your input on the products and services you want, and what your concerns are for the future. Please email us at wedge@wedge.coop.