Board Report

By Marcy Cordes Board President

We are excited to announce that the Board of Directors has hired Lindy Bannister as our new General Manager.

Over the last several months a search committee, comprised of three board members including myself, vice president Fred Grieco, and Jack Stanton, as well as outgoing GM Dan Foley and Human Resources Manager, Sarah Zaug, developed hiring criteria and implemented a thorough process for vetting interested candidates. The committee recruited from the co-op sector, as well as broadening our search to include the conventional grocery sector. While it was important that we find a candidate who understood the mission and current trends of the co-op sector, we also recognized the need for a candidate with demonstrated management expertise, especially in the critical areas of financial management and organizational leadership.

In Lindy, we believe we have found a candidate with the strong operational and organizational background the Wedge needs to continue to thrive. Her background includes a long career in the grocery industry, starting with her work for the Albertson's chain in 1987, where she quickly worked her way into store management in Utah and Arizona. Lindy operated stores in the Phoenix area over the next 8 years and in 1997 trained to become a district manager covering the northern five stores in Arizona. From 1998 to 2003, Lindy moved on to work with the HEB Grocery chain as director of a fullservice store with sales in excess of $1,000,000/week. Then in 2003, she became the managing partner for two hotels in Santa Fe, NM. Lindy has also been involved in many civic and community-sponsored activities, and she was voted Business Person of the Year in 1998 in Kingman, AZ.

Since coming on board in April, Lindy has worked closely with outgoing GM Dan Foley, orienting herself to store operations, as well as diving head on into work with the cooperative community. She brings enthusiasm, energy and leadership abilities that we know will be a great asset to the Wedge management team, and to our overall mission as a natural foods cooperative.

Hiring a General Manager is the most important task of the Board of Directors, and our expectations were high. We feel confident that Lindy will fully meet and exceed those expectations as we continue to navigate the challenges faced by co-ops in an increasingly competitive natural foods environment. Welcome Lindy!