General Managers' Report    -  September 25, 2008

• We've been looking for some creative ways to spend our projected end of year surplus in order to decrease our taxable income, and here's a few of the things that we've come up with:  a new, stainless steel sausage maker for our Sausage Artist, 4 half-hour segments on the local cable access station where we will air video coverage of our Eating Healthy on a Budget series, and new flooring for the Deli kitchen.  Rumor has it that the Enviro committee is getting an estimate on new double-paned windows for the front of the store.
• In the spirit of saving energy, we also decided to raise the thermostat for our air conditioning by one degree, which should still provide us with ample cooling power to create a pleasant store environment in the hot summer while also allowing us to conserve some electricity (you'll see this also as an addition to the Business Plan.)
• In the Education Department, we have lots of exciting things happening:  we're developing a series of Eating Healthy on a Budget workshops to be kicked off on Sunday, Oct. 5 with “One Potato, Two Potato.”  We'll talk about how to properly store potatoes, as well as discuss and enjoy a variety of main course potato recipes.  The series will continue quarterly with “Soups” in January, and the other two yet to be determined.  We'll be partnering with SAD 34 to do a series of cooking classes with K-5 graders at the Nickerson School in Swanville throughout this school year.  We're also working with the Chamber of Commerce to develop a series of wellness programs for our community.  It feels really great to be considered a “resource” in our community that lots of other organizations want to work with.
• National Co-op Month is coming up in October.  We talked the new editor of the Republican Journal into doing a series of columns spotlighting who we are and some of the projects we are working on.  Our goal is to get more mainstream media exposure in order to pique the interests of community members who are not shopping here.  Stay tuned.
• Summer Bonuses were distributed this past week, to a very grateful staff.  Thanks for your approval!
• Erica is gearing up to present the supervisory training that she and Kimalee developed for our Department Managers to our Floor Managing staff over the coming fall and winter months. The goal is to provide more tools and discussion time for these staff members whose primary responsibility is for providing support, coaching, training, and leadership on a daily basis to the majority of our staff.
• As soon as we passed the Labor Day mark, business in the store dropped right off.  It's always a difficult transition to go from 60 to zero overnight, as even though most of us are feeling absolutely spent by our summer season, our adrenaline is still pumping and we don't really know where to direct our energy; things just seem so boring in September.  Anyone know of any resources where we can find support for businesses that function in a seasonal economy?
• In National News, you may have noticed that the FDA is now permitting the irradiation of lettuce and spinach in order to destroy potential food-borne pathogens such as e. coli.  Groups that oppose the radiation of our food supply claim that irradiated food is depleted of vital nutrients during the treatment process.  While Organic Standards prohibit the use of radiation as a food additive, there's a movement afoot instigated by some Organic Agribusinesses for the National Organic Standards Board to reconsider these rules.  For more information and to take action, visit Food and Water Watch at www.foodandwaterwatch.org.
• Our end of fiscal year inventory will take place this coming Sunday, September 28th from 2pm until we are done counting.  Anyone willing to come and lend a hand?  The store will be closed from 2 o'clock on so please plan your shopping for that day accordingly.