Governance
Mission Statement
Our Mission
- We are a member-owned cooperative committed to outstanding customer service.
- We support our community by providing education, healthy food choices, and environmentally friendly products.
Business Structure
Most co-ops today are founded on the principles established by the General Assembly of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) in September of 1995. Simply stated, a cooperative is a business voluntarily owned by the people who use it and operated for the benefit of its members. It is a not-for-profit venture, in that profits are returned to the owners in the form of either yearly refunds or increased equity in their holdings (i.e. the business).
The co-op is democratically controlled through the mechanism of one-member/one-vote. Members vote for a board of directors, who in turn hire and oversee a general manager. From this standpoint, the co-op is run like a business with a normal hierarchy, as it is very difficult to run a successful retail operation as a “collective”, with all “owners” being the boss. But members exert their will through product choices and criticisms, as well as voting for the board members who best reflect their values and vision for the store. This is a slower democratic process that allows for a more business-like pattern of change that ensures the co-op survives financially to continue to serve its members.
Get Elected
Lakewinds’ board consists of usually 6 to 9 members elected by their fellow members to serve 3-year terms. Elections are held every year with approximately one third of the seats up for contention. The number of sitting board members often fluctuates. If a board member cannot finish a term, the seat is left open until the next election. Elections are held in October and winners are announced at our annual Member Meeting. Lakewinds encourages members of our co-op who feel their talents and enthusiasm can add to our success to become a candidate. The call goes out each spring for new board members, and is announced in our June newsletter.
Board of Directors
Mary Chasin
John DePaolis
Sarah Foss
Jane Howard
Katherine Roseth
Joe Wagner
Sharann Watson
Dale Woodbeck
CLICK HERE to send an email to Lakewinds' board of directors.