Board Corner

Vision:

Inspiring people and communities to enjoy a healthy and sustainable future.

Mission:

We are a member owned food cooperative committed to outstanding service to our members, patrons and the greater community, leading the way with education, healthy food choices and sustainable products.

Dale Woodbeck, General Manager
Dale has served as a Board member since 2005 and Treasurer since 2006. He also has a vast experience growing businesses. After a career working for others, including seven years managing a multi-store retail operation, Dale became his own boss when he started a successful manufacturing company. He remained at the helm until selling the business to a competitor. Since then, Dale has invested his considerable talents in a variety of concerns (in addition to Lakewinds), serving on the Three Rivers Park District Board of Commissioners since 2006 and the Minnesota Institute on Sustainable Agriculture Board since 2009.

Dale’s business acumen, service to inspiring communities to enjoy a healthy, sustainable future and long-term commitment to Lakewinds makes him the perfect choice to lead our cooperative to a bright future.

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

CLICK HERE to email the board.

	Cheryl Ahlcrona (serving since 2010) Cheryl has over 30 years of Information Technology experience including project management, education/training, and customer relationship management. The last 12 years were spent working with large global companies, specifically on their implementation of SAP software. Cheryl lives in Eden Prairie with her husband Carl Floren. Their two sons were both married this summer and live within the Twin Cities area.

	Karen Couné (serving since 2010) Karen is a retired consumer foods home economist with experience in packaged food test kitchens (domestic and international), cookbook publication, food styling, product licensing, recipe contest management, consumer affairs, and innovation. She and her husband Kirk, a retired environmental scientist, live in Shorewood.

	John DePaolis (serving since 2006), Vice President John has been building brands for over 20 years, including 10 years with organic food. He spends his days making it easier for people to eat organic food at Country Choice Organic. Evenings are spent attending kid sports events, tending a vegetable garden and singing in his church choir (season dependent). John lives in Shorewood with Wendy and their three children.

	Doug Engen (serving since 2008), Board President Doug has experience as a senior manager and controller in international locations with a food processing company, has worked as a CPA at an auditing firm, and currently is retired and occasionally consultants. He lives with his wife Debrah in Minnetonka. His four children reside outside of Minnesota.

	Caroline Hermes (serving since 2009) Caroline has over 20 years of Project Management and Information Technologies experience - specifically in the areas of management, Six Sigma, global systems deployment, and software licensing. She has worked primarily in the manufacturing business. Caroline lives in Eden Prairie with her husband and two sons.

	Fred Ladner (serving since 2009) Fred is an attorney specializing in financial transactions. He represents financial institutions and local companies in negotiating and documenting various types of loans, acquisitions and real estate matters. Fred lives in Deephaven with his wife, Caden.

	Joseph Wagner (serving since 2006), Board Treasurer Joe has 30 years of experience in banking and finance. He is currently working as a consultant in international trade finance to companies in South America and Asia. Joe lives with his wife Jan in Deephaven. They have two sons, the youngest is a freshman in college and the oldest is attending graduate school at the University of North Dakota.

	Taiha Wagner (serving since 2010) Taiha has been a nurse since 1989 and is in private practice in Eden Prairie. She works with her patients in reversing chronic illness and weight gain through nutrition and lifestyle medicine. Taiha is also passionate about how diet impacts behavior and learning in children. She lives in Eden Prairie with her husband, Jim, and their three children.

	Masha Yevzelman (serving since 2010), Board Secretary Masha is a tax attorney at a large law firm in Minneapolis. She represents individual and corporate clients from a variety of industries in tax disputes against the State of Minnesota and the IRS. Masha and her husband Alex live in Chanhassen with their 18-month old son.

Board Meetings

The board conducts meetings the fourth Monday of every month (except December) at 6:30 p.m. in the Minnetonka classroom. These meetings are open to current Lakewinds’ members, however, a one-week prior notification must be given to the board president. You can send your notification to board@lakewinds.com. Please include your name and member number.

Board Minutes

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