Chicago Market Board Meeting, 4/26/17
At Emily's house
Present: Grant, Anthony, Greg, Mike, Heather, Linn, Emily, Dan, Karen, Jen, Kelly, Bill
Guests: Dana, Audrey

Notes: Heather

For the last year, Chicago Market has been in the process of searching for the perfect site. We've worked with our real estate broker, commissioned a market study and visited tons of sites around the city. We're pursuing a few of these sites, but we've been unable to talk about them publicly.

Until now.

Chicago Market is proud to announce that we, in collaboration with Alderman Cappleman's office and community leaders, are applying to be part of the new Wilson Red Line stop.

The gorgeous Beaux-Arts-style Wilson Station (aka the Gerber Building) was designed by architect Arthur U. Gerber in 1907, and was considered to be the hub to the north side's renowned entertainment district during the Jazz Age. Now, as part of a $203 million CTA restoration which moves the train station across the street, we are ready to take advantage of this one-time-opportunity to make this historic blue-speckled terra cotta building Chicago Market's potential home.

If we are chosen, and we are doing everything we can to make sure we are, the CTA tells us that the building will be ready for build-out by January 2018. Our goal is to have our financing, design and construction teams in place to begin right away.

How Can I Help?
If you've been waiting to become an Owner of Chicago Market, now is the time. Our store is poised to become a reality, and we need to be able to show as much community support as possible. We have over 900 Owners - but we're going to need 1500 in order to make this project a reality. Want to bring amazing, sustainable, locally-sourced food to a neighborhood near you? Join us today.

The easiest way to help RIGHT NOW? We're putting together a petition of support to show the CTA how many people want a great, locally-owned grocery store to open in this space. Please sign it.

Join us April 29 at our Spring Co-op Pop-Up for tomato seedlings, great local food shopping, and stop by our Wilson information table to learn more. 

Or, stop by Dovetail Brewery on May 2 for our Ownership Info Session - we'll talk about Ownership and the co-op in general and will also speak to this exciting bid for the Wilson location. 

And read about us in the Tribune!

We've all been waiting a long time for this news. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

 Owner #490 Lee Herman brings almost four decades of skills in information technology to Chicago Market, and we are so lucky to have him. Lee started coming to Chicago Market Board meetings nearly a year ago and quickly signed on as a fully engaged volunteer. Here are some of the reasons he's committed to building this community co-op:

Why did you start volunteering with Chicago Market?

I was looking for a way to help get Chicago Market off the ground but I'm not in a position to make the sustained commitment of being a Board member. I was attending a Board meeting when there was discussion of some web-related topic. It became clear there was some frustration at lack of progress in making some changes to the site, since the same people doing that work were on the Board and had other things that took priority. As a longtime IT professional, it looked like I could make a contribution. 

What is your background, professionally?

Almost 40 years as an IT professional in operational, programming, system administration and leadership positions in a variety of companies and industries. Currently I'm a Senior Technical Architect and Consultant for SAS Institute, Inc., an industry-leading Big Data and Analytics software company. 

What work have you done with the co-op so far?

I'm now the Chicago Market Webmaster, working to improve our website for a better user experience, make it easier to show more information and change it quickly to keep present and prospective owners informed and plugged in to the latest happenings. 

You attend many of the monthly Board meetings. What's your sense of Chicago Market's progress so far?

It was an education to me to discover the complexity of starting a grocery co-op at this scale: a genuine alternative to other groceries with the scope and selection to be your primary shopping destination. As a former owner of a small leather shop, I already knew there was a lot to starting up a business. The Chicago Market Board has done an amazing job of pulling together all the financial, organizational, legal and business aspects needed to launch. Site selection has been the biggest challenge, to find the right combination of location and space, but there are dedicated efforts by the Site Team with Aldermen, developers and realtors and I know we'll get there. 

What do you wish you could tell other people about Chicago Market?

When I lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico, I did 99% of our grocery shopping at Mountainview Market, a 40-year-old grocery co-op. While I love Chicago, one of the things I miss most is having a nearby co-op to shop at. People who have not shopped regularly at a co-op grocery literally don't know what they are missing. For anyone committed to healthy eating and improving the experience of living in Chicago, joining Chicago Market is an investment in your home city and your future health. It will be amazing! Join now to help make it become a reality! 

What else would you like to add?

There are opportunities to help in many ways. Joining is the first way and payment plans are available to spread out the $250 ownership fee. Volunteers are always needed, whether for an ongoing role or just from time to time. Chicago Market is a community and the members are a great bunch of people to be around and work with. I feel like I'm at home with this group.

We love Lee, and all our terrific volunteers! And there are so many different ways to get involved - email us to learn more!

Master Gardener Bob Zeni will be bringing his heirloom tomato seedlings to Chicago Market's Spring Co-op Pop-Up on Saturday, April 29.

All seedlings are home-grown, without pesticides, herbicides or growth treatments. They are 24" tall and ready to transplant into your home garden!

We all know heirlooms offer taste, texture and color that's just not available from traditional grocery stores or big-ag farms.

Check out the wonderful variety Bob will have available for sale: Amana Orange, Amish Gold, Amish Paste, Arkansas Marvel, Arkansas Traveler, Armenian, Basinga, Black Cherry, Black Ethiopian, Black Krim, Black Zebra, Blondkopfchen, Box Car Willie, Brandywine, Brimmer, Chadwick Cherry, Cherokee Purple, COPIA, Dixie Golden Giant, Giant Red Oxheart, Green Grape, Green Zebra, Gregori's Altai, Hillbilly, Indigo Apple, Italian Tree, Lemony, Lollipop, Merrill Schulz, Minibel, Mortgage Lifter, Pink Ping Pong, Principe Borghese, Pruden’s Purple, San Marzano Redorta, Thessalonoiki, Tula Black, Watermelon Beefsteak, Yellow Marble, Yellow Pear.

And if you want to learn more about Bob, check out last April's Chicago Market newsletter.

Chicago Market is truly a vibrant, knowledgeable community.

So, as part of the co-op's Health & Wellness theme, Chicago Market hosted a Knowledge Swap earlier this month at the beautiful Women's Health Center of Swedish Covenant Hospital. The idea behind the event was two-fold: to provide an opportunity for Chicago Market Owners to share their passions with the community and to learn several new health & wellness-related skills. 

We were inspired by a TED Talk by Simon Sinek on "your why," which helped us revisit why bringing a food co-op to the north side is so important to so many people.

As we progressed, we realized there are themes we've always recognized as the core of a co-op community, but not been declarative in writing about. For example, from the beginning we've identified ourselves as an honest food community, focused on local and sustainable -- but what about  Ownership, the idea that we are all responsible for the success and health of our community business? How do we acknowledge other strategic values, such as relationships, accountability, and even the joy we feel in sharing connection and food experiences with one another?

An Evolved Strategic Foundation and its practical implications

Over and over, we've heard from volunteers and Owners that their personal reasons for joining Chicago Market are grounded in building and connecting with a community first and foremost -- and that having access to local, sustainable food is an important  shared idea we advocate and work toward, together. So, we took the opportunity to fine-tune our mission/vision to incorporate our vales and to put a finer, more declarative point on our purpose:  We are building a better food community. This is what we're aiming for, what unites us and gives us shape as an organization.

A small team worked to refine and document these ideas into an evolved Mission, Purpose, Vision and Values Statement. The statement was recently presented to the full Board, and adopted. It's an evolution, not a revolution of the Mission and Vision established in our early foundation.

Here's the full statement: Chicago Market's Mission and Purpose, Vision and Values.

Like our Purchasing Values, this core strategic foundation drives our actions, behavior and practical decision-making as an organization. For instance, it will guide the policy governance we provide to our General Manager; will guide hiring criteria for employees; and will inspire and prioritize store architecture, design and features.

Conclusion: Powered by Our Owners

We believe that Chicago Market is more than just a grocery store. We are a powerful community made up of passionate and diverse members who share a connection with each other, our culture and our food. We are building something special together, and like any business, it's taking hard work to get there but we believe the result and rewards make it worth such a huge effort!

We welcome your thoughts and as importantly, your engagement. We hope you'll join us at future Board meetings, get involved in committees, volunteer on projects or at events, or talk to your own friends and neighbors about joining Chicago Market. This important strategic work has inspired our teams, and we have a lot in store to help us grow in 2017. A co-op's timeline and success are dependent on Ownership growth, site selection and funding coming together in tandem. Your participation will make our better food community a reality:  local, sustainable and yours.

Note: Many thanks to Jen Vest (Owner #532), Linn Austin (Owner #633), Lizzy Appleby (Owner # 518) and Mark Ahlheim (Owner #172) for their leadership and contributions, as well as Board President and Owner #3 Grant Kessler for planning the offsite that kicked off this process.

Adopted by Chicago Market's Board of Directors, February 2017. Click here for background on this important strategic work.

MISSION AND PURPOSE

We are building a better food community. Powered by our Owners, we create and strengthen local food connections that are honest, accessible, educational and inspiring. We are a cooperative grocery store -- but more than that, we're a gathering place and vibrant community resource.

VISION

A better food community -- local, sustainable, connected.

TAGLINE

Local. Sustainable. Yours.

VALUES

We value: Relationships, Ownership, Sustainability, Accountability and Joy.

Relationships. Relationships are the core of our food community. We cultivate partnerships and community among our Owners, shoppers, vendors, local businesses and organizations, chefs, restaurants, our city and our neighborhood. Further, we regard our farmers, manufacturers, producers and employees as valued members of our community.

Ownership. Democratically led by our Owners, Chicago Market's success depends on the participation of each member of our community through Board and committee work, volunteer engagement, participating in the annual Owners meeting and electing our Board. Founded on and operating by the core cooperative values and principles, we provide our community voice to build a democratic and equitable food community that has the power to change the local food landscape.

Sustainability. We support and promote sustainable agriculture: careful resource use and environmental and economic sustainability. We incorporate these principles in everything we do, including our Purchasing Values, store design and operations. We want to make buying decisions that are both sustainable for the co-op but also for the suppliers and employees with whom we work.

Accountability. Chicago Market is accountable to our Owners, employees, vendors, community and environment. We commit to fair labor standards, honest and financially responsible business practices, transparent communication and continual improvement based on our community's feedback. We provide transparent information about who produced your food and how it was produced, so you can decide what you feed yourself and your family.

Joy. We share a passion for connecting with others over food that makes us feel great. Our facilities, events and programs inpsire and educate; they celebrate and incubate local food producers and new ideas. Chicago Market is a joyous place to shop and work, and gather in community.

We're celebrating health and wellness all this month with good-for-you events that fit with the vision of your community-focused grocery store.