On Tuesday July 5, Chicago Market hosted a Coffee & Conversation session at Sulzer Library, to talk with Owners and supporters about our site selection criteria, process and progress toward the goal of opening our co-op store doors.

We announced the session via June newsletter and social media – out of 44 RSVPs about 25 folks were able to join several members of our Board of Directors and Site Selection team. We also invited two partners of our newly-hired architectural firm, Wrap Architecture (see upcoming July newsletter for this exciting announcement!) to observe and learn about our co-operative community by seeing us in action.

Here's a report for those who were unable to join us. It was a terrific chance to talk transparently about our team’s progress and what we’ve learned, but also a great opportunity for the Board and Site teams to hear directly from other Owners. We came away with shared community energy, some new volunteers, and some great input about how to continue to share information during this phase of our co-op’s development, when so much is happening and everyone’s engagement and patience are needed for us to co-operate our way to success!

-- Karen Jacobs, Chicago Market Owner #43, board member

Here's a quick update on what our Chicago Market teams have been doing this past week:

Here's a quick update on what our Chicago Market teams have been doing this past week:

We know our Owners are enthusiastic, smart, values-driven and eager to see the Chicago Market community continue to grow. We all want to get our dream grocery store open as soon as we can. What's a great way to help make that happen? Be part of our board leadership! 

The Board of Directors of Chicago Market has five seats up for election and we'd love to see you run.  Co-ops are all about collaborative decision-making and participation. If you're an Owner, one of your benefits is an opportunity to lead Chicago Market by serving on our board, helping to guide our mission, strategies and projects. If you're not an Owner but want to participate, this is a great time to join up and pitch in.

There are five open seats on the Chicago Market Board of Directors. Three incumbent Chicago Market board members are running so we'll be adding at least two new faces to the Board. Interested people will be asked to submit a statement, up to 500 words, in support of their candidacy on or before July 22. Voting will begin at our Owner's meeting on August 28, and be conducted electronically.

You can ask questions and get more information about running for the Board by reaching out to [email protected] to talk to a current board member.  

At this phase in our development, we are a "working board," so along with monthly team meetings, you should expect to take on some project leadership and to spend about 10-15 hours a week of work (of course, it varies). You can also expect to work closely with and learn from some smart, passionate, energized people. And you'll have the pride of knowing you've been part of an amazing team dedicated to bringing our co-op grocery store into reality for Chicago. 

We especially encourage those folks who might help us better represent the socioeconomic and ethnic diversity of our neighborhoods to consider joining the Board at this time; as well as those with experience and skills in finance, development or marketing.

Whether you've had a leadership role before or not, if you're an Owner with ideas and commitment to seeing Chicago Market succeed, please talk to us and consider running. And, if you know someone else who you think would make a great Board candidate -- drop us a line and let us know at [email protected] so we can reach out to them.

Here's a quick update on what our Chicago Market teams have been doing this past week:

Public Board Meeting Minutes for 6/22/16

Here's a quick update on what our Chicago Market teams have been doing this past week:

Here's a quick update on what our Chicago Market teams have been doing this past week:

Chicago Market Board Meeting
5/25/16
Beermiscuous
Present: Mike, Grant, Jen, Anthony, Emily, Karen, Tony, Malcolm, Linn, Dan, Heather, Lance, Mark
Absent: Kelly and Esther
No guests

Here's a quick update on what our Chicago Market teams have been doing this past week: