Cooperator in Chief Dan Arnett Cooperator in Chief Hello, Cooperators! Central Co-op has entered a new era as both a multi-store operator and a solidarity co-op – what an incredible achievement! Our conversion to a solidarity cooperative consisting of two classes of membership is the first such move in the history of National Co-op Grocers’ member co-ops. Our merger from the former Central and Tacoma Food Co-ops is also a landmark event as such moves have been very rare for U.S. food cooperatives. With historically high voter turnout and an overwhelming supermajority of ‘yes’ votes at both of the cooperatives now merged as Central Co-op, our community has spoken clearly and powerfully about our direction into the future. Our operation as a multi-store co-op has many implications. For those primarily utilizing our 6th Ave. store in Tacoma, you are already seeing the benefit of lower prices on the shelf through Co+op Deals and our Central Basics program , in addition to our general price lowering. We are able to accomplish this while improving financial forecasts due to our new scale and our ability to leverage supply relationships with the support of our cooperative of co-ops, National Co-op Grocers. Further, staff members at the site have seen substantial increases in base pay and the addition of a robust benefit package. For those shopping our 16th & Madison store in Seattle, you can expect the same great service you have come to enjoy going forward – plus you can expect to see some new items from regional producers now linked to us through the 6th Ave. store. All members will have access to our Owner Discount Days for an newly extended period of nine days per ODD this coming year as well as new Wellness Weekends with incredible savings on items in our Wellness Departments. As the year goes forward, expect to see some changes at both sites. The 16th and Madison store will see work beginning on a remodel project with our landlord and management teams collaborating to refresh our building envelope and parking area. At the 6th Ave. store, rebranding will move ahead, new register systems we be installed that are superior for both workers and customers, and we will prepare for more substantial investments to ensure that area residents have access to the types of services offered at our larger site. During the next few years we will work to invest in all of our sites to better adapt to the market and to more fully express our identity and values. The switch to a solidarity co-op is truly momentous. Workers have a unique role in expressing our cooperative character. Workers also have the greatest level of exposure to the outcomes of decisions made by the cooperative. The healthful and visionary responses to these conditions in our new solidarity model will harness the power of each class’s perspective for the benefit of all while better promoting our values of selfresponsibility, equity, solidarity, democracy, social responsibility, and openness. Our recent vote represents a rare and special member decision within the food cooperative system. While a first thought to those unfamiliar with our new model is concern about factions forming or conflict defining our future, the solidarity cooperatives in existence do not seem prone to these issues. At Weaver Street Market in North Carolina, the model has worked very well since the founding of that cooperative in 1988. We can see wider use of the solidarity model in Canada, Spain, and Italy with great success. While partisanship might be expected by some, the reality of solidarity co-ops is much more likely to be shaped by increased perspective fueling decisions and culture. If we truly believed that people would only operate as self-interested actors or, by extension, factions, why would we ever expect any form of cooperative to function? If we instead believe that cooperation is itself a potential baseline of behavior given the right context, we have little to fear in being a solidarity model based business. If nothing else, history has shown this to be the norm for cooperatives like ours – and real world experience must surely trump cursory speculation. Our members seem by their voting to have well understood this difference and are embracing the internal and external new normal. Increased motivation and morale coupled with better performances at the individual and company levels is the expected outcome of increasing the voice and stake in the co-op for workers. That means everyone wins. Another outcome of the recent election has been our adoption of a revitalized set of Cooperative Principles. These are detailed in the Board Note of this issue of the Register. Operationally, these will provide stronger guidance in our work over time, and, as a cooperative manager, educator, director, trustee, and holder of multiple memberships, I believe the Central Cooperative Principles to be authentic and richly cooperative in their nature. The combination of increased focus on sustainability through worker and ecosystem treatment and our greatly increased acknowledgement of the needs of cooperatives as enterprises is both balanced and powerful. On another note, we have been collaborating with Pinchot University to create a new graduate program in cooperative management. It launched this January as the first program to offer a graduate certificate in cooperative management in the United States. There is very little emphasis on cooperatives in most business schools and other educational institutions. The dearth of educational opportunities for those seeking a career in cooperative business has undoubtedly reduced the potency of the cooperative movement and the competitive positions of co-ops. Having such a fantastic effort right in our backyard to bolster cooperative education and our regional cooperative ability to nurture Principle 5 – Education, Training, and Information - is truly auspicious. Thank you, Pinchot University, for taking this bold step! We are entering 2016 as an innovative, growing cooperative suited for the 21st century. It is an honor to be part of the evolution of this cooperative with the nearly 16,000 members that actively participate in Central Co-op. Thank you to all of the members and stakeholders that continue to support our efforts to build a better world through cooperative enterprise. In cooperation and gratitude, Dan Arnett Cooperator in Chief 4 Central Register Winter 2016 5