Tim Sullivan has been announced as Common-Ground Food Co-op‘s Interim General Manager, and as such, has released a statement to owners and the community.
Find the statement below:
Dear Common Ground Food Co-op Owners and Supporters,
Hello, from your new Interim General Manager. I am very happy and excited to be a part of Common Ground and the greater communities of Urbana and Champaign. I am enjoying getting to know both the Co-op and our community. I am amazed by the local food movement we have here and cannot wait to get out and visit some of the many farms we sell product for at Common Ground.
My mission for the next few months here is not just to hold down the fort while the board works to find and hire a great GM, but to use every bit of my energy, knowledge, and resources to ensure the Co-op is in the best possible place for the new GM. You can help! Please ask for me when you are in the store and let me know how you think we are doing. We want to create an amazing food shopping experience for you every time you are in the store. Nothing less will do in today’s competitive environment. Do not hesitate to call or email me with your thoughts.
Here is a little information about me. I grew up working in my dad’s small town grocery store, also worked for an independent supermarket in Fort Collins, Colorado during college, and spent many years as a store director for an employee owned grocery chain. Farmers have always been some of my best friends and when I owned a restaurant operation for 5 years after my retirement, I did everything I coul
d to use local food. One of the more interesting things we did was buy whole hogs from a local organic farmer. Our primary business was wood fired pizzas, and we used the whole hog to make our in-house pepperoni, Canadian bacon, regular bacon, and sausage. It was a great adventure.The last 3 years I have been volunteering. For example, I have lived in a shelter for refugees in El Paso Texas, did development work in Nicaragua, and this summer spent a couple of months in Montana volunteering for a Red Rocks Lakes Wildlife Refuge. I only do volunteer work that I strongly believe in, and the same is true for my work at Common Ground Food Co-op. I think Common Ground is an important part of The Urban Champaign community.
The staff at Common Ground are working hard to improve our Co-op each day, and we are committed to creating a fun and exciting shopping experience. We hope working with our local farmers can be a big part of that experience.
I look forward to visiting with you.
Here are a couple important dates to remember:
August 18: Tomorrow night, Morgan and I will be sampling some amazing beer and wine in the Co-op from 5:30-7:30pm. I hope to meet lots of owners.Sept 1-13: Owner will be able to nominate up to 3 local organizations for Round Up For Good and see the current candidates running for the four open seats in our Board of Directors.
September 14-17: Our Owner Appreciation Days
September 14-21: Owner Elections for Round Up For Good and our Board of Directors
September 21: 7-9pm at the Urbana Civic Center: Our Annual Meeting of Owners Gathering!
It’s great to be here.
Tim Sullivan