Common Ground Board Blog

As proud as I am of what we as a co-op have accomplished (I still go to revel at the new store almost daily), it's important to keep looking forward and working to meet the challenges of the years to come.

Besides, Jacqueline and her staff are working like crazy to make this shiny new store function smoothly, and sipping a beer on the sidelines while they toil would be more than a little insensitive...

If I had to come up with a theme for the next year, it would be identity. As board members, we're charged with representing our members and their values as we examine issues and plan for the future. That means we need to have a strong connection to who are members are and what they care about.

That's challenging for any board, but in our case, the last three weeks have seen our membership grow by 18%. That's over three hundred new members, and counting, in three weeks. That's wonderful. It means new faces, new equity, new ideas, and a bigger community of people who believe in what we do. It's beyond what we hoped for, and it means we're doing something right!

It also means that the board needs to help facilitate our sense of shared identity and values. What do our new members want? How have the interests of older members evolved over the years, and through our transition to our new space? For an organization, as in our personal lives, in order to get what we want we have to know ourselves.

That process never ends. It was work along those lines that led us through the strategic visioning process in 2005, which was the foundation for the changes that brought us to where we are today. This topic can sound corporate (strategic!), hokey (vision!), and dull (meetings!) But when you get down to it, it's too crucial to neglect, and more fun that you might guess.

So over the coming months you can expect to see the elements of this work taking shape, from a member survey, to focus groups, and through a strategic visioning event this coming spring. I hope we'll have many people taking part in this process. But there's an even more active way to get involved:

We will have three empty seats on our board, and it's critical that we find new board members that have a passion for our mission and a desire to work to further it. Serving on the board is a wonderful way to help your community and to learn about how organizations like the co-op tick.

The qualifications for a board member are very simple. We need people who can communicate (and listen!) well, who plan to be around a while (board terms are two years), who can attend a monthly meeting, and who have a desire to think, discuss, and write about issues important to the co-op. These are things like cooperative values, food security, food justice, local farms, environmental practices, fair trade, etc. As a board we work to educate ourselves, both on these issues as well as how to be good board members, for example on areas of governance, leadership, and accountability. People become good board members by being board members! Again, it's an ongoing process. And no one is born an expert at it.

If you're interested, ask a staff member at the store for an application packet, which includes much more information on how the board works. Applications are due by October 1st. We'll have a forum to meet the candidates in the store during that following weekend of our grand opening, and elections will run in the store the week after that.

Thanks for your continued support and interest in Common Ground!

Peace,
-Clint Popetz
Common Ground Board Chair

One week before Common Ground moved to its new location in Lincoln Square, there was another, much smaller-scale relocation: I—(Katrina Bromann, your Board secretary)—moved three hours to the north, back to my hometown of Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Lots of doors have opened for me, and I can’t be happier. I finished my MS in Library and Information Science this past December, and I’m doing student teaching right now in a middle school library. In eight weeks I’ll move on to another school and get my feet wet with the elementary set. Slowly but surely, I’m getting used to having students call me Miss Bromann.

I’m having a harder time getting used to not being in Urbana anymore. I miss my walking routes, my neighbors, my favorite hang-out places; I miss going to the co-op every day. Ok, maybe every other day… but I was there a lot, for Board business or just to grab a snack. Common Ground was like a home base for me, and I’m sure it’s that way for a lot of people.

Moving away means more than having to find a new place to shop. It means saying goodbye to my role on the Board of Directors. There couldn’t be a more exciting time to be on the Board, and I know I’m going to miss being a part of that team. Being on the Board meant being conscious about food decisions and taking an active role in educating the community about food issues. It meant crafting policies that would guide the future of Common Ground. It meant privileged time spent working with fellow co-op leaders, who I admire greatly for their dedication to Common Ground. It meant monthly meetings that doubled as potlucks with delicious food. It meant keeping a finger on the pulse of the community and being connected. It meant trying my best to lead and grow Common Ground in new and positive directions.

I was able to visit last weekend and see Common Ground at Lincoln Square—I was overwhelmed with emotion when I walked in the front doors and saw how fresh and vibrant the store looks. I plan on coming to visit a bunch more times, but I won’t be able to continue on the Board. I challenge you to pick up where I left off—join the Board, and assume leadership for our beautiful new store. We’re at a fantastic place right now, and it can only get better.

I won’t say goodbye, since who knows where the future goes. See you around!

In Cooperation,
Katrina

(Lincoln Square Village, that is. I needed a catchy title.)

There's always this moment before a big work party when I hold my breath and think "Will anyone show up?" And then (most of the time) people start pouring in, and I switch to "can we find something for everyone to do?"

The latter is a much better feeling than the former, and much more common at Common Ground!

Waves of people having been turning out to help with this final push to get the store ready. It's been wonderful to witness, and I feel more certain than ever that our little store is on the right path. Everyone's excited, working together, learning new skills, and getting things done.

Sitting around at 9pm last night eating pizza with those remaining after a night's work setting up shelves, moving pallets, breaking down cardboard, cleaning and filling bulk bins, and caulking the ceiling, I am reminded of how strong our community is, and how special it is to be a part of it.

And like a group of stand-up comedians after a great laugh, we can only say "Thanks a lot! We'll be here all week!"

So please come out and join us again tonight, anytime from 5-9pm. It's a lot of fun, food is provided, and we need a lot of help to get this done.

And to all those that have helped so far: Thank you!

Peace,
-Clint

P.S. Thanks to Daniel Uhlig for the stunning photo from Tuesday's work night.

The relocation is proceeding (beautifully! hectically! stressfully! gloriously!) We're in the midst of making co-op history, and we want to be sure we don't forget how historic this is, and how many people came together to make it happen. So there are two things we'd like you to do.

The first is to send us a photo! We'd like to make a photo collage of people who've in any way helped with this relocation, from digging holes to building walls, making loans and donations, doing demolition work, buying equity, telling their friends about the co-op, carrying boxes, etc. Don't be shy! Send your digital photos to Meagan at meagan@commonground.coop, or drop prints off at the store. We'll also be taking pictures at opening day. We want a beautiful collection to help us all remember this move and the people involved.

We've also set up a local (to Urbana) phone number: (217) 689-4223. We'd like you to call that number and leave a message (or many messages) describing what you love about Common Ground, why you are excited about the move, what good food and community and cooperation means to you, or just anything that comes to mind. We'll take those voices and make an audio collage, which will be available on the website and in the store.

Please help us capture who we are, visually and aurally! 17 days to go!

Thanks,
-Clint
CGFC Board Chair