Future General Manager Selected

by Keith Dubas, Board Chair

The Board of Open Harvest is pleased to announce the selection of Kelsi Swanson as the next General Manager of the cooperative. She will assume that position on January 1, 2011. Kelsi acted as the Assistant Project Manager for the expansion of Open Harvest. She joined Open Harvest in 2006 and has served as Merchandising Manager since 2007. She has a Business Management degree from Doane College.

Kelsi Swanson will step up as General Manager in 2011.

"I am more than honored to have been selected as the next General Manager of Open Harvest. Growing up as a "Co-op kid" helped foster my values of what a cooperative is and what it stands for, and I am proud to be a part of it. Our current management team and staff are a vital part of how the future of the Co-op will transpire, and I have the utmost faith in them. They are, in my opinion, the most important aspect of the Co-op, because without them and their hard efforts and knowledge, the stellar customer service we are able to offer would not be possible. I feel supported, inspired, and comforted by them. I intend to be a great leader to them and our community."

Last year, the current General Manager Jim Nelson announced his intention to retire from the store on December 31, 2010. The Board formed a search committee shortly after he made his intention known. The committee was made up of four board members and two staff members.

In January, the committee began the selection process with the preparation of a timeline. The process was to extend over several months. In March and April, job postings were placed in newspapers, on our web site, on cooperative listservs, and postcard notices were sent to regional cooperatives. By April 15, using standardized evaluation forms, the committee narrowed the 22 respondents to 4 candidates. Interviews with each of the candidates were scheduled in May. Following the interviews, the committee met and came to consensus on a candidate. At the June Board meeting, the committee forwarded Kelsi's name to the full Board for consideration. An opportunity was offered to the Board and staff to meet with Kelsi for a question and answer session, after which anonymous comments were collected. The search committee reviewed the comments. The Board's final decision was made in support of hiring Kelsi Swanson as the next General Manager of Open Harvest.

The Search Committee thanks all the applicants and particularly thanks the finalists for their patience, time and commitment to the Co-op and its principles.