Hillsdale Natural Grocery
A Member-Owned Co-operative since 1971
31 N. Broad Street,  Hillsdale, MI 49242
  Phone (517) 439-1397

Seniors (65+) always receive a 5% discount

Open to the Public

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Steering Committee Meeting
Minutes for May 25, 2001

The meeting was called to order at 7:15 pm.

Present:  Carolyn, Susan, Suzanne, Pauline, Rhonda, Eleanor, Lori Boyd, Linda, Ruby and Ken, Richard, and guest, Pete Bildner.

 Absent:  Walt

OLD BUSINESS

• The freezer investigation has been handed over to the city of Hillsdale. 
• They returned it to us without a timeline, so we will discuss it at the June meeting.
• An apology was sent to Joe Schwarz for the newspaper ad.
• $309 was raised by HNG for Crop Walk 2001.
• All Grabber bars were passed out at Relay for Life.

NEW BUSINESS

• Carolyn will get a member list to call for bagging.

• Pauline, Suzanne, and Pete Bildner worked out a plan regarding Pauline's raises.  Beginning July 1, 2001 her pay will increase by $1 per hour; from $12 to $13/hour.  We also discussed Pauline's vacation time.  She wrote a check for 40 hours for her week off.  She still has 13 hours of additional overtime.

• Richard is handling the entry form for the Fourth of July parade.  We need a driver and a bell ringer for the float.

• Based on the books, accountant Pete Bildner advised setting aside $600 for Pauline for the first half of the year. The discussion on moving to the Hawkins Building followed.  A list of pros and cons were presented.  Pros on our present location include:  we know the costs, and there's a possibility of expanding next door.  Cons: not enough space and poor visibility.  Pros on the Hawkins Building include:  more space, inexpensive rent at $1200 per month.  Cons:  moving costs, parking, higher utilities and rent, and no recycling dumpster. We would also need to consider how long HNG would be closed for the move and how much revenue would be lost, in addition to acquiring a month of dual cost of rent at the old and new location.
  
  The next step in the process would be to hire an attorney for the lease.  The goal for either location is to increase sales and offer more products.
  
  Present HNG has $18000 in savings.  Pete said that if we moved and kept the same profit margin, we could still make it due to our savings.
  
  With the new location and its larger space, we would also need to keep two employees on the floor at all times.  HNG would also need more shelving to fill the new location.  However, HNG could also keep the dry goods storage upstairs in the air-conditioning, thus alleviating many trips to the current basement storage.
  
  Pete's opinion was, "no matter which location we decide on HNG must increase sales.  There is a risk in either choice."  "Think of where we want HNG to be in 10 years:  The key is increased revenue."
  
  Richard made a motion to enter into the next step of the moving procedure, i.e. negotiating a lease.  Susan seconded the motion.  Discussion on the motion immediately followed.  Board members were nervous about the expense involved and depleting the savings just for the move.  Parking is also a concern, since AA takes up much of the parking space in the area during the early afternoon hours.  The 'feel' of the building is also a concern; how much would we have to spend to get it the way we want it?
  
  The Board members voted unanimously to defeat the motion

The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 pm.  The next meeting is June 25, 2001.

Respectfully submitted,

Susan Rathmell

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