CreekSide Co-op Groundbreaking a Big Success!

We're On Our Way!

Thanks to everyone who made our Groundbreaking Ceremony such a great success, and thanks even more to all of you, who got us where we are : We own our building, we have started construction, and in a few months, we will have our very own store in the heart of our community. As we move closer to opening, it is time to start the next phase of our ongoing Member Loan program.

CreekSide Co-op Groundbreaking a Big Success!

Close to 200 members and others came out on a damp February afternoon to help celebrate this joyful event. We'd like to thank the local politicians who came out to support us, especially, Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro and Cheltenham Township Commissioner Morton Simon, who both spoke so eloquently, as well as those who also came out to celebrate with us, including State Representative Larry Curry, Montgomery County Commissioner Leslie Richards, and Cheltenham Township commissioners Art Haywood, Drew Sharkey, and Daniel Norris, Kurt Imhof from U.S. Sen. Robert Casey's office and Jamila Hall from the office of State Senator Leanna Washington, as well as Sean McElroy from the USDA. We would also like to thank, both for their help in making this a reality, and also for joining us in this celebration, TRF's Christina Szczepanski, who was joined by Patricia Smith and Sara Vernon Sterman, and from Vantage Point Bank, Marshal Granor, who was joined by Walt Tillman, Tamar Granor, and Bernard Granor.

We would not have been able to put this celebration together without the help of our wonderful volunteers, including Greta Miles, Karen Irgang, Lori Siegal, Robert Graebner, Amy Steffan, Maureen Hicks, Lisa Stockebrande and Will Marchetti, our fabulaous musicians, Ben Laden, Ken Ulansey, and Dave Posmontier. And of course, the 1,400 members who are CreekSide Co-op. Go Co-op!

CreekSide Co-op Seeks General Manager

Are You The Start-up General Manager We Are Looking For?

CreekSide Co-op is a dynamic start-up co-op that is already making headlines in the Philadelphia area.

 So far, we have:

• 1300+ members
• Building purchased
• Building retrofit designed
• Construction plan with a February start
• Broad political and community support
• Successful member loan campaign
• Engaged and talented Board
• Acquisition, construction and equipment financing

But here's what we need:

• By May 1, a General Manager ready to partner with us and lead us to our opening and into our future

With an opening scheduled for September 2012, CreekSide Co-op is already breaking ground with its speed, engagement and heart.  Not even the financial crisis could stop the creation of a vibrant new hub for the business center to Elkins Park, this energetic close-in suburb to Philadelphia that features tree-lined streets and access to the city by regional rail.  We are looking for a caring, creative professional to partner with us in creating something inspiring that runs well from day one. If you have 7-10 years of successfully progressive experience in grocery, natural or specialty quality foods, or food service, preferably in a Co-Operative environment, you could be right for us and we could be right for you. 

We are looking for a General Manager committed to the ideals and values of our co-op, someone who is driven to create an environment of ethics and integrity, customer service, achieving results, planning and organizing and a focus on the community. 

Are you:

• Committed to the ideal of a co-op and the unique value and ways of working that implies?
• Inspired by the challenge of opening a 9,000+ sq. foot newly renovated facility and growing it to a year one sales target of over $5 million and then doubling sales by year four? 
• The systematic thinker that can help us establish and implement the simple processes that enable the staff you hire to deliver for our members? 
• Knowledgeable of the cultural wonders of Philadelphia and our community? Or are you comfortable joining a new community and quickly finding and connecting to its pulse?
• Ready to take on some personal risk and the ambiguity of a start-up, where the promises are few but the potential is huge?

We will offer a competitive salary and benefits package, commensurate with your experience and qualifications.  Relocation assistance might be possible.  If excited and qualified, please send your cover letter and resume to jobs@creekside.coop.

Important Member Meeting Dec. 14!

Make plans if you can to attend the CreekSide Co-op member meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 7:00 pm at the Elkins Park Library. At the meeting, we will be voting on a couple of changes to the co-op's bylaws. These bylaws changes need to be voted on before the end of the year and we need a minimum of 50 members to form a quorum for voting purposes, so please try to get by this meeting on the 14th if only to cast your vote.

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Big News For CreekSide Co-op!

Our community's dream of owning its own grocery store has taken several giant leaps forward!

Permanent Financing

CreekSide Co-op received word this week that the board of Fort Washington-based Vantage Point Bank has committed to providing $3 Million in long-term, USDA guaranteed funding for the purchase, renovation and operation of our co-op market. 
"As chair of the loan committee of Vantage Point Bank (VPB), I am pleased to join in this announcement from the Board of the Creekside Co-op," said Marshal Granor, a member of the bank's board of directors.
"Vantage Point Bank is a small but growing community bank headquartered in Fort Washington.  We are delighted to be a part of the future of the Co-op.  And as a long-time resident of Elkins Park, as well as an early co-op member, I am happy to see new life come to the old Ashbourne Market.," Granor said.
"The Co-op Board and Finance Committee did a tremendous job of providing technical information so that VPB could understand, consider, and grant the loan commitment," he added.
The bank has submitted the necessary paperwork to the USDA and we expect to receive the USDA's formal commitment letter within the next few weeks.
Given the vital role Vantage Point Bank has and will play in funding our efforts and supporting our community, the CreekSide board recommends that members consider Vantage Point when deciding where to place their checking and savings accounts.

Construction Contract

In preparation for our next steps, we also now have a signed contract with Allied Construction of Fort Washington.  Allied is a nationally recognized construction company with major projects throughout the region.  They have been working with us for many months to help design and price the construction for the project.  Allied will perform the renovation work necessary to convert the former grocery store into what will become our 9,000 square foot co-op market.

Next Steps

So, what remains to be done to get the co-op open?  

We are in the process of finalizing an acquisition and construction bridge loan commitment from The Reinvestment Fund, a community investment group based in Center City.  We have been working closely with TRF for almost a year and, now that the permanent financing is in place, expect to finalize a deal with them very soon.  The financing from TRF will be used for the initial acquisition of the property and the construction of the renovations to the building.
 
The final piece of the financing puzzle is our member loan program, through which we need to raise at least $250,000.  This is a requirement of our bank/TRF financing and the project can not move forward without it!  As you will recall, the initial notice of the program was sent some weeks ago and was met with great enthusiasm by the members.  As expected, not every member is able to participate at this time, so we will begin soliciting individual loans for $1,000 or more (which can be shared among multiple members if desired) in the coming weeks.
 
Once all the financing is secured we will purchase the building and begin construction, most likely around the beginning of 2012, with an expected completion by next summer.
 
It's taken three and a half years to get to this point.  What gave the board the strength and determination to realize this achievement was the overwhelming passion this community has had for this project from the beginning.  While challenges and hard work remain, we believe that reaching these milestones means that our most significant unknowns have been resolved and the most daunting doubts about this project are in the past.  We look forward to joining with all of you, our friends, families and neighbors, to bring our co-op market to fruition.

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Mid-Atlantic Conference for Start-up Food Co-ops

Board members Dan Reynolds and Lindsey Rosenberg attended this conference, which was held on April 16 at the Lutheran Theological Seminary on Germantown Avenue here in Philadelphia. Representatives of more than 30 start-up co-ops and food buying clubs attended this first-time event and it turned out to be an amazing day of discovery and camaraderie.

Conference attendees found out that what's happening with our effort here in Elkins Park is being echoed across the country. There are plenty of reasons that one could point to, but the facts are that co-ops are being formed nationally at a rate not seen since the 1970's. In the Philadelphia area alone, co-ops have formed or are springing up in Chester, Kensington, Elkins Park, Doylestown, South Philadelphia and on South 61st Street in Philadelphia. But there were also attendees from upstate New York, New Jersey, Central Pennsylvania, Brooklyn and Queens, just to name a few more locations.

What we've been able to accomplish here with CreekSide raised more than a few eyebrows. It can take 5 to 7 years to start a co-op and the fact that we have enlisted as many members as we have in such a short time really impressed a lot of people.

The sense of shared values at this event was inspiring to those of us who are spending as much time as we are getting this co-op off the ground. And it also served as a reminder of how much spirit there is in this community that is backing our efforts.

A special thanks to our friends and compatriots at Weavers Way here in Philadelphia who put a lot of time and effort into making the start-up conference a tremendous success.

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Successful USDA Appeal

We found out on March 15, 2011 that we were successful in our USDA appeal! Please see the news section of the website to get more detail on the implications.

Fair Food Author Oran Hesterman to Speak in Elkins Park, September 12; Fair Food Book Discussion Group Sept. 6

Creekside Coop is proud to co-sponsor a special public presentation by Oran Hesterman, PhD, on national tour celebrating of the launch of his ground-breaking new book, Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All. 

Come meet the author and hear him discuss some of his practical suggestions for how you can participate in collective action to precipitate big changes in our food system, from your kitchen to your community to your government.

Monday, September 12, 7-9 PM

Congregation Kol Ami, 8201 High School Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027
Free and open to the public
Light refreshments will be provided, RSVP requested ,  (215) 635-3110

About the Author

Dr. Oran B. Hesterman, is president and CEO of Fair Food Network, a national nonprofit working at the intersection of food systems, sustainability and social equity to guarantee access to healthy, fresh and sustainably grown food, especially in underserved communities. For fifteen years he co-led the Integrated Farming Systems and Food and Society Programs for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, during which time the Foundation seeded the local food systems movement with over $200 million. A native of Berkeley, California, and a former professor of agronomy at Michigan State University in East Lansing, he currently lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event

 Co-Sponsored by Hazon CSA Elkins Park, Creekside Coop and TransitionCheltenham Food Action Group

Fair Food Book Discussion Group

The newly released Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustai nable Food System for All is an enlightening and inspiring guide to changing not only what we eat, but how food is grown, packaged, delivered, and sold.  

Creekside Coop is organizing in a book discussion in conjunction with Hazon CSA Elkins Park and the TransitionCheltenham Food Action Group to give members of the three organizations an opportunity to read and discuss the book in advance of the author’s visit to our community on September 12.  You are invited to join others in our community in coming together to engage, share and learn with each other about our current broken food system, and practical ways to begin to reform it.

September 6  7-9 PM at Kol Ami in Elkins Park
Pot Luck vegetarian / dairy dinner 6-7 PM

RSVP to HazonCSA@kolamielkinspark.org  by September 2 if you wish to receive discussion group outline and questions in advance.