BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

POTSDAM — The board of directors of the Potsdam Food Co-op is in the process of changing a few things to address what they called “dire financial difficulties” without cutting staff positions.

In an emailed letter to co-op member owners on Dec. 1, the board said the staff and leadership of the organization are doing several things to immediately respond to the co-op’s economic woes. And, they are calling on membership to step up with several strategies to keep the co-op out of the red.

Requests for additional comment from board members went unanswered at the time of this publication.

“The challenges the Co-op is facing are dire, and they were predicted,” the board writes. “Over five years ago, then General Manager Eric Jesner showed the rising cost of running the business could not be supported by the current store. That is why our expansion is critical, and while we are working to save the Co-op, we are also continuing to determine how to expand the store, leveraging the $1.659 million awarded to the Co-op through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative.”

“In the meantime, our new National Co-op Grocers membership will afford us some time with excellent pricing through our main distributor, UNFI, as well as other management tools we are accessing,” the board said.

The following steps are being taken by the organization, the letter reads:

• The Board and Co-op management are working hard not to cut staff, and decided that no cuts would be made during the holiday season.

• A very dedicated member-owner agreed to work with the Co-op to do an analysis of staff roles to improve efficiency. That member-owner quickly realized it was more important to immediately improve the cash-flow of the Co-op through drastic cuts; not necessarily in staff, but cuts in every possible expense. There is currently a team of six dedicated member-owners working with General Manager Andy Peet to develop the cuts needed as well as some no-cost promotions for the rest of this year to increase cash flow. The overall goal is to save $3,000/week, and the working group has come up with around $2,000/week at this point.

• Staff are finding ways to increase sales, and have already come up with some productive approaches.

• The Board has tasked Andy with getting information on line-of-credit options the Co-op has to improve cash flow through this year.

• Board members voted to forgo their board discount for the next three months as a symbolic move of solidarity and support.”

Co-op members are asked to make the store their first stop for holiday shopping, and pay by cash or check, or put money on account with the co-op to help save some of the more than $1,000 in credit and debit card fees the store pays each month. Members are also asked to volunteer at the store and send in ideas to help by visiting https://potsdamcoop.com/contact-us/ .

“Through the pandemic, the board believed that when we were able to make that expansion/relocation a reality, we would be better placed to work harder on all of those items and have a bigger positive impact on our community. In order to get there, we have to make it through this year,” the co-op board said.