Jesse LaRose, the new Potsdam Food Co-op acting general manager.

Photo used with courtesy.

BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM -- The Potsdam Food Co-op board has appointed an acting general manager to take over from the former manager who died last month.

Jessie LaRose was appointed to the post, effective Monday, Feb. 5. LaRose will take over the spot after former general manager Mark Regni passed away in late January from cancer.

Regni was appointed just last fall to the post. He learned in December that he had metastatic cancer in his spine, a message from the board said, announcing his passing a month later.

LaRose brings some experience to the table, having served as interim general manager from March-September 2023 prior to Regni's appointment.

“In cooperation with the Board of Directors, I (Jessie LaRose) have accepted the position of Acting General Manager," LaRose states in a message to the co-op membership from the board.

"I look forward to serving the Co-op in this capacity and I ask for your continued support and patronage. The Co-op has come a long way thanks to the hard work of many, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us. I have always believed in the Co-op's mission and values and I am committed to being the best leader I can be, to both the Owners and Staff," LaRose said.

LaRose will help see the store through a major expansion at its Elm Street location, funded by $1.659 million in state Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding.