Board Member Recruiting for Co-op Expansion Project
The Potsdam Consumer Cooperative (Potsdam Food Co-op) Board of Directors are recruiting new Board Members to lead the Co-op into the future to realize the organization’s next environmentally conscious and sustainable iteration.
This year, The Co-op will move forward on a multi-million-dollar expansion project to transform the organization into a larger marketplace for local and regional agricultural producers. The Board is currently seeking individuals who are willing to serve as volunteers to contribute time, specific knowledge and skillsets in finance, fundraising, and construction management.
The Potsdam Food Co-op expansion project will ensure:
Everyone in our community has reliable access to local, organic, and healthy food
North Country farmers and producers have a stable, honest, and robust marketplace
Customers have a welcoming place to shop, interact, and participate at many levels
Community members have a model of environmentally respectful practices and cooperative ownership
Overarching Purpose: Board members recruited in 2026/2027 will serve as critical community champions for the Potsdam Food Co-op Expansion project and overall governance of the Co-op. Board Members will share their time and expertise in service to the Co-op’s economic sustainability made possible by the expansion of the Co-op to a new, efficient, accessible, and purposefully-built structure.
This role is for you if you're: Self-motivated, proactive, open to change, risk-averse, and able to compromise while also playing well with others in an environment of open and respectful communication. In this role, you’ll also learn how Co-op’s are different from other businesses that are not member-owned and cooperatively managed.
Do you have expertise in growing a business? We need board members with a solid understanding of financial documents and forecasting.
Are you percolating with energy to see a downtown revitalization project completed? We need your communication and interactions with local, state, and private sector stakeholders involved in the build.
Have you done grant writing for state resources? We have successfully secured loans and grants and will continue applying for funding.
Are you available to assist in the management of the construction process and the realization of the Potsdam Co-op as an epicenter for the community and convening point for local growers, producers, makers, and consumers?
We welcome your application for consideration!
The Co-op Board of Directors does not manage the Potsdam Food Co-op store or supervise operations. The Board hires a General Manager (GM) for that purpose and the Board evaluates the performance of the GM. Board members work in close collaboration to ensure the future of The Co-op through the expansion project. Board member candidates should honestly gauge whether there is time in one’s life to support a project of this scope given its importance to the North Country community in providing access to local growers and producers.
What’s ahead for you as a Co-op Board member:
In the coming year, the Potsdam Food Co-op will break ground to build a new 5,440 square foot building with offices, meeting space, and grocery area which will allow the business to double its retail capacity (3,000 square ft) which will allow for a greater range of products. The larger grocery store will feature bulk goods, produce, prepared foods, a deli, a morning breakfast grab-and-go station, and access to the cost-effective buying club that has been valued by Co-op customers for decades. Visit the project expansion page to learn more about the project: www.potsdamcoop.com/expansion.
The new Co-op will have offices, meeting spaces, expanded parking, and be fully accessible and electric, contributing to New York State’s renewable energy and decarbonization goals. Once the new building is complete, a garden and patio area will be created.
The current project plan includes the construction of a new Co-op building behind the current store, allowing store operations to continue during construction of the new building. A flood water catchment area will also be created which will contribute to a more flood-resilient downtown business district. Presently, we plan to leave the Co-op store in its place and will determine future uses for the building when the construction of the new Co-op building is completed.
Aubertine and Currier created a modern building design for the Co-op that has the character of New York’s historic grain and grist mills such as Cold Brook Feed Mill of Herkimer County and the Jeffersonville Grist Mill of Sullivan County, while highlighting elements recognizable in the North Country including a limestone veneer at the foundation and vertical metal siding resembling the agricultural barns found on countless St. Lawrence County farms. The building honors both historic and contemporary agriculture and visually underscores the invaluable mission of the Potsdam Co-op in providing a year-round marketplace for 50+ local growers and producers.
* Board members are voted onto the Board by the Co-op’s existing Owner-Members. Board roles are three-year terms and Board members may serve for a maximum of two terms.
Please get in touch with the Potsdam Food Cooperative Governance Committee potsdamboard@gmail.com and to request a Board Member application. Due by Friday, February (27). Voting for new Board members is: March 2026.
