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Please Welcome Greg Prescott, Our Co-op’s New General Manager!

We are thrilled to announce Greg Prescott as the next General Manager of the Middlebury Natural Foods Cooperative. This was a unanimous decision, made by the Board of Directors after a six-month process and a competitive national search. 

Greg began his career in the café at Harvest Co-op in Massachusetts, and he comes to the GM position with comprehensive experience in managing retail grocery operations, and in particular, a career devoted to promoting and selling nourishing, artisanal, and local food. For the last five years, Greg has been our co-op’s first Store Operations Manager. During this time, he has brought innovation and humility to his leadership role. An MNFC colleague noted that:

“Greg is a visionary and sees a bright future where the co-op increasingly benefits the community.”  This colleague further noted: “Greg [has been] innovative in finding ways to move products through the store while at the same time minimizing congestion to maintain social distancing as much as possible. […] Greg is always about rolling up his sleeves and often taking the most undesirable jobs himself.”

In his work at MNFC, Greg has demonstrated a deep commitment to our community, to our Mission and Ends, and to the long-term success of our co-op. Greg pioneered creative, forward-thinking programs such as reusable containers in the salad bar (unfortunately on hiatus due to the pandemic) and reducing plastic water bottles sold in the store—both of which make MNFC stand out not only among retail grocery stores at large but among food co-ops.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Greg’s strategic and calm leadership has been essential in keeping our entire community—MNFC’s staff, member-owners, producers, and shoppers—safe and fed. Greg’s decision-making in the face of supply chain shortages and constantly evolving public health recommendations were described as “bold and thoughtful.”

Greg is devoted to protecting the integrity of MNFC and stewarding the co-op forward during these uncertain times. Member-owners: thank you for entrusting your elected board with this decision as our longtime, beloved leader steps down. 

As always, if you have questions, please reach out to the board at board@middlebury.coop. 

In cooperation, 

The MNFC Board of Directors

Amanda Warren (President), Kate Gridley (Vice President), Lynn Dunton (Treasurer), Ilaria Brancol (Secretary), Erin Buckwalter (Board Development Committee Chair), Nadine Canter-Barnicle (Communications Chair), Esther Thomas (JEDI Committee Chair), Molly Anderson, Ollie Cultrara, Samantha Langevin and Tam Stewart 

We’ve Begun the Search for our Next General Manager!

Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, a community-owned grocery store, is seeking a new leader as our beloved general manager of 28 years retires. Founded in 1976, our store serves an active—and continuously growing—community of nearly 6,000 member-owners, employs over 100 people, and has sales of over $20 million a year. The general manager reports to a local, eleven-member Board of Directors that is elected by the cooperative’s members.  

A college town with a vibrant agricultural community and easy access to the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain, Middlebury offers unique access to recreation, arts, culture, and entertainment. The Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op is a community resource and a destination for purchasing locally produced food.

 Our ideal candidate will have extensive experience in financial and retail management, business planning, building, and leading teams, and will share our strong commitment to cooperative values and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. The salary range is $95,000 to $130,000 with generous benefits.

 If you are excited about this opportunity, you are invited to submit a cover letter and resume to gmsearch@middlebury.coop. In your cover letter, let us know what attracts you to leading a cooperative business.

To view the Job Summary for this position, please click on the following link:  GM Job Summary.

Expansion Update June 2017

Our super team at Naylor & Breen and their subcontractors are doing an amazing job keeping the expansion construction on schedule and within budget, while at the same time helping Co-op staff keep the store open and functioning.   This has become more challenging since we began construction on the east side (near the bagel bakery) to expand the produce department.  We know this has been inconveniencing shoppers, and we are so thankful to all member-owners for keeping our sales numbers up during this time.  We apologize for the challenges in the parking areas, especially when the occasional delivery truck is unloading.  You’ve probably seen our temporary receiving door the east side near the customer parking lot.  This delivery entrance will continue to be in use until construction on the west side of the building is complete.

So, what’s next?  The entire west addition (5,000 square feet of space) is scheduled to be complete by the end of August, ready for staff and customers to begin using.  This will include expanded departments of meat, cheese, deli and grocery.  New equipment will be arriving over the coming months, to be installed over the course of the summer.  It’s all very exciting and staff are thrilled with the expanded backroom (north side) that we are already using.  September and October will be focused on center store changes: adding an extra aisle, and widening all aisles a little, adding extra cash registers, creating new café seating and installing an extra customer bathroom, too!

We understand what a challenge it may be to brave the parking lot and construction noises to visit your Co-op right now, and we appreciate your efforts.  Continuing to shop at the Co-op is THE most important thing members can do to help with this project.  Thank you.  We will work hard to get this part over with as quickly as possible and to welcome you into your new store!

~ Glenn

Find out more about our expansion plans!