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1.    5.33pm Land Acknowledgement - Ian

Before we get started, we would like to take a moment to reflect on and acknowledge that we are gathered here today on the ancestral, traditional, and occupied lands of Indigenous Peoples including the Akimel O’odham People. This acknowledgment is a small gesture of recognition and respect. Please take a moment to consider the many legacies of violence, displacement, migration, and settlement that bring us together here today.

5:35pm Check-in - Gabe

5:40pm Admin - Gabe

a.       Attendance (Karen, Richard, Domenico, Gabe, Ian; Hanna to join)

b.      Duration (1.5 hour goal)

c.      Minutes (consented to)

d.    Information & Announcements:

1. Gabe to introduce RBI (https://www.rbi.coop/)

   Does co-op creation, familiar with Arizona law

   Gabe invited Kevin Fort to speak at Core Group, Kevin said he would be interested

2. North 32nd interest - No follow up from initial contact

   No response from North 32nd since request to reschedule

3. https://indianacooperativedevelopment.regfox.com/up-coming Up and coming food co-op conference registration is open. $49 Early Bird. Can co-op pay for those who need assistance and are interested? Here is the agenda: http://upandcoming.coop/agenda/#toggle-id-10-closed

   Conference is virtual, starts May 11

   Last year Phoenix Food Co-op had its conference fees covered by FCI, see if offer still stands

   Would Phoenix Food Co-op be willing to cover 1/2 of fees for members?

   Ian: to follow-up with FCI about them covering conference fees. If not, will consider if Phoenix Food Co-op should cover

4. Richard update with Finances ... current account balance of $3,434.87

5. Gabe forwarded all videos from his Sociocracy training to Core Group

e.     Next meeting - 3/16/2021 5:30pm

f.        Agenda confirmation/changes

5:45 Individual updates from each Subcommittee – Coordinators for Each Committee

• Outreach - Meeting on Thursday

  Working on needs assessment survey

  Recruitment post posted yesterday, 6 responses so far, good leads

• Web - Met last week, focused on next co-op test order

  Order pick-up Friday at new warehouse location on 7th Ave & Taylor downtown

  Testing having multiple sources (Domenico bringing in sister's honey farm) for store

• Finance - current account balance of $3,434.87 with the Arizona Cooperative Initiative, Richard provided financial update

  Richard organizing next meeting, reaching out to Alexi

• Governance - met Saturday

  Working on incorporation digest for next steps from visioning, researching hybrid solidarity model

  Working on sociocracy in spring

5:55 Visioning Session Recap - Hanna

• Hanna presents results

  Visioning Session Results

  • Apparent consensus around hybrid

  • 70 percent leaning towards cooperative corporation incorporation structure

  • Vision statements:

    Very cohesive

    Hybrid ownership

    Healthy, sustainable, locally sourced produce

    Empowering community connection

    viable work opportunity

  • Hanna sent results and non-profit/for-profit comparison from Nigel Forrest at ASU to Core Group ahead of meeting

Nonprofit/for-profit comparison

• Questions for Hanna

  • Re: Benefit corporation, as it was one option selected in post-visioning survey

    More flexible, easier incorporating as it is similar to LLC

    Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) understands what it is, in comparison to new cooperative corporation structure

    accountability built into model since entity must serve public benefit (e.g., for-profit business with mission commitment)

    like LLC corporation but care and responsibility built into it

    vs. co-op requires one member, one vote, has very clear structure

    benefit corporation can later become (or not become) a collectively-owned cooperative depending on how bylaws are writtem

Reactions - Group

Getting close to some conclusions — vision, nonprofit/forprofit, ownership

Questions on next steps

It seems possible we can vote on vision

Consensus over hybrid cooperative can guide our research and formation, will take more work as one does not yet exist

Grateful to Hanna for work put in

Decide on vision, cooperative structure and incorporate

Create google form to vote on vision statements

Concern about worker-owned if we don't yet know about requirements of hybrid model

Proposal: take five vision statements and send to group for vote to adopt

discussion over "community-owned", how to implement group feedback

proposal: for vision statement, leave in "community-owned," Domenico to wordsmith and synthesize vision statements into two final options, send to All Group for vote by end of week, Core Group will have feedback by next meeting 3/16

group consents

• Vote on hiring Hanna again to facilitate a working session - Group

  Saving for next time