Meet the Abundance Board of Directors
The Abundance Board of Directors is what makes Abundance Food Co-op a democratic form of business.
The Board is made up of shareholders who are elected by fellow shareholders to represent their interests.
Term limits, regular meetings, and other conditions outlining how the Board works can be found in the Abundance Food Co-op By-laws.
The vision for the co-op outlining it’s purpose is contained in the Abundance Food Co-op Global Ends Policy.
OUR NEXT BOARD MEETING:
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
6:30 – 8:30 PM via ZOOM
OUR MISSION
The Abundance Food Co-op exists to provide safe, healthful, nutritious food and other products at a reasonable price to the Rochester community.
We strive to operate our business in a manner which supports a sustainable food system, sound ecological practices, responsible corporate practices, and just employment procedures.
We strive to be a community center which provides reliable food, education, and extraordinary customer service benefiting our shareholders, our shoppers, our neighborhood, and the whole community.
Meet the Board of Directors
Max Gianniny
President
Term: 2021-2023
Committees: Linkage
Max is a Rochester native currently working in real estate. He became interested in Abundance because of an interest in both healthy food and cooperative ownership. During his tenure he worked closely with the move to the new store on South ave and with the hiring of our current GM. He believes we have only begun to realize the potential of the new store and looks forward to helping guide the co-op to become a staple of the South wedge and known across the city.
Melinda McAuliff
Vice President
Term: Appointed
Committee: Linkage (Chair)
Melinda started shopping the co-op when it opened in her Southwedge neighborhood in 2017. Since then her relationship blossomed from shopper to employee to Shareholder. As an employee/Shareholder, she developed a passion for the co-op model and the role Abundance plays in our local community. She is excited to continue evolving that relationship as a member of the Board of Directors and contribute to the store’s continued growth and community impact.
Cate Concannon
Secretary
Term: 2021-2023
Committee: Governance/Development (Chair)
Cate Concannon is a shareholder who began shopping at Abundance when she moved to the neighborhood in 2017. She joined to Board because she believes in being an active member of the community in which she lives. She was a manager of a Farmers’ Market for six years, which gave her a real appreciation of eating local. She and her husband David enjoy growing some of their own food in their garden. She works as a clinical trial coordinator at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
Ken Rich
Treasurer
Term: Appointed
Committee: Governance/Linkage
Ken Rich loves cooking and eating real food, and the Co-op has been his main supplier since 1976. He has worked in natural food dining and baking, but currently is an IT guy at a small, local company. You may recognize his name from the Ken’s Kookery column, which he unsuccessfully tried to write anonymously, published The Rutabaga Rap. He was on the board of the Heartwork Institute, is a member of Rochester Contemporary Art Center, and has run the Old Forge Marathon and similar crazinesses.
Philippa Proudfoot
Term: 2019-2022
Committee: Linkage
Philippa Proudfoot has been involved with Abundance Coop since its beginning and shopped at the old Genesee Coop Foodstore in the 1970’s. She served on the Abundance board of directors from around 2009 to 2013, early in the search for a new location. She lives in Rochester and is a clinical social worker in private practice.
Krystian Opalinski
Term: 2022-2024
Committee: Governance (Chair)
Krystian Opalinski works as an attorney at the Monroe County Public Defender‘s office, and has been shopping at the Co-op since he moved to Rochester in 2014. He joined the board because he believes engaging with the community where one lives is extremely important. He enjoys spending his time outdoors as much as possible whether it’s working in his garden or hiking in the Adirondacks.
Kay Colner
Term: 2022-2024
Committee: TBD
Kay has seen the possibility and potential in well-developed co-ops and looks forward to being a part of growing Abundance to its fullest potential. She is passionate about quality and bringing locally sourced quality food to urban markets like Abundance, nurturing the community, its economy, and the people at the heart of it. As a healthcare professional, she will bring a commitment to teamwork, customer service, and leadership to the Board of Directors.
Tara LoCastro
Term: 2022-2024
Committee: Development
Tara is a business advisor with over 20 years of general management and business operations experience.
Find Us:
571 South Avenue
Rochester NY, 14620
Call us at 585-454-2667
Our Hours:
Monday: 8AM - 8PM
Tuesday: 8AM - 8PM
Wednesday: 8AM - 8PM
Thursday: 8AM - 8PM
Friday: 8AM - 8PM
Saturday: 8AM - 8PM
Sunday: 8AM - 8PM
