Kensington Community Food Co-op is excited to welcome Valerie Baker to our team as interim General Manager
Immense appreciation goes to Weavers Way (WW) Food Co-op General Manager Jon Roesser and the whole WW team for allowing Valerie to spend a couple of months moving KCFC towards success as we continue our search for our permanent General Manager. We are so thankful for Valerie’s time and commitment to Philly’s food cooperative movement.
In her role as Assistant Manager at the Chestnut Hill WW store, Valerie worked her way up through a few departments, including bakery and meat. She brings years of grocery and management skills to the table and has already rolled up her sleeves to lead at KCFC. As shared in the January 2017 WW Shuttle, Valerie “attended classes for Baking and Pastry at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. She spent the first seven years of her professional career at The Fresh Market in Horsham, PA, as a meat manager, becoming a certified meat cutter and receiving her ServSafe certification.”
Some of her top priorities for her time at KCFC include:
Expanding KCFC’s Cafe operations
Enhancing the KCFC inventory and product mix through new vendor partners
Improving standard operating procedures and the customer experience
Analyzing product/SKU and making sure the products on the shelves to reflect customers’ needs
Adding more low-cost, conventional products by securing lower prices through ongoing vendor negotiations and new vendor selections
Of the short-term support from Valerie, “I have already been so impressed with Valerie and her ability to see our needs, begin addressing them, and manage the priorities at the store. She is helping us improve our store operations, product mix, and pricing, while bringing her expertise and creative ideas to the table for the betterment of KCFC. She also loves hearing from members and customers on what they want to see at the store. We are so grateful to have her leadership at this crucial time,” said Nadia Schafer, President, KCFC.
From Valerie herself:
“I have already learned so much during my short stint as interim GM for KCFC. The struggles they are facing are the same as every other small urban co-op in the country. There has been overwhelming support from members, National Co+op Grocers, and WW. I strongly believe that with that support and the dedication of the KCFC Board and staff, KCFC has the momentum and vision it needs to not only survive through this tough spot, but to improve and become the success it was meant to be. The potential for this store is enormous.”
A few other fun facts about Valerie:
She has 12 cats—she jokes that she is a “total crazy cat lady”
She went to school for baking and pastry and ended up a butcher —“quite the odd transition” as Valerie notes
She was born in Rhode Island and is the baby of 6 kids. She loves and misses “the ocean and all its inhabitants”.
Next time you stop in for your regular shopping, be sure to say hello and wish Valerie well!
The KCFC Board of Directors continues the search for a permanent General Manager for KCFC to oversee all operations under the guidance of the Board of Directors elected by our member-owners. Please share our job posting with your networks and reach out to the KCFC Board of Directors with any input, questions, or comments regarding the GM search.
