We're Hiring: General Manager Wanted

Company Shops Market is currently seeking a full time professional General Manager to open and operate the Company Shops Market co-op natural foods grocery store, opening in early 2011. Think you know the perfect person for the job? Be sure to tell them about it. It is our intention to fill this position by mid September, 2010. Visit our website for more information: http://companyshopsmarket.coop/working_at_csm.html

Introducing C.E. Pugh and the Development Cooperative:

Company Shops Market hires co-op grocery consultants to assist in opening the store.

(Above: Building committee meets with C.E. Pugh. L-R: Sharon Dent, Bob Hykes, C.E. Pugh, Rusty Holt, and David Williams. )

C.E. Pugh is the Development Team Director of the Development Cooperative (DC), a subsidiary of the National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA) that was created to provide focused development services to individual food co ops, ranging from improving basic operations to assisting stores with openings or expansions. National and regional conventional grocery chains gather their collective experience in business and store development projects over time, and each new project benefits from a cumulative knowledge base. The DC’s aim is to do the same for NCGA member co ops.

Mr Pugh and his team of co-op specialists will help guide us though the complete process of opeing a co-op grocery from the floor lay-out, determining what equipment we need, and purchasing it, to assisting with renovation issues, help us upfit the store, hiring, training, setting up and stocking the store, and getting it opened and up and running. The DC team will work closely with the CSM board, and specifically, the building committee*. CE will use his considerable experience in the grocery start-up business to assist the board in creating our vision of a community-focused grocery that sells locally grown and wholesome foods to local people. We will benefit from his advice and his experience as we make this vision a reality.

*The building committee is: Bill Moser, Bob Hykes, Rusty Holt, David Williams, and Sharon Dent. We meet at least twice a month, and will be meeting weekly as construction begins.

Building Committee Updates:

The building committee is continuing with pre-construction work, working with CE Pugh and the Development Cooperative to finalize the floor plan and get the cut sheet for equipment detailed out.

Cut sheets are equipment manufacturers' data sheets with information on dimensions, utility details, options for the equipment, etc. It is very important to get this information early on so that the construction plans can take the placement and specifications of the equipment into account when determining where drains, outlets, etc. are to be placed and other considerations. So, the first step to starting construction is the floor plan and cut sheets for the equipment.

In-Season Eating

Tips & Recipes for In-Season Eating, by CSM Owner Megan Squire

Sweet Eggplant-Zucchini Salad by Megan Squire

So last week I wrote that it wasn't quite tomato season yet. Well, it is now! Here's something to use up some of those beautiful tomatoes and eggplants we're seeing all over the gardens and farmer's markets now.

This is a twist on the traditional summertime eggplant-zucchini ratatouille (the French version) or caponata (the Italian version). I got the inspiration from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. (Many of you might recognize him from his New York Times articles about food or even from Runner's World magazine bits about fitness nutrition.)

All the veggies in this recipe came from Redbud Farm (at the Elon farmer's market) except the jalapeno and the mint, which came from my very own garden!

Market Ingredients:
1 eggplant, chopped into 1" pieces (rosa bianca eggplant is shown in the picture)
1 yellow zucchini, chopped (not a squash)
1 green zucchini, chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno or other hot pepper, minced very fine
2 tomatoes, chopped (I had extra cherry tomatoes too so I added those)
1 handful of mint leaves, minced

Ingredients from the pantry:
3 TB olive oil, divided
1 tsp cinnamon
1 TB lemon juice
salt and pepper

Method:
1. Heat 2T olive oil over medium heat in a stainless steel skillet. Add the eggplant and sprinkle some salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until eggplant is soft. Remove eggplant from pan into bowl.

2. Add zucchini to hot pan with 1T olive oil. Cook for 2 minutes, then add onion and jalapeno. Cook for a few minutes until onions begin to get soft. Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

3. Add the tomatoes. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Add some salt and pepper and the lemon juice. When everything looks good, add the eggplant back in. Toss in the mint leaves and stir to mix everything. Make sure all the pieces are nice and soft, and that the flavors are mixed throughout.

4. Serve over small toasts (toasted baguette, sliced) or with fresh mozzarella pieces.

The  Numbers:

We have added 15 new owners in the last 2 weeks!

1,700	$601,800
Owners	Community Investment

Preferred Shares

Show your support: Buy preferred shares today
 

Invest in three simple steps:

1. Review the Prospectus carefully.
2. Complete and sign the Subscription Agreement.
3. Mail the signed Subscription Agreement and your check to: Sharon Dent, Company Shops Market, Inc., Post Office Box 848, Burlington, NC 27216.

It’s that simple…. *For more information, visit our Become An Investor page

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Nathan Perry & Sarah Cook
Co-Managers of Communications and Brand Management