Your Board of Directors
Your food and art co-op currently is governed by a Board of Directors who are elected by the member-owners. According to our bylaws (Article III, Section 1), we must have “no less than five (5) and no more than nine (9)” members. Board directorship is an excellent way to represent the member-owners and to participate in building a successful cooperative venture.
Each year at our May Annual Meeting, we elect board members. We seek people who have passion and are willing to donate their “time, treasure and talent” to get our co-op to the next stage.
Board directorship is an excellent way to participate in creating a successful cooperative venture. If you are interested in serving, or know someone who would benefit the co-op by serving, please download the application here. Please return to Hunter Grosse (huntergrosse@gmail.com).
Expectations: The term of office is three years. Attendance at the monthly board meeting is expected. We currently meet at 5:30 pm on the third Wednesday of the month. Board members also are expected to serve on one committee.
Our current board members are:
- Hunter Grosse, President: “I’ve been shopping at co-ops since 2007 when I first discovered them while attending college in Moscow, Idaho. My background is with small retail as well as being a small business owner since 2013. Upon moving to St. Joseph in 2017, I became a member and have been doing my best to support the Minnesota Street Market since. My goals as board president are to ensure the financial viability of co-op, expand the number of affordable foods offered to ensure that all community members can meet their basic needs at the co-op, and to increase community engagement. Having moved to the region recently, I would also like to continue learning about regional agriculture and all that Minnesota has to offer.” Elected in 2021 for a 3 year term ending in 2024
- Derik Weldon, Vice President: A physician, working as a neuroradiologist and medical director of the Center for Diagnostic Imaging in Sartell, Derik has lived in St. Joseph since 2015. His first experience with co-ops and the value that they bring to their communities was in Iowa City, where we lived from 2003-2008. The New Pioneer Co-op is an Iowa City treasure — from the garden plots it rents, to the locally grown food it sells and teaches people to cook, to the sense of community one feels when shopping there. Derik is excited to help the Minnesota Street Market continue to grow as a treasure for the St. Joseph community: “We have such a close connection to the land in this part of the Minnesota. As a member of the board, and drawing also on my medical and public health backgrounds, I am excited to show how our local food, grown/raised and cooked healthfully, can make a real difference in people’s lives. The long-term economic viability of the Minnesota Street Market is of concern to me, and I would like to devote some of my time while on the board to that area.” Derik brings a unique business perspective to the Market, and is particularly interested in collaborating with other local businesses in St. Joseph and the surrounding area. Elected in 2021 for a 3 year term ending in 2024
- Gary Bechtold, Treasurer: I appreciate how the Market connects local producers and artists with the broader St. Joseph community. Using my experience running 2 small businesses for over 20 years, I’m most excited about helping the Market develop a business plan that ensures long-term sustainability and viability in the community and allows it to reach more customers. Elected in 2022 for a 3 year term ending in 2025
- Stacey Titus Rauch, Secretary: I am excited at the opportunity to get more involved at the co-op! The Minnesota Street Market was one of the first local spots I got excited about after moving here 7 years ago. The community experience, historical charm and hard-to-find products have kept me coming back time after time. After ending a year stint as a produce worker at the co-op this fall, I’m anxious to be involved once again, this time bringing my administrative skills to the table.
I’m currently working Human Resources at CSB/SJU and previously managed the Milk & Honey Ciders taproom its first three years of operation. I especially enjoy eliminating inefficiencies and creating organizational systems that maximize everyone’s time and efforts. In my free time I enjoy biking, hiking and traveling with my husband, two children, and short legged dog Millie. Elected in 2022 for a 3 year term ending in 2025
- Kathy Doyle: Has lived in the Collegeville and St. Joseph area all her life and has been a homeowner in St. Joseph since 2000. She works as the bookkeeper at Forest Mushrooms, one of our co-op producers. She became a member of the co-op about a year and a half ago, inspired by Barbara Kingsolver’s book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” about local foods. She writes: “I joined just in time for the renovation and repainting last year, and thoroughly enjoyed the community spirit I discovered while volunteering for that project with other members. I am excited about the direction St. Joseph is heading, with lots of local business and activity downtown. And I’m proud to be the source of one of Pia’s favorite slogans: ‘Food tastes better when you know the person who grew it.’ It’s true! And that’s why I want to contribute whatever I can to help the Market succeed and grow.” Elected in 2021 for a 3 year term ending in 2024
- Megan McNair: Has lived in St. Joseph for 20 years. She enjoys being outside and active in her community. She’s served on the Good Earth Co-op Board of Directors and is on the Collegeville Township Planning Committee. “I strongly believe in the Cooperative Principles,” she says, “so active participation is important to me. I am excited to assist the Minnesota Street Market in continuing to be a viable place for people to shop for sustainably grown, organic, local food and mercantile items. It is important to me that we support the best practices possible for our people and our environment.”
- Elected in 2023 for a 3 year term ending in 2026
- Addison Fraze: I am a first-year environmental studies and political science major at the College of Saint Benedict. I am a firm believer in activism and the idea that if you want to see change you need to do something to create it. I believe that it is very important to expose people to the idea of sustainable agriculture and fair trade because to see a better tomorrow means changing social normalcies today. If given the opportunity, I hope to work to teach people about the importance of buying locally. I think that the best way to do this is to expose younger generations to the excitement of producing their own food whether that be raising it or growing it. Elected in 2022 for a 3 year term ending in 2025
- Sienna Cherrico: Elected in 2023 for a 3 year term ending in 2026
- Nick Mertens: Nicholas J. Mertens is a Minnesota native from the Twin Cities, currently studying Environmental Studies and Political Science at CSB + SJU. In addition to his studies, Nicholas is heavily involved with the Climate Justice Club, and College Democrats and is co-principal trombone for Wind Ensemble. Nicholas enjoys spending time playing Golf, playing Clash Royale on his phone, and engaging in sustainable conversation wherever he goes. Further, he can make a mean batch of cookies when the weather is JUST right! He is studying abroad in Istanbul, Türkiye; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Nassau, The Bahamas; Perth, Australia; and potentially moving to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia after graduation. Nonetheless, Nicholas LOVES working with the MN Street Market to create not only a sustainable grocery store in St. Joe, but interact with the best community anywhere in Minnesota. Elected in 2023 for a 3 year term ending in 2026
Past board members are: Judy Purman, Sue Alexander, Mark Bjorke, Andy Dirksen, Mary Ellenbecker Johnson, Rita DeZurik, Mary Niedenfuer, Jeff Engholm, Anna Mercedes, Lisa Lindgren, Ellie McCann, Jared Smith, Jami Trenam, Chris Bernard, Hope Klocker, Alex Chocholousek, Curtis Weinrich, Myra Schrup, Rhonda Goldstone, Geoffrey Tabakin, Marcia Allard, Kris Vonnegut, John Merkle, Terri Johnson, Elissa Brown, Pia Lopez, Grant Stromgren, Danee Voss, Jim Degiovanni, Patricia Weishaar, Ray Sjogren, Rachel Brodeur, Joe Degiovanni, Betsy Ruckman
Minnesota Street Market 