Great Barrington — The Berkshire Co-op Market has named Zack Sheppard, the Co-op’s current Operations Manager, as interim General Manager. Sheppard will assume the position at the end of May, when long-time General Manager Art Ames steps down.
With Ames’ departure, the Southern Berkshires’ only cooperatively owned food store will have new leadership for the first time in almost fourteen years.
“As General Manager, Art Ames has done a terrific job building the Co-op into a thriving business and positioning the store for future growth,” said Daniel Seitz, president of the Co-op’s Board of Directors. “The Board is confident that the leadership team Art has assembled — along with the help of our dedicated staff — will ably manage the Co-op during this transition time.”
Sheppard came to the Co-op two and half years ago from southwest Ohio where he was the General Manager of a small startup called MOON Co-op in Oxford. In Great Barrington he assumed the role of Grocery Manager and then Operations Manager. “I am excited to see what we are going to be able to achieve,” Sheppard said. “Berkshire Co-op Market is in the best operational shape I have seen yet. We have the community support and operational talent to create something exceptional, innovative and ground breaking.”
Sheppard will be joined in that effort by Executive Management Team members Ted Moy, Retail Manager, and Matt Novik, Communications Manager, who will work closely with Sheppard to manage the operation and continue its success.
The Co-op has been planning for a relocation that will allow for a bigger store, wider selection and more community connections. Negotiations are continuing with the owners of 100 Bridge Street, a development project just down the street from the current store, that will offer retail and office space along with mixed-income housing.
“The Co-op Board remains committed to continuing the relocation and expansion initiative, and the 100 Bridge Street site is our preferred option,” Seitz said. “We have a team of expert advisors in place to support us in moving the negotiations ahead quickly so that the Co-op can shift its focus to raising funds for the project.”
As for long-term leadership, the Board of Directors is in the process of forming a search committee and will conduct a local and national search for a new General Manager over the next few months.
The Berkshire Co-op Market is a cooperatively owned natural food store that is open to all and specializes in high-quality organic and local foods. The Co-op is dedicated to building a healthy and sustainable community by creating a shopping choice that offers exceptional food, environmentally and socially responsible business practices, and dynamic, long-term, meaningful community engagement.
