ROCKLAND — The Good Tern Natural Food Co-op, at 750 Main Street, in Rockland announces changes in the staffing line-up.

General Managers Brandy Monroe and Laura LaPointe have decided to step back after a year and a half in the shared General Manager role. They will return to their previous roles managing the Hole in the Wall bagel shop, which is owned by the Good Tern. While the search is on for a permanent General Manager, the Good Tern has contracted with Columinate, a national consulting cooperative founded in 1994, to hire Garland McQueen as Interim Manager. McQueen is a seasoned Co-op General Manager who will run the Good Tern for an interim, 6-month contract starting at the end of June.

McQueen travels the country to help co-ops during general management transitions like the Good Tern is experiencing. He will assess the business to identify opportunities for improvement in areas such as purchasing agreements with suppliers, store layout, organizational structure, and product selection in departments. McQueen writes to Good Tern, “The nature of my job is to address any issues, offer guidance and training where needed, correct and improve the operation of your Co-op as well as being greatly involved in any major decisions. I will gladly offer assistance in the search and hiring of a permanent General Manager.”

At a previous interim General Manager engagement, McQueen made many improvements, including increasing sales from 1-3% annual revenue growth to a consistent 8-9% growth, according to Good Tern, in a news release.

According to that store’s Board Vice President: “Garland has also brought great reporting and transparency of store operations to the board. He has taught us how to work with a seasoned General Manager and has helped
us better define board vs. GM roles.”

“The Good Tern Board and staff are so excited about the chance to work with an experienced co-op manager who has assisted so many other co-ops,” said Board Chair, Jess Mazur. “It’s a great opportunity for us to learn.”

Those interested in the position of permanent General Manager may send a resume and cover letter to:  boardofdirectors@goodtern.coop

In other news, Glen Mills will be returning to the Good Tern, joining the management team. Mills worked at the Good Tern for seven years before relocating to Portland where he served as part of the management team for the Portland Food Co-op.