Mary Christensen

Mary Christensen is on the board of Fairbanks Community Cooperative Market (Co-op Market) because she believes that small is better and she wants to see a small grocery in Fairbanks. Mary believes it is in the interest of Fairbanks residents to have a central source for local food and that there will be a big demand for this type of grocery store.

15 years of retail experience and experience in marketing is what Mary offers the Board of Directors (BOD). She understands the importance of managing store space well, of creating a brand and marketing the cooperative to maximize its potential. Operational details are another area in which she has knowledge and she is interested in researching the types of operational methods used by successful cooperatives in order to build the best structure possible to ensure the profitability of the cooperative.

Mary believes the role of the BOD is to responsibly and professionally oversee the business of the cooperative and to act in the best interest of the co-op members to create and sustain a successful business model.

Almost as important as the role of a board member is what a board member is not, so she believes that it is important for the BOD to launch as broad a search as possible for an experienced general manager with marketing savvy. A successful board will work with the person they hire as general manager in defining the parameters of the business but will allow the manager the room to do his or her job professionally and to the best of their abilities.

As Communications/Outreach chair Mary wants to build membership equity with the goal of opening the store with a solid customer base. She intends to work with the BOD to create a soundly managed successful small cooperative grocery store that will thrive for many years to come.