2014 Annual Report Available Now
The Board of Directors and Workers’ Assembly have consistently tried to improve the delivery of the annual report. Our goal is to provide our member-owners and friends with the most accurate financial information, coverage of memorable events, and description of changes to our Co-op for the previous year.
We typically provide the annual report to member-owners who attend the Members’ Assembly Meeting (our next one is set for Sunday May 31st). However, this year we’ve made the report available in advance. The 2014 Annual Report also has a lot more meat to it. We’ve included a picture of how Black Star Co-op fits into the larger cooperative economy, a map of cooperative brewpubs and breweries modeled after us, an article about our fulfillment of the ends policies in 2014, reports on membership growth and financial condition, and an idea of what you can expect to see from Black Star Co-op in 2015.
2014 did present a lot of challenges for us. Financially, we show a loss for the year as a result of slower sales at the end of 2014 and higher remuneration of our tenured staff. We continue to manage the Co-op to reflect the needs and desires of the membership, but we’re in a period of adjustment while we work towards making us a more profitable business.
We hope that this annual report serves as a reminder of the membership’s values and how the Workers’ Assembly works to meet your needs. We look forward to discussing our performance at the Members’ Assembly Meeting on May 31st.
Since posting the 2014 Annual Report in early May, the Annual Report Review Committee has completed its review of the report Their recommendations and feedback have been included in the report. They will address the membership about the report at the Spring Members’ Assembly Meeting.