Staff Training and Education at the Viroqua Food Coop

Alycann Taylor, Staff Services

The VFC staff strives to better serve our owners and shoppers. The fast pace growth of the natural foods business keeps us on our toes. We pride ourselves in offering high quality products filled with the best ingredients we can find and impeccable customer service. Providing all of this with an acute sense of our bottom line can be quite a juggling act! Luckily the retail co-op world is rich in providing sources of training and information sharing. VFC board members, managers and staff participated in the following educational programs this past year:

Association of Cooperative Educators Conference, Cleveland Ohio

Consumer’s Cooperative Management 
Association (CCMA) Conference, IN

The National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA) offers many trainings online through their webinar program. Our managers and buyers have been attending webinars on the following topics:

* Survive & Thrive in a Recession
* Cash Flow
* SPINS
* Retail Basics

NCGA Central Corridor Meeting, 
Austin, TX

NCGA Wellness Meeting, St Paul, MN

MOSES Organic Farming Conference, LaCrosse

NCGA Deli Conference, Minneapolis, MN

Biodynamics Conference Viroqua

Co+op deals Training, Twin Cities, MN

Staff Computer Trainings, Viroqua

Planetary Herbals Training, Viroqua

NCGA Marketing Matters, Minneapolis MN

Retail Basics Webinars and Training in Minneapolis, MN