Annual Meeting

2021 Board Candidates

AVa Antolik, Owner #452

Making a positive impact on the community and building a business from the ground up is what makes me the most excited about being a member of the board of directors. I am not a native Minnesotan; in fact, I moved from Texas to Little Falls about a year ago shortly after graduating college. That was obviously an enormous change for me, and I was shocked by how the community welcomed me with open arms even in the midst of a pandemic. I quickly fell deeply in love with this beautiful state and this generous town. I’m so proud to call Little Falls home, and I am eager to find ways to give back to this community that gave me so much.

I have a few unique experiences and skills that can add value to the board. I am a farm loan officer, so I work with producers on a daily basis, many of whom are looking for more outlets to market their products locally or direct to consumers. I have formal education and experience in analyzing financial statements having recently graduated with an agribusiness degree from Texas A&M. This experience can be beneficial to Purple Carrot as we work towards securing more grants and financing from banks. Finally, I can offer a fresh perspective from being young and a transplant from another state. I have a lot of time, energy, enthusiasm, and passion to devote to this cause.

Providing healthy, affordable, locally sourced food is important to me, and it’s important to the well-being of the community. I want to promote a healthy, active lifestyle, so that we can improve quality of life and happiness for everyone. Having the option to purchase fresh meat and produce is not only beneficial for health, but it also contributes enormously to the local economy. Successful small family farms keep the economy of Little Falls going, and it’s crucial to offer more outlets for these folks to market their products locally.

Specifically, my goal during my term as a board member will be to increase membership by 25%. There’s still a lot of folks in surrounding areas that are unaware of Purple Carrot and could benefit from membership. It’s also critical to find ways to make membership more affordable and appealing to various other social demographics in Little Falls. There’s still a lot of work to be done, and I’m excited to do my part to make the Purple Carrot Market a reality.

Bryan Hill, Owner #208

I firmly believe any Great/Vibrant Town or City begins in the “downtown”. I have previously served on the Heritage Preservation Commission & Planning and Zoning (both Little Falls). Most recently I was Little Falls Business Association co-President. The Purple Carrot Market will increase “foot-traffic” to downtown Little Falls. This will give all other businesses the chance to gain new customers, as well as more visits from existing customers. I am excited about drawing customers from a wider radius to Little Falls. Keep in mind a Vibrant Downtown also helps the outlying businesses. The Purple Carrot Market will make it easier to Shop, Support, Look Local, etc. My goal is to help carry this vision forward with all Previous, Current and Future Board Members and Owners.

Lorelee Lynn Beto, Owner #186

I would like to express my interest in staying on as a board member with the Purple Carrot Market, where I can continue to use my skills to help assist the Coop to reach its objectives. I have been active on the board since 2017, I have 12 years of experience working with the Morrison County HRA Board, serving as their Executive Director. I have administrative experience, leadership skills and excellent work ethic that I would like to continue to use in the startup of this exciting venture.

Personally I am very excited about The Purple Carrot Market coming to Little Falls. I have gone to and shopped at many markets internationally and coops across the United states and love what they bring to the communities. Community sustainability is a passion of mine while supporting our local growers and producers. I have spent years having to commute to other coops and Farmers Markets for clean, fresh, and organic products and will be thrilled once the Purple Carrot Market is open and running here in our community.

I am confident that I have the skills and experience to continue to hold this position and to be a great benefit to the Purple Carrot Market.

Cast Your Vote

As a democratically run business, board members are elected by our owners. Annually the Purple Carrot Market holds an election to fill positions on its governing board. You must be an owner as well to serve on our board.

This year, we have three candidates running for the board (see below); one running for another term and two are new candidates. Our bylaws allow for a board of seven to eleven members, so all three could be voted onto the board. One vote is allowed per ownership household, but you can vote for as many candidates as you’d like.

Have questions about voting? Contact us at purplecarrotmarket@gmail.com

2020 Annual Meeting

2020 Elected Board Members

Darlene Brand, Owner #96
I am currently acting as Vice President of the Purple Carrot Market board, and I serve on the Marketing + Communications Committee and the Ownership Committee. I recently retired from the teaching world so I plan on devoting more time and energy into getting our community owned grocery store into existence. I have experience being on different teams working towards a common goal. I was actively involved in my union working on the executive board for many years including being lead negotiator. I have a growth mindset, I am open to feedback and I am adaptable. I have mathematical and computer skills. I would like to support our local farmers as much as possible. I would like our store to support both organic and conventional foods with an emphasis on organic. I would like to see fair trade practiced as well. I envision the Purple Carrot Market to be a welcoming place where the workers know you by name and know the produce/products in the store.

Zachary Klosowski, Owner #308
My passion for helping people has always involved fighting for the the homeless and the hungry. I currently serve as Vice President on the MC habitat for humanity board and as a board member for Oasis hoping to bring a homeless shelter to Little Falls. During this pandemic, I think having a local sourced Co-Op has become even more important to our community. We need a place where local farmers can bring produce, milk, and meat to sell to the community. If supply chains were ever severely pressured a Co-Op could be a beacon of light during these strange times. I know funding and membership growth are some of the crucial pillars to success when it comes to Co-Ops. One of my passions with helping organizations is fundraising. I think we need to continue to host events targeting markets we haven’t hit yet in Little Falls. During those events, I think the Purple Carrot should have the benefits of the Co-Op listed out for different reasons the community would benefit from. Targeting young families, seniors, and business owners. I think a more tailored approach could help drive membership growth. Also, targeting businesses that haven’t been affected by the pandemic: construction, real estate, finance, landscaping, ect.

Lynn McCarthy, Owner #44
I am currently a board member and joined the Purple Carrot co-op family because I have a great appreciation for co-op's and the many positive things they bring to a community. I am especially excited at reaching the goal of a grocery store in downtown Little Falls, that would offer locally grown products, classes on healthy eating and food preparation along with (hopefully) a place for folks with common interests to gather and share ideas. I have been a licensed Realtor in Morrison county for 40+ years and enjoy meeting and interacting with people. I would absolutely love to have the co-op up and running within the next 2-4 years.

Susy Prosapio, Owner #2
Helping bring a community-owned grocery store featuring locally produced and prepared foods to our area is very exciting to me. Increasing access to healthy, local foods in a convenient downtown location can improve the physical and economic health throughout our community. Having been part of the Purple Carrot since its inception, the skills that I believe I can offer the board is assistance with communications as well as business plan development and financial reporting support.

Steve Smith, Owner #335
I am very excited to be an owner in the Purple Carrot Market, I think that it is a great opportunity for our community and I am interested to see how this co-op can develop and grow. I have 14 years of hospital CFO experience and have been the president of CHI St. Gabriel’s Health for the last 18 months. I currently serve on the Co-op’s Finance Committee. I do not have any experience with the development or operations of co-ops and so I don’t have any specific goals except to have a successful opening of the market in the community. Thank you.