Liz Kolbe, Wheatsfield Cooperative’s Board President

Celebrating Leadership and Welcoming the Future: Wheatsfield Co-op’s GM Transition

Liz Kolbe, Wheatsfield Board President

In early June, Linda Johnson, Wheatsfield General Manager, informed me of her decision to retire in July 2025. Later that month, the GM Evaluation Committee, composed of board members Ron Eichmeier, Becky Mattan Pratt, Sarah Davis, and myself, met and outlined a course of action to hire the new General Manager. We presented this plan to the board during an executive session at the July board meeting, and with their unanimous approval, moved forward.

First and foremost, I want to thank Linda for her 25 years as General Manager of Wheatsfield Cooperative. Just to give a little background on what she has accomplished here – Linda was at the helm through a store move and two store expansions and renovations. She has guided the store through a very competitive grocery environment in Ames, and through the COVID-19 pandemic. Linda should be very proud of the legacy she has built here at Wheatsfield, including a competent management team and staff, strong and collaborative board culture, and the thriving store we all love. Thank you, Linda!

A key duty of the Wheatsfield board is to hire and oversee the General Manager. It has been some time since hiring a GM was on our Board to-do list! As chair of the board, I’m going to share with you the process we’re undertaking to ensure a smooth and timely transition to a new General Manager upon Linda’s retirement.

We considered the option of an external search, versus looking first at internal candidates. We knew we had a very strong internal candidate. We also knew there is a very tight GM labor pool. The annual turnover rate among GMs at co-ops has been very high for the last few years. Considering the expense of a search, high turnover rate, and tight labor market for co-op GMs nationally, we decided to first consider our internal candidate, forgoing an external search or posting the job publicly.

We asked our internal candidate to provide the board with a resume, letter of intent and an updated position description for Wheatsfield GM. Finally, we asked the candidate to present to the board her vision for Wheatsfield, including management structure, improvements and efficiencies for the store, and opportunities and direction for the future. This presentation at the August board meeting was also followed by a Q&A with the board and then closed executive session.

Linda Johnson (left) and Stacey Brown (right) during the Groovy Golden Jubilee in front of our 50th Anniversary quilt.

I’m pleased to report that the board greatly enjoyed the presentation and Q&A and voted unanimously of our intent to hire Stacey Brown as general manager upon Linda’s retirement.

Stacey Brown has worked at Wheatsfield Co-op for 23 years, and as Store Manager for the last 15 years. During those years, she has directed the retail operation of Wheatsfield, including overseeing IT, POS systems, supervising 5 department managers, setting sales goals, margins, and managing inventory. Over time, she worked more closely with Linda on budgeting, financials and the business plan, and certainly played a role in Wheatsfield’s relocation and expansion projects.

Stacey also has a Master’s degree in Management of Cooperatives and Credit Unions from St. Mary’s University. She has served as the board chair for Women, Food and Agriculture Network, organized retreats for women in sustainable agriculture, run the Ames Farmers Market, and traveled the world learning about sustainable agriculture. Plus, she had the full endorsement of Linda Johnson.

I probably can’t overstate – with her experience and resume, Stacey’s application would be on the top of the stack at any co-op hiring a general manager. We are thrilled for her to continue her co-op journey with Wheatsfield as the General Manager.

Congratulations, Stacey!