Owners Site News Meeting April 18, 2017 #ChiMktAtWilsonCTA
AGENDA Purpose for Today Wilson Station, Gerber Building Grant Kessler, Board President Gregory Berlowitz, Founder and the RFP Overview Strong Co-op Communities What Owners Can Do Questions & Input Jacqueline Hannah, FCI Jen Vest, Board Member All Owners
VISION A better food community local, sustainable, connected. MISSION & PURPOSE We are building a better food community. Powered by our Owners, we create and strengthen local food connections that are honest, accessible, educational and inspiring. We are a cooperative grocery store but more than that, we're a gathering place and vibrant community resource.
I OWN IT! OWNERS ARE THE BACKBONE OF CHICAGO MARKET Owners elect the Board of Directors that guide co-op development Owners provide input on large policies that drive the co-op Owners are the source of a large portion of the capital to build the store Your questions, feedback, input Your insight, expertise, connections Your support to gain traction in RFP
ELECTED BOARD LEADERSHIP & CONSULTANTS Board of Directors DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS Food Co-Op Initiative, Start-up consultants CDS Consulting Co-op (Pro Forma financial consulting, business plan consulting) Dakota Worldwide, market study consultants SITE DEVELOPMENT TEAM Wrap Architecture, Design & Architecture fresharc, Design & Architecture Englewood Construction, General Contractor SVN Commercial Real Estate Advisors, real estate representatives
HOW WE GOT HERE 2013 Initial steering committee was formed and Chicago Market incorporated 2014 The inaugural Ownership campaign launched in June, establishing over 600 new Owners and a base from which to elect its first Board of Directors. 2015 Elected first board of directors, and sub-committees formed to deliver against strategic initiatives Developing farmer and producer relationships and defining our purchasing values, Developing site search criteria and actively began looking 10,000 15,000 sq ft commercial retail sites Continued focus on Ownership growth through building awareness and creating engagement Created funding plan 2016 Completed our initial market study, evaluating prospective retail locations & projected sales Began a series of successful Pop-Up Markets to connect our Owners and potential Owners with vendors and farmers Developed our pro forma Signed working agreements with architects and a general contractor. Entered letter of intent negotiations with two prospective sites, of which one would become unavailable.
THE GERBER BUILDING AT CTA WILSON RED LINE STATION Gregory Berlowitz
1923
1959
1985
2017
2017
CTA Render, 2018
CTA Render, 2018
We love this space for its accessibility, its unique history, its size, and its ability to deliver on our mission to create a local, sustainable and connected food community.
TRADE AREA TRANSIT
We believe our community-owned grocery store will make the Wilson Station a destination like no other. It's an ambitious project for the CTA, which is why we need help and input from our Owners and the community.
THE RFP
RFP: OUR BID A WIN FOR COMMUNITY, NOT CORPORATIONS Open bid to any developer, prospective tenant: competing with national chains Parking Our key asset and differentiator
Dill Pickle Co-Op Groundbreaking Logan Square, April 17, 2017 "Multinational corporations open up in different communities across the city of Chicago every day. When they open up, they're looking for ways to extract profit 35 th Ward Alderman Carlos Rosa said. "The beautiful thing about the Dill Pickle Co-op is that they're looking to build community
2003
CHICAGO MARKET & UPTOWN Healthy, Affordable Options: provide sufficient demand to improve local food distribution, increase consumer demand and encourage farmers to grow new crops. Local Employment: At opening, Chicago Market will provide 75-80 jobs to local residents with competitive wages and benefits. Projected Sales: With a projected $8 million in first year sales, including $1.5 million in local products, Chicago Market will increase the volume and diversity of local agricultural products available to consumers, which will benefit local farmers. Support & Partnerships: The backbone of your co-op Aldermen including 46 th Ward Alderman Cappleman Already have partnered with more than 100 local farmers, producers and businesses
WHAT COMES NEXT? COMMUNITY SUPPORT Public Community Meetings to garner wide, deep support Outreach to organizations, partnerships CITY SUPPORT Continued discussions with Alderman office Seeking mayoral support RFP MATERIALS DUE JUNE 9 Crafting submission Architectural renderings, estimates
WHAT WOULD THE WILSON TIMELINE BE? Each property we assess comes with a different timeline based on many factors (current tenants, zoning, current state of the building, permits, etc.). Once site acquired: 0-6 months: Store design, construction permitting, GM search, grow Ownership to 1,500, secure funding and run Owner Loan Campaign 6-12 months: Construction of Chicago Market
CONTINUING OUR NEGOTIATIONS & SEARCH Not all our organic eggs in one CTA basket THE SEARCH CRITERIA Building size, sales projections, close to transit, adequate parking, nearby competitors, street presence, cost and time to procure/build-out, truck & delivery access, sustainable building & energy practices, positive nearby proximities, Ownership OTHER PROSPECTIVE LOCATIONS Ongoing LOI negotiations with building developers Continuing to search new commercial opportunities with SVN THE RFP AWARD IS NOT GUARANTEED community rallying behind the co-op
STRONG CO-OP COMMUNITIES Jacqueline Hannah, Food Co-op Initiative
BUILDING STRONG CO-OP COMMUNITIES What Owners have to look forward to What co-ops contribute to their communities How the community vision must be strong to manifest it Jacqueline Hannah worked in retail management for 25 years before joining FCI 17 of those years in the natural foods industry, and 9 in the co-op natural food industry as general manager of Common Ground Food Co-op in Urbana, IL. During her time with CGFC she led the co-op through two expansions, the founding of their Food For All economic access program, a rebrand, and being the fastest growing retail food co-op in the nation from 2008-2013. excellence by Central Illinois Business Magazine; in 2011 she was awarded the Innovation Award for Economic Development Impact by the University of Illinois; in 2013 she received the Cooperative Service Award from the Indiana and Illinois Cooperative Development Centers; in 2014 she was awarded Co-op Executive of the Year by the Illinois Cooperative Council. Jacqueline Hannah, Assistant Director, Food Co-op Initiative
OWNER ACTION Jen Vest
None of this can happen without YOU!
#ChiMktAtWilsonCTA NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT Sign the petition, share your story Share with family, friends, neighbors Spread our social media posts Help flyer the community Post your Chicago Market yard sign CONTRIBUTING Mayoral connections Help staff community meetings Provide video testimonial / story Invite CM to speak to your community groups Have other ideas? Talk to us about volunteering!
OWNER GOALS AND SITE DEVELOPMENT 900: 1500: 2000: 3000: Current number of Owners who believe in and are working to make Chicago Market a reality Secure lease with contingency. Kickstart our Owner Loan Campaign, a primary source of funding Satisfying our lease contingencies and providing sufficient funding to begin construction Store opens
SHARE THE OWNERSHIP SALES PITCH JOIN ME TO HELP BUILD CHICAGO MARKET OWNERSHIP IS A ONE-TIME INVESTMENT THAT COVERS YOUR ENTIRE HOUSEHOLD Why: Brings a local, healthy and affordable grocery option to our community. The co-op supports local producers, will stimulate our local economy and provide good-paying jobs, and is an active, interesting community of Owners. Why now: progress the store closer to open by increasing Owner equity. How: Join at ChicagoMarket.coop, where you can select your Ownership level and have the option of a payment plan. WHAT ARE OWNER BENEFITS? You get: Contribute your voice, run for the board, programs & discounts, patronage refund. You create: A community destination that benefits our families, neighborhood, producers and employees.
QUESTIONS & INPUT All Owners