Name: Wayne Soren (incumbent)

Where do you live? Lake Preston

Why do you want to serve on the board? I have been a COOP member/owner for more than 40 years. I believe in the COOP model and would like to see the COOP grocery store open in Brookings.

What work or volunteer experiences make you a good candidate for the board? I am currently the Vice President of the South Dakota Farmers Union and have served in many leadership roles in the SDFU. I serve on the board of directors for the regional COOP Farmers Union Industry for 11 years. I am a supervisor on the Spring Lake Township board for over 20 years. I have served on the church council of Lake Whitewood Lutheran church and am currently the church president. I am serving on the Dakota Community Market board and would like to continue to get this COOP open.

Why are you most excited to make Dakota Community Market a reality? I believe in the Coop model where the business is owned by the patrons. I think this would be a great addition for Brookings.

Name: Vicky Ching

Where do you live? Dempster

Why do you want to serve on the board? I have been excited about the prospects of DCM since I first became aware of it! I thinks it time for a return to a local autonomous market that caters to both the local vendors and shoppers needs. Currently the local grocers have mostly become a reflection of the large corporations that are willing to generically fit a wide range of communities. I think DCM could be a welcome breath of fresh air for the Brookings area. I am eying retirement in the near future and would be happy to contribute to this venture.

What work or volunteer experiences make you a good candidate for the board? I have worked at Hy-Vee for 31 years. My experiences are broad. I have stocked shelves. Managed the front end for 8 years. Worked in accounting. Managed the Health Market for 3 years. Have been in Product Management for the last 6 years. I work with vendors. Build Ads locally and corporately and manage them. I have mentored and managed people of all ages in various aspects of the business. I simply feel I have some insight how a grocery should and should not be run.

Why are you most excited to make Dakota Community Market a reality? Brookings needs DCM.

Name: Allen Jones

Where do you live? Brookings County, closer to White than Brookings.

Why do you want to serve on the board? Provide expertise in real estate, civil engineering, site development, sustainable/responsible/green site and building construction, cost estimating, facility development, operations, and long term viability in operations. I'm also interested in assisting the Board/Market/Members in developing realistic plans for future development of a facility.

What work or volunteer experiences make you a good candidate for the board? Thirty seven years as a practicing geologist and engineer. Extensive experience with turn-key development from initial vision to final completion of ideas. Experience working with large, diverse teams. Eighteen years of higher education experience with teaching, research, service and assessment. Particularly keen in visioning the "big picture".

Why are you most excited to make Dakota Community Market a reality? Bringing quality and sustainable food to the local community.

Name: Jessica Murano

Where do you live? Brookings

Why do you want to serve on the board? I believe in clean food, farm-to-table initiatives, and sustainable farming/growing practices, plus I want to live in a community that has a local place to purchase food. Put simply, we need a local grocery store. As a member of the CO-OP, I would be able to help nurture local growers as well as educate the public on the importance of knowing from where your food comes. I also love the idea of inspiring little growers and teaching them the importance of growing their own food or at least how to find it, how to prepare it, and how much better it tastes. Finally, it would be great to see a community-owned store where Brookings area residents are involved from the farm to the table. 

What work or volunteer experiences make you a good candidate for the board? I am happy to supply a resume with all of my volunteer experiences, leadership roles, etc., but mainly I love food. I love cooking; I love eating; I love talking about food. I believe my passion for food and Brookings make me a great candidate. I enjoy listening to people who can garden well and the joy they get from nurturing plants all the way to eating the fruits or vegetables they grew. Unfortunately, I have a black thumb, it has turned browner as I have aged, but I still kill plants. 

Why are you most excited to make Dakota Community Market a reality? Brookings needs a local grocery store to support the talented growers/farmers we have in our community. Plus, I love all things food and want to showcase what we are growing in the area as well as keep the profits in our community.