Meet the 2023 Board of Directors

Jason Soren

I started with the Advisory Committee that started at the beginning of the process and have been serving on the board since we first formed the board but feel that I haven't done everything I wanted to do by joining the board. So I would like to serve another term so that hopefully we can accomplish the goal of getting a store open.

I have been a owner-member in a number of other cooperatives in the last twenty years, so the concept of cooperatives and working local ideas are not new to me. I have also served on various levels of boards within the South Dakota Farmers Union, which is a major supporter and proponent of cooperative education in South Dakota. Also been on local non-profits and church board of directors, as well of volunteer, for over twenty years.

With the option of another grocery option in Brookings, I am very excited that I am an owner of this cooperative so my vote and voice are part of shaping this store and grocery options when the doors finally open. This is our store and ideas locally, not some company or firm in New York that is just trying to make a quick buck off the profit and stock price.

With the option of another grocery option in Brookings, I am very excited that I am an owner of this cooperative so my vote and voice are part of shaping this store and grocery options when the doors finally open. This is our store and ideas locally, not some company or firm in New York that is just trying to make a quick buck off the profit and stock price.

Ashley Drietz

Brookings is in desperate need of more/better grocery options. I’d love to help bring more visibility to more people on the plans. I was a boutique owner in the past, and currently I am an events manager for a fortune 100 company. I feel that my event manager experience will be helpful for the future. Brookings in general needs another grocery store, a coop would be specifically beneficial to our local farmers.

Bill Vitetta

Bill has 10 years of financial and compliance experience. Also, in 2023, he completed the Master Gardener program through SDSU extension. “There is a lack of additional grocery stores in Brookings county. Living in an agriculturally strong county, there is no place to buy locally produced year round. A cooperate grocery store would provide additional options and an opportunity to choose where your food comes from.”