This week, Vernon interviews Jeanie Wells, a grocery retail specialist and leadership consultant. She is the Founder of Mighty Community Markets and a Consultant at Columinate, a national cooperative supporting mission-driven organizations. Vernon and Jeanie will discuss the complexities and importance of leadership training in the grocery retail industry, and her cooperative journey.
Previously, Jeanie served as CEO of The Merc Co-op in Lawrence, Kansas, for over a decade, leading major expansions and significant growth before transitioning to national consulting in 2009. Since then, she has supported hundreds of community grocery organizations across the U.S. and Canada through in-store work and online training programs. She also leads Columinate’s GM Development Program and collaborates with national industry groups, including National Co-op Grocers and the Consumer Cooperative Management Association. Additionally, she serves on the board of the Food Co-op Initiative.
In 2022, Jeanie launched Mighty Community Markets, a leadership program for locally controlled grocery stores, which won the CCMA Award for Cooperative Innovation and Achievement in 2023. A frequent speaker at industry events and podcasts, she continues expanding programs to strengthen independent grocery stores as vital community resources.
