STOUGHTON - The Stoughton Co-op held its annual general meeting on April 10 at the Stoughton branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.
General manager Deric Reaney welcomed everyone and he was happy to have some special guests. Over 50 people attended the supper, followed by the meeting, which included guests, Stoughton Mayor Clarence Hoffort, Chamber of Commerce president Ira Noyes and RM of Tecumseh Reeve Zandra Slater.
Also in attendance was Robert Grimsrud from the Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), Prairie Sky Co-op office manager Hannah Paterson, Southern Plains Co-op general manager Brian Enns and Arcola Co-op GM Matthew Almey.
Paterson provided the financial statement for 2023. Sales were $17.94 million last year, compared to $19.7 million in 2022.
The general store had a good year at $2.62 million, along with the service centre at $1.24 million. Both these areas were up from 2022.
Bulk sales were down at $7.37 million, and the gas bar was at $6.42 million with a gross overall margin of $2.39 million.
Operating expenses were up to $2.16 million, but the outcome of 2023 was particularly good considering they were still bouncing back from the previous years.
Vice-president Elwyn Helmuth read president Ed Young’s report, saying the Stoughton Co-op has benefited the local economy with having 38 people on the payroll.
The co-op provided many donations to a large variety of community organizations, with a total of $8,034. On top of this, they had donation bins that collected $800 for 2023.
They also have 95 new members but lost 13 members.
Young’s report thanked all the staff for their dedication and for preserving with a new till system that at times gave them headaches.
Recent additions to the food store include fresh barbecued chicken, which has been an enormous success, and they also expanded the bakery and installed new equipment.
The home and building supplies centre started opening on Sundays during the spring and summer months, and offered a garden centre with bedding plants.
A major renovation took place at the convenience store/gas bar with a 14-foot expansion on the south side of the building. Inside the store had a facelift as well, and items have been added such as soft ice cream.
Zandra Slater attended FCL’s 94th annual conference in Saskatoon from March 2-5. FCL donated $90,000 worth of paint, stains and specialty coatings to complete 122 projects in over 83 communities through Communities in Full Colour.
Co-op invested $1 million in 15 community projects across Western Canada through the Community Spaces Program, and the Fuel Good Day raised $645,000 to support 168 community groups in the west.
As the reports were completed, Reany presented Slater with her 15-year service award. Tom Breault has 18 years of service but was unable to attend due to personal reasons.
Slater, Breault and Tanya Dubois were elected as delegates to FCL. Breault and Dubois were elected to three-year terms on the board.
