Mary has been working with natural food co-ops since 1986.
She managed Mississippi Market in St. Paul, Minnesota, from 1989 to 1995 and worked with Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund as an education and development specialist. Mary was one of the founding members of the Midwest Cooperative Grocers Association and CGIN.
While at NCDF, she developed the Toolbox series of manuals for small natural food co-ops (available through the Cooperative Grocer). She also organized the Traveling Cooperative Institute series of workshops and education that support local leadership development in rural and urban communities throughout the upper Midwest.
Mary works with co-ops to provide employee surveys that monitor board policies on staff treatment and compensation, identify training needs, help set benchmarks for progress and compare results to food co-ops across the country.
“When the Viroqua Food Cooperative began the discussion of hiring a consultant to facilitate our employee survey, I was resistant. I felt that this was something we could effectively facilitate internally.
“I was so wrong. The service that Mary Courteau provided our organization was outstanding. Having a third party facilitate the survey gave the staff confidence that their feedback would be confidential and in turn provided us with an honest look at our employee’s view of their workplace.
“Once the information was collected, Mary provided us with detailed, in depth analysis of the staff’s feedback. She reaffirmed areas of concern and shed light on a few unexpected concerns. The recommendations provided gave the management staff clear directives to improve their departments and the cooperative as a whole. I wholeheartedly recommend Mary and Carolee.”
—Alycann Taylor
Human Resource Manager, Viroqua Food Cooperative
Counting on Co-op Employees. Carolee Colter and Mary Courteau.Cooperative Grocer.#141.
