- MEET THE BOARD -
JIM WALFRAND
PRESIDENT
Born and raised in Amherst. I am so proud to be a lifelong member of the community. I have been in economic development most of my life either in disaster assistance or in rural communities. I feel it’s important to give back to the community which has given me so much (wife and three GREAT kids). I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and help bring something special to the Village of Williamsville.
Term ends 2024
JON CARMEN
VICE PRESIDENT
My wife Peg and I have lived in Williamsville for 17+ years after moving here from Boston, MA. We are extremely excited at the prospect of having a Member-Owned Food Co-Op here in Williamsville! As Founder of BrightWebConsulting, I draw on 20 years of experience, building and scaling tech companies. I have started 7 companies over the last 20 years, with 3 exits. My focus is Ad-Tech, anything in and around buying or selling online advertising. I also have deep experience selling private label products via eCommerce/Amazon. I work with clients across the country on a wide variety of digital strategy engagements. From Start-Ups to Fortune 500 companies.
Term ends 2023
MARY ELLEN HAEFNER
TREASURER
Originally a resident of WNY, I returned in 2010. I have been enlightened and thankful that WNY is making strides in being more sustainable and promoting a robust and prosperous local economy. The framework for cooperatives includes a participatory process for all member-owners and a fair share of the earnings, which are key to the strength and longevity of the business. I truly believe our upcoming food market cooperative will be a pinnacle in the community. With my background in Federal government contracting, policy and governance, along with quality assurance compliance, I look forward to contributing toward the front and back end of our operations and ensuring we offer good food choices at reasonable prices.
Term ends 2022
DAVID GARDNER
SECRETARY
Originally born and raised in the city of Buffalo, my wife and I moved to the village of Williamsville to start our family in a great community. Over the last few years, I have come to know the local area more. The fascinating and friendly people we have come in contact with, will leave a lasting imprint on the both of us for years to come.
Over ten years of product development, sustainment, marketing, and management within the defense, transportation, and aerospace industries. I look forward to using my skills to help drive projects forward and collaborating with member owners to achieve the desired results and best outcome is key. I understand making decisions to obtain the best results are of utmost importance to the member/owners. I look forward to serving with each member/owner and am vastly grateful for the opportunity to help make decisions that will bring the community closer.
Term ends 2024
STEVEN SCHULTZ
GENERAL BOARD MEMBER
Born and raised in Buffalo, I received a degree in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University in 1978 and have practiced in WNY for over 30 years. My wife Sara and I have 3 grown children and 5 grandchildren. We try to eat healthfully and live in a "green" manner as Sara is on the Executive Committee of the local Sierra Club. Our home is heated and cooled with a geothermal system powered by solar panels, and Sara drives a fully electric vehicle. We enjoy traveling, hiking, backpacking and biking. All of this leads to my interest in helping to develop a successful cooperative in the Village of Williamsville.
Term ends 2022
MARK STORCH
GENERAL BOARD MEMBER
Eight percent of produce consumed in New York State is grown in the state. Most is grown and transported thousands of miles. This process provides lower food quality, the produce is harvested very early, a higher carbon footprint due to fuels burned during transporting produce, and typically uses a greater amount of pesticides. This system needs to be altered for many reasons. I believe an increase in locally grown produce that is helpful to the local economy using less carbon in production and transporting produce with the harvesting location known to the consumer will be the next evolution of our farming industry. I have lived my entire life in Western New York and the past 25 years in Williamsville. I have spent much of my professional career doing business development in the planning, architecture, engineering and construction world. Currently I am a partner in two businesses - Acadia Energy (a microgrid developer that produces energy using multiple sources of renewable and nonrenewable energy at a given location for multiple users) and Beyond Green (an indoor farming business that uses hydroponic, aquaponic and indoor soil-based farming technologies to create year-round production of produce and fish for consumers).
Term ends 2022
