About the Co-op
Co-op Leadership
The Co-op’s Board of Directors is elected by its members and is legally responsible for running The Co-op. The Board hires and evaluates the General Manager, sets policies for the store, and keeps an eye on finances. They also hold elections once a year for any vacant seats. Running for the Board or being part of a Board Committee are a couple of ways you can get involved with the governance of the store.
Current Board Members:
Dan Doyle - President
Dan is a native of Sioux Falls and a graduate of O'Gorman High School. He attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and received his Bachelors of Science for Business Administration degree in Accounting in May of 2005. In the fall of 2005 Dan entered law school at the University of South Dakota. Dan also entered the Masters of Business Administration program at USD in the fall of 2006. In May of 2008, Dan graduated from the South Dakota School of Law with his joint JD/MBA. Following law school, he joined the law firm of Cutler & Donahoe LLP in August and was admitted to the South Dakota Bar Association in September. Dan's law practice areas include Banking, Corporate/Business, Energy/Renewable Fuels, Mergers/Acquisitions, Real Estate, Secured Transactions, and Telecommunications.
Leah Piersol - Vice President
Leah, a therapist and attorney, wants to be part of the Co-op's continued growth and development in the coming years. When she returned to Sioux Falls 10 years ago she began frequenting the Co-op so her children could experience the community the Co-op fosters. In addition she wanted to purchase healthy, life affirming foods and products for her family
Peter Frank - Secretary
Peter has been a member of and shopper at natural foods co-ops in Milwaukee, WI and San Diego, CA for at least a couple of decades and has been a Sioux Falls Co-op member since 2003. He likes to buy locally and cook organically as part of a holistic life balance that includes sports exercise, mindbody practice, natural/alternative prevention, and treatment of ailments. He enjoys keeping on top of local and global trends in alternative and sustainable energy and social justice activism.
James Echols - Treasurer
James wants to be part of the Co-op's effort to bring healthy, local food choices and more education about the value of locally produced, free range and organic foods to the community. He is passionate about agriculture, community and small business. James is co-owner of the Great Outdoors Store and runs Echols Communications, a marketing company. He brings experience and passion for the co-op community to his new Board position.
Jim Bennett
Jim has been a Board member, on and off, since the beginning of the Co-op almost 40 years ago, and remembers when the Co-op was only a bulk food operation. He owns a sawmill and works as a carpenter. Jim (acting as General Contractor) directed volunteers through the process of renovating our current building. He hung the doors, hung the spice shelves, and told the plumbers where to put the sinks. Jim lends a sense of humor and a quiet stability to ongoing Co-op leadership.
Alex Halbach
Alex is a newly appointed Board member and is an attorney at Cutler & Donahoe, LLP in Sioux Falls.
Stacy Newcomb-Weiland
Stacy has been a board member for many years, and has served as Board President in the past. She cooks for a family of seven and is a firm advocate of green living, preservation, freshly prepared food. She is project manager of Bring Back The State Theatre and owns and operates Parker’s Bistro on Main Avenue in downtown Sioux Falls.