Anthony Lang

CANDIDATE STATEMENT

I have worked in supply chain management for over 15 years in various roles from buyer, contracts manager, category manager, strategic sourcing and currently serve as manager for supply chain risk management (SCRM) with Honeywell Intl. I hold a Masters of Science in Supply Chain Management from The University of Kansas and an MBA from Washington University St. Louis with a strong understand of business principles and processes necessary to be successful in highly competitive markets and data driven environments. I am passionate about The Merc Co-op, its cooperative business model and consumer owned cooperative principles that makes us thrive as a grocer, leader and partner to others within our community.

I have been a member/owner of The Merc Co-op for 21+ years and have served on the Board of the Directors for 6+ years in roles of Treasurer, Secretary, President and Committee Chair. I led our board through the pandemic and helped navigate the Merc through the very difficult process of opening a second store in Kansas City Kansas. I have taken active roles in owner engagement, listening sessions and tabling to hear from our member/owners and I have actively challenged and supported the Merc through several renovations and operational changes to remain relevant and accessible to our community.

What I bring to The Merc Co+op Board of Directors is leadership and experience with our policy governance structure. As one of the longest serving members on this board, I bring the experience and context for decisions we made in the the past as well as a solid understanding of policy governance principles we must use to guide The Merc Co+op on behalf of of our member/owners. I also bring 15+ years of business experience to ensure the continued sustainability vitality of The Merc Co+op. Finally, I bring leadership to bring board members to consensus, recruit new members with diverse backgrounds and experience and speak up on behalf of our member/owners.

I would like to serve on The Merc Co+op Board of Directors one last term to see through the actions and decisions I have made as a member of the Board. I supported the decision to open the second store in Kansas City, Kansas and would very much like to see our KCK store succeed. I advocated for expanding the Board from 7 to 9 directors to increase representation from both Lawrence and KCK communities. I initiated the Community Engagement Committee to hear from our member/owners. Finally, I saw the end of in-person Annual Co-op Meetings during the pandemic and advocated to bring back the in person event with increased funding and resources. I feel there is still work to be done and I still have more to contribute to this cooperative community as The Merc Co+op celebrates its 50th Birthday.