these individuals make up your democratically elected board of directors
Rusty Foszcz • President • 2022-2024
Because he LOVES to eat, Rusty Foszcz is interested in getting local food from the fields to the table quickly and organically. What’s important is to do this in a cost-effective way that makes prices competitive with larger chain grocery stores. McHenry County is rich with local farmers raising foods without pesticides – safe, organically healthy, and delicious. Restaurants like Duke’s Ale House in Crystal Lake are already serving these foods – Rusty believes we need to offer them to everyone in a Food Shed Co-op grocery store!
Rusty is a retired Information Technology consultant that now spends his time volunteering with non-profits both actively and in board member roles.
Scott Brix • Vice President • 2021-2023
Scott brings valuable experience to the co-op board from the mainstream food industry with a background in food science, engineering, and biotechnology. His time at global Fortune 500 corporations inspired his involvement in launching the Food Shed Co-op. He’s deeply committed to promoting local sustainable agriculture as a way to protect our planet for future generations and believes that creating opportunities for local farmers and producers is key. Since the co-op started in 2014, Scott has held roles as Board President, Vice President, and Treasurer. He looks forward to continuing his leadership for a couple of years after the store opens to help ensure a strong start for co-op operations.
Vern Heinen • Treasurer • 2023-2025
I’ve been a resident of McHenry County for approximately 20 years and been retired for the past year. I’ve been a member of different food coops in the various places I’ve lived over the years and think there would be a great benefit to bringing a food coop to McHenry County. It would give access to healthful affordable food to the county residents and also provide an outlet for products from local farmers. I would like to serve on the coop board and play a more active role in helping to bring the Food Shed Co-op to a successful opening.
Tracy Bordis • Secretary • 2023-2025
Tracy has tapped into her life experiences growing up with healthy food to foster better food choices for our local community. She has a deep personal mission to get the Food Shed Coop up and running.
“I grew up in Illinois on an acre where my dad tended to the fruit trees and my mom cared for the garden. Us five children were always involved. We picked strawberries in spring and ate jam on our toast all year long. We pressed apples in fall and the neighbor kids came to help. Our family made the best cider. The county fair was a big ordeal in our family, mom started planning when the catalogs came in the mail over the winter and grew her seedlings under lights in the basement. She was so proud of her entries and won lots of ribbons. To this day I still love the smell of damp soil.”
Tracy is committed to teach others about the cooperative model and will use her knowledge to inspire others and build connections for the Food Shed Coop.
“I attended community college before heading off to The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington which is where I discovered my first Food Cooperative. Shopping, attending community or educational events there made me feel connected.”
She is continuously looking for ways to tap into her long-standing career that will contribute to building resilience in the community.
Doug Close • 2022-2024
“Communities need to take back control and invest in their local food systems (aka Food Sheds) by building organizations that focus on localization….. history has clearly demonstrated that cooperative models empower local communities, everyday people and build democratic processes.”
Born and raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Doug went on to graduate from Eastern Illinois University with a B.A. in Communications. Doug currently resides in Huntley with his wife Kathie and family. Doug currently enjoys a successful career as an SVP for a national IT solutions company. Prior to Doug’s career in the computer industry, Doug owned and operated a small business for thirteen years.
Doug came to learn the true importance of local resilience efforts during and after the global financial crisis of 2008. Doug continues to research global risk in the areas of economics, energy and the environment and advocates that localization is the best step to proactively address risks caused by our current unsustainable practices. Doug states that “we live in a world of increased complexity and centralization directly competing with local, sustainable and decentralized systems which elevates the risk to communities by forces outside their control. A local food cooperative will be the spark for many more local initiatives.”
Doug, one of the original Food Shed Co-op Steering Committee members and first Board President, is committed to ensuring the food cooperative store is a success and is inspired by the progress and community support to date. Doug also believes cooperation is the key component to a resilient future and history has clearly demonstrated that cooperative models empower local communities, everyday people and build democratic processes. Cooperatives also keep wealth in the communities well beyond just money to include a sense of place, empowerment, leadership, and charity.
Kim Brix • 2021-2023
As an individual with many food allergies Kim is driven to open a food store in McHenry county where she can find a wide selection of healthy, organic, and locally grown foods free of pesticides and all under one roof.
Kim Brix is a recently retired nurse of 30 years, mother of two and grandmother of one. Owner of a fused glass art studio and business, namely Glassworks by Kim, located in Marengo, Illinois. Ten years ago she was co-founder of The Children’s Center For Autism in Cary Illinois. She is passionate about eating healthy for living a long, healthy life.
Martie Gorman • 2022-2024
When Martie Gorman retired after 35 years of full time teaching, she had the time and opportunity to have fun volunteering for causes and organizations that serve our community or preserve our environment. This led her to become an ESL tutor in conjunction with MCC, a volunteer for animal assisted programs at Main Stay Therapeutic Farm, and as a board member for the McHenry County Conservation Foundation.
After she became an owner with the Food Shed, volunteering at events allowed her to meet many like-minded residents who feel local and sustainably sourced food is important and necessary. When the chance came to be more centrally involved with the Food Shed, she gladly focused her energies to help open the first community-owned grocery store in McHenry County!
Francine Brady • 2023-2025
Since joining co-ops while in college in Madison and then again later when she was living in Minneapolis, Francine has been a lifelong co-op supporter. In addition, supporting local businesses is also very important to Francine. When she heard about a co-op coming to McHenry County, becoming an owner seemed like a no-brainer. However, just being an owner wasn’t enough and Francine jumped in with both feet to volunteer wherever she could. After embarking on a clean eating journey, Francine became even more passionate about The Food Shed Co-op and making clean, healthy food readily available in our area. “Every time I read a food label, I get more and more impatient for our store to be open.”
During the day, Francine is an internet application developer with over 20 years of experience in the field. Her passion is to create applications and additional functionality of existing applications that meet her customers’ needs and exceed their expectations.
Caron Wenzel • 2023-2025
Caron Wenzel brings 35 years of involvement with food coops and working in and with Nature. She is married to Steve Wenzel. They have two grown adult sons, Greg and Jeff Wenzel and two grandchildren, Rupert and Harrison.
Caron is an environmental educator and consultant who is owner of Blazing Star Inc, a native seed and soil amendment company founded in 1990. She and her husband Steve have worked on conservation and green issues for over 25 years. Caron has also been an enthusiastic supporter of food co-ops since college.
Carol Alfus • 2023-2025
Carol Alfus has been a resident of McHenry County for most of her life. For over 30 years she tutored, taught and substitute taught special needs students. In retirement, Carol has stayed busy volunteering with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of McHenry County, Main Stay Therapeutic Farm and the McHenry County Conservation District. She also enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, traveling and writing poetry.
Carol has long believed in the power of community. As Food Shed owner #72, she has spent many hours volunteering at information tables to explain the value of a community-owned grocery store that supports local farmers and producers, offers more healthy, natural food choices, observes environmentally responsible practices, and keeps the profits in our community.
Meet Your Food Shed Staff
These people are the backbone of the co-op! Without their dedication and energy things wouldn’t get done!
Here are the Food Shed Co-op staff members.
Sue Jensen • Community Outreach Director
Sue Jensen recently joined the Food Shed Co-op Operations team as the Community Outreach Director. Her dedication to the Food Shed Co-op mission began in 2014 as owner #44. From the moment she learned that a grocery store co-op was potentially forming locally, she chose to get involved. Since that time, she has contributed to the organization on multiple levels, including as a member of our Board of Directors and chair of the Outreach Committee.
Sue has been a resident of McHenry County for almost 25 years and has become a respected member of our community by taking an active role in environmental sustainability efforts and education and volunteering with multiple local non-profit organizations. Her professional journey includes graphic design work, a career as an art educator for elementary school students, and as one of the bookstore managers for the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County. Her love of people, healthy food, and art will undoubtedly be the dynamic needed to continue our mission and lead our outreach efforts.
Peter Waldmann • General Manager
Peter Waldmann’s career started in the 1980’s, working for one of the first health food retail chains in the nation, Mrs. Gooch’s. Since that time, he has enjoyed over 30 years of professional experience in the Natural Foods industry. Peter worked for several well-known retailers including; Whole Foods Market, Wild Oats Markets, Green’s Natural Foods and most recently PCC Community Markets. During his tenures he held numerous positions, ranging from bagger to Chief Executive Officer. To date, he has opened over 20 retail grocery locations in 15 different states.
Peter came to learn that business is among the most powerful entities in society. He understands that we have the substantial responsibility to use that influence to advance the wider common good. He feels honored to lead the Food Shed Co-op’s mission to create a local food cooperative that promotes a healthy, ethical and resilient community. In 2024, when the store opens, Woodstock and the surrounding communities will cross over a key milestone toward a self-sustained healthy environment.
Peter feels passionately about democratizing community food access and control, supporting local vendors and ultimately bringing affordable, healthy, natural foods and products to the community. He plans to listen carefully to all of the shareholders, staff and customers. Translating their feedback into a self-perpetuating and self-fulfilling grocery store experience.
He reflected, “We will navigate a course focused on the big picture of envisioning how food cooperatives are different from regular grocery stores.” Using an operating system called Policy Governance, the co-op will hold itself accountable to a triple net bottom line of social, environmental and financial responsibility. We will stand up for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Peter feels very lucky to have been married to his wife Amy for 27 incredible years. They have two amazing sons, Evan and Adam, both recent graduates from CU in Boulder. He believes that real leadership starts at home. His hobbies include; reading, food, and working out.
Peter is excited to join the Food Shed and look forward to connecting!
