2011 Board Candidates

Art Alexander

I am interested in joining the Co-op board as I see the Co-op more than a business venture, but as a community development initiative. It is my hope that the Co-op, in its proposed location, will serve as a community center which has more to offer than just a place to purchase food.  While all of us became members through our equity contributions, I am also concerned that although there are more than 1300 members, only 120 members participated in the recent loan program to get the Co-op started. I would like to be part of the discussion and planning that will be required to engage all of our members into further involvement.

My experience both as a community volunteer and owning my own business has helped me to develop the skills needed to help create the new Co-op in Elkins Park.  Whether in running my own business, a large government health care clinic or participating in the running of an American Legion baseball team, I have found that working collaboratively using the team model is both effective and rewarding. Empowering people by using good interpersonal and communication skills to enable everyone to make contributions to a project and to maximize their use of their expertise in a given area is essential in an endeavor such as the Co-op.

My background is in health care. I am an optometrist and was in business for myself for twenty years. I also served in the Navy as an optometrist during the Vietnam War, taught at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry for 10 years and served as the Chief of Optometry at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center for 10 years where I am still currently on the staff.
I have BS degrees from both the University of California at Davis and Berkeley. My graduate degree is from UC Berkeley.
Community activities include board chair for the Cedarbrook Angels American Legion baseball franchise since 1996, member of the board of Old York Road Little League for 10 years, and longtime member of Kol Ami Synagogue.  I have been a member of the Abington Symphony orchestra for 20 years and I am currently the principle bassist in that organization.
Other interests include restoration of old houses. I have experience/knowledge of electrical systems and HVAC systems.

Rebecca Condict

As a member of the board of CreekSide Co-op for the last two years, I have served as the chair of the membership committee, helping to attract new members and providing educational programming to existing members and the broader community --representing the Co-op at community events such as Cedarbrook Earthday and Cheltenham Harvestfest and organizing programs such as Menu for the Future. I have helped to foster our connections to other food-related organizations in the community such as Hazon CSA at Kol Ami, Transition Cheltenham Food Action Group and Pennypack Farm and Education Center. 

Prior to serving on the board of directors for CreekSide Co-op, I volunteered at Pennypack Farm and Education Center in Horsham and Hazon CSA at Kol Ami in Elkins Park. I also served on the board of directors and as the head of the membership committee for my synagogue, Mishkan Ha'Am in Yonkers, NY. I have a Master's Degree in Library Science from Rutgers University, over 10 years of professional experience as a librarian and over five years of management experience. 

I have always been passionate about food. I spend most of my free time gardening, cooking and reading about food. Growing up, my parents introduced me to gardening, supporting local farmers and home cooking and stressed the importance of avoiding pesticides and food additives. In college, I helped found a supper Co-operative, in which members took turns purchasing food and preparing meals, allowing us to pool our time and resources to avoid eating processed cafeteria food and create for ourselves a substitute family with which to share our meals. During this time, I also had my first introduction to a Co-operative market, the Berkshire Co-op Market. 

A few years ago, my husband and I bought a house in Elkins Park. Since moving here we have become parents, making healthy and sustainable eating even more of a priority. Now I have the opportunity to pass on some of my values about food to my own children. My sons help me in the kitchen and the garden. When we shop at the farmers market, they enjoy meeting the farmers who grow some of the food we eat. My four year old frequently asks me when the Co-op will be opening and I look forward to taking him shopping in our store next year!

Jon McGoran

A Cheltenham resident since 2006, my involvement in CreekSide Co-op goes back to organizing the first meeting in December 2007 that led to this co-op’s creation. I look forward to seeing our store open this summer. As longtime Communications Director at Weavers Way Co-op in Philadelphia, and editor for over 20 years of Weavers Way’s newspaper, The Shuttle, I have extensive knowledge of the challenges and opportunities faced by co-ops, and the issues that surround them. I have a degree in communications from Temple University, and am author of three published novels, as well as several short stories.

Max Minkoff

My name is Max Minkoff and I have served on the CreekSide Co-op board for the last two years.  During this time I have been instrumental in obtaining our financing, fundraising, and communicating the board’s and our co-op’s progress, challenges, and opportunities via email, our website, and public meetings.  If you have been to a member meeting within the last two years you have probably seen me explain one or more aspects of our financial situation and options.

Most of my career has been spent at startup companies, including a cookie company that used to sell to Trader Joe’s and others.  I have an MBA from Wharton with a specialization in entrepreneurial marketing and operations and a Masters of Industrial Engineering from the University of Washington.  My professional work has focused on finance, operations, and technology, as well as teaching accounting and corporate finance to professionals and retail operations, marketing, and sales promotion at the college level.

In the three years since we moved to Elkins Park, my wife, two small children, and I have developed a strong connection to this community, particularly through my work with CreekSide and my wife’s with Friends of High School Park.

My excitement and support for the Co-op is motivated by many factors.  I live a block and half from the Co-op’s future location, so this opportunity to renovate and invigorate our “town center” has a direct impact on my immediate neighborhood’s quality of life.  As an avid cook with a dedication to natural foods, I’m eager to have a nearby market that provides the sorts of ingredients that I want to serve to my family and friends.  As a parent, I cherish the thought that my kids will have a place they can walk to for healthy food.  And perhaps most of all, as a “serial entrepreneur”, helping to launch a young venture like this is what makes me tick.

I bring a wide variety of relevant skills to the table.  In addition to my knowledge of finance, as an instructor I am able to present complicated information in a way that is understandable to everyone.  I have direct experience in the consumer food industry from my time making and selling natural and kosher cookies to several retailers and distributors, and a long track record of designing and manufacturing successful consumer products.  I also have years of experience building professional, dynamic websites and finding technology solutions to effectively address operations and communications challenges.

I hope that you will give me the opportunity to continue to serve our community in this important and meaningful way and to bring the efforts that we’ve made to fruition in this upcoming crucial year in the life of our co-op.

Debra Resnick

As a Cheltenham resident of 24 years I am looking forward to the opening of the CreekSide 

Co-op.   Endeavors of this nature involve many hours from dedicated workers and volunteers.  With this in mind I am applying for a position on the Board of Directors. 

I have experience in community outreach, marketing, special events, and as a volunteer, at work, and in the community.  I work as an Assistant Director of Mobile Cancer Screening in the Office of Health Communications and Health Disparities at Fox Chase Cancer Center.  My responsibilities include community outreach, customer relations, coordinating community and corporate mammography screenings, patient navigation, and overseeing the HealthyWoman program for un- and under-insured women. 

My work involves being organized, detail oriented, adaptable, and being able to communicate with a diverse client base both internally and externally. Prior to 2008 my position was under the Marketing and Communications Department.   In this capacity my additional duties included special events, marketing screening services, and attending numerous health fairs at corporations, community, retirement, and legislative venues.

In 2010 I graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine with a Master of Science degree in Organizational Development and Leadership. This unique program centers on how important it is to use our skills and training to make an impact on the world around us.  

Jeff Rotter

I am interested, I have time, I have energy and I have been a part of the community for 15 years - soccer coach for Cheltenham as well as the Kehillah league, basketball coach and sponsor for teams in the JJBL for the area.  I have a long career in real estate and managing people.  I do not play politics, not much for small talk and I am more honest than Abraham Lincoln.  

Jeff formed Rotter Realty Group to acquire and own real estate assets as a principal and general partner. To date have acquired 22 assets with a value in excess of $150 million.  He is responsible for sourcing the transactions, performing due diligence, securing both debt and equity and asset management. Properties include 14 marina facilities, 3 manufactured home parks (500 sites), 2 apartment communities in Pittsburgh (300 units), an office/retail building (50,000sf), 8 residential lots from a lender, and a 15-unit apartment building in Philadelphia. 

Jeff has a Master’s of Science in Real Estate Appraisal and Investment Analysis from the University of Wisconsin and a Bachelor Degree/ Finance from the University of Wisconsin.