Can you believe that our co-op has been open for almost 5 years? And before we opened, we had to hire employees to fill all the shelves. Sue Ells, our Human Resources Manager, has been here to welcome each and every employee on their first day at the co-op. She’s seen our co-op grow from just a few employees to almost 100!

I was able to sit down with Sue to learn more about this hardworking and dedicated person.

The Basics

Department: HR

Current Position: Human Resources Manager

Years at our Co-op: 5 years!

Special Skill/Hidden Talent: I enjoy hosting parties for friends and family. And I think I have great organizational skills, which comes in handy both for being a hostess and also in my position here at the co-op!

Favorite Product: When in season, I love the local organic strawberries. I also love the housemade Spring Chicken Salad. Really, any of the prepared foods and Grab & Go fruits and veggies because I just don’t usually want to cook when I get home.

Favorite Co-op Event: I’ve enjoyed being part of every Truckload Sale, but I really do love our staff Holiday Party, too.

Digging Deeper

What do you love about our co-op? I absolutely love that we are providing a great source of customers for our local vendors & producers, and supporting their growth while providing good jobs and healthy food for our community.

What do you do outside of work? I serve as the treasurer for both the Stratton Free Library and the Greater Monadnock Society for Human Resource Management’s board of directors. I also enjoy reading, entertaining friends & guests… as long as it doesn’t involve cooking!

What is your most memorable/favorite moment over the past 5 years? In our breakroom we have a staff bio board. Each staff member has a picture of themselves and a short little bio. It was so much fun to create and I loved seeing everyone’s reaction to it.

The Fun Stuff

If you had to work in a different department for a month, which one would you try out? That’s a tough one, but probably the Grocery Department. There is a wide range of products I would get to know as well as a lot of interaction with customers.

What is the weirdest job that you have ever had? I’ve normally stayed at my jobs for a long time, so I haven’t had many. But I did own a interior design business at one point and traveled throughout the county.

If we were hiring for a new cook, would you rather hire Meryl Streep in her portrayal of Julia Child or the Swedish Chef? Hmmmm…Meryl Streep, because I would just love to know her.

What is your favorite comfort food/family recipe? That’s an easy one! Boston Cream Pie. I have it for my birthday every year.

Anything else to share? It brings me joy to see people happy in their jobs and I do anything that I can to improve our work environment. I always try to find a way to make it happen.

Thanks Sue, for such a fun interview and for everything that you have done for our co-op!