Announcing My Retirement
By Tony White, General Manager
Dear Co-op Member-Owners,
Some of you may have been aware that I have been planning to retire in the spring of 2026. It is with mixed emotions that I have decided to move my retirement date up to December 1, 2025.
From the start, part of my retirement plan was to move back to live on a floating home on the Columbia River in Portland; my wife and I spent four years living on the river before moving up to Skagit County to manage our Co-op. Last year, the ideal river home became available, and we decided to jump at the opportunity to purchase it. That decision has led to my wife and me living apart for much of the time. It has become increasingly challenging to find a balance between my personal life and work, and we have decided that it is in the best interest of our health and happiness to be back together as soon as possible. Therefore, I will retire on December 1st. We have loved living in the area and leave with a fair amount of apprehension, since we both identify this region as the most beautiful place we’ve ever lived. But the river life suits us well!
Running our Co-op, for me, has been the perfect ending to my career. It has been a true joy working for you all! This year marks 30 years I’ve been involved in food co-ops. Prior to that, I had fifteen years working in conventional supermarkets, so altogether, a really long career in the food industry. In 1995, I decided to move into a new job with a food co-op in New England. Moving into the cooperative sector was one of the best decisions I ever made. I immediately embraced the cooperative model and all of the values and missions associated with it.
Then, in 2015, my wife and I decided to move across the country to Portland, Oregon to launch the regional office of National Cooperative Grocers (NCG). NCG is a cooperative owned by food cooperatives across the country, including ours. This position allowed me to use my skills to help support numerous co-ops across the country. It was great work, but involved a lot of travel. Early in 2019, Todd Wood asked if I would ever be interested in running a food co-op again, specifically Skagit Valley Food Co-op. I explained to Todd that another move to a new area of the country was not ideal for my wife and me, but that I would consider it. In the middle of 2019, while visiting the area for work, I scheduled some time to drop in and tour the Co-op. The minute I walked into the store and felt the energy and the community, I knew it was where I wanted to be.
I was fortunate enough to have been hired as the new GM to continue the work of Todd, the staff, the Board, and the community. Other than being introduced to a pandemic in my first three weeks on the job, it has been a great run. I have so enjoyed my six years here at our Co-op. I will always cherish the relationships I have built here. I am very sad to be leaving my Co-op family that I have treasured for the last several years.
However, I am really looking forward to spending more time with my wife and hopefully enjoying a life of fewer headaches. My plan is to work on my golf game—it needs a lot of work—and to embrace fishing on the Columbia River.
We have an amazing staff here at our Co-op, and our senior leadership team is strong. I am proud of the team we have developed here. I believe that team has the right people in it to lead our Co-op into the future. I have no doubt that our Co-op will continue to thrive for decades to come.
Our Co-op is in a very healthy place. When I took the helm, it was in a healthy place, and I am proud to say that as I leave, it still is. Skagit Valley Food Co-op is a vibrant business in our community and one that values staff, local economy, and cooperative values. Annual sales have grown by $6 million since I started, and we currently employ over 185 staff.
Thank you so much for letting me share the last six years of my work life with you. They have been the best years of my career. I will miss so many people that I have come to care for over that time. My wife and I hope to visit the area often to reconnect with our Co-op family. And of course, do some shopping at the best Co-op in the country.
Sincerely, Tony White