Carol Collins This is Me

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1. 1. Staff

   www.thepeopleschurch2000.org/t - [Cached]

   Published on: 1/1/2000   Last Visited: 10/2/2006

   Carolyn Collins Children's Pastor
   
   carolyn@thepeopleschurch2000.org

2. 2. Kansas State Collegian: Organic foods have various pros, cons 04/11/03

   www.kstatecollegian.com/storie - [Cached]

   Published on: 4/12/2003   Last Visited: 4/12/2003

   People's Co-op General Manager Carol Collins said her organic food store also concentrates on the ideology behind natural eating.
   
   "Organic as a philosophy is about sustainable living. Many of the organic farms are smaller and family-run. Whereas other food is pumped full of chemicals, organic food is only made with natural ingredients and won't harm your body in any way," Collins said.
   
   Besides voicing a strong belief in keeping the body's nutrients natural, Collins said her store is also very concerned with the state of the environment.
   
   "Organic food is not just for personal health but for the health of the environment," Collins said. "Organic (food) supports a cleaner environment, and people with cleaner farming practices. Some people who use chemicals get support from the government whereas organic farmers don't."
   
   She said that in addition to selling groceries, they have a concern for environment, concern for community, business honesty and corporate ownership.
   
   "We have a lot of integrity," Collins said. "We support the local grower and are aligned with peace and social justice movements. We try to support this along with the vegetarian and organic foods."
   
   Collins said her store's vision and support of organic farmers is in sharp contrast with stores that sell products produced by traditional farming.
   
   "With traditional farming, there are pesticides that pollute the streams," Collins said.

3. 3. Great Delis Start Without Equipment

   www.healthwellexchange.com/nfm - [Cached]

   Published on: 8/11/2002   Last Visited: 8/11/2002

   "We are two blocks away from one of the best full-service delis in the Midwest, so we chose not to compete with them," says Carol Collins, general manager of People's Food Cooperative in Ann Arbor, Mich. "We knew we wanted to do something different. We chose a fabulous food bar, which they don't have, and selected items for affordability, special dietary needs and simplicity. And we make them organic whenever possible."
   
   Even the largest stores are favoring self-service programs over full-service ones to maximize sales and minimize service labor expenses. Collins' decision to create a largely self-service deli and café operation-primarily around a hot- and cold-food buffet, a grab-and-go case and a staffed coffee, dessert and soup bar-has nearly doubled the store's customer count and increased sales by 20 percent over last year's. "Sales no longer are clustered around the weekends.
   ...
   We have big days all week long," Collins says. "Our food bar alone is almost 10 percent of total store sales ... bigger than our dairy department."
   
   Having a menu is the critical first step. "You have to know what you want to do out of that space, and what you want to offer," says Eric Skogrand, contract design specialist at U.S. Food Service Contract Design, New Brighton, Minn. Collins acknowledges wishing she had better understood that in order to specify the equipment she needed to have her menu well-developed, and that the architect couldn't finish the plans until the equipment decisions were made. "So while I had prepared for delays, I anticipated them being in the construction phase, and the delay actually came much earlier in the project," she says.
   
   ...
   "We chose to make our food bar the centerpiece of the expansion and spent our biggest equipment dollars to highlight that program," Collins says. "We also listened to our consultants and spent a little more on the bells and whistles for our grab-and-go display case, and that was a good decision."
   
   The biggest challenge smaller stores face in buying new equipment is getting a good and fair price. When buying new equipment, do everything possible to avoid paying retail list price.