ABOUT US

A musician, a farmer and a stonemason walk into a bar ... well they did. OK, it was a coffee bar, but still. In fact, they walked into the Stick every day. All retired, they would meet at the Stick for local gossip, political discussions and friendly banter. It was a ritual, one they hated to miss.

But on April 15th, they found out the Stick would close its doors in July.

They were devastated, not able to imagine this same group finding each other at any other coffee shop. They looked at each other and said NO WAY, we have to DO something.

Now, none of the three amigos could afford to simply buy the Stick. But then they had this crazy idea. What if the community itself bought the Stick? So many Sookies have a story to tell about a person they met there, a great gathering, or just memories of happy hours chatting with locals and advising tourists about the best places to see. What if they all came together to keep the legacy of the Stick alive?

That was April 15th. By April 25th emails had been sent out to the BC Cooperative Association, Vancity had been contacted, and a public meeting at the library had determined there was enough interest to pursue this idea.

The original 3 has now become a 6 person steering committee with, thankfully, a couple of business owners bringing their experience to the table. And just 8 weeks from that fateful news of the impending closure, the Sooke Community Investment Cooperative has been incorporated.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

WENDY O'CONNOR

President

Wendy has been a dedicated customer at the Stick in the Mud since her move to Sooke in 2008 after 42 years with the Canadian Forces as a full time musician. She counts serving on the Harmony Project Sooke board, work with Sooke Transition Town Society, the lead in Zero Waste Sooke and performing for Ayre Manor residents among her volunteer work. Wendy believes in promoting teamwork, has strong interpersonal skills and works to keep morale up wherever she goes. Wendy is a wife, mother, grandmother, volunteer and butler to the family pets.

GRANT STORRY

Vice President

Grant Storry is a human-centred entrepreneurial executive dedicated to personal growth, hacking commerce-as-usual, and cultivating regenerative projects. He's a tech-product geek, having spent over 20 years creating, evolving, and growing both physical and online technology products across the product lifecycle. Over his product career he's served in roles as product manager, director of product, & vice president product. In the last ten years Grant has grown into a strategic values-led executive of high performance teams in remote, in-person, and hybrid contexts. His experience spans businesses of all sizes- from the Fortune 500 & Canada's Best Managed Companies, to startups, scale-ups, & co-ops of various stages. He is experienced launching new ventures both intrapreneurially and entrepreneurially. As a CEO Grant is a disciplined P&L operator focused on growing earnings, nurturing high trust culture, and making sane financial decisions. He's been involved in multiple mergers, acquisitions, and exits over the years, actively participating both as an acquiring or acquired party.

RAYMONA SUTTON

Director

Raymona served 32 years in the Canadian Armed Forces as a musician and operations administrator, managing up to 200 people on tour around the world. She moved to Sooke five years ago and has fallen in love with this community and it's natural beauty. Raymona is passionate about animals and of course, loves a Vosino latte!

ANITA WOOD

Secretary

Anita is a retired occupational therapist who excelled at helping clients realize their potential, improve their functioning and meet their goals. Anita has lived in 3 provinces but was thrilled to return to Sooke where she quickly fell in love with the Stick. The Stick holds a special place in Anita's heart as it's where she met and married the love of her life. Anita credits the Stick with bringing her many new friends with art, music, gardening, wellness, literacy, travel & sailing knowledge.

JIM MEUNIER