The Royal City Farmers Market AGM was held January 28. For those who were unable to attend, we are posting the text of the speeches each board member gave to summarize our progress in the 2009 market year.

At the end of May 2009 I received an unexpected and timely phone call from Andrew. I was a stay at home mom trying to figure out how to stay at home when my mat leave ended, and in less than a week I was hired on as the market manager. I also wanted to say a special thank you to Will Tomkinson for mentioning my name to Andrew that fateful day back in May.

It was a race to get organized for the first week, and I don’t really think the pace slowed down until October, and even then it was full speed ahead to organize the winter market. By the end of the summer season, I think we were operating as a well oiled machine!

There were a total of 64 vendors approved to sell at RCFM throughout the season. My largest challenge during the summer and now during the winter is where to put all of the amazing vendors who wanted to come. The most vendors at any one market in the summer was 38, with the average at about 33, and the lowest at 29. We were fortunate to only have one rainy day – and rain it did – but there were two weeks in the height of summer where we baked in the heat and if you ask me, I’m not sure what was harder to work through!

We are on track for a spectacular 2010 season, I’m working on forms and applications for returning and new vendors alike and things will be full speed ahead once the new board meets. I want to say a few quick thank yous:

First, to the volunteers who came out week after week and did everything from taking surveys, putting up signs, monitoring kids activities, running the RCFM booth… you are an integral part of how this organization functions and week after week, you made me feel as though everything was in good hands.

Second, I am honored to have worked with such an energetic and committed board. You were all willing to pitch in your own volunteer time, and as a collective, you were a pretty decent boss. Thank you for your time and your faith in me.

Thank you also to the community groups, city departments, and other organizations that supported us by donating time and services to help the market run smoothly.

Finally, I wanted to point say a special thank you to Briana Tomkinson, who some of you may already know but may not know of her contribution. Briana has been an incredible supporter and volunteer behind the scenes – among other things, she has redesigned our website, has helped me write press releases, and handles all of the social media updates. Without her I simply could not have gotten as much done.

Not many people can say they love their job; I am truly grateful that I can say I do.

The Royal City Farmers Market AGM was held January 28. For those who were unable to attend, we are posting the text of the speeches each board member gave to summarize our progress in the 2009 market year.

We begin with the President’s Report from Andrew Murray, followed by reports from Market Manager Jen Arbo, Treasurer Sheila Rowswell and Vendor Liaison Will Tomkinson. Thanks again to everyone who came out in support of the Royal City Farmers Market!

Our 2009 summer market season proved to be as successful if not more so as our first season. Blessed with good weather for all but one market we saw significant increases in attendance and the number of vendors at the market. We averaged approximately 35 vendors/mkt. a 30% increase over our first year.

We were fortunate to become part of the Nutrition Coupon Program which allowed 50 low income families to come to the market and redeem coupons for fresh fruit and vegetables. The redemption rate was 88% and we’re hoping to be able to offer the program in 2010.

We also introduced Art in the Park this year which allowed local artists to come, set up and receive some valuable exposure in the community. Some were able to sell their work for the first time due to being at the Market.

We addressed our long term storage issue by purchasing a trailer mid way through the summer. Being able to store all our equipment in one place has saved us a lot of time as well as alleviating some aching lower backs.

Our website has been completely redone and is now a much more effective marketing tool. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter. It’s clear that social media is a very effective way of increasing our core support.

The Board made the decision to go ahead with a series of Winter Markets on a trial basis. We based our decision on the over 250 surveys we did during the summer market season. From the surveys it was clear there was demand for us to have a year round presence in the community. Our first two markets to date at Holy Trinity Cathedral have been well received and we’ll be evaluating the decision in the spring.

From a financial perspective the RCFM is on solid footing, our revenues rose significantly this season and we were prudent in managing our expenses. The hiring of Jen Arbo as our Operations Manager has proven to be probably the best decision we made all year. Jen has done a wonderful job for the Market and has demonstrated amazing organizational skills – plus she makes a pretty mean cup of chai tea!

The 2009 Board of Directors have been a dedicated and passionate group who have worked extremely well together this past year. It’s been a pleasure to be involved with them and I thank them for all their hard work.