Hank Walker

I bring a sense of institutional knowledge to the Board which serves in making sound decisions in setting policy and making future plans. I am deeply committed to the mission of the Coop, and in supporting a food and wellness store in our community. I am particularly impressed with the ways the Coop supports local farmers and businesses. It is key to the success of many small farmers and wellness enterprises in our community. I have watched so many businesses grow and thrive in my time working at the Coop. It is an extremely valuable part of our region.

I bring 60 years of work experience, starting at the tender age of 10 working for the Boys Club. I graduated to paper routes and working in a bicycle shop. I have embraced a strong work ethic and believe that working for the good of the community is good business. I spent 6 years serving my country in the Marines, followed by a college degree that involved public administration, governance, and economics from the Evergreen State College. I learned the essentials required by successful organizations, and not just in cash flow, but in service to the public. As a single father of two, I had to readjust my goals and became an owner/operator of 4 FedEx routes on the Olympic Peninsula. After meeting the love of my life and moving to Port Townsend, I found new employment at the Food Coop where I saw I could make a difference. It also allowed me to ride my bike to work every day, even on the rain and snow.

I live by a philosophy that honesty and integrity are paramount. I try to choose the difficult right over the easy wrong and to look out for the group rather than focus on myself.

The Board's role is to ensure that the policies the Coop creates are aligned with our members' common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically elected enterprise. The Board creates the policies and future plans to keep the Coop viable and upholds our common values.

I ran my own sole proprietorship for over 15 years, first with Roadway Package Systems, and then FedEx Ground.  I built and grew my route from a single truck to 5 trucks with 4 contractors.  I hired, trained, and provided leadership for my team of drivers. 

I provide guidance in governance for the management of the Food Coop. My loyalty is to the Food Coop, its members, and its long-term well-being. I bring no outside interest or agenda to my potential position on the Board.

Being a board member is not about me, but about us all. I work hard to be aware of my biases and keep them out of any decisions I make both in my life and on the Board. I also believe that the strongest community is a diverse community.

Mistakes are a fact of life. We all make them. However, mistakes provide opportunities for personal growth and development - a chance to learn and grow as individuals and a group.

As a personal experience, I had to fire one of my FedEx drivers who made a huge mistake in making a false delivery to someone he thought was having an affair with his wife. I explained that using a company truck to falsely access a Coast Guard base was not only illegal, it was cause for termination. The driver had worked for me for 6 years and was a good worker, but he had crossed a line I could not support, not to mention that Homeland Security got involved as this was a military base on high alert during the 2004 election. I tried to explain how actions can result in inexpected consequences and supported him in finding another job where he could redeme himself and make better decisions in the future.

I see myself as the consummate team player, a life lesson I have learned through my experiences. both as an athlete, coach, business owner, father, husband, and a United States Marine.  I feel decisions made in a group process are stronger than those made by an individual.

In my perspective, when the Food Coop Board makes a decision, it is one that benefits policy and the mission of the Coop. If a majority of the Board agrees on a position, it's the role of the other board members to support that decision. Thoughtful discourse is always important, but once a decision is made, that requires the support of the entire Board regardless of an individual's opinion.

In my position as a volunteer Mentor at the high school, I worked each year with 4 students who needed to come up with a group project. One year, the students had a variety of ideas, some of which were not grounded in reality. Some students were disengaged due to learning difficulties. I encouraged all ideas, allowed the group to discuss them respectfully, and come to their own conclusions. In this case, that took a while, but the students came to a common conclusion and then worked successfully on their project as a group.

We ensure the long term survival of our Food Coop through the due diligence of monitoring the General Manager and holding them accountable for their actions and the financial stability of the store, while keeping members informed and supported.