The Fredericksburg Food Co-op has unanimously selected Chris Roland to lead the co-op as its first general manager.
Roland has 15 years of experience with food co-ops, including serving as the general manager at two successful food co-ops – one in Arizona and the other in the Chicago area, where Chris has been the GM of Sugar Beet Food Co-op since 2014.
Roland was born in Virginia and grew up in North Carolina, where he graduated from the University of North Carolina with a double major in Small Business/Entrepreneurship and Hospitality Management and with a minor in Philosophy.
Roland
Jonathan Stevens, board chair of the Fredericksburg Food Co-op, said: “More than four years ago a small group of dedicated volunteers began the process of building support for the opening of an awesome community-owned grocery co-op here in Fredericksburg. Today, we are thrilled to welcome Chris Roland to complete the job started by those volunteers. We are grateful to have such a talented and proven leader as Chris Roland. With Chris as our General Manager our board has no doubt about the success of our co-op and the value this co-op will bring to the Fredericksburg community.”
Earlier this year, the co-op took possession of a 9,400-square-foot retail space at 320 Jefferson Davis Highway. The co-op plans to open next year. It is now working on attracting Opportunity Zone investments to complete its financing.
