According to CEO Graham “Chip” ….

According to CEO Graham “Chip” Courtney, the greatest achievement is the impact the Medford Cooperatives has had on the communities they serve.

“Not only do we employ hundreds of people but we’ve also paid millions of dollars in patronage refunds back to our customers. Perhaps most importantly there are very few community projects the Medford Cooperative isn’t heavily involved in. We are a significant donor to almost all area non-profit events and projects. Much of our staff is involved in the community on their own time as well. Over the past 10 years, we have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars back to several community improvement projects and I feel strongly that our community would look much different if not for the substantial support of the Medford Cooperative,” Courtney said.

Looking to the future, Courtney says the Medford Cooperatives’ diversity will be a strength but sees that there will be the same sort of challenges that face other retail establishments.

“With our diversity, most business challenges affect us in one way or another. We are not immune to any of the challenges that face all small businesses – on-line shopping, the concentration and growth of competition, changing consumer tastes and demands, government regulation, employee recruitment, commodity markets, weather, and much more,” he said.

“The key to overcoming those challenges is awareness and strategic planning. We spend a lot of time on those things and hopefully that will allow us to continue our tradition of growth and success,” Courtney said.

Looking ahead to the future, Courtney sees growth as being essential.

“Growth is one of our Strategic Imperatives and if history is an indication, that’s what we will continue to do. We have an aggressive mind set and a very strong balance sheet. Those things have us constantly on the lookout for opportunities. Our vision states “by providing quality, value and service with integrity the Medford Cooperative will achieve substantial growth, financial success and leadership in all the markets we serve.” We have been doing that since 1911 and I fully expect that to continue,” he said.