Hi there!

My name is Shawn Mitchell, I live in Vancouver, BC, and I am running for a second term on the board of Mountain Equipment Co-op. This blog will be one space where you can find out more about me, my background and experience. You can also find me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

My first hope is that you will vote in the MEC board elections that are running from February 24th to March 31st. If you are a member of MEC, selecting who you want to represent your interests as a member on the board is a big part of the benefit of being part of a co-op. You are an owner.

My second hope is that you will vote for me.

And my third hope (and I may be pushing it a bit here), is that you will spread the word to your friends, family, colleagues and fellow members, encouraging them to vote ... and perhaps even encouraging them to vote for me as well.

Of course, if you have questions, concerns or issues you'd like to raise, I want to hear them. Email me at: candidate_mitchell@mec.ca.

Why I’m qualified to be an MEC board member

I’ve had the privilege of sitting at the board table at MEC for the past three years. In that time I’ve gone through the learning curve that all first-time board members have to go through: who does what in the organization; what are the strategic priorities; what do our finances look like; what are the needs of the membership; staff engagement in the organization; etc.

Beyond attending board and committee meetings (which is an important part of how a board member discharges their duties), I’ve also made other contributions to the work of the board and to the organization as a whole:

·       I am the board contact for senior staff regarding organizational strategy and planning work related to how MEC is delivering on its long-term conservation goals.

·       I currently represent the full board on the Activity Strategy Working Group, a cross-departmental committee made up of staff who are guiding the organization’s thinking on how to best engage with Canadians about being active in the outdoors.

·       On behalf of the Governance and Sustainability Committees, I am the board representative working with the Director of Sustainability in the development of MEC’s Accountability Report.

·       As the Chair of the Governance Committee, I worked with senior staff in the recruitment of a new Senior Manager, Governance … a new position on the senior management team.

·       As a board member with professional expertise in communications and social media, I worked with senior staff in the recruitment of a new Senior Manager, Communications and Marketing.

Professionally, I’ve held senior level positions in a number of organizations, including VP, Communications and Human Resources at WWF-Canada and VP, Corporate and Public Affairs at Edelman Vancouver (formerly Karyo-Edelman). Thanks to this and other roles I’ve had, I have the leadership, management and financial background necessary to excel as a board member.

But at the end of the day, what is probably just as important is my passion for the co-op itself and all that it represents, as well as my love of the outdoors. I love the wilderness and I love having the gear that helps me get out there and experience it. MEC has always been a part of that.

Why I’m running for the board

 Over the past 30 years, I have canoed, hiked, camped or skied in 6 out of 11 provinces and territories in Canada, and a handful of places in the U.S. I cannot remember a time when my collection of gear didn’t mostly (if not entirely) come from MEC. The co-op, and everything it represents, has been a fundamental part of my life for a long time. Being on the board is my way of giving back.

In 2008, I had the privilege to be elected by the membership to sit on the board for the first time. But three years goes by in the blink of an eye. Now, in 2011, I’m asking the membership to let me represent their interests for another three years, and to build on the experience, connections and contributions I’ve made so far.

Why you should vote for me

There are lots of reasons why members should vote for me in this board election.

1.     I’m qualified. I've been on the MEC board for the past three years. But in addition to all my other experience, I am also a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors. Through the Institute, I am able to access other learning and professional development and networking opportunities that help me stay current with trends and best practices, and help make me a better board member.

2.     I’m committed. Being a board member at MEC is a big responsibility on behalf of members, but it also demands a considerable amount of time. I put in that time.

3.     My values align with MEC’s (and probably with yours). I believe in sustainability (I used to work in the environmental movement). I believe in the awesomeness of the outdoor experience (I’ve been playing in the wilderness since I was a kid). I believe in accountability (we all have a responsibility for the economic, social and environmental impact of our actions … which is why I’ve worked for more than 15 years in the nonprofit world). I believe in the power of the cooperative model. And I believe that as good as MEC is, it can always be better.

Oh … and most people seem to think that I’m a nice guy.

Short-term goals for MEC

I got the question from one of my friends that basically asked, “what do you think the short-term goals for MEC should be?”

I said, “Good question!”

In a world that is experiencing economic and social volatility, soft consumer spending and ever-increasing expectations of business for leadership in social responsibility, I believe that MEC needs to do the following:

1) targeting its range of products to members and prospective members so that they can buy the gear and apparel they need and want;

2) being innovative in its role as a leader in social responsibility practices; and,

3) improving the efficiency/effectiveness of its operations.

Long-term goals for MEC

I’ll have to jog folks’ memory a bit on this one. Back in 2006, the MEC board (before I joined) undertook a consultation of members across Canada to talk about what they felt the future of MEC ought to be and what its priorities should be. Thanks to that consultation, MEC developed a Charter and corresponding long-term goals. To find out more about the Charter, click here.

In the past three years, the board has been working with management the rest of the organization to move forward on these goals. If you’ve never seen or heard of this stuff, here’s the short version.

Goal#1

To increase participation in self-propelled wilderness oriented recreation in Canada.

Goal #2

To support the creation and stewardship of a comprehensive network of parks, wilderness and outdoor recreation in Canada.

Goal #3

To foster change toward environmental, social and economic sustainability in the marketplace.

Each of these goals have a bunch of intended outcomes associated with them (I won’t post them here, but if you’d like to see them, I could email them to you). But here’s one important point: as a co-op, we are only able to be successful in achieving these goals if we stay financially healthy. So one way that members are able to support the achievement of these goals in the long-term is to buy products that MEC sells.

And as a board member, part of my job is to make sure that the wishes of the membership, as expressed through consultation, are followed. In the past couple of years, I have participated directly on internal committees focused on advancing the organization’s work on all three of these goals.

How you can support me

There are essentially three things that you can do to help me earn another term on the board. Here they are in order of priority:

1.     If you’re a member, please vote. Between February 24^th and March 31^st, go to www.mec.ca and follow the instructions on the website to vote.

2.     If you feel strongly about my qualifications as a board member, please encourage others to vote for me as well. Tell your personal networks on Facebook, LinkedIn or on Twitter to check me out. You could refer them to this site or to www.mec.ca as well.

3.     Go to Facebook and “Like” my “Shawn Mitchell for MEC Board” fan page. This helps people feel momentum regarding my campaign.

If you are able to do any or all of these things for me, I would be extremely grateful. And hey, feel free to share any progress you’ve made! Email me at mitchell.mec@gmail.com.