The Presenters

Seminar Content in Brief

Carolee Colter is a member of CDS Consulting Co-op.  She specializes in personnel management and organizational development for the natural foods industry. With the involvement of managers and employees, she conducts employee surveys and develops staffing plans, job descriptions, pay scales, performance evaluations, personnel policies and training programs. 

    Carolee regularly writes for trade publications and presents seminars for CCMA, Provender Alliance and other conferences. She has authored the manual for boards of directors, "Hiring a General Manager" available through Cooperative Grocer Network.  She has also written Retail Basics 103: Supervision and Teambuilding, for new supervisors in food co-ops.

Mark Mulcahy is an award winning retail consultant, educator, and organic advocate. He is the owner of Organic Options, which provides consulting for co-ops and independent retailers worldwide. With more than 35 years in the organic produce industry, Mark is well known for his creative merchandising, effective training techniques, passion for produce, successful financial strategies and dedication to sustainable agriculture.

    Mark is the co-creator and presenter of Roots & Relationships, a fun, interactive and inspiring journey into our food and its relationship and connection with our mind, body and community. Mark also leads the Passion, Purpose and Produce gathering at the Whidbey Institute – an intimate and hands-on intensive exploration to re-discover your passion for food and to re-activate your purpose as a change agent in the sustainable food movement.

Allen Seidner, principal of Thought For Food Consulting, specializes in prepared foods department design and operations consulting for cooperative and independently owned natural foods retailers.  Allen has worked in foodservice for most of his life, and as a prepared foods operations designer since 1997, having since created program, financial and fixture plans for scores of leading retailers in the U.S. and Canada.

    Allen is a former partner at Good Earth Natural Foods in Fairfax, Calif., regional foodservice director for Wild Oats Markets, and prepared foods team leader for Whole Foods Markets. He produces his own 3-day small group prepared foods operations intensive, DeliOps 101, and is co-creator and -presenter of the Rising Stars Seminars. An archive of Allen’s published articles on foodservice and leadership development issues is available here.

Carolee Colter

Mark Mulcahy

Allen Seidner