We need your feedback and a $50 contribution.

The Steering Committee is looking for your feedback and input to ensure the organization is structured to deliver the investment results you're looking for. We're also asking interested investors for a $50 tax-deductible donation to assist in due diligence costs such as title searches, business appraisals, and legal fees. If you are interested, click here to read more.

Steering Committee Establishes Work Plan

The first Steering Committee meeting held July 22, 2010 in the NABC boardroom was a productive session. Jeff Voltz led the session, keeping all of the passion under control, as the committee worked through the long list of items to confirm, research and do. We split up the different tasks and will be sharing the results at our next meeting on August 12th.

This week, an update will be sent out by email or mail to all individuals that have expressed interest in investing. The Steering Committee would like to hear back from as many as possible to find out their primary interest in investing so that the resulting organization is structured to deliver the desired results. If you are interested in receiving this letter, please email or call Chandra (chandra@scknaus.com or 360-371-0977).

Exploratory Meeting a Success!

With NABC's, Jeff Voltz, in the lead and a fabulous turnout of 38 interested individuals at the Lynden Library this evening, we walked through the opportunity of purchasing Keizer Meats, learned of the organizational structures available and discussed next steps.

The group consisted of everyone from farmers and local food enthusiasts to restaurants, retailers and manufacturers...not to mention one interested investor who simply likes to eat meat. The demand for Whatcom grown meat is evident even beyond Whatcom county with owners from the retail chain Bill the Butcher, making the trip from Seattle. We were also really pleased to attract the interest of Dick Hempler, owner of Hempler Meats, and Chris Irwin, owner of Boomer's Drive-In on Samish Way. 

The group, overall, leaned towards an LLC structure, however more research is needed to find out if a co-op structure is better suited to gain support from available agricultural monies or special interest rates offered by government organizations to support local agriculture.

With a number of questions asked, and not all of them answered, the group called for volunteers to form a steering committee to find the answers and keep the process moving. A diverse group of 7 individuals volunteered to form the committee, each with different skills and backgrounds.

The steering committee will meet next Thursday to assemble a to-do list and divide up tasks and responsibilities.

Thank you to all who attended the meeting and thanks to the local media for your help in making the meeting a success.

Read More!

In today's Bellingham Herald by Business Editor, Dave Gallagher
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/07/13/1522977/farmers-show-interest-in-keizer.html

In yesterday's Bellingham Business Journal by Ryan Wynne
http://bbjtoday.com/blog/county-food-producers-limited-processing-barriers/7974

Reminder! Meeting this Wed. at 7pm.

If you're interested in finding out more, don't miss the meeting this Wednesday at 7pm at the Lynden Public Library.

Possible Co-op to Buy Keizer Meats

As the only Whatcom County USDA inspected meat slaughter and processing facility in Whatcom county, it's with good reason that local Whatcom farm and agriculture enthusiasts have come together with a unified vision. To form an organization to evaluate the opportunity and possibility of purchasing Keizer Meats. Current owners, George and Sherry Keizer, are looking to pass ownership of Keizer Meats to a group of investors that will keep the operation running and growing as they originally dreamed, but are unable to fulfill, due to unfortunate health issues.