Staff
Profile: Russell Ziemba
by
Christy Articola
Russell
Ziemba has
been a part of the Honest Weight Food Coop
since the early days. A member since 1977, he remembers the old
location on Quail Street
well. Looking
back, he recalls that one of his first tasks as a member worker was to
help with
the store’s expansion from one room to two. Through the ’80s and ’90s,
Russell was
involved with HWFC on and off; but in 2001 he joined the staff.
Currently, he holds
the position of grocery floor manager and works three days a week.
In
the Grocery department, Russell assists with the general day-to-day
running of
the department; he does stocking, he breaks down products and puts them
on carts
for the member workers, and he finds jobs for member workers to do. He
reminds us
that because it sometimes takes a while to teach people specific tasks,
it’s best
to continuously have returning member workers who regularly work the
same shifts.
Russell’s favorite thing about being a part of the Coop is having the
opportunity to do a variety of tasks. Although he has worked in the
Grocery
department during all four of his years on the staff, he’s had
opportunities to
work in nearly every department during his 28 years with us — including
the
produce, cheese and HaBA departments.
When
not at the Coop, Russell spends much of his time on his other passion —
politics.
In the recent election, he ran for the Rensselaer County Legislature
and,
although he lost, he had such a good showing he plans to run for public
office
again. In
2004 he ran on the
Democratic ticket; but his heart lies with the Green Party, partially
because
he finds that the Greens are dedicated to issues on the local level. He
regularly
attends meetings of the Rensselaer County Planning and Zoning boards,
and he is
also a strong supporter of historic preservation and restoration of old
buildings in his county. (Russell currently resides in Troy.)
At
the Coop, Russell is a huge fan of our Bulk and Produce departments —
he
especially likes our selection of grains and nuts.
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