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16 <br /> Commissioner Greene applauded Sue Ellsworth for creating the non-profit called We <br /> Power Food. She said that it is a great place for women to start and continue their businesses. <br /> Sue Ellsworth said it is a nonprofit that works on developing and providing resources to <br /> women food entrepreneurs. She said it helps them get the correct information from the start. She <br /> said this helped bridge the gap in communication between business owners and regulatory <br /> agencies. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton asked how many board members there are and who is on the <br /> board. <br /> Eric Hallman said two commissioners, one from Durham Couty and one from Orange <br /> County, and there are five board members. He said there is a need to expand the board. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton asked if there is a thought of how many to expand to. <br /> Eric Hallman said that they need to figure out what the BOCC wants the organization to <br /> be and from there they can get the right skill set. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton said she would like to see a breakout for profit and loss. <br /> Eric Hallman said he can provide that. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton said she would like to know the fixed equipment and value of it. <br /> Eric Hallman said there are two steam kettles, a skillet, two double decker ovens, a bread <br /> proofer, a liquid nitrogen blast freezer and a hydraulic juice press, and a dishwasher. He said that <br /> most of the equipment has fully depreciated and the replacement value is significant. He said the <br /> equipment lasts a long time and most of the equipment was purchased with grants. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton asked if they continue to get grants. <br /> Eric Hallman said they continue to apply but they have not applied for new equipment <br /> because they do not have the resources to deploy that. He said they would love to expand their <br /> services, particularly for dry fill services, and that would require new equipment. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton asked how charges are determined. <br /> Eric Hallman said the hourly rates are market rate from mission driven kitchens. He said <br /> they are in a network of incubator kitchens. He said there are 38 kitchens across the state that <br /> meet and share ideas. He said that $28 an hour is the going rate and that is what they charge. <br /> Sue Ellsworth said they also charge for storage so that's additional revenue. <br /> Chair Bedford said her concern is on accountability and board governance and asked how <br /> many board meetings were held and how many met quorum. <br /> Eric Hallman said there were two last year with quorum, and one this year with quorum. <br /> Chair Bedford said this is a concern for her because it doesn't follow their bylaws. She <br /> said that is not good board governance. She said that they should provide high level of <br /> management oversight and review the financial statements. She said that her experience at the <br /> time was that management changed the fee structure and then informed the board afterwards. <br /> She asked if the board conducts an evaluation for them. She asked if there was a job description. <br /> She asked if they get retirement or health insurance. She asked if they get paid vacation. <br /> Sue Ellsworth said she gets long-term and short-term disability, paid vacation, and they <br /> investigated bringing insurance in, but it is not affordable for a company their size. She said she <br /> uses the marketplace to get insurance. <br /> Chair Bedford said one of her issues is that they do not have similar benefits to county <br /> employees, and it is not fair. She said they work very long hours, and they are dedicated and <br /> great employees. She said that her criticism of the Board is not about the employees. She said it <br /> was a surprise to her when the board minutes were refused. She said she thinks the BOCC should <br /> extend the contract for a year. <br /> Eric Hallman said this started as a four-county collaborative in 2010. He said this was <br /> Durham, Alamance, Chatham, and Orange. He said that in 2011 their doors were opened. He <br /> said that it was funded at $1.3 million from various state, federal, and private funds. He said that <br /> Congressman Price was instrumental in this, and it paid for the building renovation and the <br /> equipment. He said in 2012, former County Manager Frank Clifton said they did not want anything <br />