Phil Guida, Interim General Manager
Hello Chatham Marketplace Owners; I’m feeling privileged & honored to have been chosen to follow Mary DeMare in taking the steps in getting our Co-op through to the next level. I’m excited to be back home in North Carolina having spent the last 5 years managing 2 very wonderfully different Co-op’s in Minnesota. Just Food Co-op in Northfield lured me away from my GM position in Hendersonville (Hendersonville Community Co-op 1999-2006) in January 2007. After my work was complete at Just Food I continued my pursuit of bringing my energy & experience to The Rochester Good Food Store in Rochester MN. Both of these stores saw major sales increases as well as ownership growth during my time as their General Manager. From 2006-2008 I also served on the Board of the National Cooperative Grocers Association enabling me to gain first hand BOARD experience that has helped guide me in my relationships with the Boards I have worked with.
My wife & I relocated back to Asheville, November 1 for a variety of reasons mostly based on family. The NCGA managed to find a way for the Chatham Board & me to connect and so we did. I come to Chatham Marketplace with 28 years of Co-op knowledge, and experiences that I hope to put to work here in Pittsboro. Remember it takes all of us to make this work and I will be calling on you for your support. I look forward to meeting you as we work together to bring our Co-op to financial health while continuing to make our community “stronger together.”
David Dellea
David Dellea has been our artisan Produce Manager for over 4 years. AsDavid recalls his humble beginnings, he shares “I sold my first vegetables,from the family garden at age 10, with my very own roadside stand. Thatlasted until the mid-teens, and then I decided to spend my money on otherthings. I took a twenty year hiatus from selling yummy, fresh from the earth, fruits and veggies. This is where I need to thank my mom for her open mindedness and in encouraging me to reach for the stars. I also give thanks to my dad for scaring away all the things that go bump in the night as well as all those recruiters. During that time I managed to see some wonderful parts of Europe, Greece and the US.” David also received a bachelor’s degree in American Studies and Theater, from SUNY Brockport. Then his travels took him to San Francisco for 3 years where he worked for Greenpeace, the Food Bank of San Mateo, and on the North Shore fishing docks.
After all that, David found a new home called North Carolina. This is where his fun began!! He felt like he had finally found his roots. In 1991 he returned to his passion of selling fruits and veggies again. This time it was not a roadside stand, it was for a new store in Chapel Hill called Wellspring Grocery. A few years later, David heard about a Coop that was looking for a produce person. This was a perfect match as David completely supported the concept of a Coop. So he spent seven years with Weaver Street Market, in Carrboro. “During my time at Weaver Street, I learned a lot about life. I also had the joy of witnessing the birth of both of my beautiful, intelligent, polite, imaginative, (I could just go on and on…) sons, Jesse (17) and Noah (15). My first wife and I share joint custody of my sons.The newest chapter in the story of David’s life is that in 2009, he had the joy of marrying the wonderful Tracie Little. “I would be lost without her,” David says.
Due to the long commute and his well used vehicle, (a 1963 four wheel Jimmy), David moved to the Durham Co-Op and worked there for four years. Then he received a distress call from a little birdy that brought him to Pittsboro. It was Chatham Marketplace, a new start up co-op, looking for a produce manager. And we are thankful this is where he has been since 2007. Most people who walk into the store make a bee line for the incredible display of fresh produce that David maintains in a meticulous way. Thank you, David, for making us all love to eat well!!!
Dave Schirmer
Dave Schirmer Dave Schirmer was born and raised in Durham N.C. The youngest of 3 boys, he found at an early age that cooking was the surest way to feed an empty stomach. He graduated from Southern High School in Durham and went to Wayne Community College in Goldsboro NC. He graduated with an Associate’s degree in applied science (auto tech). What he really learned was he didn’t like to get paid to get greasy.
After several different employment opportunities he found a job at a deli which re-sparked his interest in food and also was the place where he met his wife. Since then, Dave and his wife, Carol, have visited 5 different countries, bought a house, and had two beautiful daughters. With both of his children, Dave completed a tour of duty as a stay at home father. To make room for his growing family, Dave and Carol built a beautiful new “green” home on 4 ½ acres of land in the woods. When his youngest daughter was 6 months old, Dave came back to Chatham Marketplace and has been putting out wonderful, delicious food ever since.
Brian Peat
Brian Peat moved from his home state of Connecticut to North Carolina in 2005 and has found a comfortable community and home here in Pittsboro. With a split background in food service and industrial distribution, Brian started at Chatham Marketplace lending his skills to the kitchen and now has found a nice little niche on the Board of Directors to put his business skills into play. After managing a small cutting tool distributor for ten years and spending the next two opening and growing a new branch in Raleigh, Brian has developed a unique perspective in many aspects of small business and plans to draw on all of his mental resources in his service to the the board, the store and our community.