Friday, January 14, 2011
Boise Fired Boise Co-op Founder/Manager Talks to BW
Posted by George Prentice on Fri, Jan 14, 2011 at 2:19 PM
Ken Kavanagh didn't go to work Friday at Boise Co-op. For the first time since the doors opened in 1973, the ex-president and general manager of the Boise landmark is out of a job. Kavanagh said two Co-op board members approached him the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 13, handed him a piece of paper indicating they would give him a severance and told him to turn over his keys.
"They said 'We're going to escort you off the premises,'" Kavanagh told Citydesk. "I said, 'No you're not. This is not how you treat people. I haven't done anything wrong to deserve this.' And now, of course, the store is in an uproar."
Kavanagh said he knew something was up when he was asked to hire a new grocery manager, who he thought would someday replace him.
"The inescapable conclusion is that I was lied to the entire time," said Kavanagh. "It turned out that they were seeking my replacement. And let me tell you, if the guys they brought in for interviews are any indication of the direction they're going in, the Co-op will be a different place. It will have a very corporate feel."
Kavanagh said he was approached by Co-op board members Gary Lyons and Pat Haas. Since then, Lyons has resigned as chairman of the board and has taken over as acting general manager. Haas has now assumed position as board chairman.
"I'm not the most perfect person in the world," said Kavanagh. "I've made some mistakes. I've done some things I'm not proud of. But you would have thought that I was guilty of criminal activity or engaged in depravity to be treated this way. I wouldn't treat a dog the way I've been treated."
Before being let go, Kavanagh called for a general meeting of all members of the Co-op to be held Monday, Jan. 24. He said he expects that meeting still to take place.
"You know in the movie It's a Wonderful Life where George Bailey is shown what would happen if he wasn't there?" asked Kavanagh. "Do you remember? His town turned into Potterville. Last night I dreamed that the Co-op could turn into Potterville."
Citydesk has made multiple attempts to contact Gary Lyons and current management at the Co-op but no calls have been returned.
[UPDATE: This article has been amended to correct a name misspelling.]
Comments (77)
Showing 1-50 of 77
Well, as much as I liked the hippie, changes will have to be made that this store may be a viable competition to the new store entering downtown. First their outragous prices need to be brought under control. Then the whole crap about bumping shelf prices by 10% to non members is abhorable. Kick toods Ken.
like
dislike
Kavanaugh has done an incredible job at the coop for years, and would have continued to do so into the future, Whole Foods or not. The community deserves to continue to have someone of his commitment and talents running the store.
Pat Haas is a myopic good ole boy. HE's the one who needs to be let go...of the many boards he's on. Take a look, he's good at making really bad personnel decisions.
There simply would not be a
Boise co-op in Boise where it not for Ken Kavanaugh...He created and has held the vision for it all these years!! sounds like a Power issue to me. Besides that is not the way to treat someone who has worked there all these years. Ken is an intelligent, progressive, thoughtful manager.
Trouble in utopia. In the land of "no self-awareness", unwanted disorientation rules at this time. Hurry up WholeFoods, we need an adult store focused on excellence. Mao is dead.
Sweet. Been hoping they'd clean up their inattentive, unprofessional culture for some time
Hi Ken! This is from Jeremy. I am pained to hear of these events, mostly the method of handling their decision. Nobody deserves that kind of treatment absent issues of fradulent or antisocial behavior. As a long-term member of the COOP, I wish to express my condolances and hope you are able to move on and put this behind you. Remember, life is short and time is more important than money.....Best.....Jeremy
The way an organization separates with folks usually says more about its culture than anything else. They should not be surprised when their customers and employees reciprocate. The Co-op has lots for room for improvement and ken was responsible as the GM. However, instead of working for improvement, the board has just delivered a message to the most valuable assets (the employees and customers) to please go to Whole foods or Henry’s. Brilliant! It will be sad to see it fail.
Ken has been almost synonymous, in my mind, with the Co-op. I don't know him personally and I know nothing of the politics happening behind the scenes, but I have been going to the Co-op since the early 1980's and have always been thankful the store has had that kind of consistency. I've watched Ken walk through the North end to and from work all of these years and it has been strangely comforting to sense the kind of dedication he must have toward the place. I am sorry about this...very sorry. Whole Foods will only be the new kid on the block for a short time and, when that new feeling dissipates, I suspect people will be looking for the local "feel" they got back when Ken ran the Co-Op. Whatever the reasoning, I feel sad about it.
I believe that the Co-Op doesn't need to change, the reason I shop there is because it doesn't have a corporate feel to it. I hate going to Wal-Mart or any other store that falls under the big corporation category. The Co-Op is for different things, I don't want the Co-Op to change, so it's a little more expensive than other stores, but if you are a member you get the 10% discount. I would rather support local business and pay a little extra to keep the Co-Op as is, rather than go to some other store where I actually hate shopping. The people are friendly and have familiar faces, Ken knew Idaho and knows Boise's people. Screw the corporate feel! I'd rather have my Co-Op as is !!!
so, we need a new co op, instead of that corporate garbage those yuppie slimebags want to shove down our throats. A new co op, built on the exact same principals as the original would have the effect of making crickets chirp in the co op that has turned its back on boise.
I was saddened to read of this turn of events in the morning paper today. I don't personally know Ken but know I've seen him there since I started shopping at the store when it was on 13th Street. I love the feel of the Coop, that it is so different and quirky. There's nothing else like it in Boise and that makes it worth saving. If you think they are expensive, wait til you start shopping at Whole Wallet, er Foods. It is very disappointing for our community to have the Coop become like just another chain store.
Seems there are always some people who just want to show off their power, or make themselves feel important. Sad that they so often do it by mistreating employees and getting rid of the best ones.
I started going to the co-op when it was a very packed, quite small store in the North End, which I actually liked much better than the current big store, but, still, it has managed to maintain much of its character despite the moves and growth; it's sad to realize it probably is committing suicide through this latest action.
I met Gary Lyons once when I was selling portraits at a local event. He told me that there was no way that he and his wife would purchase a portrait from me because I didn't use an HP printer, and he did so in front of other potential customers. His arrogance is only exceeded by his pompousness. Ken has his quirks, but he's a genuinely good person who had Boise's best interests at heart.
[This comment has been flagged by the administrator. Please be aware that comments are not fact checked by Boise Weekly and that claims in this comment have not been verified.] Ken is lying. Years of sexual harassment lawsuits against the uninsured co-op led to many settlements, on average two per year. He had to pay for them somehow and he also apparently liked to help himself to free cash. The accountant couldn't cover it up any more, the Board had a few emergency meetings about three weeks ago and Ken tried to blame her for stealing the money. She kept good books though and the Board started an investigation, actually catching Ken on film sneaking in and altering the books. He tried to fire anybody involved in the investigation including book-keepers, HR manager and the Board of Directors for daring to stand up to him. Ken is very notorious for having many mistresses, girlfriends etc. We always called them the "harem". The co-op just couldn't cover up for him anymore. The store isn't going to change, Ken never really did that much around there and always took credit for things he had nothing to do with. Change is hard, but give it two weeks and it will all get better you bunch of loveable drama-queen hippies. I know people who were there at the beginning of the co-op like Ken, and from what they say back in 1973 he was just another zit-faced kid doing what he was told, but now he has this whole story fabricated that it was all him who begat this or that. LIER! BTW - Ken fired thousands of people over the years without giving them the time of day. For him to complain about how he got fired is the height of arrogance. Unless you were one of his many girlfriends, he treated people like dogs all the time so he can go to hell with his weakazz lies.
There have been so many people who have been critical about the Boise Co-Op, and that's quite sad. If you are one who is familiar with quality, organic food lines, I mean, INTIMATELY familiar...you would know that there is absolutely no competition between the lines that a small, boutique store like the Co-op can offer, and the run of the mill, OBVIOUS quasi-organic, ho-hum lines you will see at Whole Foods. One of the things that has always impressed me about the Co-op (beyond the quality of their sourcing of products) was the knowledge of their staff. If I had a question about the "best of?" They always knew what to recommend. I now run a highly successful nutrition company in Texas, and I still use many of the products that were originally recommended to me many years back by the Co-Op. Ironically, Whole Foods is HQd here in Austin. I laugh sometimes when I go in to our local stores. Their snot-nosed little clerks try to convince me about things they "think they know"...like the fact that "krill is dying as we speak, so we don''t carry that anymore" which is so incredibly absurd....I laugh until I cry, they're idiots. Like saying we're running out of air on earth. Boise, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE (those of you who have the audacity to WHINE ABOUT THE PRICES). Quality costs money. That's a sad fact ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY. Not just with the Co-Op. Get over it. Wait, OH YOU JUST WAIT!! To see what Whole Foods is Going to Stick up your Ass price-wise!! Good luck with that!! You have a massive GEM with the Co-Op, and so many of you will cry if it fails. I sorely miss not being able to shop there, yes, a wee bit expensive, but worth every single penny. I live in the land of farming country, and I haven't had a decent egg since I moved to Texas (I used to buy the local organic eggs they got from Emmett farmers). The Co-Op ROCKS. What they did to Ken sucks. But for the sake of the community and it's offerings, I do hope it survives....
I promise, the Co-Op will be missed if it fails. Trust me on this. All I have is Whole Foods to shop at now, and it SUCKS.
I'm going to miss the 80's decade Volvo's that have the "Coexist", "Buck Fush", "I Had an Abortion","End the Hate","Kucinich for President" bumper stickers. I know, it's all about the feeling.
It's comments like those posted by janisutter that have led to the sexual harassment lawsuits over the years. Jealous and pedantic individuals accusing any woman who was friends with Ken with sleeping with him. These rumors had a profound affect on people's work lives, and negatively affected the moral of the entire store.
We should all get together and start our own Co-Op, and hire Ken to help us run it.
Peace and blessings to you Ken.
I think the board Members handled this in terrible fashion , regardless of their reasoning. I'd say they need to watch for that bad Karma to come back around.
Even if Ken did things worth getting fired over, the board should have had the PR sense to handle it better and give at least the perception that the man left with some dignity.
I think it would be very sad to see such a great Boise tradition and Landmark, die or change beyond recognition, but I bet Whole Foods is having a good laugh right about now.
I have no idea if firing Ken Kavanaugh was justified or not, but I wanted to comment on my experience with the store itself. Speaking purely from a customer perspective, if the board's actions are an attempt to gear up and get ready to compete with Whole Foods coming to town, I think it may be too little too late.
While researching the Treasure Valley and prior to moving here from Colorado in 2009 I was disappointed to learn that upscale (for lack of a better word) grocery shopping options were rather limited. I was relieved when I read about the Boise Co-op as I thought this might fill the void I was expecting upon my arrival. It was not what I had hoped for. I found the store to be leaning much farther toward appealing to the organic/green shopper than I was interested in, more “nuts & granola” if you will. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and if I could afford it I would probably buy more organic and green friendly products. But I what I was really looking for was a food inspiring shopping experience, the kind that makes your stomach growl as you walk the aisles as you see all the culinary possibilities. Anyone who has shopped at a Whole Foods, a Central Market in Texas, Mollie Stone’s in California, or even Trader Joes knows what I’m talking about. I didn’t get that at the Boise Co-op, what I found was a store that had a very nice selection of organic and green friendly products, but a store that felt a little tired, a bit cluttered, not very well lit in places, and offering less international and fresh products than I really wanted. For me, it hasn’t been worth a trip back from the other side of town.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to put down the Boise Co-op, I’m just trying to illustrate that there is a wide spectrum of shopper types. I’m sure there are loads of people who love the Boise Co-op and feel that it perfectly fits their shopping needs, just as there are people who love Albertsons, Wal-Mart, or Whole Foods. And that is not to say you need to pick one or the other, (case in point - anyone who buys laundry detergent or toilet paper at a Whole Foods is an idiot). But Boise is in great need of an upscale shopping experience, and I for one am really looking forward to the arrival of Whole Foods. It will be a nice shopping treat every once in a while, or for when I’m looking for something really exotic or special. I’ll still do the bulk of my shopping at Albertson’s and Costco.
Strategically I think the worst thing that the Boise Co-op can do is to try and compete with Whole Foods head on, it’ll be suicide. You lost that war the day Whole Foods decided to come here. You don’t have the purchasing power and wide access to suppliers that a corporate behemoth like Whole Foods does, and I believe they will steamroll you if you try to play their game. You should hunker down and stick to what you seem to do well: an organic, green-friendly, tree hugging old neighborhood friend that the community has loved since 1973. But you might think about tidying up a little and adding an extra light bulb or two…
I stopped shopping there a long time ago. The store and the employees were just too superior to me.
I hope they now go in and clean house, maybe I will reconsider shopping there again, in a month of so, and see what the changes are
BOYCOTT the Co-op for the Board's egregious treatment of Ken Kavanaugh! I am not shopping there until this injustice has been addressed. Are we "members" powerless? What does it mean to be a "member," if one has no voice? Does being a member merely mean that one does not have to pay 10% more on the bill? Come on! The Board has gone too far, in my opinion. Ken Kavanaugh's presence at the Co-op matters. Speak out with your pocketbooks, people!
[This comment has been flagged by the administrator. Please be aware that comments are not fact checked by Boise Weekly and that claims in this comment have not been verified.] You never attended a single Board meeting did you? For every histrionic pathchouli-abusing drama queen who wants to defend that old pervert's wounded integrity there are thousands of "Members" who have been calling for him to be fired for years. He helped appoint that very Board and they heard and saw so many egregious crimes on the part of Kavanagh over the years he gave them no choice but to fire his pervy ass for cooking the books to cover up moniez he was stealing to pay for his affairs and his many settlements of sexual harassment lawsuits. I personally would appreciate it very much if you discontinued shopping at the Co-op. That would be one less stupid hippie taking up the precious few parking spots or clogging up the busy aisles there. We, the real member-owners, know that the Boise Co-op is going to be a great place to shop long after Ken and his blubbering sycophants are long gone. Good riddance to the lot of you! Long live the Boise Co-op! I bet that Board will fix a lot of longstanding problems and make the Co-op even better and it won't be much more corporate than it is right now. Now step away from the bong, take a deep breath and relax....
any one who is a member can vote to remove the currant board members on jan.24 at 6:00 pm our lady queen of oeace roombasement of st johns parish office 775n 8th
Well, they can vote but since the Board never called for this meeting such a vote means exactly nothing. Kavanagh called the meeting himself when he knew he was about to get canned. He also understands that if you are calling for a removal of an entire Board of Directors, by law you have to mail out a mailer to every single one of the member-owners and allow them all to vote. You can't just put an ad in the paper posing as the President of a corporation you just got fired from - that is illegal. Also, by the Co-op's own By-laws you would need a 50% vote to pull this off - that is 20,000 people. They don't have to be there in person, they could do it by proxy but Kavanagh has no authority to call for such a meeting or any kind of vote. Only the Board of Directors does, and until they put an ad in the paper for their next Board meeting, any kind of "vote" Kavanagh's bong smoking sycophants pull off is null and void. Ken could call a meeting to vote him as King of the World but it's still just a bunch of hippies bitching about something they can't do a damned thing to change. He got fired. Get over it. STFU and move on.
Janisutter, I'm one of those "blubbering sycophants". I hope to see you on the 24th, when you will step forward, identify yourself, and state the exact details of the crimes of which you have accused Ken Kavanaugh. With proof. Perhaps you simply prefer the anonymity of blogging that enables you to say anything about anyone in such a cowardly fashion.
I agree that the Co-op cannot compete with Whole Foods by trying to be another Whole Foods. Actually, going back to its roots as a true cooperative may be a consideration, not one the current board would embrace. I believe the board did Whole Foods a big favor, not because they replaced Ken, but in the manner they did so. Sycophants such as myself who would just check out the new place, but remain loyal to the Co-op, might change their minds. And, employees will now wonder if they're next, not good for morale, which means not good for customer relationships.
I think you have to be over 18yrs old to post on this blog. Maybe there are just a bunch of regressed adolescents present. Boycott the COOP? Hilarious. Details and facts seem to just get in the way of the anti-board postings.... emotions attached directly to the keyboard. Are you using USB or FireWire?
LOL! Yah let's call a meeting under the pretense of doing what's best for the Co-op and ask for all of Kavanagh's victims over the years to give their stories before a slew of piranah-hungry attorneys. Dragging the Co-op into an unwinnable class-action lawsuit helps our store exactly how? Where were you and the rest of your whiney bong smoking friends when KK was answering to all of these allegations during the all of the emergency Board meetings during December 2010? Where were you then? If Kavanagh claims surprise at the way he was fired it's all just an act. He knew he was on the way out. We all did, at least those of us who bothered to attend the meetings. I think we can all agree that the Boise Co-op is a victim of its own success. There are too many people who shop there now, the parking lot is too full and Ken should have opened a satelite store in Meridian years ago. What is it to me if you boycott the Co-op? You would be doing us all a favor. The only employees who wonder if they are the next to get fired are the ones who were giving bj's to the boss. If you were one of his bimbos you had BETTER be sweating now lol! The rest of them knew this was coming a long time back. Their jobs are secure and the Board isn't going to change the Co-op into Whole-Foods, even though most of what they stock is ordered from a Whole-Foods supplier already dot dot dot
I hope you are correct janisutter, because if you are not you just ki8ssed away any and all monies you have, or will ever have!
Janisutter's rabid comments are slanderous and perhaps even pulled from an unsound mind. Stable, intelligent people do not write or post those types of remarks. They are so far off-base - I worked at the co op for years and have shopped there regularly since. Over the course of 2+ decades, I've come to know Ken Kavanagh as a dedicated, hard-working manager. Furthermore, he has fostered a structure where employees have been positioned to take responsibility for their product which allows for a more genuine customer service. I've always found co-op employees to be attentive, helpful and resourceful when I've solicited their help or advice.
Who elected the board? As a member for over 20 years I was not made aware of any board election. Who is the Boise Co Op board? I think there names need to be made public. Why all the worry about Whole Foods...Moxie Java didn't freak out when Starbucks came to town.
I would be upset too if I found out half my employees I managed were high-fiving each other after my bosses fired me. The Emperor got caught wearing no clothes one too many times. Methinks he doth protest too much.
Any entry level HR professional would read the board letter and conclude that Ken has dug himself a hole and the board has clear evidence that he is a legal and financial liability. The people posting anti-Board rhetoric without knowing any facts are probably the same people that blame Palin for the Giffords tragedy. Age of Idiocy.
I think the number one issue, is that people are making assumptions & getting upset, without really knowing the facts of what occurred. I feel sad that he has lost his job, but, I choose to not have anymore of an opinion, until I know more.
About the quality of the Coop. I am a dedicated organic food shopper & here in Boise the Coop is really the only good choice. I think that it has allot of room for improvement & has rested on the fact that it is the only game in town. Of course it can't compete with a Whole Foods & I wouldn't want it to. That being said, I think that competition coming to town, is a good thing & might motivate the Coop to do what it does in a much better fashion....
I try not to make assumptions either, but where there is smoke there is usually fire and for at least the last eight years that I absolutely know of there have been women making posts on Craigslist forums saying they were female co op employees who claimed they were grabbed or fondled or creeped out by this guy, or who claim they saw him grabbing or fondling or creeping out other women while working there. Apparently not all of the ladies welcomed his advances. I'm just surprised it took this long to fire him. It's my guess that all of these people defending him are probably naive or they feel they have something to lose. I hereby forward to this guy my two Bill Clinton t-shirts "Define Is" and "There Was No Quid Pro Quo!". He's gonna need them.
Google "Third-Party Sexual Harassment". You can sue the guy and the co op and the Board even if you saw him behaving in a sexual way with someone else. PERCEPTION MATTERS MORE THAN REALITY. If I were him I would keep my big mouth shut, take my severance and ride off into the sunset such as it is.
I used a number system because it makes things look more important.
1) Ken voted with the board to find his replacement. He is a liar in this article.
2) The new grocery manager, who by the way worked at the hill road store and has known Ken for 25 years, was the one who asked Ken for a job. Ken is once again a liar.
3) Our store which so many employees are proud of has turned into Kens store. Ken is the reason why it is so dirty, why we carry HFCS, hydrogenated, yellow 5, blue lake, the list goes on.......
4) The employees were crushed? I say psshaaw to that. He must of missed the after party where his departure was celebrated and not lamented.
Fact is, Ken has had plenty of time to turn back into this 'visionary' that everyone claims he is and who we want to manage our store. It is easy to give him all the credit for how successful the co-op has been, and he deserves a lot, but it has always been the employees of the store who have carried it forward. Instead of looking backwards 5, 10, 20 years people need to look to the future. If everyone is so riled up by the fact that this man has been fired then go to the meeting and hear both sides.
By the way, Whole Foods and the Boise Co-op both are supplied by the same distributor United Natural Foods Inc. If you think their prices will be cheaper than I say BAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH
Logic will never work for many here. The Left must create a false reality to protect their emotional investment in childish things. Sad
There are things about the Co-op I won't ever forget, like roasted asparagus for only $17.99 lb... Change is good, so is a little competition.
The Co-op has been arrogant about their "mission" ever since they participated in usurping the M&W, which was providing access to everyday groceries to older people in the neighborhood and those with limited transportation. That same arrogance makes the Co-op a neighborhood eyesore with junk piled up not just on the east side of the building, but on the north and west, too, in the public right-of-way. A refrigeration truck was parked for many days in the no-parking zone on 9th street, forcing traffic into one lane. I've been a member for over 25 years, but I can't ignore the fact that the Co-op is the neighborhood bully. I welcome change.
What a bunch of vitriolic people you are. You all make me feel sorry for the Co-Op if you are members or shop there. Not a single one of you knows WTF you are talking about. You don't know if KK sexually harassed anyone. If he had he would have been canned years ago. Or maybe not, because maybe this board of directors is abysmal. I don't know. I've been a member of the Co-Op since virtually day one and I've never ever received a letter or email to come to a board meeting. Nor did I ever receive anything in the mail to vote on board members for that matter. There is a lot more to the story than we've gotten from the news media. Ken has handled this poorly, but the board certainly has handled it even more pathetically. The Co-Op will never compete with Whole Foods. And they shouldn't. I won't shop at Whole Foods because they are even more expensive than the Co-Op. The whole thing stinks and KK has done a great deal for this community and the Co-Op. He's not perfect but based on the comments here, most of you have a lot of your own work to do, too. Unfortunately, this is Idaho and it is and "at will" employee state, meaning you can be fired if they don't like the way you look. At least they are offering him severance, and I sure hope it's equivalent to one month of pay for every year he worked at the Co-Op and health insurance at their cost, as well.
janisutter is a false name created by one of the people that have spread false and libelous rumors over the years.The only sexual harassment cases that have been filed at the Boise Co-op have been filed against women that have made false statements such as hers. They have been investigated, found groundless and the purveyors of these false accusations have been disciplined. While trying to remain anonymous(no bio and-surprise-no friends) she has nonetheless exposed herself to serious legal action. Anyone wishing to spread false rumors should be warned: your identities are easily discovered. Only cowards and liars pretend to be someone that they are not. Love,
Christensen starts a brand new tag sans bio to complain about someone elses anonymity. Is that a joke? The Board through Pat Haas made a statement on the 16th in the Statesman accusing Kavanagh of lying through his teeth, pointedly saying that he is spreading false rumors about the reason he was terminated. Forgive me but it sounds like a bit of parataxis to me if one of his lapdogs gets a bit yippy. Does these people really listen to what are saying? Christensen tells us any woman who accuses Kavanagh of sexual harassment gets "disciplined". I WANT A LIST OF ALL THE WOMEN THAT GOT "DISCIPLINED" BY KEN KAVANAGH FOR COMPLAINING OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT!!!!! As in who did he fire for complaining to him? Christensen sounds like he has a list of them!
If he ever tried to defend himself I bet he would be surprised at how many women and employees come out of the woodwork to testify. He may try to hide behind non-disclose hush-money settlements but they aren't binding if it is percieved that an ongoing crime is being committed. Essentially he would be putting himself on trial, at a cool cost of around 50k and up, an adverse decision could be appealed, he wouldn't get a dime in return from suing these poor hippies and in the meantime the press is eating up a never ending stream of character witnesses who are going to take him apart in court piece by piece. It would be extremely unwise for this guy to do such a stupid thing as put himself on trial right now, but then again he has called a pseudo-meeting of members and I know some people are intending to show up and let him have it, so maybe he is masochistic, we'll see just how foolish he can get. It sounds like he hasn't fully decided that yet himself.
Hey Christensen, the Co-op has only had an HR manager for a few years now, and it sounds like nobody even knows who the Board of Directors is. Did you ever stop to think that for over 30 years any victim of sexual harassment at the hands of Ken Kavanagh had no one to complain to except HIM? NO WONDER SO MANY GOT "DISCIPLINED" aka FIRED. I see right through this guy. I remember the Boise Weekly article about four, maybe five years ago where he talked about how he loved the short skirt or hem-line of one of his managers, it was very sexual and disgusting. Kavanagh is on record talking about the sexuality of one of his managers in the newspaper? And you expect me to believe this guy is an angel? Sorry, I just get upset when someone tries to defend someone with so many years and years of such accusations dogging them, he'll never shake that rep, it's with him forever as far as I'm concerned.
Geeze, what a mess! Executives get fired every day, but usually with a lengthy negotiation, resulting in a smooth transition and mutual non-disparagement agreements in place. This particular Board, however, has totally botched the job, resulting in an "us vs. them" situation that may well do lasting damage to a wonderful Boise institution, to say nothing of the public reputation of its long-time leader.
I've known Ken since he rolled into town - homies in tow - from Phoenix, nearly 40 years ago. He's no more perfect than I am, but he turned a progressive idea into a regional legend that is the envy of many, many cities. Ken has managed more than a store. He managed all the conflicting ideas, agendas, personalities, and pet peeves of members, employees and customers, in a respectful and effective manner. His track-record speaks for itself. Would that the Board had even a small bit of his common sense and leadership. We would never be in this public blood letting that may continue for longer than anyone wishes.
Hey justpassingthru, could you please learn what is going on before running your mouth? The Board released a statement on the 14th and the 16th, both of which indicated:
(a) Ken did something towards the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010 which they felt warranted his termination. We all know he served time for his DUI he recieved while driving a company vehicle then. It was the latest of several DUI's he had recieved in recent years, at least one more of which reportedly occured while he was driving the company vehicle.
(b) The entire Board voted in early 2010 to replace Ken.
(c) According to the Board, Ken himself voted in favor of this "succession" and initially worked along with the Board to plan the change of leadership.
(d) Towards the end of 2010 Ken changed his mind. He decided he wanted to stay.
(e) The Board was doing a review of his job performance at the time. Allegations from certain managers at the Co-op claimed that the review included a targeted audit to look into certain charges and expenses Ken was associated with.
(f) These allegations from reliable witnesses claim that Ken was abusing the company credit card and altering the books to cover up his trail.
(g) Allegedly the Accounts-payable manager went to the HR manager and complained that Ken was pressuring her to alter these records in his favor. She reportedly refused. Supposedly Ken tried to fire her and the HR manager took her case personally to the Board.
(h) Allegedly the Board put a camera in the room where the books were kept. The allegation is that Ken was caught, on film, sneaking in and altering the books himself.
(i) Reportedly during the month of December 2010 the Board called Ken Kavanagh in to explain this film they had of him altering the books at the very time they were doing an audit of these same explicit records. The Board has accused Kavanagh of impeding this review in their statement dated on the 16th. These meetings are a matter of record.
(j) Allegedly Kavanagh tried to blame the Accounts-payable manager and the HR manager and a number of other employees for everything, saying that they were conspiring and they changed the books to cover up these credit card charges he had made, reportedly involving gifts to a number of women around the Co-op. Non-Business charges in other words.
(k) Ken tried to fire all of these employees. When the Board interceded and protected them pending the results of their investigation, Ken tried to fire the Board. The entire Board he tried to fire!
(l) The Board had been working steadily on a succession plan along with Kavanagh for most of 2010. He would have been given a respectful send off, a big retirement party and everyone would have shown him much love. The transition would have been very civil, with no acrimony whatsoever.
(m) Instead Ken reneged on his end, and turned the Board against him by trying to fire them and any other person trying to take a stand against what was essentially accounting fraud.
(n) Remember, Ken was already on their sheyit list for unspecified actions which led the entire Board, along with Ken himself, to unanimously vote to replace him in early 2010. Getting caught fixing the books was over the top, and trying to fire anyone who didn't help him fix them was beyond the pale, not just rude but highly illegal.
(o) Supposedly, each one of these individuals has an attorney now. There are a lot of lawyers involved. Ken has dragged the Co-op into a massive mess of litigation unless this Board can placate Kavanagh's victims but quick.
(p) The Board statement on the 16th accuses Kavanagh of lying through his teeth about, well, about everything.
So how can some jackass who is "just passing through" roll in here and start running his mouth about what he doesn't know? I too know several of the original "founders" of the Co-op. Can you name any of them? They all say this: originally when this multiplicty of founders began the Co-op in a garage, Ken wasn't even there. He came along later, when he was only 21 and they hired him to stock shelves and bag groceries. When the Co-op was officially founded in 73, Kavanagh was only 24 and was still taking orders from the adults, who were the ones laying out the vision for the future success. From what I've always heard Ken took credit for a great many things he wasn't really involved that much in. Linda was there, she said once that Ken could only get away with this because all of the original founders were gone. I'm not about to give the guy credit for a darned thing he didn't do, and it sounds like you need to brush up on your Co-op history.
Additionally, you say Ken "managed all the conflicting ideas, agendas, personalities, and pet peeves of members, employees and customers, in a respectful and effective manner". We have hundreds of stories filtering out right now just to the contrary. There is a long list of people talking about how Ken Kavanagh fked them over in small and big ways. His record, we are learning, is starting not just to "speak for itself" but it is singing to us. Not like Björling, Caruso & Gigli. It sounds very ugly, a trail of tears of how Kavanagh was a douche to so many people.
What is clear is that you don't know a damned thing about this. You don't know that Ken did this to himself, that he created the whole mess, and that if he were to accept the Board's severance offer complete with the gag-order and stop this foolish rallying of the mobs with the pitchforks and the torches and the tar and feathers, these foolish interviews and negative PR stabs at the Board, it would all go away. Ken is entirely reponsible for this "public blood letting" and nobody wants to continue it. However he is trying to deny everything, every single allegation. He is trying to get the Board replaced, the Board that he himself recommended and voted into place. If he succeeds the Co-op is getting sued by a number of different litigants, and a great many people working at the Co-op now have been informed that their jobs may be at stake - should he return. Ken Kavanagh has turned into one huge walking liability, probably a long time ago. It would be disastrous if he returned to this Co-op, which may yet be able to fend off unwinnable lawsuits Ken dragged them into.
In my opinion anybody that supports Ken Kavanagh is either naive or they are a turd on his butt, and Kavanagh is a turd I scrape off the bottom of my shoe. We are hearing stories about sexual harassment, about his drinking on the job, about his multiple DUI's while driving the company vehicle, about the months he served for a DUI when he should have been managing the Co-op, about the incredible amounts of money he wasted with bad business decisions - some say close to $750,000 grand or more. Someone pointed out that in this very rag - the Weekly, a few years ago Kavanagh gave an interview talking about one of his managers sexy short skirts. I've talked with many Co-op employees who claim he had very little to do with the success of the store or with its look or feel. Everything you say is wrong and misinformed. Tell your buddy to pull his head out and back off of the Board and then I advise you yourself to keep "passing through".
- Home |
- About BW and FAQ |
- Contact Us |
- BW Classifieds |
- Submit an Event |
- Advertise |
- Post a FREE Ad |
- Subscribe |
- BW Feedback |
- Privacy Policy |
- Submission Guidelines |
- Code of Ethics |
-
|
-
|
- BW Local Guide |
-
|
-
|
- Job Opportunities |
- National Advertising |
- Check Out Food, Music, and Art in Other Cities
