The Rosebud Centre of the Arts Board of Directors announced today that Executive Director Adam Furfaro will leave his position at the end of the summer.
    Furfaro joined the organization in July 2012 and has been at the helm since. He is leaving to serve as Executive Director for St. John Community Church in Oak Ridges, Ontario.
    Calling this a bitter and a sweet announcement, Board Chair Colin Jackson said, “While we will sorely miss him, we are thrilled for Adam that the Lord has called him to help lead a Church. Adam has led our organization to new heights in education, hospitality and the performing arts. He has also balanced the budget and eliminated the sizable mortgage we had when he arrived, and by so doing, has put RCA on solid footing for a fabulous future.”
    Furfaro said, “I thank the Board of Directors of Rosebud Centre of the Arts for the opportunity to lead this celebrated and award-winning organization. Their support has not waned from day one. This is been an amazing run. Our family has had a remarkable Alberta adventure. The people of this province have been great to us and we have each had an opportunity to make life-long friends and to contribute in our own small way to the tapestry of this beautiful province.”
    He added, “It’s hard to believe that four years have gone by. I’ve loved my job and I’ve loved the community of Strathmore and I will miss both greatly, but the timing is right for our family to move back to Ontario and once again be with our daughters and the majority of our extended family.”
    In addition to his work with St. John Community Church, Furfaro also plans continue to write, direct and produce theatre independently and for other professional companies.
    The search for a new Executive Director has begun, said Jackson. “We have struck a search Committee under the leadership of Board member Erna Regehr and the search for Adam’s successor will commence by the end of April.”

    The Drumheller Co-op has taken a hit to its bottom line in this tough economic time.
    The 54th Annual General Meeting of the Drumheller Co-op was held Wednesday night, April 20. The membership learned that sales dropped just over $6 million in 2015 compared to 2014. The bulk of this came in the Co-op’s Petroleum Department sales, which general manager Brent Walker outlined in his annual report.
    “World- wide economic turmoil and uncertainty resulted in a number of challenges last year,” said Walker. “Price deflation of petroleum products and consumer confidence resulted in over $5 million sales decrease to our Petroleum department.”
    Federated Co-op also faces the same challenges.
    “Our supplier, Federated Co-operatives Limited, has had the same negative impact to their operations which resulted in dramatically lower patronage refunds to the CRS.”
    The dry spring in 2015 also resulted in a drop in the Agro Department.
    Last year, the Co-op posted  $38.8 million in sales. The Foods Division appeared to hold its own, posting $7,075,915 in sales, up $194,867 from 2014.
    This year the Co-op received a patronage refund of $1,843,331 from Federated Co-op, down from $2,357,941 last year.
    It was a year of change for the Drumheller Co-op.  
    Previous general manager Gord Van Kannel tendered his resignation effective as of February 5.
    The Co-op has welcomed Brent Walker, who started on March 28.  His career at Co-op began in Stettler, which was part of the Drumheller Co-op at the time. He has 28 years experience with Co-op, most recently in Rocky Mountain House.
    Last year also saw the completion of an extensive renovation to the Home Centre, with the roof repair being finished last summer. The Federated Co-op Bulk Distribution Centre in Rumsey is up and running and proving to be an asset.
    Looking forward to 2016, the Drumheller Co-op is planning an extensive renovation to its Drumheller Cardlock. This will include the removal and decommissioning of the above ground tanks, and the installation of underground tanks to make the site cleaner and add access for more customers to fill at the same time. The cost of the project is about $1 million and will take three months to complete this fall.
    There was an election for five vacancies on the board of directors. Ken Leonhardt, Tina Mraz, Dalton Madsen, Barry Fullerton and Eric Poettcker were elected.
    The membership was treated to a presentation from Jordan Armstrong who attended the Alberta Community and Cooperative Association Youth Leadership Camp last summer.