Staff
Supervisory Team
The co-op's management team is in charge of the store's day-to-day operations, and it is their job to drive the co-op to fulfill our Ends. Virtually every initiative that management pursues in the course of a year is guided by an element of these policies. Click on the images below to email a particular director or manager, or contact us at 785-843-8544.
Director Team
Our team of directors oversee co-op wide policies, planning, financials, operations and managers.
General Manager, he/him
With a career spanning nearly 20 years in the grocery and cooperative sectors, Seth brings a wealth of experience as well as a deep commitment to community.
Seth’s career began with a nation-wide grocery chain, where he spent 12 years honing his skills in various roles including as district coordinator overseeing grocery, produce, front end and general merchandise departments across several locations. He joined The Merc Co+op in 2019 and served as the Director of Operations for four years, accepting the position of GM in 2025.
Seth has successfully overseen the operations, driving sales growth and fostering a culture of excellence. He is passionate about leadership, staff and customer engagement and achieving results. He believes that the success of any organization is rooted in the strength and dedication of its team, and he attributes much of his success to the incredible people that he works with. A strong advocate for community, Seth is dedicated to ensuring everyone has access to healthy, affordable food.
Operations Director
Becky is a native Kansan and spent most of her life in the Kansas City metro area. Holding a B.S. in Environmental Studies, she has consistently demonstrated a passion for sustainability, food systems and building relationships to strengthen our local economy. Through college and after graduation she found her passion for community organizing through community meals and free markets, and managed a community garden in Lawrence for several years.
Becky began working at the co-op in 2014 in the deli kitchen and in 2019, she accepted the role of Produce Manager. During her five years as the Produce Manager, she found a passion for team building, leadership and merchandising to grow sales and foster a culture of inclusion and growth. In her new capacity as Operations Director, Becky will oversee daily operations across all departments, ensuring our commitment to quality and efficiency.
In her free time, Becky and her husband Bridger love to garden, play music, camp and kayak. They are excited to be new homeowners, working to convert their turf grass to food, perennial flower gardens and native plants.
Marketing Director, she/her
A native South Dakotan, Laura served as the co-op’s Outreach Manager for 5 years before accepting the role of Marketing Director — overseeing donations, classes, in- and out-of-store experiences, owner services and board of director coordination and communications. A graduate of Northern State University with a degree in art, Laura has a diverse collection of experience, including community organizing, event and travel planning, administration, photography, farming and local food production.
Finance Director, he/him
Jason has over 20 years of experience in corporate finance and accounting in both cooperative grocery and global financial services industries. He has presented at multiple industry conferences and has consulted on several expansion and acquisition projects for other cooperatively-owned grocery stores.
Jason is a graduate of the Washburn University School of Business with a bachelor's degree in Finance and a minor in Accounting.
Human Resources Director, he/him
A Topeka native, Brent's career has taken him from Kansas to North Carolina to Colorado. Now back in Kansas, his family’s focus is on achieving an ideal work-life balance and strengthening ties with friends and family. Beyond the professional sphere, Brent is a closet nerd with a penchant for Marvel, DC, and Star Wars movies (whether good or bad). A two-time San Diego Comic-Con alumnus, he’s proud of his selfies with a few Impractical Jokers. Armed with a grill and smoker, Brent is a culinary explorer, always eager to try new recipes. Yet, his greatest joy lies in spending quality time with his family — his wife, son and daughter.
Management Team
Our team of managers oversees individual departments and employees at our store. They are listed alphabetically below.
Retail Systems Manager, she/her
Zarina earned her Finance degree through Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University. Before moving to the United States in 2017, she worked in environmental organizations specializing in environmental education and promoting energy efficiency and climate change adaptation.
Technology has always been her hobby, and Zarina has been in an IT role at the co-op since 2020. She enjoys using her skills to make sure things are running smoothly and to assist the employees with their technical needs.
Grocery Manager
Patrick has nearly two decades of experience in cooperative retail grocery. He began his grocery career at one of the largest retail grocers in Milwaukee, WI, where he worked in their produce and floral departments. He began working at The Merc Co+op in 2012, and accepted the role of Grocery Manager in 2019. Throughout his career, Patrick has developed an enthusiasm for merchandising, team building and customer engagement.
Patrick earned a Master's Degree in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies from The University of Kansas in 2012. Outside of work, Patrick enjoys literature, gardening, producing music, hanging out with his cat, Nigel; and supporting local tattoo artists.
Bakery Manager
Josiah started his first bakery job as a teenager. Since then he has experienced a number of different kinds of work — running rides at the carnival, managing a garden center and chasing owls around the forests of the Pacific Northwest… to name just a few. But, he has always been a baker at heart and has repeatedly returned to the bakery life.
Josiah has over a decade of experience in commercial baking and has spent several years in bakery management and leadership roles in Oregon, California and Kansas.
Outside of work, Josiah is a lover of country drives, thrift stores, books, music, old radios and birds.
Produce Manager
Lindsay hails from a tiny town in the Sierra Nevada mountains of northern California. With over a decade of retail garden/nursery and leadership experience she joined our produce team in 2022. Her keen eye for merchandising and pride in hard work, along with genuine interactions with customers has lead her to Produce/Floral Management. After graduating college for forestry and natural resources, a passion for plants lead her through the US Forest Service and outdoor education schools to garden centers in the pacific northwest and now to fertile ground in our Produce department. Lindsay is thrilled to be a part of this fantastic Produce team and to present a welcoming and fresh department. In her free time she enjoys container gardening, maps, road trips with her husband Josiah and senior cats.
Deli Manager, they/them
Sav has been part of the co-op team since 2019, beginning their journey at the dish pit and working their way up through hot bar, specialist roles and a support position before stepping into their current role as Prepared Foods Manager. Having worked their way through so many corners of the department, they bring a deep understanding of the operation, and a lot of respect for anyone who’s ever closed the kitchen.
Sav is passionate about both cooking and people, and loves creating spaces where good food and good energy come together. They’re known for diving headfirst into whatever needs the most attention, learning as they go and continuously finding ways to grow both themselves and their team.
Outside of work, Sav channels their creativity into baking specialty cheesecakes, often experimenting with bold, unexpected flavor combinations (some more successful than others, but all made with enthusiasm). When not in the kitchen, Sav is a metal vocalist in a band, as well as singing and playing acoustic guitar in their room with their cat, Beans.
Whether they’re managing a busy department, testing a new cheesecake idea or on stage, Sav brings passion and the right amount of chaos to everything they do.
Meat & Seafood Manager
Kyle is a third-generation member of the grocery industry. He has worked in a variety of departments and positions over his 10-year career including meat market, seafood and natural foods.
He has experience with locally-grown meat processing and is excited to bring this expertise to a community-focused market. He, along with his wife and two sons, currently reside in Ottawa with their two dogs, five cats and three goats.