When I arrived at Rochdale in 2014 as the Assistant General Manager it was articulated to me, by Mr. Scott and Alex Freedman, that my focus would be on Shareholder communication. For the first 2 years of my tenure, I spent a lot of time reviewing, resolving, and answering the many correspondences that were sent to the management office. As my responsibilities grew, created a permanent role of Ombudsman, the sole task of which was and is still shareholder communication. Though I had moved on from being the de facto Ombudsman, communication has remained at the forefront of my management style. Experience has taught me that conveying the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’ and ‘why’ of any situation is important. These 5 W’s provide our shareholders with better understanding of a given issue and, lets them know that we are not only aware but on top of the problem. I have found that transparent communication minimizes the rumor mill, conjecture and ill sentiment while fostering trust, one of Summit’s highest values. Our Management continues to increase the amount of information available to our Shareholders using methods old (Bulletin, Weekly Sheet, Posted Notices) and new (Alert System, Digital Board, Zoom, Facebook). Whatever it takes to get the job done well. That is the Summit advantage.
