Good Foods Co-op announces permanent general manager

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Good Foods Co-op is pleased to announce the appointment of Kathleen “Kat” Luchtefeld to the position of General Manager.

Luchtefeld had been serving as the Interim General Manager since July 2018. She was no stranger to the Co-op, though. Luchtefeld was hired as the Human Resources Manager in September 2016, coming into that position with years of management experience already, having worked in human resources and as Chief Operations Officer (COO) of a 100-person organization.

This week the Good Foods Co-op Board of Directors appointed Luchtefeld to the General Manager position permanently after strong performance as Interim GM. In a letter to owners, Board President Joel DiGirolamo cited improvements in employee morale, sales, customer experience and owner relations since Luchtefeld took over.

After years of struggling sales, DiGirolamo said he is heartened by the progress, but knows Luchtefeld still has work to do. “We are very excited to have Kat lead Good Foods Co-op during our next chapter. Kat has made significant improvements over the last six months and we look forward to her continued success,” said DiGirolamo.

Luchtefeld is a central Kentucky native and graduate of Centre College (B.S. Economics) and the University of Kentucky College of Law (J.D.). She lives in Lexington with her husband and two daughters.