SUZANNE ROOK, Managing Editor
Posted: Thursday, March 12, 2009 2:29 pm

CORRECTION — This story incorrectly listed when Melanie Reid was named Just Food Co-op's general manager. Reid, who began working on the co-op project before it opened, was named general manager last summer.

NORTHFIELD — One of the driving forces behind the city’s Just Food Co-op, Ron Griffith, died Thursday morning. He was 65.

Griffith also served for four and a half years on the Northfield Planning Commission, resigning his post last summer when his health began to fail. During his tenure on the commission, members met almost weekly for months hammering out a draft of what is now the city’s Comprehensive Plan, a document that provides a vision for and helps dictate Northfield’s future land use.

Born in Iowa, Griffith was trained as an engineer and spent a large portion of his life on the coasts.

He and his wife, Beret, moved to Northfield in 2001 from California, getting involved in the co-op during the store’s planning stages.

Melanie Reid, who met Griffith a few months before Just Food’s opening, quickly signed on as the project’s general manager.

“He had this incredible energy and passion for the project,” said Reid.

“He was amazing in his ability to really touch people and bring people together around a common cause,” she said. “He was an incredible leader, very inspirational, making sure everyone felt important.”

Funeral arrangements for Griffith are incomplete at this time.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks well wishers to contribute to the Ron Griffith Young Leaders Fund. Donations can be sent to the fund c/o Northfield Area Family YMCA, 519 Division St., Northfield, MN 55057.

On Thursday, Kate Wall, Just Food Co-op grocery manager, received the first Ron Griffith Young Leaders Fund grant. The grant will enable Wall to attend the three-day Rising Stars Seminar, an interactive management training opportunity in natural foods retail.

— Suzanne Rook can be reached at srook@northfieldnews.com or 645-1113.