Meet Our Managers

Wild Oats Market
320 Main Street
Williamstown, MA 01267
T: (413) 458-8060
F: (413) 458-5047
E: gm@wildoats.coop

Store Hours:
Monday-Saturday 8 am-8 pm
Sunday 10 am-8 pm

Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and
New Year's Day 

Wild Oats Management Team

Michael's love for food co-ops has been with him for years, starting with a cross-country trip he took years ago. When he left for the trip, he made sure to bring along a list of the co-ops located in each state. Michael started his co-op career in 2000, as a working member of the Berkshire Co-op Market in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He was offered a position in 2001, and with a business degree from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, he was quickly able to find ways to help the Co-op improve its business. Soon after he was hired by the Berkshire Co-op, Michael was promoted to the newly created position of Store Manager. While there, he played a large role in the preparation and coordination of an expansion and relocation project undertaken by the Co-op.

In 2007, Michael was hired as General Manager of Wild Oats Market in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Since coming to Wild Oats, he has continued to strengthen Wild Oats' focus on local foods, increasing the Co-op's sources for local food each year. Michael also initiated a store reset project during the summer of 2009, which included expanded Prepared Foods and Bulk Departments and a new Beer and Wine Department. In addition to working at the Berkshire and Wild Oats Co-ops, Michael has worked for the Northeast Organic Farming Association and Berkshire Grown. Both organizations focus on locally grown and produced food and on the use of sustainable farming practices. Outside of work, Michael is committed to sustainability in his own life, growing a healthy portion of his own food. He quickly points out that arugula is by far his favorite green, followed by kale, which he harvests through the winter months. You can reach Michael at gm@wildoats.coop.

Renate Kopynec, Operations Manager
Renate grew up in various towns in the Northeast, including three years on a farm in upstate New York. Her family grew their own food as well as raising goats, chickens and ducks. She joined her first food co-op after college. Renate also served on the Board of the local cooperative nursery school for four years. She joined Wild Oats and became a weekly worker in 1987. Officially joining the staff in 1990, Renate has been at Wild Oats ever since. She has worn many different hats during her 20-year tenure, including Grocery and Wellness Manager, before becoming Wild Oats' Operations Manager in 2007. Renate can be reached at operations@wildoats.coop. 

Tina Disorda, Customer Service Manager
Tina came to Wild Oats in the Fall of 2008 from The Bennington School, Inc., where she was an Educational Assistant. Tina manages the Customer Service desk and Front End at Wild Oats, and does the customer service training. She loves working at Wild Oats, where "the customers make every day a new adventure." You can contact Tina at customers @wildoats.coop.

Jared Polens, Perishables Manager
Jared Polens has been on the staff at Wild Oats for 21 years, and was a member worker in the store for three years before that. He moved to the area in 1986 to work as chef at Bascom Lodge on the summit of Mt. Greylock, where he baked the highest rising breads and cakes in Massachusetts. Many of you also know him as a singer and hammered dulcimer player in the folk trio Wintergreen, which has been performing in the Berkshires and beyond since 1990. (And now for a brief commercial message: http://www.wintergreentrio.com ) Let Jared know if you have any special requests or questions about cheese, dairy, bread, or meat and seafood—he would be happy to recommend some favorites to you. You can contact him at perishables@wildoats.coop.

Greg Roach, Prepared Foods Manager and Chef
Greg’s career includes stints in the kitchens of Wolfgang Puck, Jimmy Schmidt and Charlie Trotter. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, where he received the Roth Outstanding Student Performance Award and the President’s Scholarship. Before coming to Wild Oats in the summer of 2007, Greg worked as the chef at Helen’s Place in Williamstown for four years. Since joining Wild Oats, Greg has introduced a hot foods bar and salad bar, expanded the co-op’s grab n’ go deli, and developed the co-op’s bakery operation, and introduced catering services. When Greg is not at work preparing food or planning projects, he likes to spend time with his wife Robin and his son Ethan. You can contact Greg at preparedfood@wildoats.coop.

Tim Struble, Produce Manager
Tim became Wild Oats' Produce Manager in January 2010. A recent graduate of Ohio State University, Tim worked in produce (as well as in other areas) at a gourmet retail market in Columbus while he was attending school. He recently moved to the Berkshires from Ohio, where he plans to continue his education at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. In the meantime, Tim is enjoying his new job at Wild Oats and the different landscape and weather patterns that the Berkshires offer. "It's a lot easier to play ice hockey outdoors in the Berkshires than it is in Columbus," he notes. You can reach Tim at produce@wildoats.coop.

Nicole Young, Grocery and Wellness Manager
Nicole joined Wild Oats in the Fall of 2008. She came to Wild Oats from a local retail business, where she worked as Assistant Manager. At Wild Oats, Nicole oversees seven departments -- grocery, frozen foods, beer and wine, bulk foods, HABA, supplements, and general merchandise. She loves working at Wild Oats -- even though, with seven departments, she stays pretty busy! Nicole's email address is grocery@wildoats.coop.

Sheryl Meyer, Wellness Buyer and Nutritional Therapist
Sheryl joined Wild Oats' staff in the summer of 2009 as its Health and Wellness Buyer. She is also owner/manager of Naturalis Remedies and Therapies in Williamstown. For a brief biography of Sheryl, please click here.