ANN ARBOR, MI -- After spending eight years running Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor, Kathy Sample is being recognized for all her efforts as United Way of Washtenaw County’s 2023 Woman of the Year.
Sample and her husband, Bill Brinkerhoff, opened Argus Farm Stop in 2014 as a way to support local farmers while also bringing fresh food to Ann Arbor all year long. The couple wanted to solve a problem for not only farmers, but also for consumers that needed access to these products.
“I’m honored that United Way chose me, and I think it’s just an example of somebody who’s just doing what they think is right,” Sample said.
The couple spoke with many people and had 200 different conversations about creating Argus Farm Stop before it even opened. Now, Argus Farm Stop sells for more than 200 farms and has locations at 325 W. Liberty St., 1200 Packard Road and 1226 Packard St.
Argus Farm Stop just paid around $15 million to these local farms at a 70% consignment rate which is what some farmers need to stay in business, Sample said.
However, Argus Farm Stop provides farmers with more than just a place to sell their products, Sample said, adding that the business works to truly understand each product that it carries so that employees can advocate on each farmer’s behalf.
But helping customers and farmers isn’t the only goal for Argus Farm Stop. Sample and her husband also teach other people around the country about their business model so other cities can have their own year-round farmers markets.
“We are not experts but now, after eight years, in a pretty robust environment where customer service is so important I think we have something to share,” Sample said. “They can take whatever they want from what we share and adapt it and it’s a way for them just not to stumble as much as we did.”
Pam Smith, United Way of Washtenaw County president and member of the Power of the Purse committee, said Sample’s work with Argus Farm Stop is just one reason why she was chosen as Woman of the Year.
Sample’s volunteer work, including her time with Peace Neighborhood Center, a United Way supported agency, also contributed to her being selected for this award, Smith said.
Peace Neighborhood Center is an Ann Arbor nonprofit organization that provides programs for children, families and people who are affected by social and economic problems.
For someone to earn this award, Smith said they have to advocate for improving the lives of women in Washtenaw County. When it comes to Sample, Smith said she is doing just that.
“It’s just been really great to support small, local farmers through this business that they’ve started, but Kathy goes so much farther than that,” Smith said. “She’s just been a really great person in our community helping nonprofits, volunteering her time (and) her expertise.”
Sample will be honored at United Way of Washtenaw County’s Power of the Purse event on March 8 at the Morris Lawrence Building, 4800 E. Huron River Drive, on the Washtenaw Community College campus.
The event will honor Sample, have a live purse auction and donate the money it raises back into local programs that support financial stability for women in need. Smith said the event is a way to “celebrate the power of women” and recognize what they do for Washtenaw County.
“There are plenty of people who do exactly what I do and way more that aren’t getting this award, so I’m beholden to them for all the things they do and the examples they make for me, because we can all do something,” Sample said.
To learn more about the Power of the Purse event, visit United Way of Washtenaw County’s website.
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