Michael Gilliland and Elizabeth Cook, the husband and wife who founded Wild Oats Markets (Boulder, Colo.) in 1987, have resigned from the retailer's board of directors, effective Dec. 6, 2001. The co-founders said they are leaving the board so that they may “pursue other endeavors and diversify their investment portfolio.”
“Both of us have reduced our day-to-day involvement with the company in recent years,” Gilliland said, “and we now feel it is time for us to completely move on to other endeavors.”
The company was founded as a single natural and organic food store in Boulder. Over the years, the couple built Wild Oats into a national chain of more than 100 natural food stores in the U.S. and Canada. The company's natural food stores include Wild Oats Natural Marketplace, Henry's Marketplace, Nature's — a Wild Oats Market, Sun Harvest Farms and Capers Community Markets. Cook served as executive vp until May 2001 and Gilliland stepped down from his position as ceo earlier this year. Perry Odak joined the company as president, ceo and a member of the board in March 2001.