In 1911, financier Charles Flint formed a company specializing in the manufacture of business equipment, things like punch clocks and weighing scales. Flint named his new venture the Computing Tabulating Recording Company. Bet you never heard of it. 

Thirteen years later he wisely renamed the growing company International Business Machines. Now, IBM you’ve probably heard of.

We’re all familiar with corporate name changes. Often the original name is something clunky, like Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corp. — that’s Sony to you — or downright weird, like the original Yahoo, Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web.

Sometimes a name change is driven by history. In 1945, Rome’s Anagrafe (city register) was overrun by Mussolinis, all anxious to change their name to something else, anything else, the surname Mussolini having lost its luster. 

In 1917, in the midst of World War I, the British monarchs  anglicized their name to the House of Windsor, lest the old name, the House of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha, remind their embattled subjects of their Germanic heritage.

More often though, when a company or an institution changes its name, it does so as part of a strategic vision, a way of better positioning itself for the future. And while a name change may cause some eyebrow-raising or head-scratching, the controversy tends to be short-lived. 

In 2001 Beaver College became Arcadia University. This caused quite a hullabaloo at the time. But today’s undergraduates, just toddlers then, have no memory of Beaver College. It’s ancient history. 

This month we’re being introduced to a name change of our own: Weavers Way Community Programs is now Food Moxie. That might take a little time to get used to. My guess is the folks at Computing Tabulating Recording Company needed some time to get used to “IBM.” 

 I always found “Weavers Way Community Programs” to be a bit of a mouthful, which is why most people called it “WWCP,” which sounds kind of like a Roosevelt-era New Deal agency. 

It also confuses some people about the difference between the work of WWCP and all the stuff the Co-op does in the community. Many just assume it’s all one organization. But WWCP — er, Food Moxie — is indeed an independent organization, and always has been. Its executive director reports to a separate board of directors, and its mission of empowering children and families through farm and nutrition education, while closely aligned with the Co-op’s, is quite distinct. 

There is a strong affiliation between the organizations, and that affiliation has only strengthened over the years. We work as partners on a variety of initiatives. That partnership has never been stronger. 

The nonprofit is less dependent on the Co-op than it used to be, but that was the intention all along. A small, resource-challenged nonprofit, one reliant on the limited resources that Weavers Way can provide, is not in anyone’s interest. 

The change in name to Food Moxie wasn’t made in isolation. It is just a part of the long-term strategic plan that will position it to accomplish greater things in the future. It’s an exciting time. 

And with this change comes the promise of continuity. For the year ahead, Weavers Way is committed to the same level of support to Food Moxie that we’ve been providing WWCP. The two organizations will work together on the same programs that we’ve worked hard over the years to develop together. 

It matters less what an organization is called than what it does. Weavers Way Community Programs did some pretty awesome stuff, and Food Moxie will continue that good work of enriching lives. As member-owners of Weavers Way, we can all be proud of the nonprofit we helped build and excited about its future. 

 Ben Franklin said, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” Were he alive today I think Franklin would like “Food Moxie.” 

See you around the Co-op.