George Hofheimer, Chief Research + Innovation Officer Filene Research Institute, Madison, WI Mr. Hofheimer explores the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for Credit Unions in their work fostering member participation. Plus he offers up some insight into the food co-op sector and areas of potential overlap.
Facing heightening competition and increased pressure from member-owners, what does it mean to lead with courage? Building off of his wildly popular talk from our last round of Cooperative Cafes, Dave Olson of National C0+op Grocers (NCG) returns with an updated overview of cooperative trends nationwide. Round 2 includes an added emphasis on what it means to be Courageous Leaders for our co-ops and our communities.
As Director of Co-op Development for NCG, Dave Olson has a unique perspective on what it'll take for co-ops to survive and thrive in this 'New Normal' of increased competition and slowing sales growth. In this must-watch video Dave drops some hard truths and possibly un-popular ideas in an effort to get co-ops to think hard about such crucial yet sensitive topics as product [...]
Jon-Michael Muise, Area Director of Rural Development US Department of Agriculture Mr. Muise shares what he sees as the role of cooperatives in actualizing positive change in the marketplace.
Russ Wille, Community Development Director City of St. Peter, MN Another successful tale of cities and co-ops cooperating to everyone's benefit. Mr. Wille takes us through the types of aid that were made available to the St. Peter Food Co-op, as well as the benefits to the city as a result of the partnership.
E. Kim Coontz, Executive Director California Center for Cooperative Development Davis, CA Kim shares an integrative view of cooperation as she see in her work the overlapping of co-ops in many sectors organizing around the same co-op principles & values. She even shares a co-op song at the end. Careful, it's catchy!'
Carol Collins, Central Corridor National Cooperative Grocers Association
Change can be uncomfortable. By discussing what we may be afraid of losing it can be a valuable process to get to being excited about what we might better, or more of. Chris Maher, General Manager of BriarPatch Food Co-op in Grass Valley, CA tells the story behind the BriarPatch name, and its deep connections to a rich history of cooperation across the Northern [...]
When natural and organic foods made their appearance in the grocery market over 20 years ago, most conventional grocery stores dabbled with selling them in their product lines. Fast forward to today, and now big box retailers, convenience stores and conventional grocers have taken a massive chunk of business from the natural food retailer market. In a market where Seven-Eleven sells seven times more [...]
Hear from 5 different GMs as they answer the question" What will it take for your co-op to thrive into the future? What should we take with us? What should we leave behind on the journey?" Rita York Hennecke, Community Mercantile, Lawrence, KS Dan Gillotte, Wheatsville Co-op, Austin, TX Steve Watts, Los Alamos Food Co-op, Los Alamos, MN Ben Kuzma, Boise Food Co-op, Boise, [...]
