An historic proposal was floated among members of 3 Twin Cities food co-ops to merge their 3 distinct organizations into one co-op. Two of those co-ops chose to merge, in this video we get to hear from the one that chose NOT to merge. Eastside Food Co-ops John Lacaria and Carolyn Buzza share about their next steps in deciding how their co-op can create [...]
Dan Arnett, Cooperator in Chief at Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, tells the story of how he's inviting all staff members to create participation and impact by way of building the best burger in town. Dan has some great ideas about how even small acts can translate to greater impact in your community.
Systems & Structures within a cooperative are essential to creating and maintaining strong communication between co-op stakeholder groups. Rebecca Torpie shares some brief points about how these systems can better be leveraged to create and sustain meaningful engagement at your co-op.
In her work as a Participation & Engagement consultant for cooperatives, Rebecca Torpie gets to see many successful campaigns engendering authentic relationships between co-op stakeholders. From members, to staff, to community members, the connections between these groups is so powerful, and Rebecca shares with you some of the best strategies from co-ops around the US.
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 [...]
Delene Porter, the General Manager at Daily Groceries in Athens, GA shares what she calls the Hero's Journey that is the path for the future of her co-op. Shedding parts of their past, acquiring skills and tools for the present and future, Daily Groceries underwent a transformation that truly is courageous.
Jon McDonald, Bread Baker and Board Member at Weaver Street Market in North Carolina shares his views on leadership and collaboration through the lenses of the several hats that he wears within his cooperative.
Steve Breckheimer, Board Member at Hendersonville Community Co-op in Hendersonville, NC describes two different versions of what alignment can look like and why alignment is so critical to Ends accomplishment. Then he tells a story of Hendersonville's successful engagement and outreach around a capital campaign to help grow their food co-op and impact.
River Valley Co-op in Northampton, MA is a jewel among startups with over $25M in annual sales and robust growth. Rochelle Prunty, the GM at RVC takes us through the co-ops history, as well as a possible future, in which the region has many more River Valley Co-ops and an exponentially greater impact on its members, staff, and communities.
