Ruffin Slater believes that the success of our cooperatives can be distilled down into a formula. In fact, he's done it! Watch as he shares with us his equation for cooperative success and delves deeper into how co-ops can make a difference for our stakeholders.
Kevin Edberg, Executive Director Cooperative Development Services St. Paul, MN The cooperative principles gives us a competitive advantage and a raison d'etre. Mr. Edberg challenges the viewers to think about applying our deep comitment to the co-op values to the wider society we live in.
Erbin Crowell, Executive Director Neighboring Food Co-op Association Erbin describes a shift in perspective from "My Co-op" to "Our Co-ops," and helps us see the cooperative landscape and the cooperative economy. He shows the density of co-ops in New England and New York (almost 9.000!), and addresses the potential of cross-sector collaboration. A cooperative decade? Where do we start?
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.
Rochelle Prunty, General Manager River Valley Market, Northampton, MA Hear about the River Valley Market's 5-year young journey from startup to profitability, along with all the wonderful benefits the enterprise now brings to it's community, local farms, and its membership.
Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy-Secretary [bio] US Department of Agriculture Washington, DC Don't miss this brief talk on the opportunities that cooperatives have, especially right now, and the resources that the USDA has available to support cooperative growth and excellence.
Ruffin Slater, General Manager Weaver Street Market, Research Triangle, North Carolina Ruffin challenges us to re-think our concept of participation and what it can do for your cooperative.
Co-op Principle #1: Open & Voluntary Membership; in this installment filmed for the 2019 Cooperative Cafe series, LaDonna challenges us to deeply examine 'Openness' and 'Voluntary' at our own co-ops. Can we see ourselves in the Co-ops' story? Can our neighbors? Even when we struggle to compete to be seen or heard in the crowded marketplace, cooperative have a competitive advantage when it comes to being an inclusive, welcoming community gathering place.
Photos from the 2014 Cooperative Cafe in Portland, OR
Michelle Schry, General Manager People's Food Cooperative, LaCrosse, WI & Rochester, MN Learn about the process, the challenges, and the triumphs of the unique "merger" that took place in Rochester. Michelle Schry, GM, tells about the engagement, the participation, and the support that poured from BOTH communities.
