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, [...]
Hear from 5 co-op General Managers about what they see when they look out at the competitive landscape in their market. 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, ID Tim Bartlett, Lexington Co-op Market, Buffalo, NY
For many years GreenStar Natural Foods Market “peacefully coexisted” with its local competition in Ithaca, New York. As more conventional grocers are wooing the natural food consumer with convenience and price points, the pressure is on. Brandon Kane, the co-op’s general manager has responded with a focus on community, diversity, collaboration and efficient operations. “We want to overcome our elitist perception,” Kane said, as [...]
Seward Co-op's GM, Sean Doyle, has a passion for finances, and he's here to share his passion with you! Sean discusses some unique lending avenues available to many co-ops and why equity may just be the key to the cooperative difference.
Informed by the high-level perspective he has from working with a wide array of co-op boards throughout the U.S., Mark Goehring of CBLD fame, has some sage words for co-ops and cooperators everywhere. He breaks his talk down into 4 key points: Roles, Transparency, Change, and Growing Co-ops vs. “Going Corporate.” Mark discusses the question: What is bold leadership going to look like? In [...]
Sharon Murphy brings the motto of Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth, "Community Owned, that's the difference". Learn how WFC has been able to sustain growth and expansion in service to their community of owners. Store Manager Sarah Hannigan brings to bear her own background as a community organizer to her new task of managing a community-owned grocery co-op.
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Theories of Participation Dan Arnett, general manager Central Co-op, Seattle, WA Theories of Participation Dan Arnett, general manager Central Co-op, Seattle, WA Dan Arnett shares his views on sustaining the cooperative identity through owner participation in co-ops. Expanding on the concept of Own, Use, Serve and Belong, Arnett sees the foundational aspect of the cooperative as an association and the [...]
The Language of Participation Emily Lippold-Cheney Cooperative Organizer, CooperationWorks! The Language of Participation Emily Lippold-Cheney Cooperative Organizer, CooperationWorks! What is the role of language in elevating the meaning of participation in cooperatives? Emily Lippold-Cheney takes us through some fascinating linguistic demonstrations and challenges the viewer to make intentional use of the language we choose. “Language is key to changing a paradigm,” Lippold-Cheney [...]
Many people visit a food co-op on a daily basis, not just to meet their needs for groceries, but to get information or be more engaged in their communities. Likewise, hundreds upon thousands of people also use public libraries with a high degree of participation. John Sheller, a trustee at PCC Natural Markets in Seattle, Wash. and manger of the King County Library System, [...]
