Brett Fairbairn, Fellow in Cooperative Thought & Ideas [bio] Centre for the Study of Cooperatives at University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, SK, Canada "Change is the new normal", says Professor Fairbairn. And it's up to us and our imaginations to stay on top of all this change. By considering cooperative ventures as both enterprises and associations, we can think about adapting nimbly to both [...]
Marilyn Scholl, of Columinate, (and not too proud to call herself the "designated co-op old fart") provides a succinct recap of the food co-op movement in the United States through history in order to glean lessons and learnings from the past. Scholl addresses the questions relevant to food cooperators in this new era of competition: How did we get here? Will we survive? The [...]
Ruffin Slater, General Manager at Weaver Street Market in North Carolina has proven himself an innovator among national GMs. In this video Ruffin shares his insights on how leadership can help guide the co-op towards its Ends.
Martha Whitman, Board President La Montañita Co-op, New Mexico
At the Local Government Federal Credit Union in Raleigh, NC Michael Spink has the enviable title of Innovation Strategist. In this brief video Michael shares a few stories of how the LGFCU is creating an impact in the lives and communities of its members.
Patricia unpacks the idea of "Belonging" and ties it to the idea of connections. Building community, support, and passion doesn't happen successfully without belong.
Dale Woodbeck, General Manager Lakewinds Food Co-op, Chanhassen, Minnetonka, & Richfield, MN Mr. Woodbeck shares the story of Lakewinds Food Co-op's success fostering a sense of belonging among its stakeholders by way of a branded loan program that has directly helped dozens of small local farmers in the region to thrive. Includes a short but moving video clip of those that have been touched [...]
As director of Food Systems Initiatives for the Self-Help Credit Union, Steve Saltzman has a unique perspective on the work that is being done by food co-op sin communities throughout the region. And from where Steve sits, food co-ops are on the leading edge! When it comes to transparency, social change, and social justice, Steve sees food co-ops as the local engines driving progress.
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.
At the Cooperative Café in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2013, participants discussed the question of growth and Sarah Christensen, general manager at GreenTree Cooperative Grocery in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., addressed the group about GreenTree’s approach to growth in the past and how they are addressing it now. The co-op had been founded in the 1970s and had stayed a small storefront for many years because [...]
