News – Columinate

Connecting with Columinate Consultants at CCMA

By Kelly Kristl|2026-04-21T16:54:33-04:00April 14th, 2026|

Columinate will have a large contingent of members who will be in attendance, many of them presenting or co-presenting as part of the program—including these CBLD consultants: Jade Barker, Hether Jonna, Michael Healy, Molly Phipps, Laura King, and Molly Snell-Larch. Other Columinate members delivering presentations at CCMA are Jeanie Wells, Sarah Dahl, and Wynston Estis. Also attending the conference from Columinate (as of this writing): Vernon Oakes, Rose Marie Klee, and James Morrell. They are eager to hear from other cooperators before or during the conference—so feel free to reach out to them.

Columinate on FCI Live! and at Principle Six Conference

By Kelly Kristl|2026-03-05T16:44:10-05:00March 4th, 2026|

In late March, Columinate consultants will be presenting at FCI Live! This is a free, online series of one-hour sessions aimed at startup co-ops, led by experienced trainers and co-op leaders. Sponsored by Food Co-op Initiative (FCI), this year’s expanded FCI Live! comprises an impressive roster of over twenty different sessions; see the link above for the full listings and the time of day for each.

Don Moffitt Wins Cooperative Champion Award

By Kelly Kristl|2025-09-23T18:04:27-04:00September 23rd, 2025|

At the September 11–13 Up & Coming conference in Kalamazoo, Columinate’s Don Moffitt was honored with the Cooperative Champion Award. The award was conferred by Food Co-op Initiative at the annual food co-op startup conference, a spirited national meeting for these community-based ventures and their professional supporters and allies.

Vernon Oakes to Receive Tom Nees Award for Exceptional Service from Community of Hope

By Kelly Kristl|2025-09-17T12:58:26-04:00September 17th, 2025|

Night of Hope to spotlight Oakes’ contributions to cooperative development and community resilience. Washington, DC (September 18, 2025) –Community of Hope has announced that Vernon Oakes, longtime cooperative leader and General Manager of Columinate, will be honored with the Tom Nees Award for Exceptional Service at this year’s Night of Hope celebration on October 3, 2025.

New FCI Action Guide: The Food Co-op Development Framework

By James Morrell|2025-09-03T13:36:25-04:00September 3rd, 2025|

Start-up cooperatives face tremendous challenges while on their long road—from foundational organizing to the establishment of a sustainable brick-and-mortar business delivering their mission to the communities they serve. We have seen that organizations can benefit greatly from the learnings of more seasoned businesses that have been on that journey.

Startup Solidarity: Columinate at Up & Coming

By Kelly Kristl|2025-09-03T13:22:52-04:00September 3rd, 2025|

Under a theme of “Co-Creating the Future,” the annual conference for startup food co-ops, Up & Coming, will be held September 12–13 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Up & Coming is sponsored by Food Co-op Initiative (FCI) and offers a solid program and a spirited gathering of co-op activists of many stripes.

Carolee Colter Wins TWIG Award

By Kelly Kristl|2025-06-26T19:30:57-04:00June 26th, 2025|

Top Women in Grocery (TWIG) is an award sponsored by Progressive Grocer as part of its annual Grocery Impact Conference, to be held this year on November 7. The 2025 TWIG Awards, announced in June, include Columinate’s Carolee Colter, after she was nominated by Joel Brock.

Columinate’s Presence at CCMA May 29-31

By Joel|2026-02-06T13:52:44-05:00May 6th, 2025|

Columinate members will be among the many presenters and trainers at the 2025 CCMA conference, to be held in Duluth, Minnesota, on May 29-31. They will join a few hundred co-op directors, managers, and key staff from a network of food co-ops and national allies. The CCMA conference, sponsored by UWCC, is a spirited and busy three days of challenging speakers, workshops, local tours, networking, award presentations, and a bang-up closing party.

Annual Report Shows Food Co-op Impact

By Kelly Kristl|2025-04-21T11:56:43-04:00April 21st, 2025|

In mid-April, National Co+op Grocers (NCG) released its “2024 Food Co-op Impact Report,” showing strong sales growth and continuing leadership by co-ops in local, organic, and Fair Trade product sales. Click here for a pdf of the full report. Same-store sales growth among NCG co-ops was a strong 4.7 percent, compared to overall US retail grocery sales growth of under 3 percent. (That was in a volatile and somewhat inflationary market. According to the federal Economic Research Service, 2024 food inflation was 2.3 percent.)

2025: International Year of Cooperatives

By Kelly Kristl|2025-01-13T17:46:44-05:00January 13th, 2025|

In proclaiming 2025 the International Year of Cooperatives, the United Nations and cooperatives worldwide are lifting up the tremendous social and economic achievements and potential of these democratic, community-based associations. In the US, the campaign is being led by National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) CLUSA, our apex trade association and an international development organization.

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