Bridging the Gap. Interim General Management

By |December 14th, 2017|

Like any business, cooperatives need capable management at all times. Emergency management succession planning is essential but despite this planning, sometimes a co-op finds itself in need of a steady experienced hand to manage the [...]

Choosing Your Words

By |December 12th, 2017|

By Carolee Colter & Mark Mulcahy Intentions matter but so does your choice of words. Certain words can trigger a negative reaction in the mind of the receiver while other words can open up hearts [...]

Leading Co-op Operations with an Equity Lens

By |December 7th, 2017|

Durham Co-op Market Durham, NC Year founded: 2015 Number of members: 4,000 Member investment: $100 Number of employees: 50 Retail square feet: 8,000 The startup vision for Durham Co-op Market in Durham, NC was to [...]

Make Your Produce Holiday Season a Success

By |November 15th, 2017|

Traditionally a time of community events and gathering together to celebrate the bounty of the season’s agricultural harvest, the Thanksgiving holiday is a great opportunity for food co-ops to stand out and highlight what they [...]

Measuring & Communicating the Co-op Difference

By |November 9th, 2017|

In a lot of ways our work speaks for itself.  The data supports an assertion that cooperation produces stronger happier communities, local economies, food systems and shoppers.   Bonnie Hudspeth, Neighboring Food Co-op Associations Manager of [...]

Telling the Co-op Impact Story

By |November 9th, 2017|

So much of the critical work of movement-building is getting the word out there to those who are looking for what we offer.  As the Executive Director of Neighboring Food Co-ops Association, Erbin Crowell spend [...]

Why Do Marketing and Operations Clash?

By |November 8th, 2017|

Back when I worked in distribution, the warehousers complained that marketing promised too much to the customer, while marketing grumbled that the warehouse always said no. It’s the same in retail. When conducting employee surveys [...]