Marilyn Scholl Recorded at The Cooperative Cafe Our cooperatives have made a difference in people’s lives. The food co-ops have made a difference in terms of creating a cooperative economy, and have changed the way Americans think about food. We’ve built a local agricultural system where farmers and local producers have a place to market their products. In these ways, cooperation is rooted in [...]
Terry Bowling, general manager, La Montañita Co-op, Albuquerque, N.M. La Montañita Co-op is a thriving retail and wholesale operation with six retail locations and a warehouse. Terry Bowling, the co-op’s general manager sees potential for the co-op to do even more by being a hub of community development. When the co-op decided to get into the distribution business, it has done a lot to [...]
The cooperative board room does not share all the same purposes as investor-owned corporation or nonprofit boards. Co-ops are organized to benefit their owners, and that is more important than a financial return on investment. We have been asking ourselves if there should be a model of cooperative governance and if so, what would it need to look like to support and drive forward [...]
One of the key moments in a co-op’s business cycle comes at the end of a fiscal year when it becomes clear how much profit the co-op has generated that year. At that time, the co-op’s board needs to decide how much of that profit will be allocated as patronage dividends, how to divide that dividend between cash returned to members and savings held [...]
As well as being a consultant with CDS Consulting Co-op, Art Sherwood is the board president at Bloomingfoods Market & Deli in Bloomington, IN and is heading into his third and last term as president. As he thought about how to prepare others to take on the role, he believes that alignment is as important to leadership as it is to perpetuation. “My approach [...]
Online Recorded Workshop This is a thorough introduction to developing a good working relationship as a board with the co-op’s new general manager. The objective of the workshop is to show how to integrate a new general manager into the leadership team, set clear expectations, evaluate the general manager at regular intervals throughout the year, and to maintain an honest and open dialogue. This [...]
There’s always the possibility of a vacancy on the board, and sometimes it’s a planned event, and at other times it’s unexpected. In either case, it’s important to have a backup plan or a process for replacing people if necessary. This was something the board of Wheatsville Food Co-op in Austin, Texas, learned when they were faced with three vacancies, one that was expected, [...]
Ever wonder how an economist would coach you to talk about growing your co-op? Now’s your chance! In this five-minute video=, Doug Hoffer, economic researcher and the State Auditor of Vermont, does a quick download of most of the key talking points supporting the opportunity to grow our co-ops. Hoffer points out that research supports the benefits of cooperatives in communities for the [...]
By Thane Joyal Boards of retail food cooperatives need to put the co-op first when it comes to evaluating the performance of board members. A board cannot be successful if individual board members are working in ways that are disruptive of the board’s process. This field guide offers resources to boards looking for guidance in establishing and enforcing consistent communication practices that will increase [...]
In this six-minute video Amy Fields, general manager of Eastside Food Co-op in northeast Minneapolis, describes the creation of their community participation project, Northeast Network. For more than three years, the co-op has hosted a monthly morning meeting to dig into topics important to their neighborhood. Creating the network was part of the co-op’s desire to expand beyond its immediate network and build neighborhood [...]
