Effective Leadership and Self-Awareness
Michelle Oliver from Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op says that being a leader requires knowing yourself. Know your strengths and know your weaknesses. Understand where you need support and ask for it.
Alignment: Members, Co-op, and Market
Brett Fairbairn, co-op thought-leader, breaks down what it looks like when the co-op, it's members, and the marketplace are not in alignment and why it's so important that they all be in alignment.
Association and Enterprise
In this MUST WATCH video Brett Fairbairn breaks down the definition of a cooperative and the significance of the words "enterprise" and "association" in the definition.
Appreciating the Diversity of Member Needs and Motivations
By Marilyn Scholl 140 January - February - 2009 In my work with food co-op boards and staff over the past 30 years, one of the questions I have often encountered is this: How can we get more people more involved at the co-op? The question has prompted a lot of soul-searching and hand-wringing. Co-op leaders intuitively believe that member involvement is vital to [...]
Boycotts and Democracy – The Eden Foods Product Boycott as an Opportunity to Renew Co-op Participation and Democracy
By Todd Wallace In the summer of 2014, a Supreme Court ruling in the case of Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby led the CEO of Eden Foods, a prominent organic foods producer, to revive an earlier 2013 court case arguing that the company be exempted from paying for its employees to receive birth-control, as required by the Affordable Care Act. The company’s lawyers cited the [...]
Mergers and Acquisitions
Martha Whitman tells the story of La Montanitas experience with growth through acquiring stores in new markets. Watch and learn about the leadership of the board of directors as they engaged their membership throughout the process.
Tuning up Operations for the New Normal
In Tucson, AZ competition is ramping up and the leaders at Food Conspiracy are taking decisive action. Hear from GM Kelley Kriner about the steps that the management at Food Conspiracy took to make the Co-op a strong and sustainable force in the community.