Wisconsin Archives - CooperationWorks!

Ed Potter
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Ed Potter

Ed Potter

Ed is an international cooperative development practitioner with over 20 years of experience working in North American, Latin American, and Caribbean countries. He previously served as executive director of the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation’s Americas Regional Association (ICMIF/Americas), representing 67 cooperative and mutual insurers from Canada to Argentina. He co-founded the Cooperative Law and Regulation Initiative (CLARITY), which promotes cooperative legal and regulatory reform and advocacy with secondary and tertiary cooperatives in developing economies. Ed led a USAID Cooperative Development Program grant supporting ICMIF/Americas members’ capacity to develop and deliver affordable microinsurance financial [...]

By Alex Stone|2023-07-19T10:20:00-07:00July 17th, 2023|Comments Off

Margaret Bau
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Margaret Bau

Margaret Bau

USDA Cooperative Services focuses on co-op education, development, legal information, research, and farmer co-op statistics. We strive to connect co-ops with resources within USDA Rural Development and across the federal government. CW member Margaret Bau has been engaged in co-op development since 1998 across her home state of Wisconsin and nationally since 2015. Margaret has assisted in the formation of over 35 cooperatives in industries as diverse as homecare worker co-ops in long-term care, the forest products industry, distributing local foods into regional institutions, arts marketing and galleries, ownership conversions, disability services, [...]

By Samantha Foust|2023-01-06T11:51:44-08:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperative
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University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperative

University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperative

The University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives seeks to increase understanding and encourage critical thinking about cooperatives by fostering scholarship and mutual learning among academics, the cooperative community, policy makers and the public. Established in 1962, the staff at the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives pursues a research, educational, and outreach agenda that examines cooperative issues across multiple business and social sectors. The agenda encompasses all aspects of the cooperative business model, including development, finance, structure, and governance.

By Samantha Foust|2022-07-20T16:36:41-07:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

Rural Grocery Initiative
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Rural Grocery Initiative

Rural Grocery Initiative

The Rural Grocery Initiative, housed within K-State Research and Extension, aims to sustain locally-owned rural grocery stores to enhance community vitality and improve access to healthy foods by identifying, developing, and sharing resources that support grocers and rural communities. The Rural Grocery Initiative supports rural grocers and communities through technical assistance, research, informational resources, and events. We provide support to communities across the country, however, currently have a foothold in Kansas and the midwest. One are of expertise is in alternative ownership models. In Kansas, in particular, this has included nonprofits, public-private [...]

By Alex Stone|2023-01-04T14:14:56-08:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

Northcountry Cooperative Foundation
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Northcountry Cooperative Foundation

Northcountry Cooperative Foundation

Northcountry Cooperative Foundation helps communities take control of their futures through cooperative ownership. We specialize in the development and support of affordable housing cooperatives, providing low-income residents with technical expertise and organizational support needed to create successful cooperatives and sustain them in the long-term. Development Services: We help co-ops assess project feasibility, secure financing, and develop strong organizational and management structures. Technical Assistance: We help ensure cooperatives thrive by providing tailored technical assistance, training, continuing education, and peer to peer engagement opportunities. Advocacy: We work with co-op leaders to advocate for legislation [...]

By Alex Stone|2022-08-17T12:19:34-07:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

NASCO
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NASCO

NASCO

NASCO provides education, outreach and project management support to individuals, groups, and developers wanting to create resident-controlled, affordable housing co-operatives – usually student, youth, or campus-oriented. NASCO Development Services also assists new or existing co-ops in obtaining acquisition and gap financing, as well as permanent funding and refinancing packages, usually on a fee-for-service or success fee basis. The Development Services program aims to support proactively those groups who have been underserved – including low-income, minority, differently-abled, working, and re-entry students. We believe that cooperative development and cooperative living transform peoples’ lives by [...]

By Samantha Foust|2022-07-20T16:09:18-07:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

National Cooperative Bank
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National Cooperative Bank

National Cooperative Bank

National Cooperative Bank (NCB) provides comprehensive banking services to cooperatives and other member-owned organizations throughout the country. What makes NCB unique is that the bank was created to address the financial needs of an underserved market niche – people who join together cooperatively to meet personal, social or business needs, especially in low-income communities. Our Mission NCB’s mission is to help cooperatives grow by supporting and being an advocate for America’s cooperatives and their members, placing special emphasis on serving the needs of communities that are economically challenged. Our Customers NCB’s customers are cooperatives, [...]

By Samantha Foust|2022-07-20T16:08:14-07:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

Food Co-op Initiative
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Food Co-op Initiative

Food Co-op Initiative

Food Co-op Initiative paves the way for new food co-op excellence, leading to better fed, healthier communities with local control and connections. FCI improves the success and sustainability of new food cooperatives by providing information, training, technical assistance, peer connections, and other support. We also engage in research to blaze, maintain and improve the development path for new food co-ops. We work with communities across the country, so if you are wondering if a food co-op might be a good way to meet your community's needs, or if you've been trying to [...]

By Samantha Foust|2023-01-06T11:18:44-08:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

Democracy at Work Institute
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Democracy at Work Institute

Democracy at Work Institute

The mission of the Democracy at Work Institute is to expand the worker cooperative model to reach communities most directly affected by social and economic inequality, specifically people of color, recent immigrants, and low-wage workforces. We are a movement-based think-and-do tank supporting worker cooperatives to grow to a scale that creates meaningful change in the economy. The Institute brings a birds- eye view of the national stage and a hands-on understanding of cooperative business and its benefits, making sure that our growing worker cooperative movement is both rooted in worker cooperatives themselves and [...]

By Samantha Foust|2022-07-20T15:57:00-07:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

Cooperative Development Services
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Cooperative Development Services

Cooperative Development Services

Cooperative Development Services shares a vision of people working together cooperatively and responsibly to achieve their social and economic well-being through organizations they own and control. The mission of CDS is to support, build and strengthen organizations that contribute to cooperative and sustainable development through consultation and participation in the development, restructuring and expansion of cooperative organizations in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. Brief History Cooperative Development Services is a non-profit organization founded in 1985. Since its inception, CDShas been committed to providing a range of innovative, results-oriented, and cost-effective services to cooperatives [...]

By Samantha Foust|2023-08-02T13:30:31-07:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off