Start-Up Archives - CooperationWorks!

Solving Ag Worker Shortages with Farm-Labor Worker Cooperatives
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Solving Ag Worker Shortages with Farm-Labor Worker Cooperatives

Solving Ag Worker Shortages with Farm-Labor Worker Cooperatives

Nationwide, there are two jobs available in agriculture for every new job seeker. Farmers and ranchers in the Rocky Mountain West haven’t escaped the problem of securing reliable, efficient labor, and the current lack of available labor especially affects smallholder and family farms and ranches. However, a creative solution is in the works in Colorado to help farmers and ranchers with tasks that run the gamut from fence-mending to pruning to harvesting to even setting and pulling irrigation pipe. In 2018, two mobile farm workforce pilot projects along the northern Front Range [...]

By Bill Stevenson|2019-07-22T09:12:47-07:00July 22nd, 2019|Comments Off

Frank Cetera
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Frank Cetera

Frank Cetera

Frank Cetera is an Advanced Certified Business Advisor with 10-years service for Onondaga SBDC - Syracuse, NY. He specializes in Employee-Ownership. Frank’s business and community developer experience includes the following. CDCU/CDFI Cooperative Federal Credit Union Board Member/Chair (since 2010/2012 respectively). And living in and co-managing two housing cooperatives. As well as member and volunteer of two retail grocery cooperatives. And professional presentations including twice at statewide NYSBDC Staff Training, Eastern Conference for Workforce Democracy at Fordham Law in NYC, New Economy Coalition’s CommonBound Conference at SUNY-Buffalo, North Country Symposium at St. [...]

By Alex Stone|2021-02-22T16:17:27-08:00February 5th, 2019|Comments Off

Corrigan Nadon Nichols
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Corrigan Nadon Nichols

Corrigan Nadon Nichols

Corrigan Consulting provides a broad range of technical and training services for cooperatives and democratic, community-based organizations, including business planning, commercial loan consulting, board training, accounting system setup, leadership coaching, and back-office bookkeeping. Corrigan Nadon-Nichols previously served as the Director of Development for NASCO, supporting start-up and expanding housing cooperatives, and the general manager for Qumbya Housing Cooperative in Chicago, IL.

By Alex Stone|2019-03-07T09:04:40-08:00January 24th, 2019|Comments Off

Ronan Cooperative Brewery
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Ronan Cooperative Brewery

Ronan Cooperative Brewery

What’s a rural town to do when the community wants to revitalize Main Street? Start a consumer-owned cooperative brewery! In western Montana, residents of Ronan, population ~2000, are trying to do just that by starting the first cooperative brewery in the region. This spring, more than 60 community members attended a public interest meeting to learn more about the craft brewing industry, the cooperative brewery model, and the potential for a brewery in the town. The idea for the Ronan Cooperative Brewery started in 2016 with a community assessment. Community members were [...]

By Samantha Foust|2018-01-22T18:23:48-08:00September 29th, 2017|Comments Off

Worker Cooperatives Empower and Promote Economic Equality
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Worker Cooperatives Empower and Promote Economic Equality

Worker Cooperatives Empower and Promote Economic Equality

With assistance from the California Center for Cooperative Development (CCCD), Yolo Eco-Clean Cooperative (YECC-Pronounced “YES”) officially launched early this year. YECC is a worker co-op developed to create jobs and cooperative ownership opportunities for underserved residents in Yolo County, California. The co-op provides residential and commercial cleaning services using environmentally friendly solutions and practices. Workers are engaged in deciding their work schedule, how work is organized, and all aspects of decision making. They have opportunities to try on “new hats” as they engage in business strategy, public relations, accounting, marketing, and leadership. [...]

By Samantha Foust|2017-09-29T00:38:09-07:00September 28th, 2017|Comments Off

Matthew Epperson
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Matthew Epperson

Matthew Epperson

Matthew Epperson (pronouns he/him) is a southern cooperator based in Athens, Georgia. He grew up in Tampa, FL where he became a first-degree black belt (in Tang Su Doo, Aikido & Jujitsu) before relocating to Athens in 2008 for love and education. He is a worker at Daily Groceries Co-op (a consumer-owned retail food co-op), where he has worked for the past 8 years in various capacities, now human resources manager and bookkeeper. He's a graduate (2015) of the Masters of Management: Co-operatives and Credit Unions program through Saint Mary's University. Also [...]

By Samantha Foust|2021-02-22T16:18:27-08:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

Brian Donovan
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Brian Donovan

Brian Donovan

Brian Donovan is the former Executive Director of the Austin Cooperative Business Association (ACBA), a regional cross-sector trade association for cooperatives. From 2005-2013 Brian managed the Univ. of Texas Inter-Cooperative Council, a student housing cooperative. Brian served on the board of NASCO Development Services for 8 years and the NASCO Board for two years. Presently he is Co-Director of The Cooperation Group, a non-profit cooperative development organization based in Detroit, Michigan. Before working in co-ops Brian worked for Apple as the manager of the Inside Sales team serving educational institutions. He also [...]

By Samantha Foust|2021-02-22T16:19:17-08:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

Virginia Foundation for Agriculture, Innovation, and Rural Sustainability
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Virginia Foundation for Agriculture, Innovation, and Rural Sustainability

Virginia Foundation for Agriculture, Innovation, and Rural Sustainability

The Virginia Foundation for Agriculture, Innovation and Rural Sustainability will assist rural Virginians in developing and advancing their agricultural, economic and social interests to enhance their quality of life. We provide technical assistance to new and existing rural cooperatives, mutually-owned businesses, farm and forestry associations and communities engaged in improving their economic condition for the mutual benefit of their members/owners/citizens. Technical assistance is provided organizational development and governance, strategic planning, feasibility analysis, business/enterprise/market planning, finance and grant assistance. We are a long standing USDA-funded rural cooperative development center. We assist individual farms, [...]

By Alex Stone|2022-07-20T16:38:04-07:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

South Carolina Center for Cooperative and Enterprise Development
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South Carolina Center for Cooperative and Enterprise Development

South Carolina Center for Cooperative and Enterprise Development

The Center for Cooperative and Enterprise Development is dedicated to enhancing and expanding local food and agricultural businesses in South Carolina. The Center and partners provide technical assistance to cooperatives, mutually-owned businesses, and other small business within multiple industries, but with a strong focus on agricultural businesses. Primary activities are cooperative formation, business planning, feasibility studies, cooperative financing, grant writing, assisting producer associations, and new business development.

By Alex Stone|2022-07-20T16:29:18-07:00September 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