The Co-Op to Co-Op Connection

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.Schaumburg East Ballroom

Speaker: Mike Beall

Special thank you

Rod KelsayExecutive Director

Mid America Cooperative Council

Mid America Cooperative Council

Mid America Cooperative Council

Opportunities for Credit Unions to Connect

• Connect with Co-op Roots with seven coop principles: DISPLAYED.

• All Cooperatives started with a common need, solved mutually.

• Co-op community can focus on identifying current needs.

• Engage Employees in Co-op Education

• Suggest Advisory Councils by location:• Engage Members & Local Leaders to surface common needs.• Embrace cooperative education & seek cooperative solutions• Clarify your ‘Credit Union’s Vision’ with Advisory Council.

Creating your Co-op PassionFrom Advisory Meeting identify a community project

Example: • Financial literacy in local schools, for neighbor co-op

employees, churches• Invite local youth leaders to your board meeting• Explain duties of Volunteer/Board of Directors • Essay contest on how to best use $ xxx,0 in your

community

Rod’s examples of other community needs: • Cooperatively owned retirement community • Visiting nurses cooperative where nurses keep $$ for services • Host Ethnic Foods Festival with contests and demonstrations• Adopt a community, military company, or other cooperative

A cooperative is only a tool that can be used to serve your community needs

Sharon HoyerGeneral Manager

Dill Pickle Food Co-op

A Community-Owned Grocery StoreValues, End Goals and Principles-Driven

• Ownership: $250 equity vestment.– Benefits: voting for board of directors, participating

as a Hands-On Owner, receiving owner deals and patronage.

– Over 1,500 total owners, about 50% of our customer base.

– 9 member Board of Directors– About 40 active HOOs work in outreach,

communications, education, design and operations work.

• The Store: 1,300 sq ft, $2M/year in sales. Planning expansion/relocation in our neighborhood. Aiming for 6,000 – 10,000 sq ft, est. year 1 sales: $5M.

The Co-op The Store

Education

EventsAdvocacy

Partnerships

• But also:– CFCC: 6 new food co-ops

organizing in Chicagoland. New business accounts, new borrowers backed by owner equity and community support.

– Membership of thousands of socially-conscious consumers, looking to put their money to work locally.

Opportunities for P6: cooperation amongst cooperatives

• Now:– 5 Point worker Co-op:

Community Spotlight– Chicagoland Food Co-op

Coalition: widespread co-op education, resource sharing, support.

– P6 Cooperative Trade Movement: co-op food producer and grocers to increase market access and promote local, indie, co-op.

Vision for a Cooperative Economy

Worker & distribution co-

ops

Co-op development

funding

Consumer/Retail Co-ops

Community members w/ living

wage jobs

Utility co-ops

Strong cooperative policy

Farmer and producer co-ops

Housing Co-ops

Mark FickDirector of Lending Operations Chicago Community Loan Fund

o Formed in 2011 to promote workplace democracy through the development of worker-owned enterprises such as worker cooperatives.

o Provided public education about cooperative models for sustainable equitable economic development

o Assisted with development of new cooperative businesses o New Era Windows, Grassroots Ecology, 5 Point

Holistic Health, Café Chicago, MECH Creations

o Spring 2015 restructuring as a cross-sector cooperative business network for Chicago area.

Opportunities for Cross Sector Collaboration

o Peer education and support for staff, board/leadership & members

o Public policy advocacyo Development assistance for new enterprises

and expansiono Public education & Policyo Facilitate Business to Business transactions

Reminders:Complete Session Evaluation

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