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 Kelsay Executive Director 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 Passion From 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 Hoyer General Manager Dill Pickle Food Co-op

A Community-Owned Grocery Store Values, 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 Events Advocacy Partnersh ips

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 Fick Director 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 advocacy o Development assistance for new enterprises and expansion o Public education & Policy o Facilitate Business to Business transactions

Reminders: Complete Session Evaluation Send a Tweet