A1DesignBuild, a Worker-Owned Cooperative, is Born. 3 Perspectives on its Conversion

Description:
We present 3 perspectives — a seller, a buyer, and the consultant hired to help morph our employees into effective owners — on the evolution of A-1 Builders, Inc, a design/build, Sub-S corporation in Bellingham, into A1DesignBuild, a worker-owned cooperative. Someone considering a conversion, whether buyer or seller, should leave the room with many questions answered, many more questions they never considered, and some tools to consider adding to their toolboxes.

Takeaways:

1. The cooperative movement is a critically important social movement, so much more than simply an ownership transition; more so an effective, alternative, egalitarian, economic operating system.
2. Converting from one operating system to a new one takes significant time and money; start early!
3. What a diverse challenge, testing your every skill or lack thereof, no matter which side of the table you’re on.
4. During the process, watch employees morph and self-actualize in real time. Energy, intention and focus super-charge the organization.

BECU Principles

Description: Info Coming Soon

Building a Regional Network

Description: Info Coming Soon

Building a Scalable Statewide Network for Sustainable Housing Co-ops

Description:
Washington is home to a growing movement for cooperative home ownership. This session will explore how the Washington Affordable Cooperative Housing Network (WACH Network) evolved from a small policy/resource working group into a statewide coalition advancing cooperative housing reform. Our main goal is to build sustainable financing structures that are easily accessible, thus adding another solution to the housing crisis. Participants will learn how WACH Network uses surveys, legislation, and cross-sector convening to overcome barriers like the lack of permanent financing.

Takeaways:
The session will include our process thus far and why we have come together as a group and real-world tools for coalition-building and advocacy. As we lay out the groundwork and how we have gotten to where we are today, we’ll explore how to replicate these efforts to grow equitable housing solutions in other regions.

• Learning Objectives
  Explain the challenges facing affordable housing cooperatives in Washington State
• Explain the process WACH Network used to build a policy-focused coalition
• Identify new ways to develop co-op-friendly legislation and financing strategies
• Propose next steps for strengthening cooperative housing infrastructure in their region.

Presented/Moderated By:
Dane Negri – Washington Affordable Cooperative Housing Network (WACH Network) – The Washington Affordable Cooperative Housing Network is a coalition of affordable housing advocates, nonprofit practitioners, and cooperative developers committed to scaling permanently affordable housing cooperatives across Washington State. Formed in 2025, WACH Network serves as a statewide platform for collaboration, education, and policy advancement in support of affordable cooperative housing.

Building a Self-organizing Cascadian Cooperative Network of Networks: A Multi-Track Workshop

Description:
Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Regional cooperative networks need different contributors working in complementary ways. This session brings together tech builders, cooperative members, and network organizers to design concrete next steps for strengthening Cascadia’s cooperative ecosystem.

Format and Agenda:
Opening Circle (15 min): Intros and track overview
Breakout Sessions (45 min): Three parallel tracks
Cross-Pollination (20 min): Share insights and identify collaborations
Action Planning (10 min): Commit to next steps

Track 1: What Do Coops Need to Thrive?
For cooperative members, community leaders, and network coordinators. Perfect for “”How can I start where I am?”” thinking. Bring curiosity and local knowledge—no prior network experience required.

Activities: Needs/asset mapping, cooperation stories across cooperatives, insights for Cascadian network activities

Track 2: Demo Ecosystem Mapping with Cooperative Tech
For developers, tech-curious cooperators, and digital organizers. Build a live demo map of regional coops using cooperatively-owned technology. Explore our Socialroots beta platform hands-on.

Key questions: How can tech strengthen rather than replace human relationships? What does our regional need as minimum requirements for democratic tech infrastructure?

Activities: Add your coop to the Cascadia demo map, explore cooperative platform features, discuss social/tech integration for network coordination. Bring laptops/tablets. All experience levels welcome.

Track 3: Catalyzing Network Coordination
For experienced organizers, cooperative developers, and network builders
Identify first steps and connect with others ready to build robust Cascadian cooperative networks.

Activities: Share network stories, explore multiscale coordination strategies, build relationships for network-of-networks development

Takeaways:
Cross-track action plans, regional connections, practical collaboration commitments

Presented/Moderated By:

• Ana Jamborcic (Track 1) is co-founder and product strategist at Socialroots. With over 10 years of experience in software product strategy/management, M&A, and market analysis, she has a proven track record in predicting market trends. She was the Principle Investigator for the NSF: Small Business Innovation Research Grant, which awarded over $1.5M non-dilutive funding to Socialroots. Through this research, she’s conducted hundreds of interviews to uncover what makes effective networks thrive.
• Nigini A. Oliveira (Track 2) is a research engineer in human computer interaction with a Ph.D. in Computer Science, currently cooperating with the Socialroots team. He studies collaborative systems and cross-cultural human-computer interaction. He’s excited to understand how technology can benefit human cooperation and socialization. With Socialroots, he’s applying his knowledge to help design and build technology that supports cooperation, multi-scale and multi-cultural collaboration, and community development.
• Christina Bowen (Track 3) is co-founder and knowledge ecologist at Socialroots. She has specialized in helping networks of organizations navigate complexity and coordinate effective action for over a decade. Christina applies living systems principles to strengthen cooperation across organizational boundaries. As a systems consultant and network mapper, she makes adaptive pathways visible for communities tackling interconnected challenges. Her mapping helps coalitions, cooperative networks, and multi-scalar movements identify strategic leverage points and clear next steps. Her work focuses on the coordination challenges that emerge when independent groups attempt to work together at bioregional or international scales—exactly the dynamics that a regional Cascadian cooperative network would need to establish to sustain cross-network cooperation over time.

Case Study: Measuring and Communicating the Cooperative Difference

Description:
Cooperatives create unique value for their communities—but how do we prove it? In a competitive marketplace and crowded media landscape, being able to measure and communicate the cooperative difference is more important than ever. This session shares the story of how one co-op gained a strategic advantage by quantifying its local economic impact.

An in-depth local economic analysis by Central Co-op in Seattle revealed data demonstrating their far-reaching community benefit but also provided the foundation for a powerful marketing and advocacy campaign. Learn how data-driven storytelling helped elevate the co-op’s profile, opened doors with policymakers, and reinforced its role as a vital community anchor.

Discover how measuring your co-op’s impact can build loyalty, shape public perception, and fuel a bold, values-driven communications strategy that showcases the cooperative difference.

Takeaways:

• How to identify and quantify the unique economic and social impact of your co-op on your local community
• Practical ways to use impact data to strengthen member loyalty and deepen community connections
• Strategies for developing a clear, strategic, and unapologetic communications plan that highlights your co-op’s values
• Insights on leveraging local impact metrics to gain public recognition, influence policy, and attract support
• Real-world examples of how impact measurement can boost marketing, public relations, and advocacy efforts

Presented/Moderated By:
Susanna Collins – GIA Co-op – Susanna Collins is a consultant based in British Columbia, specializing in member engagement and strategic planning for co-operatives and other member-based organizations. She holds a Master of Management in Co-operatives and Credit Unions from Saint Mary’s University (Halifax), and brings over 20 years of experience in marketing, communications, and organizational development. Susanna serves on the board of the BC Co-op Association, and is a founding member of GIA Consulting Co-op.

Central Co-op’s Journey to the Solidarity Model: A Retrospective Case Study

Description:
In 2015, Seattle’s Central Co-op undertook a bold transition: converting from a long-standing consumer co-op to a Solidarity Model with both worker and consumer ownership. While not the first to explore multi-stakeholder governance, Central’s journey remains a compelling case of what it takes to implement — and sustain — this model in a real-world, retail setting.

This session draws on research conducted in the years following the transition, including insights from co-op leaders, to examine the deeper cultural and operational challenges of making the Solidarity Model work. We’ll explore barriers to participation, the slow pace of cultural change, and what still needs to happen to fully realize the promise of shared ownership. Whether you’re considering this model or simply curious about long-term co-op transformation, join this session for a grounded, honest look at what this type of change can really demand.

Takeaways:

• Revisit the decision Central Co-op made nearly a decade ago to convert to a Solidarity Model — and what can still be learned from that shift today.
• Reflect on the early promise and persistent challenges of implementing a multi-stakeholder structure in a complex, mature organization.
• Explore research-based insights into what it actually takes — structurally, culturally, and over time — to make such a transition “click.”
• Understand why a multi-year horizon for full cultural adoption may be realistic, and how short-term setbacks don’t necessarily signal failure.
• Lessons for your own co-op’s long-game: how to lay the groundwork for deeper member engagement, align leadership, and navigate change at the pace of real institutional life.

Presented/Moderated By:
Susanna Collins – GIA Co-op – Susanna Collins is a consultant based in British Columbia, specializing in member engagement and strategic planning for co-operatives and other member-based organizations. She holds a Master of Management in Co-operatives and Credit Unions from Saint Mary’s University (Halifax), and brings over 20 years of experience in marketing, communications, and organizational development. Susanna serves on the board of the BC Co-op Association, and is a founding member of GIA Consulting Co-op.

Coop Response to Affordable Housing

Info Coming Soon

Cooperation in Mobility

Description:
ZEV co-op is a nonprofit transportation cooperative with a focus on under served communities. Its mission is to work cooperatively to achieve social, environmental, and economic outcomes that help improve people’s lives.

Public transit does not extend to all communities in equal measure. For-profit alternative tend to focus on areas of higher density and affluence. ZEV co-op provides affordably priced transportation services that might not otherwise exist in certain communities.

Learn how ZEV co-op worked with others to launch an all electric, zero-emission, carshare service that it is expanding it throughout Washington state.

Takeaways:
Mobility is the freedom to move and have access to basic needs such as housing, employment, education, recreation, healthcare, and more. ZEV is committed to mobility equity. ZEV co-op represents a new model for providing critical transportation (mobility) services in an equitable and sustainable way.

Presented/Moderated By:
Gregory A. Dronkert – ZEV Co-op – Greg Dronkert is a board member of ZEV co-op which represents a new model for providing transportation services in underserved areas. ZEV co-op is a nonprofit consumer cooperative established to provide zero-emission transportation services in Washington State. It’s a member owned, democratically controlled, enterprise with an emphasis on underserved, low-income, and rural communities.

Cooperative Land Stewardship and Community Building

Description:
Freeing land from the speculative real estate market and stewarding it as a community is a challenging yet satisfying dream to realize. The strategies involved are legal, economic, as well as cultural, and need to be considered in concert with each other. This presentation will explore the different ways to approach this and the implications for a variety of key choice points.

Takeaways:
You will come away from this presentation with better sense of how to approach cooperative ownership of land and housing, and how to make sure your economic and cultural systems are aligned, so that the whole system works to fulfill your mission.

Presented/Moderated By:
Sky Blue – Foundation for Intentional Community – Sky (they/them) has been active in the cooperative and intentional communities movements for over 25 years as an organizer, educator, consultant, and cooperator/communitarian.

Cooperative Law 101

Description:
Combo Lecture/Presentation/Workshop on Cooperative Law 101 – understanding the legal terrain of cooperativism.

Takeaways:
Basic understanding of cooperative law issues

Presented/Moderated By:
Cheryl Markham – Peoples Community Law PLLC – Cheryl is the founding attorney of Peoples Community Law (PCL), a cooperative law practice in the Seattle Metro area, serving all of Washington State. PCL serves the legal and advocacy needs of cooperatives, social enterprises, and community members desiring to form cooperative structures and participate in building cooperative networks and a cooperative economy that respects a healthy interconnection between people and the natural environment.

Cheryl began her journey as a cooperative enthusiast when her son was a wee tike, and she met a wonderful group of parents in her community who she joined with to open a childcare co-op. The experience of this venture was incredibly fulfilling and life changing. Prior to opening Peoples Community Law, Cheryl was a legal aid attorney providing vital legal services to communities, and served as a Senior Policy Advisor for King County regional government where she collaborated with an interdepartmental staff team and community-based partners to create innovative new policies and programs for equitable community development.

Evicting Our Digital Landlords: How We Liberate Our Tech and Build Sustainable, Democratically-Run Software

Description:
Geared towards all levels of technical knowledge, especially non-technical worker-owners and co-op developers who want to make better tech choices.

Digital landlords are everywhere. Website builders (Wix/Squarespace); Financial platforms (Quickbooks/Stripe); Everyday-use software (Gmail/Airtable), and more. Their blueprint is simple: build a product, make you dependent, increase prices, degrade quality, and extract capital.

The co-op/open-source movements are trying to solve these issues, building alternatives for everything from Quickbooks to Etsy. Yet, with every co-op we serve, we see digital landlords, and time-and-time-again we see operations stall when landlords raise prices, cut features, and extract capital.

Can we protect ourselves in a world where tech is hostile towards our rights, wallets, and environment? We’ll share a path forward to identify digital landlords that threaten your organization, assess risk, design resilient processes, and protect your co-op. Examples: when to use open-source software, why you should own your data, and when to build/buy off-the-shelf.

Takeaways:
Our goal is that every attendee gains an understanding of the technical risks that are present in their organization, and leaves the discussion with a better understanding of how to identify risks and make tech choices that will push their org and mission forward. This discussion isn’t too theoretical – much of the advice will be hyper-practical and directly applicable to co-ops and co-op developers.

We leave lots of room in this discussion for audience participation. If an audience member has a particular challenge in their org related to digital landlords (most co-ops we consult for have), we can take time to walk through their challenges as an example and case study for the wider audience. Our goal in every conversation we have is to make tech less scary and grow technical confidence, and this talk is no exception.

Presented/Moderated By:

• Andy Bowling is a cofounder of comp.coop. His specialties include software architecture, data and backend engineering, team development, and helping platforms and orgs grow their missions. Prior to cofounding comp.coop, he spent 4.5 years leading 10+ engineers at Google, building software to ensure data compliance at a global scale. He’s also had a variety of roles in software engineering, engineering management, and project management at startups ranging from 5 to 250 employees.
• Andy Jacobs is a software developer with over 25 years of experience building SaaS start-ups and rolling out reliable software on the web. For the past 10 years, he’s been innovating tech start-ups in the co-operative space and loves to talk multi-platform co-ops, user-owned platforms, and worker-ownership. Since forming his first tech startup in 1999, through several boom and bust cycles he’s seen venture capital and Silicon Valley tactics take power away from users and turn the Internet into Cable TV.

comp.coop is a worker cooperative and member of Co-op Cincy who aims to build world class tech for worker-led and community-led organizations (90% of our ~20 clients are co-ops, ESOPs, trade unions, and co-op developers). Our primary services include global-scale tech platforms, digital starter packages and education for new co-ops, and data management solutions for growing organizations.

Funeral Cooperatives and the Evolution of End-of-Life Care in Washington

Casey Husseman-Brandt People’s Memorial /Coop Funeral Home

Description:
Founded in 1939, People’s Memorial Association’s original mission was to find pathways for customers to work with funeral homes to find cheap, simple services. They paved the way for the now industry standard “direct cremation” and have since been a champion of consumer rights in this notoriously predatory industry. In 1984, People’s Memorial Association helped advocate for the federal “Funeral Rule,” the one law that governs all funeral homes nationally and enshrines in law definitions of key mandatory services, and the necessity of funeral homes to post their prices publicly.

In 2006, the former partner funeral home of People’s Memorial Association in Seattle was acquired by a national funeral home chain that did not wish to continue the partnership with People’s Memorial Association. So the members of People’s Memorial Association voted to open their own cooperative not-for-profit funeral home. The Co-op Funeral Home has since grown to the busiest not-for-profit funeral home in North America, serving 820 Seattle residents in 2024 alone. They have carved out a space where service quality funeral directing matters more than sales incentives. We offer every disposition method on the market and through partnerships serve all manner of merchandise and service needs.

Through education, consumer advocacy, and a dedication to promoting individual choice in funeral arrangements, People’s Memorial Association and The Co-op Funeral Home have ensured there are affordable pathways to end-of-life care that matches every Washingtonian’s personal preferences.

Takeaways:
Price shopping is an effective way to save money when planning for funeral services. Nonprofit memorial associations exist across the US to help connect people with ethical funeral service providers often at a discount. The Co-op Funeral Home is North America’s largest not-for-profit, cooperative funeral home, serving over 800 Washingtonians annually.
This session will explore how the cooperative model can help people navigate in spaces such as the end of life. By considering the existing models for end of life care in terms of death and funeral services along with support for aging in place, participants can explore how co-ops might be able to further support work in this area through hospice, assisted living, and even death duolas.

Presented/Moderated By:
Casey Husseman-Brandt is the Executive Director of People’s Memorial Association

Grocery Co-ops in Rural Communities – What’s Worked, What Hasn’t, and Where We Are Now

Description:
Food deserts occur in rural areas as often as in urban areas, but for different reasons. This workshop will look at the rural grocery co-op projects that the Illinois Cooperative Development Center has contributed to, along with some potential ideas for food access co-ops. The focus will be on using co-ops to provide access to healthy, nutritious food. I will provide case studies and lessons learned for several projects in communities ranging in size from a population of 200 to 2,500. We will have time to ask a lot (I hope!) of questions on the formation issues, funding strategies that have worked, unique models, and the differences between urban and rural co-op development.

Takeaways:
Discussion of case studies for rural co-op projects – what worked and what didn’t

Presented/Moderated By:
Sean Park is currently a Program director for the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University.  As Director of the Value-Added Sustainable Development Center, he works with rural communities to develop sustainable business models that address community needs.  Sean has worked as an Economic Development Director, an SBDC Advisor, and the owner/operator of a grocery store in rural Illinois for 10 years. He currently leads the technical assistance for the Illinois Grocery Initiative, a state program providing grants for grocery startups in food deserts.

How Farmer-Owned Food Hubs are Changing the Food System Landscape Through Cooperative Networking

Description:
Panelists would be given the opportunity to describe their own experiences working with their respective individual cooperatives and the backgrounds that led them to that work, as well as discuss their involvement in the Washington Food Hub Network and NW Food Hub Network…

Takeaways:

• What food hubs are exactly, and what different models exist
• Farmer owned aggregation, distribution, and marketing cooperatives allow small and mid sized farmers to achieve scale and compete with larger farms
• Regional identity and transparent sourcing add value to food
• Food Hub Networks will allow food hubs to work together to meet growing demand for local food, expand inventory, and share resources.
• Food hub cooperatives working together is the future of the industry

Presented/Moderated By:
Jake Fowler has  20 years of experience in business development, marketing, project management, and sales.  A resident of Whatcom County his project management role with NABC has allowed him to connect with individuals and farmers across northwest Washington. This experience has given Fowler valuable insights into various markets and the challenges related to farm production and value-added marketing.  He is passionate about strategic thinking and enjoys developing strategies to help NW producers achieve their goals and objectives.

Let’s Talk About Non-Extractive Lending

Description:
Covers Non-Extractive Lending from the perspective of being a Seed Commons Peer Fund. The presentation would highlight how the principles Seed Commons’ mission– centering strong and lasting relationships between service providers and cooperatives help build the infrastructure to create strong ecosystems. Discussing how reduced barrier education, resource sharing, and ongoing localized technical assistance creates a stronger foundation not only for co-ops receiving loans, but also for cooperative developers and service provider centers to also receive ongoing specialized support.

Takeaways:
Take aways would be for attendees to have generative internal discussion and thought on how other funds may incorporate non-extractive lending practices similar to Seed Commons. Attendees would gain a clearer understanding of how Seed Commons collaborates with other funds and supports regional Peer Funds — deepening both knowledge and comfort when partnering together on larger projects. Additionally, regional cooperative development centers would come away with insights into how they may be able to leverage regional Peer Funds and their access to capital to better support their local cooperative initiatives.

Presented/Moderated By:

• Emily Daley (she/her) – Project Steward at Inland Cooperative Services which is a business services provider, as well as a Seed Commons Peer Fund.  Emily was recently introduced to cooperatives in 2023 after moving to Spokane, WA and being hired as an Executive Assistant at Spokane Workers Cooperative. Emily quickly became integrated into the cooperative management world transitioning into the role of both Human Resources and Compliance Manager, and part-time Project Steward at Spokane Workers Cooperative.
• Micheal Snow (he/him) – General Manager and Project Steward at Inland Cooperative Services. Micheal was introduced to cooperatives in early 2000 when he was apart of a breakfast cafe called New Moon in Olympia which converted to a worker co-op, he’s since been apart of several worker co-ops most recently being Northwest Construction Cooperative, and Spokane Workers Cooperative.

Overview of Cooperative Housing and Land Sharing Arrangements

Description:
Covers Zero, Limited, Market Rate, Manufactured Home Parks, the role of land trusts. Also compares with non-coop housing models (Co-Housing, non-profit). Includes an overview of what it takes to develop and finance these and funding sources. Land sharing co-op will address newer groups NWCDC has been working with. Will also include a portion that addresses issues with very small number of members (less than 8 members).

Takeaways:
Audience will understand which model is appropriate in different situations and learn different approaches for developing housing cooperatives, including what requirements there are for securing funding.

Presented/Moderated By:

• Luis Sierra – NWCDC – Luis brings a dozen years of experience in limited-equity housing cooperatives- as an educator and technical assistance provider for boards, and as a member, director, and treasurer of the cooperative he lived for 11 years. Luis‘s experience also includes agricultural cooperative development in fresh fruit and vegetable distribution and meat processing.  Luis‘s first cooperative experience was in college as a member of the UC Berkeley’s Composting Collective.
• Victoria O’Banion – NWCDC – Victoria currently serves as the Housing Cooperative Development Manager at Northwest Cooperative Development Center out of Olympia, Wash. Since March 2020 she has guided the acquisition of over a dozen cooperative purchases of manufactured home communities. This represents nearly $50M in assets and over 600 affordable and attainable homeowner opportunities preserved. Previously Victoria lead program implementation and the project management team at the national office of Rebuilding Together. Victoria is well versed in the affordable housing arena and is passionate about the preservation of affordable housing.

Seattle Co-op Tour

Description:
Renting out an electric van from Zev.co-op, participants will tour 3 or 4 co-ops in Seattle. Those co-ops are borrowers of 3 CDFIs: Shared Capital, Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF), and Rainier Valley Community Development Fund (RVCDF). The tentative plan is to leave the conference site for:

1. Seattle Whole Growers Market (Producer co-op, Shared Capital’s borrower, located in Georgetown) and then
2. Frolic’s housing co-op (Housing co-op, LEAF and RVCDF borrower, located in Columbia City) and then
3. Jude’s Rainier (Worker co-op, RVCDF’s borrower). At Jude’s, participants will enjoy some of their drinks and foods for free.

At each site, a staff or member of the co-op will explain how they are operating their business as a co-op and share their unique experience of being a co-op in WA state and PNW. Aslo staffs from each CDFI will explain how they financed the co-op for what purpose, with what intention.

Participants will be transported back to the conference site or to Conor Byrne for the Social Hour.

Other possible stops:

• Work Progress coworking co-ops (Shared Capital’s borrower, Maple Leaf)
• Seattle Electric bike (Shared Capital & LEAF borrower, and NWCDC’s client Greenlake)
• Metis (LEAF borrower, Georgetown)
• Amanda’s Housing co-op development site (RVCDF borrower, Columbia City)

Takeaways:
By attending this tour, participants will have direct learning experience of meeting their fellow cooperators in action in their home community. Participant will learn legal, business and governance technicalities of running a co-op successfully in WA state.
Also, by meeting whole different kinds of co-ops, participants will see how co-ops are being an integral part of our general communities while also forming its own co-op ecosystem. We hope that participants can witness how much these co-ops are thriving, and feel empowered. Lastly, while riding a Zev’s van together, or while at Jude’s with food and drinks, we would like the participants to get to know more about each other, in a more casual setting and in a smaller group, before they engage with themselves in a larger group at Conor Byrne. The participants will get more connected and will generate cross pollination impacts even after the conference is over.

In addition, staffs from each CDFIs will explain the financing mechanism behind each borrower case, while the borrowers will share their real experience in working with CDFIs. With this real time-real world case studies, participants will learn about 1) what to expect when they borrow capital from CDFI, 2) technical assistance available for borrowers, and 3) the difference between commercial banks and CDFI. We hope to raise awareness of CDFIs as a capital partner for cooperatives of any kind.

Presented/Moderated By:

• Josh Glickenhaus – Senior Loan Officer @ Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF)
• Mike Seo – Portfolio Manager @ Shared Capital
• Bob Luciano – Director of Community Planning & Development @ Rainier Valley Community Development Fund
• Members from co-ops that we are visiting together + Staff from Zev.coop

Seeing the Elephant: Cross-Sectoral Cooperative Education in the International Year of Cooperatives

Description:
“Many cooperative education programs–including those with a focus on outreach/promotion to opinion leaders and the general public–tend to focus on education at the sectoral level, and miss an opportunity to educate first about the model and its broad representation across the economy–and around the world–and secondly about the way it manifests in a particular sector/industry.

Cooperative leaders frequently bemoan an ignorance of cooperatives in the general public. Does this lack of understanding–or, perhaps worse–misunderstanding of cooperatives stem in part from our failure–as an ecosystem–to start conversations with a more basic explanation bolstered with examples of cooperatives that might be relevant to (or even recognized by) diverse audiences? Is this echoed in our challenge, as employers, to ensure front line staff are equipped to inspire current and prospective members with compelling language and examples of what not just their co-op, but all co-ops, do, who they serve–and why? Do board members see themselves as part of a larger cooperative leadership cohort when other types of cooperatives are present in the local community?

Come to learn from and share about the potentially transformative nature of cooperative education when it is approached from a broader, cross-sectoral perspective, including formal and informal examples–especially those engaging youth and emerging professionals–from around the globe.

Takeaways:
1 – A deeper understanding of International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) Principle 5: Education, Training, and Information
2 – An overview of the broad cooperative ecosystem, including global representation both large and small
3 – Examples and ideas around cross-sectoral education and engagement during the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives–and beyond

Presented/Moderated By:
Cathy Statz (she/her) – International Centre for Co-operative Management, Saint Mary’s University | National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA CLUSA) Cathy is a cooperative educator with over 30 years of experience educating young people and emerging leaders about the cooperative business model.

She is a part-time outreach specialist for the International Centre for Co-operative Management at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada, and also supports the Cooperative Development Foundation and NCBA CLUSA on projects including the Cooperative Leaders and Scholars (CLS) program. An advocate for the cooperative education of youth, she spent over twenty-five years as education director and camp director for Wisconsin Farmers Union and continues to co-coordinate the National Farmers Union College Conference on Cooperatives (CCOC).

Cathy serves on the boards of the Ralph K. Morris Foundation (for whom she also supports communications and projects) and the InSPIREation Foundation. She is a member of Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA) and is a member and past president of the Association of Cooperative Educators (ACE). She completed the Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) program with the National Credit Union Foundation.

A lifelong singer and enthusiastic traveler, Cathy holds a double degree from Lawrence University with a BA in English and BMus in voice performance and is a member and volunteer with Rotary International.

The Design Pathway for Regenerating Cascadia

Description:
Cascadia is more than a place—it’s a living bioregion defined by its watersheds, ecological boundaries, and interdependent communities. This session will introduce the Cascadia bioregion and the philosophy of bioregionalism, a framework that reconnects people to place by aligning governance, economy, and culture with the ecological realities of the land. We will explore how this place-based approach is being activated through Regenerate Cascadia, a movement and nonprofit program that weaves together regenerative initiatives across British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon.

The presentation will highlight how bioregionalism and cooperative values are deeply aligned—and how the Cascadia BioFi Program is creating the infrastructure for a bioregional economy rooted in mutual aid, solidarity, and ecological stewardship. We’ll share how we are building a regional fund, cultivating cooperative landscapes, and designing participatory finance tools to support community-led regeneration. Attendees will learn about emerging landscape hubs, participatory governance models, and opportunities to co-create a cooperative ecosystem at the bioregional scale.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the concept of bioregionalism and how it applies to the Cascadia bioregion
• Explore how bioregional principles can inform cooperative development
• Learn about Regenerate Cascadia and the Cascadia BioFi Program as models for bioregional cooperation and funding
• Identify opportunities for collaboration, mutual support, and regenerative investment across the region

Audience:
This session is ideal for co-op leaders, cooperative developers, funders, systems thinkers, and community organizers interested in place-based economics, ecosystem restoration, and large-scale cooperation. It will appeal to those working in rural and urban settings alike, with relevance for all sectors of the cooperative economy.

Takeaways:
This session will introduce the Cascadia bioregion and bioregionalism as a framework for aligning governance, economy, and culture with the land. Participants will learn how Regenerate Cascadia is activating bioregional cooperation across BC, WA, and OR, and how the Cascadia BioFi Program is building a regional fund and participatory finance tools to support regenerative, cooperative economies. The session will explore how place-based organizing and multi-stakeholder collaboration can strengthen the cooperative ecosystem across rural and urban communities.

Presented/Moderated By:
Brandon Letsinger – Regenerate Cascadia – Brandon is a bio-regionalist, open-source advocate, and nonprofit director based in Seattle, Washington. Since founding CascadiaNow! in 2005, he has spent nearly two decades advancing bioregional education, organizing, and place-based regeneration strategies across the Cascadia bioregion. He currently serves as executive director of the Department of Bioregion and is a co-founder of Regenerate Cascadia, a regional initiative launched in 2023 during the inaugural Salmon Nation Edge Prize to strengthen bioregional resilience and community collaboration. Through these roles, Brandon has helped build networks and resources that support ecological stewardship, participatory governance, and sustainable development. His work has been featured in Time Magazine, Vice, USA Today, NPR, The Atlantic Monthly, BBC, and The Wall Street Journal.

The Promise of Social Co-ops

Description:
An introduction to the social co-op form–almost non-existent in the U.S.–based on our research looking at Italy, Quebec and South Korea, as well as experience launching and operating Driver’s Co-op–Colorado.

Takeaways:
The social co-op form offers a way for local communities to retake control of areas of social care, while creating dignified jobs in a democratic workplace with multistakeholder governance.

Presented/Moderated By:
Minsun Ji is the Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center and founder of the Driver’s Coop–Colorado, a social co-op.

Understanding Public Banking and Credit Unions

Description:
The presentation will discuss the history of public banks in the United States and their relationship to credit unions. It will describe how public banks can be used to support the growth of a cooperative economy and fight back against consolidation and monopolization in the finance sector.

Takeaways:
The creation of public banks is essential to the development of a democratic and cooperative economy.

Presented/Moderated By:
Marco Rosaire Rossi – Washingtonians for Public Banking – Marco is the executive director for Washingtonians for Public Banking, and nonprofit advocacy organization that promotes public banking in Washington state. He has a PhD in political science from the University of Illinois-Chicago and is an adjunct professor in political science at Cascadia Community College and Olympic College.

Who Are CDFIs and How They Finance Cooperatives

Description:
Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) have been financing cooperatives in a variety of situations, ranging from providing start-up or expansion capital to providing equipment or real estate purchase financing. However, PNW regional cooperative communities still are not that familiar with ins and outs of CDFIs, and not taking full advantage of CDFIs. The session can be structured as a workshop or a panel discussion, with a focus on demystifying the CDFI industry and illuminating how CDFI can be co-ops’ ultimate capital partners. The panelist consists of 1) two Nationwide CDFIs that have been financing cooperatives of any kinds and now starts focusing on PNW co-op communities 2) a Seattle local CDFI that just closed its first two investments to a worker owned co-op and a housing co-op and is about to make another investment to a housing co-op, 3) a regional local CDFI that provides a wide range of technical assistance to farmers and small business, and 4) one of two borrowers who actually borrowed from these CDFIs. These panelists will first share their experience in helping cooperatives in case study format, and then discuss / present about 1) how CDFIs can be different from conventional lenders, both being a patient but-for capital provider and a technical assistance provider, 2) how CDFIs are viewing co-ops as a great community impact deliverer, 3) how any kinds of cooperatives (consumer, worker, producer, housing co-ops) can get helps from CDFIs (general loan terms & expectations), 4) how CDFIs are striving to shape new initiatives in the co-op field like worker to owners conversion, 5) how CDFIs are trying to bring in more conventional / non-conventional partners to cooperative funding ecosystem. Also one or two borrowers will share their candid experience of working with CDFIs, so that audience can have more direct insight around borrowing money or getting technical assistance from CDFIs.

Takeaways:
Through this session, the audience will learn how CDFIs are structured and are operating with what kind of motivations. Then the audience will build a clearer understanding on how they can utilize CDFI as their capital partner or technical assistance provider. The panelist will provide the audience with specific borrower cases for all co-op types: Housing, Food, Worker, Producer, and real estate investment cooperatives. The audience would hear from an actual CDFI borrower in the same shoes, regarding their experiences working with CDFIs. With this, the audience will figure out if CDFIs’ loan product and technical development service will be applicable or not to their unique co-op situations.

The panelist will also explain similarities and differences between CDFIs and commercial private banks, and given that, how the requirements around personal guarantee, credit score, and collateral would differ between CDFIs and private banks. Also, panelists will cover not only initial underwriting requirements and process, but also cover post-investment stage relationship management and covenant expectations between borrowers and CDFIs where CDIFs are more patient and accommodating than other commercial banks.
More broadly, the audience will learn how CDFIs would contribute to building a more robust regional co-op ecosystem and to advocating the cooperative movement while helping individual community initiatives such as 1) conversion to worker and solidarity co-op 2) cooperative response to the housing crisis

Presented/Moderated By:

• Bob Luciano – Director of Community Planning & Development at Rainier Valley Community Development Fund
• Roderick McCulloch – Loan Officer at Shared Capital Cooperative
• Josh Glickenhaus – Senior Loan Officer at Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF)
• Devra Gartenstein – Farm Business Support Specialist at Business Impact NW