Cooperatives comprise a powerful part of the U.S. economy, boasting almost 65,000 establishments and a total membership of over 115 million people. By connecting member needs to services provided, cooperatives are stable, responsive, locally-based institutions that nurture and develop authentic local leaders and informed and empowered members. Cooperatives contribute to the creation of healthy, sustainable […]
Orca Books Seeks Members, Donations
John McNamara Current Projects, Featured, News, spotlight on coops community development, multistakeholder, Olympia, Orca
Orca Books launched its push for new members and donations in its efforts to transition to a community-owned multistakeholder cooperative. In an email to volunteers, the steering committee stated, “our goal is now to raise $200,000 by the end of the year (we have raised about $30,000 as of the end of August). The remaining […]
Renata Rollins on Co-ops
John McNamara News, spotlight on coops
Olympia City Councilmember joined us at Coopatopia last spring to discuss the value of #co-ops and the #cooperative model to our communities. We thank her for her time and strong support for our work. Local communities across the country are working to build resiliency into their local economies and co-ops are a big part of […]
Twisted Strait Fibers Co-op Opens Commercial Website
John McNamara Current Projects, News
PNW Fiber Web Cooperative (dba Twisted Strait Fibers) has opened for business! The co-op launched its commercial website (TwistedStraitFibers.com). The site currently features four of the co-ops 70 members (two farms, a yarn store, and a fiber studio). Consumers can purchase fiber products from three of the members (Rain Shadow Farm, Thistlehill Farm, and Not […]
Working Systems Closes on Sale
John McNamara Current Projects, News conversions, techcoop, worker co-ops, workers2owners
The employees of Working Systems, Inc., after a year of preparation and planning, closed on the sale of the business. Now Working Systems Cooperative, the co-op has 13 members and 2 probationary members. They are the State of Washington’s first* “Union Co-op”. Union Co-ops are worker co-ops in which the workers also maintain a collective […]
Columbia Homeowners Cooperative Makes Regional News
John McNamara Current Projects, News, ROCs, spotlight on coops ROCs
Margaret Vockrodt of the Columbia Homeowners’ Cooperative and ROC NW’s Miles Nowlin recently made news about one of Washington’s newest resident-owned community. The Longview, WA cooperative was featured in the Columbian newspaper and then Oregon Public Radio picked up the story. This was the first project of ROC NW that utilized funding from the Washington […]
Co-op Development in the PNW
Listen in to a discussion about our work with Robert McGarvey and Development Specialist John McNamara. Click to Listen
USDA Awards Three Grants for Legacy Project
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded The Washington State Grange and Northwest Cooperative Development Center grants covering the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The grants will fund the Legacy Project that will engage small business advisors located in rural communities and trusted by the businesses they serve. The Washington State Grange and the […]
Quality Jobs, Quality Care
John McNamara Events home care, worker coop
Workshops on Creating a Cooperative Caregiver Agency Are you a caregiver interested in employee ownership? Is quality care giving important to you? Do you want more decision making power in your workplace? Skagit County Information Sessions Skagit Valley Food Co-op, Sunday April 29, 2:00 p.m. Oak Harbor Library, Sunday, May 6 2:00 p.m. Visit our […]
Co-opatopia 2018
Join us and co-ops from around the South Sound area to celebrate co-op values and principles. The Co-op Village will pop-up in our parking plot (5th Avenue and Adams in downtown Oly) on April 28, 2018 from 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Visit with area co-ops and credit unions before, during, and after the Procession […]