St. Peter Food Co-op in Minnesota reincorporated under Minn. 308b statutes, one of the first state limited cooperative associations (LCA) options, in 2007. They decided to make the change in...
The Uniform Limited Cooperation Association Act (UCLAA) and a variety of state statutes have provided new financing flexibility for organizers of food cooperatives. In addition, these business...
Since 2001, new cooperative laws have been adopted in five states—Wyoming, Tennessee, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin—and introduced in the Nebraska state legislature. These laws do not replace...
The Uniform Limited Cooperative Association Act (which I'll refer to as the ULCAA or the Act) is a "model" statute proposed for adoption in the individual states. It is a governing statute for an...
Securing adequate capital from members as well as external sources is a primary cooperative challenge. The importance of capital often is not well recognized in these democratic organizations,...
Farm Aid's 25th anniversary concert was held on Oct. 2 in Milwaukee, Wis. It was a celebration of music and of the devotion of the organization to family farmers. However, behind the great music...
Since the beginnings of the movement, co-ops have been catalysts for the transformation of economies around them. The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, often cited as the founders of modern...
When I woke up that fateful morning, I had first-day-on-the-job jitters. However, I was excited about my new job and eager to get started. I was introduced to the staff and then handed a bucket, a...
In 2009, in response to member interest and needs, the National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA) launched two new training programs, one geared towards co-op general managers and one geared...
In my work with department managers,
I typically ask, "How do you feel you are performing?" Almost every manager easily responds to this question. Then I ask how they think their supervisor...
I remember learning balance sheet basics at some of my earliest co-op meetings. "A = L + C" was written for all to see, then explained again and again: Assets = Liabilities + Capital. When we...
