Co-Creating the Future is more than a theme—it’s a call to action.
As new food co-ops take root across the country, we gather to explore what’s possible when people come together with a shared vision. Through collaboration, innovation, and democratic ownership, we’re not just launching stores—we’re building movements, transforming local economies, and rewriting the future of food systems. At this year’s conference, we’ll learn from each other’s journeys, sharpen our skills, and co-create the tools and networks needed to thrive. Whether you’re in the early planning stages or preparing to open your doors, this is your space to grow, connect, and be inspired.
These sessions focus on the core food co-op development concepts every startup organizing team needs to effectively lead their co-op. All of these topic areas are key knowledge in the startup process, and they were developed to be applicable for all stages of development, unless otherwise noted.
Activating the People focuses on one of the most essential ingredients of a startup food co-op: people power. From how we engage member-owners in the work to using the co-op’s vision to speak for and to our community; to how we communicate in ways that meet our community and members where they are at, to how we build leadership within our cooperatives – this breakout time will focus on how people are at the core of successful food co-op organizing.
This breakout time invites participants to step back and consider the broader context in which food co-ops operate. These sessions explore how start-up co-ops fit into larger movements for food justice, community wealth building, racial equity, and democratic ownership. By understanding the systems we’re working to change, co-op leaders can root their efforts in a deeper sense of purpose and long-term impact.
This track is designed to inspire, connect, and challenge—offering perspectives that help co-ops align their work with the values and visions of the communities they serve.
This breakout time offers sessions that explore the larger forces—economic, cultural, technological, and political—that are shaping the realities of starting a food co-op today. These sessions are designed to help groups understand and respond to the external pressures affecting their development journey, from inflation and supply chain shifts to changing consumer habits and increased competition while highlighting emerging models and new approaches.
During this breakout time we’ll dive into the critical business knowledge and tools needed to turn your co-op’s vision and values into a financially viable, brick-and-mortar reality. These sessions are designed for start-up food co-ops ready to dig into the nuts and bolts of cooperative business planning—from market studies and pro formas, to assessing (and correcting) your co-op’s post-open performance.
Ready for real-world triumphs and missteps? During this breakout, we’ll explore true stories from fellow startup food co-op organizers and food co-op experts from the “aisles” of real startup food co-ops. We’ll learn directly from the lived experience of pre- and post- open startup food co-ops—what worked, what didn’t, and what they wish they had known.
Cooperation is an act of co-creation, and we’re putting that into action at Up & Coming this year with these sessions co-created by conference attendees! Our co-creation session planning teams will form on Friday and chose one of five topics to design a session around, creating any structure they want for the session, and drawing upon any other attendees they wish for sharing wisdom and experience. Come participate in what they create and be a part of the co-creations! (Information about how to join a co-creation session planning team will be shared during opening session on Friday!)
Our 2025 Black Led Day theme is The Future Is Black Led: Co-Creating What We Need, aligning with the Up & Coming Conference’s broader theme of co-creating the future. As we mark our fifth gathering, we’re leaning into the power of Black cooperative leadership to shape what’s necessary for our communities, not in reaction but in bold creation. This moment calls us to move beyond survival toward shared strategy, infrastructure, and vision rooted in collective care, legacy, and self-determination.
Prepare to be in space with our optional pre-reading recommendations:
Collective courage Jessica Gordon Nembhard
Until I’m free Fannie Lou Hamer
Black Fatigue: How racism erodes the mind, body and spirit Mary-Frances Winters
8:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Welcome
9:00am – 9:15am
9:15am – 10:30am
Black Cooperative Pathways
Speaker(s) – Rae Gomes she/they (Central BK Food Coop) and amaha sellassie he/him (Gem City Market)
Transition
10:45am – 12:00pm
Sustaining the Spirit & the Movement – Part Two: Practical Pathways for Healing, Restoration & Collective Resilience
Speaker(s) – Erica “Zenzele” Hardison she/her (One Community Grocery Co-op)
12:00pm – 1:15pm
Lunch
1:15pm – 2:25pm
The Future Is Black Led: Sharing, Learning, Co-Creating
Speaker(s) – Assata Richards she/her (Sankofa Research Institute) and Reverend Bernadine Hardin she/her (Southside Food Co-op)
Closeout
3:00pm – 5:30pm
Fellowship at Dabney and Co.
Mix and Mingle
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:30pm – 8:00pm
8:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Welcome
9:00am – 9:15am
9:15am – 10:30am
Thriving While Black: Addressing Burnout and Compassion Fatigue in Our Movements
Speaker(s) – Gabrielle (Gabby) Davis she/her (National Co+op Grocers and Detroit People’s Food Coop)
Transition
10:45am – 12:00pm
Communication With All Due “disRESPECT”: How To Be Heard and Listen
Speaker(s) – Keyona Hough she/her (UnKIDitional Love Recreation Center, Inc.)
12:00pm – 1:15pm
Lunch
1:15pm – 2:25pm
The Future Is Black Led: Sharing, Learning, Co-Creating
Speaker(s) – Assata Richards she/her (Sankofa Research Institute) and Reverend Bernadine Hardin she/her (Southside Food Co-op)
Closeout
3:00pm – 5:30pm
Fellowship at Dabney and Co.
Mix and Mingle
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:30pm – 8:00pm
Addressing How Racism Shows Up in Food Co-op Organizing
9:00am – 2:30pm
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
Addressing How Racism Shows Up in Food Co-op Organizing
9:00am – 2:30pm
Mix and Mingle
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:30pm – 8:00pm
Tour 1
3:00pm – 3:30pm
Tour 2
3:30pm – 4:00pm
Tour 3
4:00pm – 4:30pm
Mix and Mingle
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:30pm – 8:00pm
Indigenous Gathering
5:00pm – 6:30pm
Mix and Mingle
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:30pm – 8:00pm
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Welcome
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:00am – 9:00am
Transition
Framework and Foundations
9:15am – 10:30am
Launching the Future: An Introduction to the Food Co-op Development Framework
Speaker(s) – Dr. Angela Sayles
Location – Stone Theater
Transition/Coffee Break
Activating the People
10:45am – 12:00pm
Building Your Co-op’s Culture
Speaker(s) – Darnell Adams and Bonnie Hudspeth, Firebrand Cooperative
Location – Stone Theater
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition
Freedom is a Cooperative Struggle
1:15pm – 2:30pm
Between Belonging and Burden: Experiences of Minoritized People in Affluent, Homogenous Co-ops
Speaker(s) – Gabby Davis
Location – Stone Theater
Break/Transition
The Big Picture
3:00pm – 4:15pm
Organizing Around Need
Speaker(s) – Facilitator: Heather Lazickas, seven roots group. Panelists: Janiqua Jackson and Guy Cousins, Three Sisters Market, Korita Steverson, Front Porch Grocery Co-op
Location – Stone Theater
Co-Creation Planning Sessions
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Conference Reception
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:00pm – 8:00pm
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Welcome
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:00am – 9:00am
Transition
Framework and Foundations
9:15am – 10:30am
Finding Feasibility: Translating Your Vision into a Viable Business
Speaker(s) – Chris Dilley
Location – Meadows
Transition/Coffee Break
Activating the People
10:45am – 12:00pm
Balancing Autonomy & Accountability: Building a Strong Board-GM Partnership
Speaker(s) – Sam McCormick
Location – Meadows
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition
Freedom is a Cooperative Struggle
1:15pm – 2:30pm
Break/Transition
The Big Picture
3:00pm – 4:15pm
Panel on Co-ops in Times of Economic Challenge
Speaker(s) – Hugh Farrell
Location – Fields
Co-Creation Planning Sessions
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Location – Fields
Conference Reception
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:00pm – 8:00pm
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Welcome
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:00am – 9:00am
Transition
Framework and Foundations
9:15am – 10:30am
It Doesn’t End at Opening: An Introduction to Stage 5
Speaker(s) – JQ Hannah and Michelle Schry
Location – Oaks
Transition/Coffee Break
Activating the People
10:45am – 12:00pm
Designing with Your Owners in Mind: How User Research and Data Drive Stronger Co-op Engagement
Speaker(s) – Jessica Buttimer, CoApp
Location – Oaks
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition
Freedom is a Cooperative Struggle
1:15pm – 2:30pm
Rooted in Resistance: The History of Food Cooperation Among People of the Global Majority
Speaker(s) – Allanah Hines
Location – Great Lakes 1
Break/Transition
The Big Picture
3:00pm – 4:15pm
Inside the Grocery Business: Competition, Government Regulation, and Pricing
Speaker(s) – Jimmy Wright
Location – Oaks
Co-Creation Planning Sessions
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Location – Great Lakes 1
Conference Reception
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:00pm – 8:00pm
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Welcome
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:00am – 9:00am
Transition
Framework and Foundations
9:15am – 10:30am
Grocery Industry Basics – What You Need to Know
Speaker(s) – Jade Barker
Location – Great Lakes 1
Transition/Coffee Break
Activating the People
10:45am – 12:00pm
Vision Is Everything
Speaker(s) – JQ Hannah, FCI
Location – Great Lakes 1
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition
Freedom is a Cooperative Struggle
1:15pm – 2:30pm
Bringing Your Community Along on the Up & Coming Anti-Oppression Journey
Speaker(s) – ERACCE
Location – Meadows
Break/Transition
The Big Picture
3:00pm – 4:15pm
Co-Creation Planning Sessions
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Conference Reception
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:00pm – 8:00pm
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Welcome
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:00am – 9:00am
Transition
Framework and Foundations
9:15am – 10:30am
The Business Concept: Moving From Vision Towards Feasibility
Speaker(s) – Heather Lazickas and James Morrell
Location – Fields
Transition/Coffee Break
Activating the People
10:45am – 12:00pm
People Power! How to Build + Leverage Your Volunteers & Committees
Speaker(s) – Joel Kopischke + Heather Lazickas
Location – Fields
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition
Freedom is a Cooperative Struggle
1:15pm – 2:30pm
Break/Transition
The Big Picture
3:00pm – 4:15pm
The Leadership Journey: Insights from Start-up Food Cooperators
Speaker(s) – Darnell Adams, with Siobhan DuPont and Bertha Thomas
Location – Meadows
Co-Creation Planning Sessions
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Location – Meadows
Conference Reception
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:00pm – 8:00pm
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Welcome
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:00am – 9:00am
Transition
Framework and Foundations
9:15am – 10:30am
Transition/Coffee Break
Activating the People
10:45am – 12:00pm
The First 100 Days: Activating New Owners with Intention
Speaker(s) – Katie Novak
Location – Great Lakes 2
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition
Freedom is a Cooperative Struggle
1:15pm – 2:30pm
Planting Freedom: Food Co-ops As Radical Community Hubs
Speaker(s) – Patrice Lockert Anthony, Black Soil Media
Location – Great Lakes 2
Break/Transition
The Big Picture
3:00pm – 4:15pm
Farm Stops: A Novel Retail Store Model to Grow Local Food Economies
Speaker(s) – Laura Matney and Casey Miller of Argus Farm Stop, joined by organizers from Kennett Community Grocery
Location – Great Lakes 2
Co-Creation Planning Sessions
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Location – Great Lakes 2
Conference Reception
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:00pm – 8:00pm
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Co-Creation Planning Time
Location – Fields, Great Lakes 1, Meadows and Great Lakes 2; 8:00am – 8:45am
Welcome/Opening
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:15am – 8:45am
Transition
Building the Business
9:00am – 10:15am
When the Funding Falls Short: Navigating the Gap with Strategy and Strength
Speaker(s) – Katie Novak
Location – Stone Theater
Transition/Coffee Break
From the Aisles
10:30am – 11:45am
11:45am – 12:45pm
Lunch with Awards Presentation
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition + Swag Exchange
Co-Creation Sessions
1:00pm – 2:15pm
Transition/Break
Closing Main Stage Panel
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Closing Goodbyes
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Co-Creation Planning Time
Location – Fields, Great Lakes 1, Meadows and Great Lakes 2; 8:00am – 8:45am
Welcome/Opening
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:15am – 8:45am
Transition
Building the Business
9:00am – 10:15am
The Road to Opening: Business Development Choices That Strengthen (or Strain) Stage 4
Speaker(s) – Chris Gilbert
Location – Meadows
Transition/Coffee Break
From the Aisles
10:30am – 11:45am
Reflections on a GM Transition
Speaker(s) – Siobain Mitchell
Location – Meadows
11:45am – 12:45pm
Lunch with Awards Presentation
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition + Swag Exchange
Co-Creation Sessions
1:00pm – 2:15pm
Location – Fields
Transition/Break
Closing Main Stage Panel
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Closing Goodbyes
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Co-Creation Planning Time
Location – Fields, Great Lakes 1, Meadows and Great Lakes 2; 8:00am – 8:45am
Welcome/Opening
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:15am – 8:45am
Transition
Building the Business
9:00am – 10:15am
Right-Sizing Your Co-op: Balancing Community Interests and Business Sustainability
Speaker(s) – Chris Dilley
Location – Oaks
Transition/Coffee Break
From the Aisles
10:30am – 11:45am
What Got Us Here, Keeps Us Here
Speaker(s) – Facilitated by amaha sellassie of Gem City Market with additional panelists Lanay Gilbert (Detroit People’s Food Co-op) and Melanie Shellito (Green Top Grocery)
Location – Stone Theater
11:45am – 12:45pm
Lunch with Awards Presentation
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition + Swag Exchange
Co-Creation Sessions
1:00pm – 2:15pm
Location – Great Lakes 1
Transition/Break
Closing Main Stage Panel
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Closing Goodbyes
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Co-Creation Planning Time
Location – Fields, Great Lakes 1, Meadows and Great Lakes 2; 8:00am – 8:45am
Welcome/Opening
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:15am – 8:45am
Transition
Building the Business
9:00am – 10:15am
Finding your Co-op’s Future Home: Keys to Choosing and Securing a Site
Speaker(s) – John Guerra
Location – Fields
Transition/Coffee Break
From the Aisles
10:30am – 11:45am
Turning It Around: Ownership Growth Success After Struggle
Speaker(s) – facilitated by Dr. Angela Sayles with panelists Malik Yakini, Erica Hardison
Location – Great Lakes 1
11:45am – 12:45pm
Lunch with Awards Presentation
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition + Swag Exchange
Co-Creation Sessions
1:00pm – 2:15pm
Transition/Break
Closing Main Stage Panel
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Closing Goodbyes
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Co-Creation Planning Time
Location – Fields, Great Lakes 1, Meadows and Great Lakes 2; 8:00am – 8:45am
Welcome/Opening
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:15am – 8:45am
Transition
Building the Business
9:00am – 10:15am
Transition/Coffee Break
From the Aisles
10:30am – 11:45am
Effective Community Outreach: Surveys and Engagement
Speaker(s) – Bonnie Hudspeth of Firebrand Cooperative is facilitating this panel of rock star Bronzeville Food Co-op organizers Eric Hutchison, Tifani Kendrick, David Harvan, and Adrienne Williams
Location – Fields
11:45am – 12:45pm
Lunch with Awards Presentation
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition + Swag Exchange
Co-Creation Sessions
1:00pm – 2:15pm
Location – Meadows
Transition/Break
Closing Main Stage Panel
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Closing Goodbyes
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Co-Creation Planning Time
Location – Fields, Great Lakes 1, Meadows and Great Lakes 2; 8:00am – 8:45am
Welcome/Opening
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:15am – 8:45am
Transition
Building the Business
9:00am – 10:15am
Funding: Understanding Potential Sources and Their Impact
Speaker(s) – Don Moffitt, Columinate
Location – Great Lakes 2
Transition/Coffee Break
From the Aisles
10:30am – 11:45am
11:45am – 12:45pm
Lunch with Awards Presentation
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition + Swag Exchange
Co-Creation Sessions
1:00pm – 2:15pm
Location – Great Lakes 2
Transition/Break
Closing Main Stage Panel
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Closing Goodbyes
Our 2025 Black Led Day theme is The Future Is Black Led: Co-Creating What We Need, aligning with the Up & Coming Conference’s broader theme of co-creating the future. As we mark our fifth gathering, we’re leaning into the power of Black cooperative leadership to shape what’s necessary for our communities, not in reaction but in bold creation. This moment calls us to move beyond survival toward shared strategy, infrastructure, and vision rooted in collective care, legacy, and self-determination.
Prepare to be in space with our optional pre-reading recommendations:
Collective courage Jessica Gordon Nembhard
Until I’m free Fannie Lou Hamer
Black Fatigue: How racism erodes the mind, body and spirit Mary-Frances Winters
8:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Welcome
9:00am – 9:15am
9:15am – 10:30am
Black Cooperative Pathways
Speaker(s) – Rae Gomes she/they (Central BK Food Coop) and amaha sellassie he/him (Gem City Market)
Transition
10:45am – 12:00pm
Sustaining the Spirit & the Movement – Part Two: Practical Pathways for Healing, Restoration & Collective Resilience
Speaker(s) – Erica “Zenzele” Hardison she/her (One Community Grocery Co-op)
12:00pm – 1:15pm
Lunch
1:15pm – 2:25pm
The Future Is Black Led: Sharing, Learning, Co-Creating
Speaker(s) – Assata Richards she/her (Sankofa Research Institute) and Reverend Bernadine Hardin she/her (Southside Food Co-op)
Closeout
3:00pm – 5:30pm
Fellowship at Dabney and Co.
Mix and Mingle
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:30pm – 8:00pm
8:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Welcome
9:00am – 9:15am
9:15am – 10:30am
Thriving While Black: Addressing Burnout and Compassion Fatigue in Our Movements
Speaker(s) – Gabrielle (Gabby) Davis she/her (National Co+op Grocers and Detroit People’s Food Coop)
Transition
10:45am – 12:00pm
Communication With All Due “disRESPECT”: How To Be Heard and Listen
Speaker(s) – Keyona Hough she/her (UnKIDitional Love Recreation Center, Inc.)
12:00pm – 1:15pm
Lunch
1:15pm – 2:25pm
The Future Is Black Led: Sharing, Learning, Co-Creating
Speaker(s) – Assata Richards she/her (Sankofa Research Institute) and Reverend Bernadine Hardin she/her (Southside Food Co-op)
Closeout
3:00pm – 5:30pm
Fellowship at Dabney and Co.
Mix and Mingle
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:30pm – 8:00pm
Addressing How Racism Shows Up in Food Co-op Organizing
9:00am – 2:30pm
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
Addressing How Racism Shows Up in Food Co-op Organizing
9:00am – 2:30pm
Mix and Mingle
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:30pm – 8:00pm
Tour 1
3:00pm – 3:30pm
Tour 2
3:30pm – 4:00pm
Tour 3
4:00pm – 4:30pm
Mix and Mingle
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:30pm – 8:00pm
Indigenous Gathering
5:00pm – 6:30pm
Mix and Mingle
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:30pm – 8:00pm
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Welcome
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:00am – 9:00am
Transition
Framework and Foundations
9:15am – 10:30am
Launching the Future: An Introduction to the Food Co-op Development Framework
Speaker(s) – Dr. Angela Sayles
Location – Stone Theater
Transition/Coffee Break
Activating the People
10:45am – 12:00pm
Building Your Co-op’s Culture
Speaker(s) – Darnell Adams and Bonnie Hudspeth, Firebrand Cooperative
Location – Stone Theater
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition
Freedom is a Cooperative Struggle
1:15pm – 2:30pm
Between Belonging and Burden: Experiences of Minoritized People in Affluent, Homogenous Co-ops
Speaker(s) – Gabby Davis
Location – Stone Theater
Break/Transition
The Big Picture
3:00pm – 4:15pm
Organizing Around Need
Speaker(s) – Facilitator: Heather Lazickas, seven roots group. Panelists: Janiqua Jackson and Guy Cousins, Three Sisters Market, Korita Steverson, Front Porch Grocery Co-op
Location – Stone Theater
Co-Creation Planning Sessions
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Conference Reception
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:00pm – 8:00pm
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Welcome
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:00am – 9:00am
Transition
Framework and Foundations
9:15am – 10:30am
Finding Feasibility: Translating Your Vision into a Viable Business
Speaker(s) – Chris Dilley
Location – Meadows
Transition/Coffee Break
Activating the People
10:45am – 12:00pm
Balancing Autonomy & Accountability: Building a Strong Board-GM Partnership
Speaker(s) – Sam McCormick
Location – Meadows
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition
Freedom is a Cooperative Struggle
1:15pm – 2:30pm
Break/Transition
The Big Picture
3:00pm – 4:15pm
Panel on Co-ops in Times of Economic Challenge
Speaker(s) – Hugh Farrell
Location – Fields
Co-Creation Planning Sessions
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Location – Fields
Conference Reception
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:00pm – 8:00pm
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Welcome
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:00am – 9:00am
Transition
Framework and Foundations
9:15am – 10:30am
It Doesn’t End at Opening: An Introduction to Stage 5
Speaker(s) – JQ Hannah and Michelle Schry
Location – Oaks
Transition/Coffee Break
Activating the People
10:45am – 12:00pm
Designing with Your Owners in Mind: How User Research and Data Drive Stronger Co-op Engagement
Speaker(s) – Jessica Buttimer, CoApp
Location – Oaks
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition
Freedom is a Cooperative Struggle
1:15pm – 2:30pm
Rooted in Resistance: The History of Food Cooperation Among People of the Global Majority
Speaker(s) – Allanah Hines
Location – Great Lakes 1
Break/Transition
The Big Picture
3:00pm – 4:15pm
Inside the Grocery Business: Competition, Government Regulation, and Pricing
Speaker(s) – Jimmy Wright
Location – Oaks
Co-Creation Planning Sessions
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Location – Great Lakes 1
Conference Reception
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:00pm – 8:00pm
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Welcome
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:00am – 9:00am
Transition
Framework and Foundations
9:15am – 10:30am
Grocery Industry Basics – What You Need to Know
Speaker(s) – Jade Barker
Location – Great Lakes 1
Transition/Coffee Break
Activating the People
10:45am – 12:00pm
Vision Is Everything
Speaker(s) – JQ Hannah, FCI
Location – Great Lakes 1
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition
Freedom is a Cooperative Struggle
1:15pm – 2:30pm
Bringing Your Community Along on the Up & Coming Anti-Oppression Journey
Speaker(s) – ERACCE
Location – Meadows
Break/Transition
The Big Picture
3:00pm – 4:15pm
Co-Creation Planning Sessions
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Conference Reception
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:00pm – 8:00pm
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Welcome
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:00am – 9:00am
Transition
Framework and Foundations
9:15am – 10:30am
The Business Concept: Moving From Vision Towards Feasibility
Speaker(s) – Heather Lazickas and James Morrell
Location – Fields
Transition/Coffee Break
Activating the People
10:45am – 12:00pm
People Power! How to Build + Leverage Your Volunteers & Committees
Speaker(s) – Joel Kopischke + Heather Lazickas
Location – Fields
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition
Freedom is a Cooperative Struggle
1:15pm – 2:30pm
Break/Transition
The Big Picture
3:00pm – 4:15pm
The Leadership Journey: Insights from Start-up Food Cooperators
Speaker(s) – Darnell Adams, with Siobhan DuPont and Bertha Thomas
Location – Meadows
Co-Creation Planning Sessions
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Location – Meadows
Conference Reception
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:00pm – 8:00pm
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Welcome
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:00am – 9:00am
Transition
Framework and Foundations
9:15am – 10:30am
Transition/Coffee Break
Activating the People
10:45am – 12:00pm
The First 100 Days: Activating New Owners with Intention
Speaker(s) – Katie Novak
Location – Great Lakes 2
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition
Freedom is a Cooperative Struggle
1:15pm – 2:30pm
Planting Freedom: Food Co-ops As Radical Community Hubs
Speaker(s) – Patrice Lockert Anthony, Black Soil Media
Location – Great Lakes 2
Break/Transition
The Big Picture
3:00pm – 4:15pm
Farm Stops: A Novel Retail Store Model to Grow Local Food Economies
Speaker(s) – Laura Matney and Casey Miller of Argus Farm Stop, joined by organizers from Kennett Community Grocery
Location – Great Lakes 2
Co-Creation Planning Sessions
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Location – Great Lakes 2
Conference Reception
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
6:00pm – 8:00pm
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Co-Creation Planning Time
Location – Fields, Great Lakes 1, Meadows and Great Lakes 2; 8:00am – 8:45am
Welcome/Opening
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:15am – 8:45am
Transition
Building the Business
9:00am – 10:15am
When the Funding Falls Short: Navigating the Gap with Strategy and Strength
Speaker(s) – Katie Novak
Location – Stone Theater
Transition/Coffee Break
From the Aisles
10:30am – 11:45am
11:45am – 12:45pm
Lunch with Awards Presentation
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition + Swag Exchange
Co-Creation Sessions
1:00pm – 2:15pm
Transition/Break
Closing Main Stage Panel
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Closing Goodbyes
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Co-Creation Planning Time
Location – Fields, Great Lakes 1, Meadows and Great Lakes 2; 8:00am – 8:45am
Welcome/Opening
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:15am – 8:45am
Transition
Building the Business
9:00am – 10:15am
The Road to Opening: Business Development Choices That Strengthen (or Strain) Stage 4
Speaker(s) – Chris Gilbert
Location – Meadows
Transition/Coffee Break
From the Aisles
10:30am – 11:45am
Reflections on a GM Transition
Speaker(s) – Siobain Mitchell
Location – Meadows
11:45am – 12:45pm
Lunch with Awards Presentation
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition + Swag Exchange
Co-Creation Sessions
1:00pm – 2:15pm
Location – Fields
Transition/Break
Closing Main Stage Panel
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Closing Goodbyes
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Co-Creation Planning Time
Location – Fields, Great Lakes 1, Meadows and Great Lakes 2; 8:00am – 8:45am
Welcome/Opening
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:15am – 8:45am
Transition
Building the Business
9:00am – 10:15am
Right-Sizing Your Co-op: Balancing Community Interests and Business Sustainability
Speaker(s) – Chris Dilley
Location – Oaks
Transition/Coffee Break
From the Aisles
10:30am – 11:45am
What Got Us Here, Keeps Us Here
Speaker(s) – Facilitated by amaha sellassie of Gem City Market with additional panelists Lanay Gilbert (Detroit People’s Food Co-op) and Melanie Shellito (Green Top Grocery)
Location – Stone Theater
11:45am – 12:45pm
Lunch with Awards Presentation
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition + Swag Exchange
Co-Creation Sessions
1:00pm – 2:15pm
Location – Great Lakes 1
Transition/Break
Closing Main Stage Panel
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Closing Goodbyes
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Co-Creation Planning Time
Location – Fields, Great Lakes 1, Meadows and Great Lakes 2; 8:00am – 8:45am
Welcome/Opening
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:15am – 8:45am
Transition
Building the Business
9:00am – 10:15am
Finding your Co-op’s Future Home: Keys to Choosing and Securing a Site
Speaker(s) – John Guerra
Location – Fields
Transition/Coffee Break
From the Aisles
10:30am – 11:45am
Turning It Around: Ownership Growth Success After Struggle
Speaker(s) – facilitated by Dr. Angela Sayles with panelists Malik Yakini, Erica Hardison
Location – Great Lakes 1
11:45am – 12:45pm
Lunch with Awards Presentation
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition + Swag Exchange
Co-Creation Sessions
1:00pm – 2:15pm
Transition/Break
Closing Main Stage Panel
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Closing Goodbyes
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Co-Creation Planning Time
Location – Fields, Great Lakes 1, Meadows and Great Lakes 2; 8:00am – 8:45am
Welcome/Opening
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:15am – 8:45am
Transition
Building the Business
9:00am – 10:15am
Transition/Coffee Break
From the Aisles
10:30am – 11:45am
Effective Community Outreach: Surveys and Engagement
Speaker(s) – Bonnie Hudspeth of Firebrand Cooperative is facilitating this panel of rock star Bronzeville Food Co-op organizers Eric Hutchison, Tifani Kendrick, David Harvan, and Adrienne Williams
Location – Fields
11:45am – 12:45pm
Lunch with Awards Presentation
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition + Swag Exchange
Co-Creation Sessions
1:00pm – 2:15pm
Location – Meadows
Transition/Break
Closing Main Stage Panel
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Closing Goodbyes
7:30am – 9:00am
Breakfast
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Co-Creation Planning Time
Location – Fields, Great Lakes 1, Meadows and Great Lakes 2; 8:00am – 8:45am
Welcome/Opening
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
8:15am – 8:45am
Transition
Building the Business
9:00am – 10:15am
Funding: Understanding Potential Sources and Their Impact
Speaker(s) – Don Moffitt, Columinate
Location – Great Lakes 2
Transition/Coffee Break
From the Aisles
10:30am – 11:45am
11:45am – 12:45pm
Lunch with Awards Presentation
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
Transition + Swag Exchange
Co-Creation Sessions
1:00pm – 2:15pm
Location – Great Lakes 2
Transition/Break
Closing Main Stage Panel
Location – Kalamazoo 1-2
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Closing Goodbyes
Speaker(s) – Siobain Mitchell
Hiring and onboarding a General Manager is one of the most important tasks a start-up co-op Board will ever do. In this Session, Siobain will share the many different ways that Assabet Co-op Market prepared to hire and onboard its GM, how that hiring and onboarding actually unfolded, and what lessons we learned in the process. This interactive session is designed to not only share Assabet’s story, but also to give you concrete tools and advice to help you prepare for your own GM Transition
Speaker(s) – Heather Lazickas, facilitator, Janiqua Jackson + Guy Cousins, Three Sisters Market, Korita Steverson, Front Porch Grocery Co-op
Communities with low food access do it differently. This superstar panel of food co-op organizers share their experiences organizing co-ops in areas where fresh foods are scarce. Join us for an inspiring, enlightening conversation about what’s resonating, and how to learn from the experience of folks in the trenches!
Speaker(s) – Bonnie Hudspeth of Firebrand Cooperative is facilitating this panel of rock star Bronzeville Food Co-op organizers Eric Hutchison, Tifani Kendrick, David Harvan, and Adrienne Williams
Building a food co-op that truly reflects and serves its community requires intentional engagement from the start. In this session, we’ll share how the Bronzeville Food Co-op built a strong foundation by crafting a vision and values statement that shaped outreach strategies, guided a highly successful community survey with over 950 responses, and positioned a website, tabling events, social media, and newsletter as central engagement tools.
Through insights from key contributors – including community leaders, design experts, and public health professionals – we’ll explore practical steps for creating inclusive outreach, designing an effective survey, and leveraging digital tools to build early trust and enthusiasm. Whether you’re launching a co-op or refining your engagement strategies, you’ll leave with actionable tools and inspiration to strengthen community connections and drive buy-in for your project. The session will include a panel discussion, real-world examples, and a Q&A to address your co-op’s specific challenges.
Speaker(s) – Facilitated by Dr. Angela Sayles with panelists Malik Yakini, Erica Hardison
The co-op is incorporated, you’ve got your leadership team together, you feel like you are doing all the right things – but where are the owners? Join us for a peer panel on a common startup food co-op struggle: lack of ownership growth. Skipping building an ownership base can lead to disastrous outcomes later in a co-op’s development, but sometimes it feels like the hardest part in the earlier stages of startup development. There will be three startups on this panel, designed and facilitated by Dr. Angela Sayels, sharing their stories. Each will offer the chance to learn from their co-op’s story of lack of ownership growth in their early stages, all the things they tried that didn’t work, what eventually turned around their “ownership momentum” to get them to the ownership success they are having today, and what advice they would offer their fellow startups. Each startup’s struggle ended up rooted in different issues, and each of their solutions that turn it all around have different flavors, which will give you a broad view of what could be going on and what might work at your co-op to get that missing ownership growth momentum!
Speaker(s) -Facilitated by amaha sellassie of Gem City Market with additional panelists Lanay Gilbert (Detroit People’s Food Co-op) and Melanie Shellito (Green Top Grocery)
When organizing a new co-op grocery, we are walking with our communities – developing our vision for the co-op with them, engaging them in every step of the development process, and showing them how their fledgling co-op is manifesting their values – is a hallmark of startup food co-ops that successfully get to the opening day for their dreamed-of store. Historically, though, during the actual opening of the retail business, there starts a transition into doing for our community – staff/board making all the decisions, not engaging owners in the co-op’s work, not manifesting the owners values on and within the walls of the store in visible, accountable ways – that then results in a weakening of the co-op’s vital connection to its base. This has very real and tangible impacts not only on the co-op community, but the co-op’s success as a business. So how can we better ride the wave of walking with our owners and community through the opening of our stores. instead of letting it come crashing down? Cooperators from the Detroit People’s Food Co-op, the Gem City Market, and Green Top Grocery will explore lessons learned from the real experiences of their startup food co-ops. We’ll hear about how well they were able to maintain (or bring back) that with energy to their co-op after opening, the impacts of it, and gather their insights about how to continue the co-creative, owner-engaged culture past store opening.
Speaker(s) – Don Moffitt, Columinate
The goal for this workshop is that you leave with a better understanding of the many types of funding you might include in your co-op’s funding plan. Organizing, building, and opening a new food co-op grocery store takes a lot of financial resources. While all startup food co-op organizers are generally aware of this from the start, figuring out where to get it all is a major challenge. Funding to get the doors open might come from a number of sources and each can have very different impacts on your co-op’s financial feasibility and long-term sustainability. During this session we’ll talk about equity, grants, preferred shares, loans from your co-op’s owners, institutional loans, landlord financing, local government support and new market tax credits. We’ll talk about the long-term financial impacts of each type of funding and scratch the surface on how to pursue sources.
Speaker(s) – John Guerra
For those of you who missed this exciting session last year, we’re doing it again! When you are ready to search for a site, how do you get started? What do you need to know about securing a site with a lease or purchase agreement? Who should be on the team? How will you know if it’s the right site? So many questions during this exciting phase!
We’ll walk through real estate and site search basics, and build an understanding of how to look at a site as a customer, an operator, and a budget-conscious builder. Finally, we’ll workshop a site to practice evaluating and negotiating to improve site access, visibility, and parking.
Speaker(s) – Chris Dilley, FCI
Developing and communicating your co-ops vision in a way that balances big aspirations to solve community problems with the realities of running a sustainable grocery business. This session will guide you through how to gradually hone in on a vision and business concept that engage and inspire your community while being informed by sales potential and operational realities.
Speaker(s) – Chris Gilbert
If your co-op is in Stage 2 or 3 development, you may not feel like Stage 4 is right around the corner, but trust Chris Gilbert, experienced food co-op general manager and project manager who has lead multiple startups through the building and opening work of stage 4 – the decisions your board has to make in these earlier stages can either smooth the path to opening or complicate it when the pressure’s highest. In this session, Chris will walk attendees through the key stage 2 – 3 choices that have the biggest impact on your co-op once the construction starts. This session will look at decisions startup boards often have to make long before a GM or PM is hired and how those choices will either support or strain your co-op’s ability to get open and stay open.
Speaker(s) – Katie Novak, Cooperative Coaching
Not every capital campaign meets its goal—but that doesn’t mean you haven’t made meaningful progress. Every dollar raised reflects trust, and every “no” is a step toward deeper clarity and connection. This session explores how co-ops can move forward when the numbers fall short—by celebrating what has been accomplished, evaluating next steps with transparency, and strengthening relationships with member-owners along the way. Through real-life examples and lived experience, you’ll learn how to navigate funding gaps with resilience.
Speaker(s) -Darnell Adams, with Siobhan DuPont and Bertha Thomas
Emerging leaders share what they’ve learned about leadership while organizing food co-ops in their communities. What do they wish they had understood before they started? What challenges have shaped their approach? Hear how they’ve managed the ups and downs of organizing—turning setbacks into lessons, and small victories into momentum for lasting change. Join us for candid stories, practical insights, and inspiration from those navigating the rewards and realities of cooperative leadership—and leave with ideas you can take back to your own community.
Speaker(s) – Laura Matney and Casey Miller of Argus Farm Stop, joined by organizers from Kennett Community Grocery
Farm Stops are streamlined retail experiences that prioritize locally grown and produced items, and prioritize the grower, often through a consignment system. Join seasoned Farm Stop manager, Laura Matney, and Farm Stop trainer, Casey Miller, of Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor, MI, for a look at the farm stop model. Joining them will be peer co-op organizers from Kennett Community Grocery (Kennett Square, PA) to share their recent experience working toward opening their co-op as a Farm Stop.
Speaker(s) – Joel Kopischke, Heather Lazickas, seven roots group
In this interactive session, we’ll look at best practices to help build functional working boards that don’t do it all. We’ll focus on developing committees that get their jobs done, and how to engage and empower volunteers to provide value and share the load. We’ll hear from the group and work together to workshop some solutions in real-time!
Speaker(s) – JQ Hannah, FCI
Vision is one of the big four areas of the Food Co-op Development Framework, and it’s at the very top of that big four in the “Framework” graphic for a reason – because it drives every other part of developing your food co-op and must blaze bright and clear to activate your community and open a successful food co-op!
In this session, we’ll start with what the Vision is in food co-op development and its role, but will quickly then dive into how you actively engage your community and owners with the Vision and use it as a tool to drive engagement. Practical techniques for engaging your community in creating the Vision as well as tools to keep your co-op’s Vision a living, evolving, dynamic force in your co-op organizing will be shared and you will walk away with both core knowledge around this piece of the Framework as well as hands-on ideas for connecting your owners to the Vision at every stage of development.
Speaker(s) – Jessica Buttimer, CoApp
Strong owner engagement isn’t just a byproduct of a successful co-op—it’s the foundation. Whether you’re in the early planning stages or growing your established co-op, understanding how your owners think, feel, and act is critical to building a thriving, resilient community.
This session will introduce a user research approach to co-op development, showing how listening deeply to owners—through surveys, interviews, observation, and data—can shape smarter decisions, stronger participation, and lasting trust.
The session will start with fundamentals like: what is owner engagement, and why it matters at every stage of a co-op’s life cycle; what traditional tools have startup co-ops used to foster engagement; and the common gaps and missed opportunities. The session will then take a dive into practical, modern strategies your startup co-op can start using right away like: how to apply user research principles to understand owner needs; how to design better surveys and interviews for real insights; how to use simple data tools to surface patterns and pain points; and how to turn your research into deeper engagement. If you are new to all of these concepts, don’t be intimidated – this session will be at an accessible level for those new to using data for engagement!
Whether you’re trying to recruit your first 100 owners or re-energize an existing base, this session will equip you with a toolkit for co-creating your co-op with your community, not just for them.
Speaker(s) – Darnell Adams and Bonnie Hudspeth, Firebrand Cooperative
Does your co-op have an intentionally stated culture that your organizing team is actively working to build? If not, you are not alone! If we are not deliberately building the culture we dream of as we organize, the default mainstream culture starts kicking in, taking over, and kicking our @$$es! Come explore how to define, understand, and build a thriving organizational culture at your co-op.
Speaker(s) – Katie Novak, Cooperative Coaching
The moment someone becomes a member-owner is full of energy—but too often, that excitement fades without meaningful next steps. This session offers a roadmap for the critical first 100 days after someone joins your co-op. We’ll explore how to design intentional, welcoming experiences that deepen connection, build engagement, and inspire continued participation—whether your new member-owner wants to volunteer, share their story, or simply feel part of something bigger. You’ll leave with tools to create an onboarding journey that turns signups into lasting relationships.
Speaker(s) – Sam McCormick, Assabet Co-op Market
This session will explore how food co-op boards and General Managers can foster a productive, trusting relationship that balances GM autonomy with board accountability. Drawing on real-world examples and start-up insights, we’ll cover practical tools for defining roles, setting realistic reporting expectations, and supporting the GM’s strengths while addressing operational gaps. The goal is for attendees to leave with ideas and approaches they can adapt to build a collaborative partnership—one that keeps the co-op mission-driven, financially sound, and connected to the community, even in the challenging start-up phase.
Speaker(s) – Heather Lazickas, seven roots group and James Morrell, Columinate
A clear business concept can build alignment amongst the team, attract talent and potential resources, and strengthen your organization’s community appeal. In this session participants will explore the role of the “business concept” as a key element of the co-op startup framework. Participants will discuss the definition of the startup co-op business concept, how it may be different from a business plan, and why it is important. Join us as we break down what it is, how to use it, and how to develop or articulate yours!
Speaker(s) – JQ Hannah, FCI and Michelle Schry, NCG
The Food Co-op Development Framework received an update last year with the addition of a new stage to the development journey. Based on reviews of start-up co-op experiences and early performance post-opening, recognition emerged that the collective lift to bring a new food co-op grocery store to life extends far beyond opening day. From the experiences of actual startups that lived the post-open experience and experts that have supported dozens of startups through it, it became clear that there was a need to name this unique and critical stage of a startup’s journey so both startups and their support partners can be prepared to successfully move through it. This session will examine “Stage 5”, what it is, what work needs to be done during this part of the startup food co-op journey, as well as share some true startup experiences from this stage.
Speaker(s) – Chris Dilley, FCI
In Stage 2 the goal is to find a viable business concept that is rooted in your core values, and realizes your purpose through a viable and sustainable business model. We will cover all four areas of feasibility: community, market, site and financial, so you can take stock of your path and know what’s next.
Speaker(s) -Patrice Lockert Anthony, Black Soil Media
Food Co-ops can be more than grocery stores – they can be spaces of collective power. In this 65 minute workshop; we’ll dig into how co-ops often replicate harm, practice redistributing resources with justice, and leave with one concrete action to grow liberation in our own communities. Come ready to plant the seeds of change.
Speaker(s) – Allanah Hines
The legacy of food and agricultural cooperation among people of the global majority throughout U.S. history is often overlooked. From mutual aid networks and land trusts to farming cooperatives and community-owned grocery stores, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and immigrant communities have long used cooperative strategies to reclaim food sovereignty, resist economic exclusion, and build collective resilience.
This session will trace this deep-rooted history beyond the modern food co-op movement, highlighting examples of agricultural cooperatives, community kitchens, and mutual aid food systems shaped by the lived experience and leadership of marginalized communities. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the power of cooperation as a tool for liberation, survival, and inspiration to carry this work forward.
Speaker(s) – Gabby Davis, NCG
Speaker(s) – ERACCE
Speaker(s): Chris Dilley, FCI
Speaker(s) – Jimmy Wright, IGA
The purpose of this session with ERACCE is to provide an introductory process for participants to explore and deepen their understanding of systemic racism and to begin to investigate ways to more effectively dismantle and eliminate racism within food co-ops and the broader food system. ERACCE exists to eliminate structural racism and create a network of equitable Antiracist institutions and communities. Join us to explore common language, definitions, and tools to understand the continuing issue of racism throughout the United States.
Speaker(s) – Assata Richards, We Are the Ones Solidarity Cooperative and Rev Bernadine Hardin
This dual-part closing plenary will feature both a Q+A session on lessons learned as well as small group discussion sharing insights across co-op stages.
We got everything we need to make a Black-Led co-op future possible. In groups, attendees will share of that knowledge, brainstorm, and collaborate in a working session.
Feel free to bring information on a co-op event you’re hosting, a roadblock you’re facing, or a recent success to co-create solutions with those at your table.
Speaker(s) – Gabrielle (Gabby) Davis, NCG
Black-led Day is a space for us, by us—where Black food cooperators gather in strength, vision, and truth. In the spirit of collective care and liberation, this session honors the real and often unseen weight we carry—burnout and compassion fatigue. The pandemic, racism, misogynoir, capitalism and white supremacy culture has only magnified these burdens, yet we are more than our exhaustion. Together, we’ll move beyond naming the problem toward reclaiming wellness on our own terms. This session will offer space for reflection, tools for restoration, and tangible practices for sustaining ourselves and each other in our co-ops, our homes, and our communities. By shifting from surviving to thriving, this session helps participants imagine a future where Black-led co-ops are not just economically viable but also emotionally nourishing and sustainable—an act of radical care and resistance to grind culture. This session emphasizes that rest, care, and boundaries are not luxuries—they are strategies for building lasting, Black-led cooperative futures.
Speaker(s) – Rae Gomes, amaha sellessie
Grounded in an analysis of the 4th wave of coop development, we demonstrate the historical conditions for previous iterations of Black-led coops, and discuss the conditions for coop creation today. How do we utilize the learnings in the past waves, and this current one to create the culture and pathways to ground us in this work sustainability? The larger thesis we will build towards is that Black coops develop for fundamentally distinct reasons from white led coops, and therefore, need distinct and specific ways of organizing and support systems. We will work with participants to co-create our own 7 principles of coop development.
Speaker(s) – Erica “Zenzele” Hardison
This interactive follow-up session builds on the foundational insights from Part One (at BLD 2024) by shifting the focus from awareness to action. With an emphasis on co-creating solutions, attendees will explore a range of restorative practices and organizational strategies that help individuals and collectives move beyond burnout and into sustained, thriving leadership.
Drawing on culturally rooted healing traditions, mental wellness frameworks, and cooperative values, this workshop will guide participants through practical tools to recognize early signs of compassion fatigue, implement recovery practices, and re-center their purpose. Together, we will build personalized “Co-op Care Plans” that include rest strategies, boundary-setting techniques, debrief rituals, affirming peer support models, and systems for shared leadership.
Participants will also review organizational culture and policies through a lens of emotional sustainability. Case studies and co-facilitated breakout exercises will surface real-world methods used by other Black-led cooperatives and grassroots networks. Attendees will co-create a “Black Co-Op Wellness Toolkit” that can be brought back and tailored to their teams and communities.
This session invites attendees to imagine and build future-forward co-op ecosystems where emotional resilience is not an afterthought but a core design principle. Black-led cooperatives deserve wellness infrastructures that honor our labor, center our joy, and protect our leaders. This workshop is about making that future now.
Speaker(s) – Keyona Hough
Ready to transform the way you communicate? This dynamic and interactive session blends real-world scenarios with engaging discussion and role-play to help you become a stronger listener, more impactful speaker, and confident leader. Learn how to navigate “disrespectful” conversations with clarity, communicate across differences, and show up fully whether you’re serving your community, growing personally, or leading an organization. Walk away with tools you can use immediately to be heard and to truly hear others.
This session equips Black leaders, advocates, and community builders with the communication tools needed to lead with clarity, compassion, and accountability. By exploring how we listen, respond, and repair in difficult conversations, this workshop helps us co-create spaces where Black voices are not only heard—but honored and centered. It affirms that the future we’re building is one where communication is not a barrier, but a bridge to justice, collective healing, and sustainable leadership within our communities.
