Friday May 20th

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

– Why Food Co-ops?

A single interaction with a prospective member-owner or stakeholder – maybe no more than fifteen seconds – can make or break their potential investment into an emerging food co-op. The session offers effective talking points to spread the ‘co-op difference’ message. This session is particularly useful for startups’ public relations strategies.

Presented by: Jon Steinman

Session Location: Badger State

– Reimagining the Role of Owners

Owners are a critical element in the success of any food co-op yet their full gifts and talents can oftentimes go underutilized.  Simultaneously sometimes we can emerge food co-ops but lack the underlying process of increased cooperation so we are unable to materialize the moral force of an abundant community.  As coop developers, how are we grounding our projects in the spirit of cooperation with the owners, staff and community?  During this workshop we will explore many questions including what role and value do we place on being participatory within cooperative development?  How do we transform our communities from recipients to co-creators of their compelling shared future to activate our collective hope through the process of building our food-coops?  This will be a highly participatory workshop as we make visible the collective intelligence in the room.

Presented by: Amaha Sellassie

Session Location: Badger State

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

– Food Co-ops, Base Building, and Civic Engagement

The distinguishing and beloved feature of the cooperative business model is that it values both the enterprise and the association of people who own it. Thus, the co-op model is an essential tool for building economic power and food sovereignty strategies within many communities. What is awaiting development in most of our food co-ops, however, is the ability to utilize the base of member owners and shoppers at retail food co-ops to also build localized political power too. The Collective Courage Fund was established in 2020 by The Partnership Funds to do just that for Black-led cooperatives. Cooperatives must build the assets to get a site, prepare land to grow food and profit to pay employees. They also have the unrealized capacity to be vehicles for building the independent political power necessary to win substantial change to improve the quality of life in their communities. In this session, we will learn more about the vision of the Collective Courage Fund, share base building as well as civic engagement tools and strategies for use in your food co-op, and plant the seeds to realize our collective liberation by more fully envisioning and empowering the association of people our food co-ops are built and sustained by.

Presented by: Erin Byrd, Jamila Medley

Session Location: Badger State

– Effective Messaging Strategies (A Case Study)

Talking, writing, and sharing about your project is a huge job – and one that you need to be successful at in order to grow ownership, raise funds, and engage your community. Communicating effectively and consistently across multiple channels and to various audiences can be one of your co-op’s biggest challenges. If you can master your message, say exactly what you mean, and call your community to action, great things will happen. Learn how to decode the world of communication, develop a strategy for clear and impactful messaging, and leverage it to achieve your goals.

Presented by: Jillian Jason

Session Location: Badger State

– Community Table Session

Join us for a facilitated peer conversation about everything and anything that was covered in this track today! Rachel Dominguez/Benner will be facilitating this space where we’ll identify the topics the room most wants to discuss from the day’s Vision sessions all about reimagining how we approach building our vision with our communities and better deliver our “why” to our communities. We’ll break into dynamic, shifting peer groupings to discuss the topics identified by those in the room and we’ll use these group conversations to capture insights, and identify where there might be more information/tools that we, as a movement, need to succeed. These sessions will be incredible opportunities to build your connections with peer co-ops across the country as well as solidify your learning from the day! 

Presented by: Rachel Dominguez-Benner

Session Location: Badger State

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

– Hiring Your First General Manager

The General Manager who opens your co-op will set the trajectory for your co-op. Finding the right candidate takes planning, hard work, a bit of luck, and more time than you might think. Get an overview of the planning required, search options, and process for GM hiring, plus get a few tips and tricks other startup food co-ops have learned along the way.  

Presented by: Kaye Kirsch

Session Location: Starkweather Creek

– What does the GM do? What does the Board do?

“And then one day, the magical creature called the ‘GM’ will arrive and then the board will be able to sit back and let this retail savvy unicorn with all the skills their co-op could possibly need do the rest.” Do you feel like you’ve heard this story somewhere before? Join us for this session that will bust this myth and replace it with a far more powerful, cooperative truth – that the GM and board both play dynamic, critical roles in the future of their cooperative.  We’ll take a close look at exactly what the board’s role is once they’ve hired a GM, and at how answering the question of what exactly the GM does is actually a board decision. For your co-op to be a success, your board must be and stay fully engaged through all stages of development and beyond. We’ll share the secrets to making sure your board is ready to rise to that challenge and of creating the balance between the board and GM roles that will make you a true dream team. 

Presented by: JQ Hannah, Rich Larochelle

Session Location: Starkweather Creek

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

– Building the Board/GM Relationship in the First 6 Months

In this session, I will focus on: getting ready, and getting it right!

You’re going to transition a huge amount of responsibility/power to your GM in a short amount of time. Siobain will walk you through how to prepare for your GM arrival, what to expect during the first six (or so) months, how to minimize challenges, and how to set yourselves and your GM up for success.

Presented by: Siobain Mitchell

Session Location: Starkweather Creek

– What Your Future GM Wants You to Know

Join a real startup GM for this coffee-talk style session (with Q&A) that will cover how to set up your board to be prepared for hiring a GM, considering your governance model, training & practical application with your GM, and operationalizing ideas & ideals to get to opening day.

Presented by: Sam McCormick

Session Location: Starkweather Creek

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

– A Tale of Two Start-ups – Store Opening Insights from Fredericksburg and Oshkosh

In 2021, NCG helped two start-up co-ops open their doors to members: Fredericksburg Food Co-op and Oshkosh Food Co-op. Both openings revealed insights into what it takes to open a new co-op in today’s market. In this session, Dave Olson from NCG will facilitate a conversation about what we learned in working with these two co-ops that other start-ups can learn from. Our focus will be on what it takes for a start-up to be ready operationally to be able to deliver a good customer experience on opening day. In addition, we will look ahead at what Oshkosh and Fredericksburg can expect in the next couple years by sharing insights from older start-ups about the post-opening experience.

Presented by: Dave Olson (Facilitator), Dave Blackburn, Michelle Schry, Chris Roland, Brenda Haines

Session Location: Blue Mound

– What You Should Know about Equipment & Fixtures

Supply chain shortages. Longest lead times in decades. And during store development, a design team who needs equipment-related information… yesterday. We’ll walk through the store equipment basics, process, and best practices to help your co-op prepare for what’s coming and know how to adjust your timeline, expectations, and budget to accommodate these very real sets of circumstances.

Presented by: Nicole Klimeck

Session Location: Blue Mound

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

– Tools for Data Management

 Your membership is your co-ops’ most valuable asset, right?  Where are you storing that precious member data?  In a google doc?  On index cards?  We will also address planning for managing other types of data too, like vendors and products for your imminent storefront.  What technology tools you pick make a mountain of difference for your organization.  Especially as you evolve and grow!  Together we’ll examine some best-practices, tips, and ideas, as well as hear from peers on what is working and pitfalls to avoid.  

Presented by: Joel Brock

Session Location: Blue Mound

– Case Study: Prairie Food Co-op – Store Design & Ops Planning

Kaye Kirsch with project team members Karla Krueger from Retail Planit, Dan Arnett of Chicago Market, and Kathy Nash from Prairie Food Co-op will present a case study on the unique store design and operational planning process Firebrand Co-op did for Prairie Food Co-op in 2021. Integrating detailed operational programming with the store design process, resulted in a comprehensive operational plan. This process was highly efficient, taking only eight weeks, plus provided some important insights on overall project feasibility that was timely and very important for the co-op’s future development.  

Presented by: Kay Kirsch (Facilitator); Panelists: Karla Krueger, Dan Arnett, Kathy Nash

Session Location: Blue Mound

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

– Creative Capital Panel

Financing a community owned grocery store is complicated.  In addition to traditional owner equity and debt, several co-ops are using creative approaches, including federal ARPA funds, local tax abatements, long-term member loans, philanthropic capital, SBA loan guarantees, and more.    This session will feature start-up co-op leaders sharing their experiences with these innovative approaches.  Come and learn!

Presented by: Kevin Edberg, Facilitator; Panelists: Rich Larochelle, Dr. Reginald Flynn, Carol Ritter

Session Location: State St. Ballroom

– Making the Case and Ask

Participants will learn multiple ways to pitch their co-op to supporters who may not be owners, but helpful contributors.

Presented by: Cassia Herron

Session Location: State St. Ballroom

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

– The Pitch Packet

Your mayor called…she’d like a presentation next week about the co-op and its potential impact to your community. Oh, and there’s a regional foundation that has invited your startup to present for 10 minutes in a fast round robin session with a dozen other projects it might fund. Are you ready? Being ready to powerfully and effectively present your project to movers and shakers can make a big difference in your efforts to get the “doors on the store”. Learn what content makes up a strong pitch packet and get helpful tips on how to make an impactful verbal presentation. Come ready to participate and have fun in this interactive workshop.

Presented by: Darnell Adams

Session Location: State St. Ballroom

– The Impact of Capital Sources on Your Pro Forma

We’re going to explore how your vision impacts the long-term financial performance of the co-op and the adjustments you can make to create a sustainable co-op. By the end of the session we’ll bring it all together with the sources of the funding you need to open the store.

Your vision leads to product selection and pricing and from there to gross margin (margin is what’s left after the products are paid for). Your vision also leads towards the expense of staffing the store. “Margin Minus Labor” (or MML) is what the co-op will have left  to pay all of the other expenses—rent, utilities, supplies, credit card fees and much more. And there needs to be enough left after all of that to make debt payments!  

What do you do if your vision doesn’t allow for generous gross margins?

We’ll look at ways to offset those low(er) margins: finding annual subsidies, reducing personnel expense, reducing rent, and eliminating debt. And we’ll talk about the importance of your narrative, the way you communicate your vision, as you pursue different ways to fund the store.

Presented by: Don Moffitt

Session Location: State St. Ballroom

– Community Table Session

Join us for a facilitated peer conversation about everything and anything that was covered in this track today! Ben Sandel will be facilitating this space where we’ll identify the topics the room most wants to discuss from the day’s Capital sessions focused on the fast-evolving area of raising the capital to open our food co-ops and the impacts of what forms we raise that capital in. We’ll break into dynamic, shifting peer groupings to discuss the topics identified by those in the room and we’ll use these group conversations to capture insights, and identify where there might be more information/tools that we, as a movement, need to succeed. These sessions will be incredible opportunities to build your connections with peer co-ops across the country as well as solidify your learning from the day! 

Presented by: Ben Sandel

Session Location: State St. Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

– Diversity – More than Just a Number

Many co-ops across the country have found themselves grappling with the question: Are we truly inclusive, welcoming organizations? Or do we only welcome people who look, think, and act exactly like us? In this interactive workshop, participants will have an opportunity to learn how to make our co-ops more inclusive regardless of their stage of development. We’ll consider how power, decision-making, and accountability impact inclusion, and explore some of the fundamental features of inclusive organizations.

Presented by: Jade Barker

Session Location: Williamson St. Ballroom

– LGBTQIA+ Community in the Cooperative Workplace

This coffee-talk style session with Q&A will include discussion on creating safe spaces for owners and staff, non-gender assumption policies, and implementing DEI practices at the policy level for board, members, and staff.

Presented by: Sam McCormick

Session Location: Williamson St. Ballroom

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

– Supply Chain Diversity

If we’re serious about our co-ops being a force for racial equity in our communities, we have to look at who is getting the opportunity to build their financial stability and wealth through and with the co-op not only by working at our co-ops, but through getting the opportunity to be featured vendors and sell products to our stores. LaDonna Sanders Redmond will share a case study of the Weavers Street Co-op Equity Alliance, a Black employee affinity group within the co-op. She will guide us in thinking about how we can build upon their example to move our co-ops beyond talking about racial equity to taking action to build racial equity, no matter what stage or size our co-op is at. The Weavers Street Co-op Equity Alliance not only assessed what vendors currently had access to the co-op’s shelves to sell their products, but created the Game Changers, a title given to companies and brands on the co-op’s shelves “whose ownership is 51% or more BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or People of Color)”. The goal of Game Changer was to help vendors “build their brand reputation and allow for sustainable growth” of their businesses. Come learn about how this initiative was envisioned and built to center Black leadership and needs, and imagine with your co-op peers how these lessons can be taken back to your startup food co-ops and put into action now, rather than “some day”. 

 Presented by: LaDonna Sanders Redmond, Allanah Hines

Session Location: Williamson St. Ballroom

– How to Be Black-led with Help from Others

Participants will learn the nuances, benefits and challenges of organizing a Black-led co-op while working in collaboration with non-Black and non-residential cooperators. 

Presented by: Cassia Herron

Session Location: Williamson St. Ballroom

– Community Table Session

Join us for a facilitated peer conversation about everything and anything that was covered in this track today! LaDonna Sanders-Redmond will be facilitating this space where we’ll identify the topics the room most wants to discuss from the day’s JEDI sessions focused on walking our talk as food co-ops and creating our new cooperatives with JEDI principles woven into the very root of our co-ops’ origins. We’ll break into dynamic, shifting peer groupings to discuss the topics identified by those in the room and we’ll use these group conversations to capture insights, and identify where there might be more information/tools that we, as a movement, need to truly represent and empower our communities. These sessions will be incredible opportunities to build your connections with peer co-ops across the country as well as solidify your learning from the day! 

Presented by: LaDonna Sanders Redmond

Session Location: Williamson St. Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

– Practicing Cooperation: Mutual Aid Beyond Capitalism

A big-picture overview of co-ops’ place in the economy and society based on Dr. Zitcer’s recently released book from the University of Minnesota Press. This discussion will explore cooperation as a practice, the multiple scales on which it operates, and the perils of exclusivity in co-ops.

Presented by: Andrew Zitcer

Session Location: Military Ridge

– Exploring Cooperation and the Body

Join Dr. Andrew Zitcer for this workshop exploring how cooperatives involve our bodies and our labor through discussion and hands-on activities meant to uncover our personal relationships between our bodies, our co-ops and our communities.

Presented by: Andrew Zitcer

Session Location: Military Ridge

Location: Capital Square Ballroom

– Keeping Groceries Alive through Creative Community Partnerships

Recognizing the vitally important role that grocery stores play and the many uphill battles they face, some rural communities are becoming more proactive and engaged to ensure food access for residents. This presentation will share various examples of rural communities in Kansas that have partnered with their local grocery stores to keep them alive. Partnerships have involved local nonprofits and community foundations, school districts, economic development corporations, and municipalities.

Presented by: Erica Blair

Session Location: Military Ridge

– Is a Storefront Out of Reach? Could a Cooperative Buying Club Be the Answer?

Unfortunately, not every community has the size and funds necessary to establish a brand new 6,000 – 8,000 sq. ft commercial storefront. If a full retail storefront seems out of your reach, there may be an alternative way of eventually getting into a permanent retail storefront while still meeting the needs of one’s community along the way. Did you know that many of today’s successful food co-ops started out as a buying club?  While times have changed, this option just might work for your community.  

In this workshop learn how a small buying club that formed in 2010 has transformed itself into a vibrant food cooperative that currently sells and distributes over $500,000 worth of healthy food and natural products each year to their community — despite not having a permanent retail storefront of their own. Now, after eleven years, this dedicated group of people is finally on the cusp of getting the “doors on a store” of their own. Keith Nyitray, one of the founders and current GM of the Sitka Food Co-op, will share the potentialities — as well as the many problems and pitfalls — of adopting a buying club model to go from someone’s garage to opening a retail storefront. Learn how to navigate the organizational minefield a buying club must go through to create a sustainable cooperative organization. While not easy, starting out as a cooperative buying club just might be the alternative path that could get you into that storefront you’d like to see.

Presented by: Keith Nyitray

Session Location: Military Ridge

– Community Table Session

Join us for a facilitated peer conversation about everything and anything that was covered in this track today! Keith Nitray will be facilitating this space where we’ll identify the topics the room most wants to discuss from the day’s Big Picture sessions about imagining the future of our movement. We’ll break into dynamic, shifting peer groupings to discuss the topics identified by those in the room and we’ll use these group conversations to capture insights, and identify where there might be more information/tools that we, as a movement, need to truly represent and empower our communities. These sessions will be incredible opportunities to build your connections with peer co-ops across the country as well as solidify your learning from the day! 

Presented by: Keith Nyitray

Session Location: Military Ridge

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom