Everything Co-op with Vernon Oakes

Peggy Fogarty, Executive Director at the Keystone Development Center, KDC, discusses how KDC works with the development of emerging Co-ops. She talks about her background in the cooperative movement, and shares examples of how KDC has helped to develop co-ops in each of the Cooperative sectors; including worker, consumer, purchasing and marketing. In addition to being the Executive Director of KDC...

Community development specialist Margaret Lund, and research analyst Leiha Edmonds discuss The "ABCs of Co-op Impact," and cooperative development. Margaret Lund is an independent consultant specializing in the areas of community development, finance and shared ownership strategies. Throughout her career, Margaret has worked across cooperative sectors including credit unions, consumer co-ops, hous...

Stephen R. McDow II, Director of Membership, Outreach and Education at the Keystone Development Center is interviewed on Everything Co-op, by host Vernon Oakes. Vernon and Stephen discuss the role cooperatives can play in addressing community problems. Most especially that of food desserts, and the recent proliferation of dollar stores in low income communities, and the impact the lack of access t...

Alex Stone, Executive Director of CooperationWorks! (CW), is interviewed on Everything Co-op, by host Vernon Oakes. Vernon and Alex discuss her experiences in the cooperative movement, and how Cooperation Works! uses its national network of Cooperative Development Centers, to help revitalize communities through effective cooperative enterprise development. Alex Stone first became involved with co-...

Jennifer Bryant, Program Manager for Community Wealth Building Initiatives at Washington Area Community Investment Fund(Wacif), appears on Everything Co-op. Jennifer and Vernon discuss strategies to preserve wealth in communities, and how worker owned cooperatives can be used as an exit strategy for retiring baby boomer executives. As Program Manager for Community Wealth Building Initiatives, Jenn...

Gina Schaefer Co-Founder & CEO of 11 ACE Hardware Stores is interviewed by Vernon Oakes, Host of Everything Co-op. Gina and Vernon discuss how she and her husband Marc have been able to open so many stores, their path to success, their benefit packages, community participation and the value of treating people well. Gina Schaefer is the Co-Founder and CEO of 11 ACE Hardware stores located in Washin...

Host of Everything Co-op, Vernon Oakes interviews Rod Kelsay, Executive Director of Mid America Cooperative Council (MACC). Vernon and Rod discuss efforts of the Council to address the lack of unique co-op educational resources available in the Midwestern region, and the moral values and principles that will help sustain cooperative businesses. MACC is a multi-state, non-profit trade association f...

Amy White Abbott, Director of Community Purchasing Alliance (CPA), appears on Everything Co-op, a nationally broadcast radio show. Vernon and Amy discuss benefits provided to members of CPA, Employment opportunities to join CPA, and examples of how the cooperative has helped leverage the power of its members to address common problems. Prior to CPA Amy was a community organizer in Northern Virgini...

Vernon Oakes, host of Everything Co-op interviews Roberta MacDonald, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Cabot Creamery Cooperative. Vernon and Roberta discuss the 2019 Cooperative Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony, the ABC's of Cooperatives, and much, much, more! Roberta thrives on her 40 years of marketing experience. She and her much beloved fellow Farmer Champions throughout Cabot Creamery Co-op...

2019 Co-op Hall of Fame Inductee, Richard Ensweiler is interviewed on Everything Co-op on May 2, 2019. Vernon and Richard discuss his career, and the many contributions he has made to the cooperative movement. Richard Ensweiler's legendary, 50-year career in cooperative finance began in college, where he planned to score a career in basketball coaching. Instead, he took a summer job at State Centr...

Vernon interviews 2019 Co-op Hall of Fame Inductee, Anne Reynolds, Director of the University of Wisconsin Center for Co-ops, retired. Vernon and Anne discuss her career, and the many contributions she has made to the cooperative movement. In 1996, Anne joined the staff of the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, as the center was beginning to transfer its internationally renowned coop...

2019 Co-op Hall of Fame Inductee, Richard Stammer is interviewed on Everything Co-op, a nationally broadcast radio show. Stammer is the former President and CEO of Agri-Mark Inc. and Cabot Creamery Cooperative. Vernon and Richard discuss his career, and the many contributions he has made to the cooperative movement. A leader in the U.S. dairy industry for half a century, Richard Stammer helped New...

Kristen Barker, Executive Director of the Cincinnati Union Co-op Initiative (CUCI, discusses how the Union Co-op has helped Cooperatives to Form, Grow and Transition from Employer to Employee owned businesses. Kristen Barker is a social entrepreneur. She is Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Cincinnati Union Co-op Initiative, and is a Co-Founder of 1worker1vote. She designs and leads partici...

2019 Co-op Hall of Fame Inductee, Terry Appleby is interviewed on March 28, 2019. Vernon and Terry discuss his career and many contributions to the cooperative movement. Mr. Appleby started his co-op career at Puget Consumer Co-op, in 1980. He worked in several areas at PCC, starting as a clerk, department and store management, merchandising director and general management, and also served two ter...

As Everything Co-op continues its celebration of Women's History Month, Julian Rowand honors his mother, Nancy Rowand, the first site manager of Beecher Cooperative, and other women who helped to establish the cooperative. Julian Rowand was a long-time member of the Beecher Cooperative and is now the cooperative’s site manager. He and Vernon also discuss the role women have played in the establish...

In celebration of National Women's History Month, Everything Co-op honors women in the cooperative movement. The 2019 theme for Women's History Month is "Visionary Women: Champions of Peace and Nonviolence." This week Vernon interviews a visionary woman, Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard, Dr. Gordon Nembhard is Chair of the Department of Africana Studies at John Jay College, City University of New York,...

LaKeisha Wolf, Executive Director of Ujamaa Collective discusses the history of the collective and its plans to expand. Vernon and Lakeisha also discuss the role that Ujamaa Collective plays in the community, and how it has incorporated the needs of the community to create other cooperatives, which is in keeping with the meaning of it's name. Ujamaa is the fourth of the seven Nguzo Saba principles...

Deb Trocha, Executive Director of the International Cooperative Development Center, and Stuart Reid, Executive Director of the Food Co-op Initiative, are interviewed Live by Vernon Oakes at the Up & Coming Conference on February 28, 2019. They discuss the sessions offered at the conference, the history of the conference and the different audiences that may benefit from the conference. Held each ye...

Debbie Trocha, Executive Director of the Indiana Cooperative Development Center (ICDC), is interviewed by Vernon Oakes. Vernon and Deb discuss the Up & Coming Food Co-op Conference on on February 14, 2019. The Up and Coming Food Co-op Conference is focused on helping communities start and launch their own food co-ops. This event also offers resources and workshops for co-ops in the first years of...

David Hincapie, Economic Development Specialist and Veteran Business Development Officer for the Washington Metropolitan Area District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration, and Debbie Trocha, Executive Director of the Indiana Cooperative Development Center (ICDC) are interviewed by Vernon Oakes on Everything Co-op, February 14, 2019. For more information on the Up & Coming Conference v...

Everything Co-op begins it's celebration of Black History Month by embracing the 2019 theme of Black Migrations, as declared by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History with Co-op leader and author David Thompson. David returns to the mick to discuss a different aspect of his upcoming book, Cooperatives and the Civil Rights Movement, by focusing on the cooperative affilia...

Mike Houston, General Manager of TPSS Co-op, discusses how the food co-op supported its members throughout the recent Government shutdown. Mike has been the General Manager of TPSS since August of 2018. Prior to joining the Co-op, Mike was Store Manager at Dawson’s Market in Rockville for six years. Not only does Mike have many years of management level experience in the natural food industry, he...

Anthony Demangone, COO of NAFCU (National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions) discusses how NAFCU members supported its members throughout the Government shutdown. He also talks about the benefits of co-ops, and invites listeners to consider co-ops as an option for their banking needs. Anthony Demangone is executive vice president and chief operating officer at the National Association...

Reverend Graylen Scott Hagler, co-chair of the Washington DC chapter of the Poor People's Campaign, and senior minister of Plymouth Congregational Church in Washngton, DC is interviewed by Vernon Oakes. Vernon and Rev. Hagler discuss the similarities between the Poor People's Campaign and the cooperative movement. They also discuss the history of the Poor Peoples Campaign, how people can become in...

Cornelius Blanding, Executive Director, Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Discusses the Impact Government Shutdown on Farmers on Everything Co-op with Vernon Oakes. Unfortunately there are multi-layered effects of the Partial Government Shutdown. Many Black farmers in the Southern Belt stand to possibly even suffer the loss of their land. For those farmers who need to process loans through USDA...