Everything Co-op with Vernon Oakes

During February, Everything Co-op celebrates Black History Month by focusing on ASALH’s (Association for the Study of African American Life and History) theme. The 2020 theme is African Americans and the Vote. Therefore, it was quite fitting to bring David Thompson, President of Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation back to Everything Co-op to discusses the efforts of cooperatives to prepare and regis...

Jim Schulman, AIA, Executive Manager of the Alliance for Regional Cooperation Appears on Everything Co-op. Vernon Oakes, host of Everything Co-op, and Jim discuss the need to reschale, and retool our local economy to become more sustainable, and the need to establish an ecosystem to achieve that goal. Jim plans to begin this process through the Cooperative Alliance, the first endeavor of the Allia...

Vernon interviews Brian Dahlk, Senior Manager at Wegner CPAs. Vernon and Bian discuss the personalized services, education, and knowledge that Wegner CPAs provides for its customers. Also, since it's the beginning of 2020, we know that many of you are ready to get an early start on preparing your taxes. Therefore, Brian also discussed the accounting services that are provided to cooperatives throu...

Jack Barnett, Co-founder and President of the Northeastern Pennsylvania-based Clean Energy Co-op, discusses its formation and projects the organization has supported. Clean Energy Co-op was started in 2014 as a 'spin-out' from the local non-profit Sustainable Energy Education & Development Support (SEEDS), with a mission to develop clean energy resources for the benefit of its rural community and...

Courtney Berner, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, discusses the Center's cooperative development efforts with Host Vernon Oakes. She highlights: programs that are being used to help communities establish worker cooperatives to address succession planning; research efforts that are targeted to explore the many facets of cooperative governance; and conferences, roadshows...

Cathy Statz, Education Director of the Wisconsin Farmers Union (WFU), discusses its origins and history. She also discusses the many programs and initiatives of WFU. Cathy discusses the original efforts to organize farmers in the area that began in 1902, which came far before the official Charter was received in 1930. When speaking about why cooperatives are so unknown she recites a statement made...

Felicia Wong, President/CEO of the Roosevelt Institute, discusses "The Hidden Rules of Race: Barriers to an Inclusive Economy," and potential solutions to address the barriers with host, Vernon Oakes. Dr. Wong illustrates the interrelationships of occupational segregation, school segregation and the racial wealth gap. She also suggest that she feels that cooperatives can be a part of addressing so...

Rodney North, Cooperative Consultant and member of the DC Cooperative Stakeholders Group, discusses a mapping project of Cooperatives in the DMV, resources for cooperatives, and priorities of the DC Stakeholders Group. Rodney North has spent more than two decades in co-ops, helping co-ops, or advocating for the co-op model, and usually was doing all three at the same time. Today Rodney is consulta...

Vernon interviews Bruce Mayer, Partner at Wegner CPAs. Vernon and Bruce will discuss the role of CPAs in the business side of running a cooperative, and the importance of observing all the rules associated with non-profit accounting. They also discuss how Wegner's belief in doing what is right for its clients and employees results in creating an environment that improve performance and operational...

Everything Co-op broadcast live from the New Deal Cafe, in Greenbelt, Maryland. This was the first of our live Broadcasts, to be held at a cafe where our listening audience was able to witness the broadcast while patronizing a co-op restaurant. The café is a non-stock, cooperative membership corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Maryland. It was named in honor of Works...

Everything Coop broadcast live from the Cincinnati Union Co-op Initiative's (CUCI) 4th Biennial Union Co-op Symposium, Liberating our Futures Together: Building the Cooperative Ecosystem. Vernon interviews Roger Green, Organizer of Brooklyn's Save Interfaith Coalition. Vernon and Roger discuss the construct he has been formulating to build community labor coalitions and unionized worker co-ops to...

Daniel Weickenand, CEO of Orion Federal Credit Union is interviewed by Vernon Oakes. Vernon and Daniel discuss how Orion's commitment to community development has transformed communities, and the strategies he used to turn around distressed financial institutions. Under Weikenand's leadership, Orion has grown to become the largest credit union in west Tennessee with more than 72,000 members and ne...

Everything Co-op broadcast live from Capitol Hill, with attendees of the Eastern Conference for Workplace Democracy (ECWD). The conference was held in Baltimore, Maryland, October 18 - 20, 2019. Four attendees of the conference discuss their backgrounds in cooperatives, and what they hope to gain from participating in the conference. The ECWD, founded in 2002, is a conference that builds awareness...

Ron Hantz, Board President of the Network for Developing Conscious Communities (NDCC), appears on Everything Co-op. Ron and Vernon discuss NDCC's upcoming 2019 Symposium: Racial Equitable Community Development, and how the Network uses cooperative principles to build economically sound and equitable communities. Hantz has more than 28 years of experience in the development of affordable housing. A...

Councilmember Anita Bonds(CM Bonds), the At-Large Member of DC Council, discusses the Limited Equity Co-op Task Force, and other Affordable Housing Strategies on Everything Co-op. Vernon and CM Bonds discuss the Limited Equity Cooperative Task Force she established, and her view of how cooperatives can be used to address housing and other community concerns in the District of Columbia. Anita Bonds...

Members of NCBA CLUSA's Youth Empowerment Through Agriculture Group are Interviewed on Everything Co-op, at at its 2019 IMPACT Conference, Power in Purpose, Building the Next Economy. Everything Co-op was honored to serve as NCBA CLUSA's media partner for this year's IMPACT Conference. The IMPACT conference, is a premier opportunity to network with co-op developers, financiers, economists, governm...

Greg Brodsky, Director of Start.coop discusses the Start dot Co-ops Accelerator Program for cooperatively owned businesses. Start.coop empowers entrepreneurs in building transformative, scalable, cooperatively owned businesses, and in creating viable, sustainable alternatives to economic consolidation. Brodsky is the Director of Start.coop, which is an accelerator for cooperatively owned businesse...

Dr. Martin Lowery, Executive Vice President, Emeritus of National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) is interviewed on Everything Co-op. Vernon and Dr. Lowery discuss significant moments he has experienced as an advocate of cooperatives, and the work he is currently doing. He also chronicles many historical moments of the International Cooperative Alliance, NRECA, National Cooperative...

Ed Whitfield and Sohnie Black, of the Fund for Democratic Communities are Interviewed on Everything Co-op. Vernon and his guests discuss the journey of the Renaissance Community Cooperative. Renaissance is a food co-op that recently closed. Even though the cooperative closed, a lot of lessons were learned during the whole process of planning and finally opening the grocery co-op covered a span of...

Vernon interviews John Torres, VP of Communication and Public Relations for the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International. Vernon and John discuss the 2019 Cooperative IMPACT Conference, and other initiatives being sponsored by NCBA CLUSA. The conference will be held on October 2-4, at the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel, in Arlington, Virginia. John currently serves as the Vice P...

On Thursday, August 15, 2019 Everything Co-op host Vernon Oakes, and co-producer RL Condra hosted the show live from the Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Assistance Fund's 52nd Annual Meeting. Vernon Oakes discusses the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Federation of Southern Co-operatives with the Executive Director, Cornelius Blanding, and RL Condra and Vernon discuss the history of Everything...

Representative Edmond Dwayne Jordan, is a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 29. Vernon and Rep. Jordan discuss his role on the Board of Directors of Essential Federal Credit Union, how cooperatives can be used to address community problems in Louisiana, and how his commitment to those persons who are underrepresented in society aligns with cooperative values...

Richard Larochelle, Co-op Instructor, and Cooperative Hall of Fame member is interviewed by host Vernon Oakes. Vernon and Richard discuss the co-op course he teaches at the University of Mary Washington, and the different ways he continues to support the cooperative movement. Although retired now, Rich Larochelle continues to contribute to the advancement of cooperatives through his involvement wi...

Bianca Vazquez, Director of Beloved Community Incubator (BCI), discusses the genesis of the organization, and resources and services that are offered to support the development of cooperatives. She also walks through the case history of Dulce Hogar Cleaning Cooperative, a cooperative the organization helped to form. Bianca Vazquez has been at the Steinbruck Center since August of 2011. In 2011. Bi...

Kimberly Smith, CEO and founder of Marjani, a Beauty and Cosmetics Company for women of color is interviewed on Everything Co-op. Vernon and Kimberly discuss how Marjani fulfills its mission, and how it has used a cooperative business model to accommodate the business structure that was desired. As an Ivy League trained attorney, Kimberly advised companies navigating the complex regulatory world o...