Everything Co-op with Vernon Oakes

Civil and Voting rights advocate Rev. Wendell H. Paris, discusses relationship between Cooperative and Voting Rights movements. Rev. Paris of Jackson, Mississippi, is one of the early foot soldiers of the Civil and Voting Rights Movements. Paris, was a founding member of the Tuskegee Advancement League (TIAL), a campus organization affiliated with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SN...

Vernon interviews John Zippert, former Director of Program Operations for the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund. Vernon and John discuss his career with the Federation, the interconnectedness of the cooperative and political movements, and the importance of the two runoff elections for the U.S. Senate in Georgia. John Zippert served as the Director of Program Operations for...

Maurice Smith, CEO of Local Government Federal Credit Union (LCFCU), and Civic FCU; and Chairman of the Board of Directors at National Cooperative Bank, discusses his book "Sowing Seeds: Life Lessons From My Father". Smith shares how the life lessons his father taught him has impacted his career, and shaped his life. Maurice Smith is the CEO of Local Government Federal Credit Union (LCFCU), and Ci...

Dr. John A. McNamara, Senior Cooperative Development Specialist at Northwest Cooperative Development Center, discusses Cooperative development, and Co-op Metrics. John joined NWCDC in the Spring of 2014. Prior to coming to NWCDC John garnered 26 years of practical experience in the worker cooperative world with Union Cab of Madison. John holds a Ph. D. in Business Administration and a Masters in M...

Ron Hantz, Board President of the Network for Developing Conscious Communities (NDCC discusses place based private capital and philanthropic foundation giving strategies that support BIPOC equitable community development. Hantz has more than 28 years of experience in the development of affordable housing. After careful reflection upon his many years of experience he said, "Our ultimate goal should...

Barry Silver, President/CEO of Coop Equity, LLC, and Sarah Smith, of the Associated Milk Producers Incorporated (AMPI), discuss the NCB Co-op 100®, a listing of the nation’s top 100 revenue-earning cooperative businesses. Barry has been at the forefront of producing the list since its inception. Sarah grew up on a dairy farm and now she serves as a communications specialist at a dairy farm. Togeth...

Mo Manklang, Policy Director at the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives discusses findings of the Federation's survey, "Worker Co-ops: Weathering The Storm of COVID-19 and Beyond," and how those those findings will shape the work ahead toward building a stronger economy. As Policy Director, Mo Manklang leads policy efforts at the federal level, works with its membership on state and local initi...

John Holdsclaw IV, Executive VP of Strategic Initiatives at National Cooperative Bank discusses the state of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Cooperative Movement with host Vernon Oakes. During NCBA CLUSA International’s recent IMPACT Conference, Mr. Holdsclaw moderated a session entitled "Cooperatives Can Advance DEI: Lessons, Issues and Ways Forward." John shares strategies panelist shared d...

Deb Trocha, Executive Director of ICDC, discusses the Cooperatives and Diverse Communities 2020 conference that was held on October 30th, entitled “Reimagining Work: The Worker Cooperative Model.” She and Vernon talk about how the evolution and primary focus of the conference, and how worker co-ops are helping employees create businesses that are more equitable and just. Deb Trocha joined the Indi...

Vernon interviews Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, Ph. D, Professor of Community Justice and Social Economic Development at John Jay College of the City University of New York, and Renee Hatcher, Assistant Professor of Law at UIC John Marshall Law School in Chicago. Vernon and his guests will discuss strategies to address diversity, equity and Inclusion in cooperatives. Dr. Gordon Nembhard, is Professor o...

Laura Vogel, Senior Advisor for NRECA Political Affairs, and Kate LaTour, Director of Government Relations for the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International, discuss the importance of the 2020 Presidential election and resources provided through vote.coop for ALL voters. Laura Vogel joined NRECA in 2014, and is a member of the Political Affairs team. She is responsible for deve...

Vernon interviews Allison Hellenbrand and Brad Forbes, participants from the 2020 Cooperative IMPACT Conference Cooperative Leaders and Scholars Institute (CLSI). The conference was held virtually, October 5 - 9, 2020. In acknowledgment of National Co-op Month, everyone who registers will have access to the sessions throughout October. The Cooperative Leaders and Scholars Institute is an opportuni...

NCB CEO Charles , Snyder joins NCBA CLUSA's President/CEO Doug O'Brien and VP of Communications and Public Relations John Torres, to discuss the 2020 Cooperative IMPACT Conference. This year the conference will be held virtually, October 5-9, 2020. Online registration is open at www.ncbaclusa.coop, and has the capacity to accommodate unlimited registrants. This conference offers an opportunity to...

Rob Larew, President of the National Farmers Union discusses racial equity in co-ops, and how COVID-19 has impacted farmers. EArlier this year Rob was elected as the National Farmers Union's 15th president during the organization's 118th anniversary convention. Larew, who was raised on a West Virginia dairy farm, served as NFU's Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Communications since fall...

Vernon Oakes talks with three more of Start.coop's 2020 Cohort of Entrepreneur Teams. The interviews are a precursor to The People's Pitch, a pitch event celebrating Start.coop's class of 2020. This week Vernon will interviews: Angela Dawson, President/CEO of Forty Acre Co-op, A Black-led cooperative advancing innovative agriculture and technology for socially disadvantaged farmers nationwide; Sar...

Everything Co-op has partnered with Start.coop to interview graduates from its 2020 cohort of entrepreneur teams. The interviews are a precursor to "The People's Pitch", a pitch event celebrating the Start.coop's class of 2020. This week Greg Brodsky, Co-Director of Start.coop, joins representatives from two of the teams: Austin Robey, Co-Founder of Ampled, and Lewis Weil, founder of Money Positiv...

Alison Powers, Cooperative & Community Initiatives Manager at Capital Impact Partners, and Camille Kerr, Founder of ChiFresh Kitchen discuss the 2020 Co-op Innovation Award, and the work being done by co-op owners of ChiFrish Kitchen. Capital Impact Partners, in partnership with National Cooperative Bank, awarded a total of $100,000 to the 2020 Co-op Innovative Awardees, - ChiFresh, The Guild, and...

Micha and Vernon discuss how the Cooperative Fund of New England (CFNE) uses its expertise to address racial inequities in financial institutions, by providing technical assistance, instituting standardized policies that account for racial biases; and partnering with other community organizations to deliver services. As Executive Director, Micha is responsible for executive leadership, program dev...

Vernon Interviews Nikishka Iyengar, founder and CEO of The Guild, a social enterprise, focused on building community wealth through real estate and entrepreneurship programs. Nakishka is also the owner of the Whole Systems Collective, an impact consulting and media firm with a focus on working towards a just and regenerative economy. Nikishka and Vernon discuss the democratization and governance o...

Vernon and Amanda discuss how the Center builds capacities of worker cooperatives and cooperative ecosystems across the state of West Virginia, and the region. Amanda is an Appalachian Cooperative educator and advocate who develops, organizes, and implements non-traditional modes of learning within the University context. She holds an MA in Geography and conducts action research focused on coopera...

Vernon interviews Ann Fedorchak, Managing Director at National Cooperative Bank (NCB), and Michael Partis, Executive Director at the Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative (BCDI), and his team. Vernon and his guests discuss the 2020 Co-op Innovation Award, and its foundation.

Anthony Cook, Professor at Georgetown University, discusses how he uses the clinical experiential education program at Georgetown Law, to bridge the gaps between wealth, income and power. He also talks about his journey to discovering the value of the cooperative business model, and realization of how a cooperative ecosystem can be used to address the needs of under-served communities. Professor A...

Sarah Hrisak, Lead Coffee Roaster and Production Supervisor at Equal Exchange, Inc., talks about the employee centered focus and cooperative business structure of Equal Exchange. Vernon and Sarah also discuss how Equal Exchange has supported its employees during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sarah supervises the roasting of about 5.5 million pounds of coffee a year to a range of roast profiles and strict...

Rob and Vernon discuss Marketing and Branding during COVID-19, and the role he feels it should play in the process of reshaping businesses in a post COVID-19 World. Rob is the head of Small World Communications, a web hosting and online marketing company focused on small businesses (smallworld.coop). He is a veteran of the Southern California tech scene with roots in several Idealab startups. Rob...

Vernon Oakes, host of Everything Co-op discusses the plight of the United States Postal Service (USPS). We are in serious jeopardy of losing USPS unless we speak up. As cooperatives and as individuals we are all dependent on the United States Postal Service (USPS). We believe it’s time for the cooperative community to add its collective voice to the public calls for action to save the USPS. We hav...