Cooperative Leadership Forum

For current and emerging leaders, employees and directors; this co-op workshop emphasizes co-op education and leadership development across generations. The workshop includes tours of local cooperatives representing a variety of industries and structures. It is key for emerging leaders to quickly understand the unique cooperative model, the importance of cooperative relationships with each member/owner, and how to manage a cooperative. It is not the same as the investor owned world that was developed solely to make a profit. All co-ops were started to serve a unique need of their members/owners, not served by the investor owned market.

The forum is a dynamic, hands-on learning experience that provides opportunities to interact with others with similar interests and goals. Participants form teams and work together to:

- Create their own cooperative
- Develop a business plan for their co-op
- Develop a governance structure
- Create pro forma
- Develop an operations, marketing and distribution plan
- Tour local cooperatives

Attendees experience day-to-day operations while visiting local cooperatives. These tours will add value to the overall learning experience, helping to create a more valuable and knowledgeable employee that excels in a broad based cooperative system. New and prospective directors will emerge better prepared to make informed decisions and understand their fiduciary role, to the members they represent. New employees will appreciate a clear understanding of their unique cooperative and their relationship with the co-op’s members-owners-customers.