Co-op Power Hour – KGNU Community Radio

After running for nearly two years, the Co-op Power Hour ends this month. On this show we look back on the show, and the Colorado Co-ops Study Circle, and look toward the future of the new co-op ecosystem in Colorado. Cooperatively co-hosted by Paul Bindel, Katie Falkenberg, Amy Lynn Herman, Caroline Savery, and Nathan Schneider.

What does it take for cooperatives to take hold in the economy? Principle six of the seven international cooperative principles is “cooperation among cooperatives,” but this can be easier said than done. In this show, we hear from Howard Brodsky, co-CEO and founder of CCA Global Partners, a large purchasing cooperative, and founder of Cooperatives for a Better World.

Together with Kaeleigh Barker, CBW’s communications director, he’ll explain how his organization is working to build a united front for cooperatives in Colorado through the online platform Colorado.coop. Then, we hear a national perspective from Doug O’Brien, president and CEO of NCBA-CLUSA, the National Cooperative Business Association. He’s the leader of the main organization that represents cooperatives nationwide.

The Co-op Power Hour is a monthly production of the Colorado Co-operative Study Circle. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm on It’s the Economy.

Today’s show looks at the emerging movement as well as the history of food cooperatives.

The Co-op Power Hour is a monthly production of the Colorado Co-operative Study Circle. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm on It’s the Economy.

For the last five years author Nathan Schneider, host of KGNU’s monthly show the Co-op Power Hour, has been examining cooperative businesses and the growth in interest in them since the 2008 financial crash.

His new book Everything for Everyone: The Radical Tradition that Is Shaping the Next Economy looks at the rise in cooperative businesses which he says are an alternative “to the robber-baron economy hiding in plain sight; we just need to know where to look.” Cooperatives are jointly owned, democratically controlled enterprises that advance the economic, social, and cultural interests of their members.

Nathan Schneider is the host of KGNU’s Co-op Power Hour which airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm during It’s the Economy.  He will speak about his new book on the cooperative movement on September 12th at the Boulder Bookstore at 7.30pm, and on Friday September 14th at 7pm at the Bookbar in Denver.

When we hear the words “Main Street,” it tends to refer to a story of decline. The rise of big boxes—and now platforms like Amazon—seem to be making a world in which consolidation is the norm, and small, local, creative business is a dying breed. But there is a force that stands against that trend: purchasing co-ops. Their members are typically not individuals but small businesses that join together in order to survive and thrive.

Purchasing co-ops often lurk in the background, so end consumers don’t notice them, but they they make possible businesses like Boulder’s McGuckin Hardware, as well as Dairy Queen and Best Western. We speak with two Boulder-area leaders of remarkable young purchasing co-ops. Allison Morris is president of the Veterinary Cooperative, which serves independent vets, and Stephen Irvin is president of Amicus Solar, which serves local green-energy utility companies. With modest staffs and budgets, and after only a few years, these co-ops have already transformed the markets in which they operate.

The Co-op Power Hour is a monthly production of the Colorado Co-operative Study Circle. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm on It’s the Economy.

We live in a time when housing is a defining asset. It is the main source of wealth for many people, but it was also part of the cause of the major economic crisis of our era.

Especially here in Colorado, housing costs have risen far faster than most people’s incomes. Here and elsewhere, people have been turning to cooperative models as a way to turn the tide—or even survive. On this show, we look at two innovative strategies for a more sustainable future of housing.

We hear from Karin Hoskin, executive director of the Co-housing Association of the United States, who lives in one of Boulder County’s several co-housing communities.

Along with her we’re joined by Paul Bradley, President of ROC USA and a recent inductee in the Cooperative Hall of Fame for his work enabling residents of manufactured home communities to be owners of the land under their homes.

The Co-op Power Hour is a monthly production of the Colorado Co-operative Study Circle. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm on It’s the Economy.

In this episode, we talk about agriculture and cooperatives. Agriculture, homesteading and the rural lifestyle was at one time the economic backbone of the state and is in many ways the key heritage of the state.  Colorado agriculture generates more than $41B in economic activity and employs more than 173k people in the state. Production agriculture and processing account for a majority of Colorado’s agricultural activity.  Colorado is a net exporter of agricultural products.

Most of this activity happens outside of the Front Range in rural communities, beyond the reach of urban services and consumers. Much of Colorado agriculture has organized itself within the cooperative spirit, opting for self-help and mutual aid.  Yet, much of this land, the businesses that rely on it and the communities that support it are in transition.  It is estimated that the average age of farmers in the USA is more than 58 years old.  Millions of acres of farmland will undergo ownership transitions in the next 2 decades.  This raises important questions about food security and about the continued vitality of our rural communities.  We talk to Jason Brancel, CEO and President of Agfinity, Inc, and Brian Scott, co-founder of 63rd Street Farm.  Our guests represent contrasting poles in terms of scale, maturity, and approach to agriculture.

Listen to the entire show here:

The Co-op Power Hour is a monthly production of the Colorado Co-operative Study Circle. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm on It’s the Economy.

In most companies, the job of the Human Resources department is to manage the workforce so as to benefit the company’s outside owners. But what about when the workers are the owners? Jennifer Briggs worked for 13 years at New Belgium Brewing, where she was VP of Human Resources. Now this Colorado native is a leader in the employee ownership community nationwide. She shares her secrets on how shared ownership can foster a healthy, participatory workplace culture in a fast-growing company.

The Co-op Power Hour is a monthly production of the Colorado Co-operative Study Circle. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm on It’s the Economy.

As Metro Denver undergoes drastic changes, what does it mean to build community wealth? Yessica Holguin is a fellow at the Community Wealth Building Network, where she is working to organize and mobilize cooperative economies, especially in low-income communities of color. She is joined by Madilde García and Irma Díaz, two member-owners of Mujeres Emprendedoras, a cooperative incubating women’s businesses in the Westwood neighborhood of Denver.

The Co-op Power Hour is a monthly production of the Colorado Co-operative Study Circle. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm on It’s the Economy.