Cooperatives a Rising Trend
Posted on | September 2, 2010 | No Comments
Becky McCray over at Small Biz Survival drafted a recent post about using cooperatives as an alternative business model. Once thought to be strictly the domain of agricultural producers, the cooperative model is enjoying a slow revival, with 2012 already declared the International Year of Cooperatives by the United Nations. Basically, cooperatives are owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit (Wikipedia).
Cooperatives have, for ages, helped communities economically, creating local jobs while providing essential goods and services.
Within Canada, a Cooperatives Secretariat exists to spur economic growth and social development of Canadian society through cooperative enterprise. The Cooperative Development Initiative even offers funding for innovative cooperative applications.
Along with the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, other successful examples include tourism (Yukon Tourism Cooperative Marketing Fund), retail (TruServ Canada, Co-op stores), film (Newfoundland Independent Filmmakers Cooperative), child-care (Turtle Park Cooperative Childcare Centre), education (Tender Years Co-op School) along with a smattering of large financial services institutions and producer co-ops. It’s clear that even today, cooperatives continue to offer a practical option for the provision of products and services.
Rurally speaking, cooperatives can emerge as a model of choice to offer area residents health services, education, power/electrical services or even retail options (e.g. coffee house, farm supply, clothing store). When properly managed, cooperatives can provide greater control over destinies, by supporting smaller, regional communities in ways that a corporate enterprise cannot.
Further information about what a cooperative is and does can be found on the Canadian Co-operative Association website.
Please feel free to share any other cooperative examples in the comments section below!
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