Over the past 3 years, CDS Consulting Co-op has produced over 20 webinars for people involved in starting a new food co-op. which have been recorded for your use.  The workshops are based on the "Four Cornerstones in Three Stages" model developed by CDS Consulting Co-op and Cooperative Development Services.  Our presenters are nationally recognized experts with many years experience supporting both established and new co-ops.  While many of these sessions will be valuable in multiple stages, we have organized them according to when they will be most relevant.  

 

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Startup Webinars

 

Stage I - Organizing

01/10/12 - Creating a Vision - By: Bill Gessner, CDS Consulting Co-op & Stuart Reid, Food Co-op Initiative

01/17/12 - Create Priorities and Build Alignment for each Stage - By: Bill Gessner & Jeanie Wells, CDS Consulting Co-op

01/24/12 - Co-op Technology Toolkit - By: Jake Schlachter, Food Co-op Initiative

02/07/12 - Effective Boards and Teams: Structure and Accountability - By: Ben Sandel and Michael Healy, CDS Consulting Co-op

02/14/12 - Effective Boards and Teams II: Teamwork, Process, and Decision-Making - By: Ben Sandel, Michael Healy, Art Sherwood, CDS Consulting Co-op

09/10/08 - Orientation to development - Four cornerstones in three stages - By: Bill Gessner, CDS Consulting Co-op

02/17/10 - Developing a shared vision and building alignment - By: Bill Gessner, CDS Consulting Co-op

03/30/10 - Developing and managing a timeline - By: Bill Gessner, CDS Consulting Co-op

09/17/08 - Skills and tools for the organizing stage - By: Stuart Reid, Food Co-op Initiative

09/24/08 - Legal issues for new co-ops - By: Joel Dahlgren, Stoel Rives LLP

02/06/08 - Creating development budget - By: Bill Gessner, CDS Consulting Co-op

10/15/08 - Sources and uses - Creating a development budget - By: Bill Gessner, CDS Consulting Co-op

 

Stage II - Feasibility and Planning

02/13/08 - Market research - Projecting sales potential and finding the right site - By: Pete Davis, CDS Consulting Co-op 

10/29/08 - Market research 2 - Projecting sales potential and identifying site characteristics - By: Debbie Suassuna, CDS Consulting Co-op

03/16/10 - Choosing a location - By: Debbie Suassuna, CDS Consulting Co-op

02/20/08 - Evaluating feasibility and planning for success - By: Mel Braverman, CDS Consulting Co-op

10/22/08 - Evaluating feasibility and planning for success 2 - By: Mel Braverman, CDS Consulting Co-op

03/02/10 - Capitalizing your co-op - By: Tami Bauers & Bill Gessner, CDS Consulting Co-op

01/07/09 - Planning your member loan campaign - By: Bill Gessner, CDS Consulting Co-op

10/08/08 - Members economic participation - By: Marilyn Scholl, CDS Consulting Co-op

01/16/08 - Best practices of membership programs - By: Marilyn Scholl, CDS Consulting Co-op

01/23/08 - Governance and accountability - By: Mark Goehring, CDS Consulting Co-op

 

Stage III - Implementation

 

01/14/09 - Marketing and promotion - By: Kelly Smith, NCGA

04/13/10 - Preliminary store design - By: PJ Hoffman, CDS Consulting Co-op

01/28/09 - Project Management - By: Denise Chevalier, CDS Consulting Co-op

04/27/10 - Hiring and guiding a project mgr/GM - By: Bill Gessner & Carolee Colter, CDS Consulting Co-op

01/21/09 - Hiring your first general manger - By: Carolee Colter, CDS Consulting Co-op

02/21/12 - Starting a Buying Club - By Stuart Reid & Jake Schlachter, Food Co-op Initiative