Every time I hear of a new worker-owned business, I get excited. Recently, there has been another groundswell of cooperatives bubbling up, as they do ever so often when the country goes through economic, political, and societal turmoil. The only difference this time is that there is more structural cohesiveness than usual, which comes in the form of Cooperation Buffalo.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve talked to a number of people who have enrolled in the Cooperative Academy – a program that has now serviced over 100 people, and is gearing up for its fourth fall session in a row.
Over 100 individuals have graduated from the Cooperative Academy in its first three cohorts.
The program is a business bootcamp of sorts, which teaches people how to navigate business development, finance, governance, democratic decision making, and participatory management. The course also details some of the history and culture of cooperative economics in the US, and in Buffalo.
Speaking of the history of the cooperative in Buffalo, there’s a lot to cover, but at the same time there’s a lot more research to be conducted. Andrew Delmonte, Executive Director at Cooperation Buffalo, told me that they are in the process of researching the rich history of cooperatives in this city – a process that will take some time.
“It’s something that gets me excited, to thoroughly research the project, with the help of local experts,” said Delmonte, who spent six years working at the Small Business Development Center at SUNY Buffalo State before onboarding with Cooperation Buffalo. “It’s a pet project that I will be working on over the course of the next couple of years. The cooperatives tend to spring up at different points in time throughout history – the Great Depression, the 2008 recession, times of economic upheaval… these are times when people tend to decide that they have had enough of (traditional) businesses and government and say, ‘We can take care of ourselves.'”
Cooperative Buffalo is able to function thanks to national funding, from sources such as Seed Commons (also a cooperation enterprise). The cooperative culture is still seen as a little too radical for regional funding sources, according to Delmonte, though that will hopefully change as more cooperatives take hold.
The pandemic has certainly been a time of unrest and uncertainty, which has led to more people being interested in exploring the cooperative model. For some, this means a process of unlearning. For so long, we have taken for granted that there are no alternatives other than the mainstream systems of business, which are built upon a hierarchy of owners and workers. There are bosses, and there are employees. The cooperative bucks that trend, by offering up a system where everyone wins. But that means that the cooperatives must be successful, in order for everyone to succeed and be happy. That’s where Cooperation Buffalo comes in.
Small businesses that are working towards this cooperative model include Extra Extra!, The Healing Grounds, and The Rose Garden, which will reopen on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 with one preschool room. From there, the early childhood center will be adding classrooms, thanks to the hiring of a director, and five new teachers who are all on track to become worker owners.
Delmonte told me that there are a number of other cooperatives on track to opening, including a real estate investment business that will focus on properties the lower West Side, a farmworker-owned flower business, a worker-owned IT company, an existing West Side tree care service that is converting to a cooperative, and a consulting and facilitations group that will offer services to cooperatives. The cooperative economy is growing in Buffalo… Delmonte is hopeful that (next up) there will be cooperative book keepers, law firms, etc. As more and more people understand the benefits of the cooperatives, the possibilities are endless.
Delmonte is so upbeat about the cooperative movement, that they believe that there will be a series of cooperative tours in the near future, where people will get to meet the worker owners, and learn about the inner-workings of the solidarity and mutual aid efforts.
Another way to empower those who are interested in the operational nature of cooperatives is through the establishment of a lending library. Cooperative Buffalo’s newly launched free lending library can be accessed remotely for the time being. The hope is to establish a brick and mortar lending library in the near future. To learn more, visit www.cooperationbuffalo.org/lending-library and fill out this form to request an item.
When it comes to opening up a new business, what could be better than coming together as a team that shares the same values and the same work ethics? Each member brings different business attributes to the table. Each member is an important building block. And each member has a vested interest in seeing the enterprise grow in ways that can only be achieved by building a cohesive unit.
After completing the course and pitching their cooperative business concept, Academy graduates will receive up to $2,500 in seed capital as a reimbursement for eligible start-up expenses.
“Our vision is to support a resilient and interconnected ecosystem of community-owned businesses that allow for neighborhood self-determination, worker dignity, and wealth building for the many and not just the few,” said Delmonte. “I am excited that we are able to offer seed capital to this year’s Academy cohort, because access to adequate resources is an ongoing systemic barrier to starting worker cooperatives, especially for marginalized communities.”
The future of the cooperative has arrived. It’s an old concept that is enjoying (another) revival. Now, the hope is that this revival will become such a game changer for Buffalo, that the worker-owner concept will be commonplace, and no longer considered ‘radical.’ After all, the cooperative concept should be more universally accepted than its heavy handed counterpart that is the crux of corporate America.
More about the 2022 Cooperative Academy:
For eleven Wednesdays from October 5th through December 14th, teams will engage in The Cooperative Academy. Designed for teams working together on a single business concept, and intending to open their cooperative within a year. Teams of at least 3 people are required to apply. Priority will be given to teams of individuals who have been historically excluded from opportunities to build wealth, including Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. If you or someone you know is interested in joining the cohort, make sure to get those applications in by August 31st! Applications and more information about the program can be found at www.cooperationbuffalo.org/academy.
266 Elmwood Avenue #985, Buffalo, NY 14222 (716) 541-0407