Cincinnati Union Cooperative Initiative

CINCINNATI UNION COOPERATIVE INITIATIVE PARTNERS WITH INDIVIDUALS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO DEVELOP WORKER-OWNED BUSINESSES WHICH PROVIDE FAMILY- SUSTAINING JOBS AND CREATE ECONOMY THAT WORKS FOR ALL.

CO-OP EDUCATION & CULTURE BUILDING. WE FACILITATED WEEKLY TEAM MEETINGS AND RETREATS WITH OUR CO-OP WORKERS AND BOARDS OF THE DIFFERENT CO-OPS THAT WERE A PART OF OUR NETWORK DURING THIS PERIOD, INCREASING BUSINESS, FINANCIAL, AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS. WE HELD 4 SESSIONS OF A 14 WEEK BOOTCAMP CO-OP U FOR NEW CO-OP DEVELOPMENT WHICH LED TO THE FORMATION OF NEW CO-OPS DESCRIBED BELOW. WE TAUGHET A CO-OP 101 COURSE FOR 5 GROUPS IN BATTLE CREEK MI, AS WELL AS A COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS COURSE AT XAVIER. WE SPOKE AT CONFERENCES AND EVENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY VIRTUALLY.

TRANSITIONING BUSINESS TO EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP. WE SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED OUR PROGRAMMING FOCUSED ON HELPING RETIRING OWNERS TRANSITION THEIR COMPANIES TO WORKER OWNERSHIP THROUGH THE LUNCH OF THE BUSINESS LEGACY FUND. THIS MULTIMILLION DOLLAR FUND AND PROGRAM WAS LAUNCHED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SEED COMMONS FINANCIAL COOPERATIVE. TWELVE COMPANIES APPLIED FOR THE PROGRAM; 6 OF THESE COMPANIES WITH 110 WORKERS WERE ACCEPTED AND EMBARKED UPON A 6 MONTH EDUCATION AND EXPLORATION PROCESS TO DISCERN WHETHER SELLING TO THEIR EMPLOYEES WAS A VIABLE OPTION THAT MET BOTH THE OWNER'S AND WORKER'S GOALS. THIS PROGRAMMING ENTAILED BIMONTHLY COACHING, FINANCIAL LITERACY ON THE VALUE OF THEIR BUSINESS AND THREE COHORT WEBINARS ON THE BASICS OF TRANSITIONING TO WORKER OWNERSHIP. OF THESE 6 COMPANIES, ONE, SHINE NURTURE CENTER, A CHILD CARE CENTER WITH 12 WORKERS IS TRANSITIONING TO WORK OWNERSHIP IN 2021.

LAUNCH OF POWER IN NUMBERS & NEW CO-OPS. IN RESPONSE TO THE RACIALLY EXACERBATED EFFECTS OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS AND THE UPRISINGS, CO-OP CINCY DOUBLED DOWN ON OUR ABILITY TO SUPPORT MORE CO-OP ENTREPRENEURS OF COLOR IN LAUNCHING WORKER-OWNED BUSINESSES BY CODIFYING OUR THREE-MONTH CO-OP DEVELOPMENT COURSE; INFUSING IT WITH RACIAL JUSTICE EDUCATION AND CO-OP HISTORY; HIRING A NEW RACIAL JUSTICE EDUCATOR, CYNTHIA PINCHBACK-HINES; AND LAUNCHING A NEW BIPOC FOCUSED CO-OP DEVELOPMENT COURSE CALLED POWER IN NUMBERS; BLACK CO-OP U. FIVE BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES COMPLETED PIN WITH A TOTAL OF 17 WORKER-OWNERS IN BUSINESSES. THESE FIVE DIVERSE BUSINESSES INCLUDE HOPES FULFILLED FARM TO TABLE, A FOOD TRUCK AND EDUCATION LABORATORY THAT ADDRESSED THE NEED FOR HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES IN THE EVANSTON COMMUNITY. QUEEN MOTHER'S MARKET, ANOTHER SOLUTION TO FOOD INSECURITY, IS PARNERING WITH A REGIONAL BUYER'S CLUB TO INCREASE PURCHASING POWER THROUGH COLLECTIVE COOPERATION. T-SHIRTS & APPAREL UNLIMITED IS A FAITH-BASED ENTERPRISE CREATED TO HELP PEOPLE AND PROVIDE JOBS. A TOUCH OF TLC HOME HEALTHCARE ADDRESSES A GROWING EMAND FOR SKILLED CAREGIVERS IN CINCINNATI, AS FAMILIES OF AN AGIN POPULATION CHOOSE HOME CARE OVER NURSING HOMES. FINALLY, BODY BY BODJI MANUFACTURERS SWIMSUITS THAT CAN BE WORN 12 WAYS. IT FITS WOMEN OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, THEREBY ELIMINATING BODY SHAMING AND BUILDING SELF-CONFIDENCE. ALSO, MASSAGE FOR THE PEOPLE WAS ANOTHER NEW CO- OP THAT LAUNCHED THIS YEAR THAT WE SUPPORTED IN ADDITION TO THE POWER IN NUMBERS CO-OPS.

CHILD CARE NATIONAL CO-OP U & SWAHILI SPEAKING CO-OP U. ADDITIONAL CO-OP CINCY CONDUCTED THIS YEAR INCLUDED A BILINGUAL (SPANISH/ENGLISH) CHILDCARE FOCUSED COHORT WITH GROUPS IN SANTA ANA, CA, JACKSON, MS AND SPRINGFIELD, MA AND A SWAHILI SPEAKING COHORT THROUGH OUR AGRICULTURE AND CO-OP DEVELOPMENT COURSE WITH REFUGEES. THE RESULTS OF THE CHILD CARE COHORT INCLUDED SERVING OVER 30 INDIVIDUALS FROM ALL 4 CITIES. THROUGH THE COURSE, EACH TEAM COMPLETED A DEEP ASSESSMENT OF THEIR CHILD CARE MARKET AND COMMUNITY NEEDS, CHOSE A CHILD CARE MODEL, CREATED AND TESTED THIS MODEL, DEVELOPED A BUSINESS PLAN TO LAUNCH THEIR CHILD CARE BUSINESS. ALL FOUR CITIES ARE CURRENTLY IN THE MIDST OF LAUNCHING NEW CHILD CARE CO-OPS AS A RESULT AND WE CONTINUE TO SHARE INFORMATION, TEMPLATES AND BEST PRACTICES. THROUGH THE REFUGEE AGRICULTURE PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM SERVING THE SWAHILI SPEAKING CINCINNATI REFUGEE COMMUNITY, WE SERVED 14 INDIVIDUALS FROM CENTRAL AND EAST AFRICA, 2/3 OF WHOM WERE WOMEN AND 1/3 OF WHOM WERE STUDENTS AT THE LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL AIKEN. THEY SPENDT THEIR FIRST THREE MONTHS LEARNING AGRICULTURAL SKILLS AT THE OUR HARVEST FARM WITH CO-OP CINCY PROVIDING WEEKLY PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT AND THEN TRANSITIONED TO 3 MONTHS OF CO-OP DEVELOPMENT INSTRUCTION. THIS BEGAN WITH A FOUNDATIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF CO-OPS, THEN WE STARTED TO ASSESS THE SKILLS, INTERESTS, AND ABILITIES THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD HARNESS TO CREATE STRONG COOPERATIVE BUSINESSES. THE PARTICIPANTS IDENTIFIED COOKING AND EVENT PLANNING AS THE SKILLS THEY WANTED TO BUILD UPON TO FORM A COOPERATIVE BUSINESS AND HAVE BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY TO LAUNCH AN EAST AFRICAN RESTAURANT AND EVENT PLANNING CO-OP. OWN. CO-OP CINCY, ALONGSIDE PARTNERS CO-OP DAYTON AND THE OHIO EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP CENTER CAME TOGETHER TO FORM A STATEWIDE WORKER COOPERATIVE NETWORK, CALLED THE OHIO WORKER-OWNERSHIP NETWORK AND DEVELOPED THE FOUNDING PRINCIPLES, NETWORK AGREEMENT. AFTER ESTABLISHING THESE FOUNDATION DOCUMENTS WE PROCEEDED TO RECRUIT 7 ADDITIONAL CO-OP DEVELOPERS INTO THE NETWORK INCLUDING CENTER FOR THE CREATION OF COOPERATION (ATHENS), CLEVELAND OWNS (CLEVELAND), CO-OP COLUMBUS (COLUMBUS), EVERGREEN COOPERATIVES (CLEVELAND), JUNCTION ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION CENTER (TOLEDO- OCIE IRONS), OCDC/CENTER FOR COOPERATIVES (PIKETON) AND CO-OP NELSONVILLE. THROUGH THIS NETWORK WE ALSO SHARED RESOURCES, BEST PRACTICES, TEMPLATES AND PROVIDED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO ONE ANOTHER. THE PARTNERS CREATED A JOINT GOOGLE DRIVE WHERE RESOURCES AND TEMPLATES FROM EACH ORGANIZATION HAVE BEEN STORED, WE HELD MONTHLY EDUCATIONAL WEBINARS AND STUDY GROUPS TO INCREASE CAPACITY AND DO SKILL BUILDING AMONGST THE PARTNERS ON HOW TO CONVERT EXISTING BUSINESSES (OEOC)AND BUILD CO-OP CULTURE (CO-OP CINCY), THE CO-OP CINCY WORKER OWNER WORKBOOK CURRICULUM WAS UPDATED AND TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH, SUBSTANTIAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (BY OEOC) WAS PROVIDED TO SUPPORT THE TRANSITION OF EXISTING BUSINESSES TO WORKER OWNERSHIP (6 IN CINCINNATI AND 4 IN DAYTON) AND SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS WAS ALSO MADE ON CREATING LEGAL TOOLS AND TEMPLATES FOR THE MAIN INCORPORATION DOCUMENTS FOR STARTING NEW CO-OPS FOR ALL TO USE (CO-OP DAYTON).