Exploring Entrepreneurship: Cooperative Businesses

In this Exploring Entrepreneurship session, you will hear from a four-member panel about the benefits of a cooperative business structure. We’ll also dig deeper into the details of how they financed their co-op, how they manage their co-op, and how to convert your business into a cooperative.

MODERATOR:
Annelies Lottman, Texas Rural Cooperative Center

PANELISTS:
Andi Shively, Key Figures
Dan Gillote, Chief Executive Grocer, Wheatsville Co-Op
Andrea Beleno Harrington, Texas C-BAR

A cooperative, or co-op, buys and sells products or services just like any other business. The difference is a co-op is owned and governed by its members. There are nearly 30,000 cooperatives in the United States with more than 100 million members. Sometimes co-ops are formed when an owner is ready to retire and wants the business to continue with the same employees.

11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Networking, light refreshments
12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.:Panel discussion and QandA