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Co-op U

CUCI’s mission is to create a collaborative network of worker-owned businesses that sustain families and build communities. In order to achieve this mission, CUCI has been doing new co-op development and education from its inception, however, never in a scalable format. Over the years, we have spent countless hours mentoring individual co-op entrepreneurs and developing our educational resources. Since 2011, we have had over 500 individuals reach out to us, inquiring how to launch worker cooperatives. Currently, we have 20 groups that are on a waiting list for our assistance in co-op development. We regularly receive visitors from around the country wanting to replicate the model.  We do not have the capacity to work with each of the groups individually yet we know the collective financial impact these co-ops could offer their communities.

In 2015, CUCI completed a strategic planning process that included the creation of an education arm, called the Co-op U, in order to increase CUCI’s impact by more efficiently meeting the demand for union co-op education. By creating an education arm, groups will be able to attend a 12-week course 2-3 times per year.  We will help more potential co-ops go through the feasibility, business planning, and accessing capital phases, getting more worker-owned businesses off the ground in Cincinnati. Additionally, Co-op U will help us better meet the demand from around the country by providing programming such as multi-day boot-camps, seminars, retreats etc. to teach groups from other cities the best practices regarding cooperative business development.

Excitingly, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation has provided significant support to bring Isabel Uribe, a renowned Mondragon cooperative development specialist, to Cincinnati to help us launch CUCI’s Co-op U training institute that will address this backlog in Q1 of 2018.

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Conversions

We are also looking to scale up our ability to save family sustaining jobs by converting existing businesses to co-ops. Did you know that in the manufacturing sector alone there are more than 700 companies in Cincinnati with owners ready to retire? Historically 80% of these companies will close their doors. Think of these jobs, these families. Our co-op model can save these jobs, and sustain these families by helping the owners sell the companies to the employees. We’re working with 2 of these companies right now.

Read more about this work at: https://www.cincinnatiunioncoop.org/succession-planning/

What we've done...

Here are some of the highlights CUCI has accomplished in the past 6 years:

CUCI and GDUCI Hosted First Succession Planning Workshops.

In late May, CUCI and GDUCI hosted workshops in Cincinnati and Dayton on succession planning for retiring small business owners, with a focus on engaging manufacturing businesses.  Chris Cooper from the Ohio Employee Ownership Center led these workshops, which were also co-sponsored by Ohio Means Jobs, the Ohio Small Business Development Centers, Montgomery County, and the law firm of Pickrel, Schaeffer, and Ebeling.  Attendees included small business owners, service providers such as CPAs and financial planners, and representatives of county economic development agencies. Participants got an overview of the process of planning for retirement as an owner of a small business, as well as concrete tips on tax incentives, timelinesand options. Conversion to worker-ownership, and specifically cooperatives and ESOPs, were discussed in detail.

GDUCI ED Wins Prestigious Ecohing Green Fellowship

GDUCI is proud to announce that Executive Director Lela Klein has been selected as a 2017 Echoing Green Fellow! Echoing Green provides unrestricted seed-stage funding and strategic foundational support to emerging leaders working to bring about positive social change. Past Echoing Green Fellows include the founders of City Year and Public Allies as well a First Lady of the United States. In May, GDUCI elected five new Board members. In June, it held its first Board mini-retreat to engage in annual and longer term planning.  GDUCI's Gem City Market continues its share drive, with over 400 shares sold in the first six weeks of sales.

Sustainergy Expands Services in Sector, FREE Assessments

Another great month on the books for Sustainergy! We have now expanded into mold remediation to further help people improve their homes. We inspired a Harvard Graduate Student Rachel Price to come work with us as an intern for the summer. She will be using her business expertise to help us continue to expand and grow our business. This Fourth of July we're celebrating independence and freedom by sharing a little "free" — as in a FREE home assessment where we will determine ways to help make your home more comfortable and reduce your energy bills up to 30%! CONTACT US today to schedule yours!

Join Our Community; Be an Apple Street Leader

Apple Street Market invites everyone to our Community Owner Meeting August 15 at the Letter Carriers Hall (4100 Colerain Ave) at 5:30pm. Hear the latest—learn about Apple Street’s important partnership with NEST; how the building permitting process is going; and how the city of Cincinnati can help secure the building with a HUD 108 loan. This will supercharge the project, catalyzing the financing from our other partners, and allowing bidding and then construction to begin later this year. Also, now that they are transitioning to development they need to change a couple of legal documents.  This will require your (community owner) vote, at the General Meeting scheduled for August 15th at 4100 Colerain Avenue.

Read more on the specific by laws and articles of incorporation proposed amendments. 

Renting Partnerships Seeking Affordable Housing Advocates, Meeting on 17th!

Renting Partnerships is seeking people to help us unleash our potential for building the assets of people who cannot afford to buy a home. We create intentional communities in which individual households build financial credits as they participate in policy and problem solving to preserve the quality, stability and affordability of housing that is owned or leased collectively.  This system creates a sense of ownership and the security that low income households need to grow personally and financially. If this sounds exciting and you would be willing to participate in several strategic planning meetings, please join us at a meeting on July 17 at 6:30pm in the CUCI office at the Peaslee Center.