Cooperatives (Co-ops)

CDS Consulting Co-op

http://www.cdsconsulting.coop

The CDS Consulting Co-op is a network of independent consulting professionals who specialize in food cooperatives. CDS provides consulting, training, and development services by pooling the unique skills and resources of each of its experts. The Consulting Group offers advice to help food cooperatives improve their leadership and performance, grow and expand their companies and membership, and better serve their communities. Read more about CDS Consulting Co-op...

California Center for Cooperative Development

http://www.cccd.coop

Highlighting how cooperatives can address the social and economic needs of California's communities - specifically helping low income and moderate income people and neighborhoods - the California Center for Cooperative Development provides cooperatives and those interested in starting cooperatives with start up, management, and other technical assistance. Although only founded in 2007, many of the staff bring years of experience from the University of California at Davis Center for Cooperatives, which closed it doors in 2004. Read more about California Center for Cooperative Development...

Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives

http://www.arizmendi.coop

Located in California, the Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives consists of six bakery worker cooperatives and a development and support collective that provides financial, legal, organizational, and educational support to the members of the Association and coordinates the development of new cooperatives. The Association also provides significant worker cooperative resources on its website, including several listserves that enable networking opportunities for those involved in the cooperative movement. Read more about Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives...

Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-op

http://www.tpss.coop

Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-op (TPSS) is a natural foods grocery store cooperative with two locations,4,000 member-owners, and over $10 million in annual sales based in the nearby Washington suburbs of Takoma Park and Silver Spring, Maryland. The co-op first opened its doors in 1981. In February of 1998 the co-op moved to a larger location in Takoma Park. In 2001, TPSS opened a second storefront in nearby Silver Spring.

Maryland Food Collective

http://www.marylandfoodcollective.org/

Founded in 1975 on the University of Maryland, College Park, campus, this worker co-op is the oldest continuously operating campus-based retail food cooperative in the United States. The 4,000-square-foot store, located in the basement of the campus student union building does over $500,000 in business a year. Read more about Maryland Food Collective...

Greenbelt Homes

http://www.ghi.coop

Established to provide public housing during the New Deal, in 1952 the Federal Government decided to sell Greenbelt to the highest bidder. To avoid being bought by a private landlord, citizens in Greenbelt formed a housing cooperative and purchased the homes themselves. Greenbelt Homes today still owns the 1,600 original units, making it the DC-region's largest housing cooperative. Read more about Greenbelt Homes...

DC Cooperative Housing Coalition

http://www.coopsdc.org/

Founded as a coalition in 1984 and incorporated in 1993, the DC Cooperative Housing Coalition is the leading trade association of housing cooperatives in the District of Columbia. The coalition estimates that there are 15,000 co-op housing units in the DC metropolitan region, the majority of which are within the District of Columbia. Read more about DC Cooperative Housing Coalition...

The Wayfarer Cooperative

http://www.wayfarercoop.org

Located in the University District, two blocks from the University of Washington, the Wayfarer Cooperative was formed when a group of local residents decided to purchase the Wayfarer building in 1951. The housing cooperative consists of 28 units (studios and one-bedroom units) on four floors. The building has been designated a historical site by the city due to its period brick box style construction - one of only a few remaining examples in Seattle. Read more about The Wayfarer Cooperative...

Sunny Arms Artist Cooperative

http://www.sunnyarms.com/

Located in a renovated factory near the Georgetown neighborhood, the Sunny Arms Artist Cooperative was formed in 1989 with the acquisition of this 35,000-square-foot, 5-story former shoe factory. While the seller had to provide the financing because banks were skeptical of the non-traditional project, the coop would receive the Seattle Design Commission's "Housing Designs That Work" in 1991. It currently houses 18 studios, ranging in size from 1,400 to 3000 square feet (artist built) and 32 member artists. Read more about Sunny Arms Artist Cooperative...

PCC (Puget Consumers' Co-op) Natural Markets

http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com

Initially a food-buying club of 15 families in 1953, PCC Natural Markets has grown to the largest consumer-owned natural food cooperative in the nation with nine stores in the Puget Sound region and nearly 40,000 members. Over the past decade, PCC has contributed more than $500,000 to local community groups. In 2008, the cooperative had more than $133 million in sales. Read more about PCC (Puget Consumers' Co-op) Natural Markets...

People's Memorial Funeral Cooperative

http://www.funerals.coop

Fully owned by the 80,000 living members of the People's Memorial Association (PMA), People's Memorial Funeral Cooperative (PMFC) is a licensed full-service funeral home providing discounts to its member but also open to the public. In 2007, after the end of a 65-year relationship with an existing funeral service provider over costs, the members of PMA voted unanimously at its April annual meeting to establish PMFC to provide affordable cremation and burial services. Read more about People's Memorial Funeral Cooperative...

New Seattle Massage

http://www.newseattlemassage.com

Possibly the largest of its kind in the nation, New Seattle Massage is a cooperatively owned massage practice consisting of more than 25 Washington State Licensed massage practitioners. The cooperative model allows each of its self-employed practitioners to benefit from pooling resources and group marketing, enabling them to provide clients with amenities that none could offer individually (e.g. steam room, sauna, showers). Read more about New Seattle Massage...

Group Health Cooperative

http://www.ghc.org

Founded in 1947, Group Health Cooperative is a consumer-governed, nonprofit health care system that coordinates care and coverage. Based in Seattle, Group Health and its subsidiary health carriers, Group Health Options, Inc. and KPS Health Plans, serve more than half a million residents of Washington state and Idaho with more than 950 physicians. Read more about Group Health Cooperative ...

Darigold

http://www.darigold.com

Producing more than 2 million gallons of milk a day and more than 10 percent of the nation's butter, Darigold is the fourth largest farmer-owned dairy cooperative in the United States and one of the largest privately held organizations in the state of Washington. Founded in 1918, the cooperative has more than 500 member-owners, ranging from those who manage herds as small as 50 cows to those who own more than 20,000. Read more about Darigold...

Central Coop's Madison Market Natural Foods

http://www.madisonmarket.com/

Certified as Seattle's first organic retailer in 2001, Central Co-op is a member-owned natural foods cooperative that offers free membership to those who are homeless, physically or mentally challenged, or living on a restricted income. Established in 1978, the Central Co-op has had more than 5,000 members-owners join since moving to its new location in 1999. Sales in 2007 were nearly $13 million. Read more about Central Coop's Madison Market Natural Foods...

Apex Belltown Co-op

http://apexcoop.org/

Purchased in 1981 but requiring nearly three years of sweat equity and significant repairs, the Apex Belltown Co-op was finally deemed livable in 1984. Consisting of four shared kitchens and eight shared bathrooms, plus 20 living units with one, two or three rooms, the cooperative owns and operate 35 percent (two floors) of the former Apex Hotel in Seattle's Belltown District. There are approximately 25 people currently living in the coop. Read more about Apex Belltown Co-op...

Phinney Neighborhood Preschool Coop

http://www.phinneycenter.org/pnpc/index.html

Creating a family-oriented preschool, the Phinney Neighborhood Preschool Coop is parent-run, requiring that each member parent participate at some level in his or her child's classes. Founded in 1981 from a grant from the Seattle-based Phinney Neighborhood Association, its success has led to expansion grants from the city and the opening of two additional preschool cooperatives - the 65th Preschool Cooperative Street in 2001 and Phinney Cooperativa Preescolar en Español in January 2010. Read more about Phinney Neighborhood Preschool Coop ...

Technology Credit Union

http://www.techcu.com

In April of 1960, employees at Fairchild Camera and Instrument Semiconductor Division assembled in the cafeteria and decided to form a credit union. By the end of that year they had 600 members holding $65,000. By 1970, membership was up to 6,320 with $3.5 million in assets. Today, Tech CU is now among the top 1% of the nation's largest credit unions with seven full service branches in the Silicon Valley and more than $1.5 billion in assets. Read more about Technology Credit Union...

EcoCare Professional Housecleaning

http://www.wagescooperatives.org/eco-care.html

Founded in 1999 with the aid of the Oakland-based nonprofit Women's Action to Gain Economic Security (WAGES) and owned by nine women from the San Jose southern suburbs of Morgan Hill, Hollister, and San Martin, Eco-Care Professional Housecleaning is now a separate workers' cooperative. Its business provides residential and commercial cleaning services from Hollister to South San Jose using ecologically friendly methods. Read more about EcoCare Professional Housecleaning...

People's Food Co-op

http://www.peoples.coop

Founded in 1970, People's Food completed an expansion in 2002. The store has over 3,100 active members, employs 30, with annual sales of roughly $4.5 million. As part of the 2002 expansion, People's implemented a number of design features that aim to maximize energy efficiency and sustainability. As part of its sustainability effort, it also delivers food to customers by bicycle. Read more about People's Food Co-op...