After running for nearly two years, the Co-op Power Hour ends this month. On this show we look back on the show, and the Colorado Co-ops Study Circle, and look toward the future of the new co-op ecosystem in Colorado. Cooperatively co-hosted by Paul Bindel, Katie Falkenberg, Amy Lynn Herman, Caroline Savery, and Nathan Schneider.

What does it take for cooperatives to take hold in the economy? Principle six of the seven international cooperative principles is "cooperation among cooperatives," but this can be easier said than done. In this show, we hear from Howard Brodsky, co-CEO and founder of CCA Global Partners, a large purchasing cooperative, and founder of Cooperatives for a Better World. Together with Kaeleigh Barker, CBW's communications director, he'll explain how his organization is working to build a united front for cooperatives in Colorado through the online platform Colorado.coop. Then, we hear a national perspective from Doug O'Brien, president and CEO of NCBA-CLUSA, the National Cooperative Business Association. He's the leader of the main organization that represents cooperatives nationwide.     The Co-op Power Hour is a monthly production of the Colorado Co-operative Study Circle. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm on It’s the Economy.

Today's show looks at the emerging movement as well as the history of food cooperatives.     The Co-op Power Hour is a monthly production of the Colorado Co-operative Study Circle. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm on It’s the Economy.

When we hear the words “Main Street,” it tends to refer to a story of decline. The rise of big boxes—and now platforms like Amazon—seem to be making a world in which consolidation is the norm, and small, local, creative business is a dying breed. But there is a force that stands against that trend: purchasing co-ops. Their members are typically not individuals but small businesses that join together in order to survive and thrive.     Purchasing co-ops often lurk in the background, so end consumers don’t notice them, but they they make possible businesses like Boulder's McGuckin Hardware, as well as Dairy Queen and Best Western. We speak with two Boulder-area leaders of remarkable young purchasing co-ops. Allison Morris is president of the Veterinary Cooperative, which serves independent vets, and Stephen Irvin is president of Amicus Solar, which serves local green-energy utility companies. With modest staffs and budgets, and after only a few years, these co-ops have already transformed the markets in which they operate. The Co-op Power Hour is a monthly production of the Colorado Co-operative Study Circle. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm on It’s the Economy.  

In this episode, we talk about agriculture and cooperatives. Agriculture, homesteading and the rural lifestyle was at one time the economic backbone of the state and is in many ways the key heritage of the state. Colorado agriculture generates more than $41B in economic activity and employs more than 173k people in the state. Production agriculture and processing account for a majority of Colorado’s agricultural activity. Colorado is a net exporter of agricultural products.

In most companies, the job of the Human Resources department is to manage the workforce so as to benefit the company's outside owners. But what about when the workers are the owners? Jennifer Briggs worked for 13 years at New Belgium Brewing, where she was VP of Human Resources. Now this Colorado native is a leader in the employee ownership community nationwide. She shares her secrets on how shared ownership can foster a healthy, participatory workplace culture in a fast-growing company.     The Co-op Power Hour is a monthly production of the Colorado Co-operative Study Circle. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm on It’s the Economy.

As Metro Denver undergoes drastic changes, what does it mean to build community wealth? Yessica Holguin is a fellow at the Community Wealth Building Network, where she is working to organize and mobilize cooperative economies, especially in low-income communities of color. She is joined by Madilde García and Irma Díaz, two member-owners of Mujeres Emprendedoras, a cooperative incubating women's businesses in the Westwood neighborhood of Denver.     The Co-op Power Hour is a monthly production of the Colorado Co-operative Study Circle. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm on It’s the Economy.

In this edition of the Co-op Power Hour Jason Wiener speaks with two of the most prominent Colorado co-op attorneys to chronicle Colorado co-op law over the past 40 years - Jim Dean and Linda Phillips.     The Co-op Power Hour is a monthly production of the Colorado Co-operative Study Circle. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm on It’s the Economy.    

In this edition of the Co-op Power Hour, we talk with members from four Metro Denver artist cooperatives, including Michael and Stephanie Hancock from 5280 Artist Co-op in the Aurora Cultural Arts District; Mark Brasuell from Spark Gallery in the Santa Fe Arts District; Charles Livingstone from Pirate Contemporary Art in the 40 West Arts District; and Jean Smith from Zip 37 Gallery in the Navajo Art District. These guests share how artist cooperatives have empowered them to show their work. They also discuss the challenges that artist cooperatives are facing as Denver rents continue to spike.     The Co-op Power Hour is a monthly production of the Colorado Co-operative Study Circle. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm on It’s the Economy.

For decades now, municipalities, utility co-ops, and neighborhoods have been providing internet service in remarkable ways, often with little recognition or visibility. But as the federal government ends net-neutrality protections nationally, there is a renewed interest in such alternatives—in internet service providers that are truly accountable to the communities they serve. This month, we hear from Vince Kropp, CEO and general manager of PC Telecom, a rural telecom cooperative in northeastern Colorado, and Hannah Trostle, a research associate at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.     The Co-op Power Hour is a monthly production of the Colorado Co-operative Study Circle. It airs on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6pm on It’s the Economy.