Watch the Video! A Historical Transition The employees of Ward Lumber made history recently when they purchased the 130-year-old business as a worker cooperative. The transaction marks the first employee ownership contract of its kind in the North Country
Congratulations to ANCA on grant award!
The Cooperative Development Institute is excited to congratulate the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) for being awarded a grant of over $1.26 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, supported by additional funding provided by Mastercard. The grant
News coverage of the Ward Lumber ownership transition
Thanks to North Country Public Radio that just aired a great piece about Ward Lumber’s ownership transition. Check out https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/43724/20210507/employee-ownership-can-prevent-job-losses-and-closures-when-north-country-business-owners-retire There were also pieces in the Peru Gazette, LBM Journal, HBS Dealer and Northeastern Retail Lumber Association (three industry groups), Adirondack
Ward Lumber Transitions Ownership to Employees
You can also watch this short video that tells the ownership transition story: Ward Lumber Transitions to Employee Ownership FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Rob Brown, Director, Business Ownership Solutions, Cooperative Development Institute (CDI) (207) 233-2987 or rbrown@cdi.coop Alex Pond, Worker-owner, Ward Lumber (518)
CDI’s Business Ownership Solutions Visits the Adirondack North Country
This summer, BOS program director Rob Brown spent a week in New York’s North Country region presenting at a series of events organized by the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA). ANCA is an independent non-profit organization working to build dynamic
Earth Designs Cooperative Plans for Growth through Employee Ownership
A one-woman gardening business in upstate New York has blossomed into a major enterprise since 2001. Now, with the help of Cooperative Development Institute (CDI), that business is sharing its prosperity and becoming all the more successful through employee ownership.
Workshop: Imagining and Structuring Artist Cooperatives
Our Executive Director Noemi Giszpenc was invited by the Institut des hautes études en arts plastiques (Iheap), a post-graduate institute for research and experimentation in art, to present to their New York City program about cooperatives for artists. The session
CDI Garners 4 USDA Rural Development Grants
The United States Department of Agriculture offers a multitude of grants and support for development of rural communities, and recognizes that cooperatives are a key way to strengthen conditions for rural people. In this year’s funding round, CDI won four
Not Just a Facelift: At Forty, the North Country Food Co-op Gears Up for the Future
Founded in 1974 during the “natural foods” wave of food co-op creation, the North Country Food Co-op in Plattsburgh, NY has been a long-established fixture of this upstate NY town. It achieved important milestones such as owning its own building
Help Worker Co-op Moms Win $25,000!
Meet Ginger Moon, a graduate of Green Worker Cooperatives’ Coop Academy. Ginger Moon is a mother-owned & run worker co-op based in the Bronx that is dedicated to providing healthy food to new moms and their families. They call themselves “the