The cooperative business model and the advantages of being a co-op in today’s world were the focus of the Colorado Shared Ownership Summit that was part of the Conscious Capitalism Conference at the University of Colorado Boulder Tuesday, November 6. The Colorado Rural Electric Association and CoBank were among the five sponsors for the day.
The event brought together cooperative leaders from around the country. It also connected leaders from different kinds of co-ops in Colorado. There were representatives from the state’s electric cooperatives, community wealth-building co-ops, housing co-ops, food co-ops, credit unions, investment co-ops, farmland co-ops, child care co-ops, employee-owned businesses and more. Those in attendance talked about what they had in common and how they can work together.
The event opened the day after the election, with a previously prepared video from Gov.-elect Jared Polis. He noted his support for co-ops with past legislation and added that cooperatives “…are all an important part of the economy.”