CCWBE Report

60%

This month, we adjusted our approach to focus more on workforce development activities in manufacturing and energy. Based on feedback from our first community design charrette, we’ve aimed to better connect these events with discussions on community wealth-building and local economic growth. The redesign of our next charrette reflects this shift. It will focus more on engaging the community around workforce development in key sectors and how these sectors can support local economic resilience through cooperatives. The Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce has become a stronger partner, helping to increase community participation. Teamwork Englewood and EG Woode continue to support these efforts. We are also focusing on recruiting more participants from target neighborhoods, emphasizing cooperatives as a way to build lasting community wealth. These engagements will help us grow our participant base and ensure the initiative meets the needs of the communities we’re working with.

60%

Our pipeline strategy continues to evolve, particularly through our collaboration with the Southland Development Authority. This partnership aims to leverage Southland’s network and expertise to increase engagement with potential acquisition targets. Our partnership with Southland includes webinars and informational sessions targeted at business owners and legal/financial advisors, educating them about worker ownership as a tool for succession planning. This approach is intended to help us identify businesses suitable for conversion to worker ownership, specifically in manufacturing and energy sectors. Also, through our collaboration with Manufacturing Renaissance, we are identifying companies likely to undergo ownership transitions, using Early Warning Systems to detect businesses at risk of closure or sale. This involves an advisory committee, a training manual, and a cohort of trainees undergoing education in worker ownership. In addition, we are in the process of designing a larger and more sophisticated communications strategy. This strategy is aimed at improving our outreach efforts, building brand awareness, and ensuring clear, consistent messaging across all platforms. With the support of our new administrator, Amari, who has joined to enhance our human resources, we are better positioned to implement this comprehensive strategy. Amari’s role will focus on streamlining communications efforts, ensuring timely updates, and maximizing the impact of our ongoing engagements.

30%

We’ve enhanced our workforce development programs by expanding the cooperative training component. Building on our existing foundation of culturally informed cooperative economics and conflict resolution training, we are now providing more in-depth education on cooperative ownership, governance, and decision-making. This ensures that participants are not only equipped with technical skills but also gain a deeper understanding of cooperative structures, making them better prepared to take on roles in worker-owned businesses. Additionally, our CEO, Sequane, completed cooperative development training through DAWI. This training has provided us with new insights and resources, which have been instrumental in finalizing our cooperative conversion strategy.

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Resource constraints affect RI’s ability to meet all pre-development project requirements simultaneously. Specifically, the organization faces challenges in dedicating enough personnel to manage the growing demands of community engagement, project planning, and strategic partnership coordination. As a result, RI has to carefully prioritize and manage its tasks.

RI has deepened its collaboration with organizations like Southland Development Authority and Project Equity. Also, the completion of DAWI’s cooperative development training by CEO Sequane added significant insights and resources, which have contributed to finalizing RI's cooperative conversion strategy.