CCWBE Report

Organization:
Cooperative Business Development in the Advanced Manufacturing Industry
Reporting Period:
Sep 2024
Submitted on:
October 4, 2024
Submitted By:
Fatimeh Pahlavan

Pre-Development Projects

Project Goals

What proportion of Goal 1 overall is complete at this point?

60%

What are the barriers and opportunities for completion that impacted goal 1 in the last month?

This month, RI continued to build upon its recent shift towards community-driven workforce development in the manufacturing and energy sectors, with a particular emphasis on cooperatives as a community wealth-building tool. Following feedback from prior community events, we refined our next charrette design to focus on workforce development and cooperative economics. Our ongoing partnerships with Teamwork Englewood, EG Woode, and a newly strengthened relationship with the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce have enhanced participant engagement and broadened community outreach.

What proportion of Goal 2 overall is complete at this point?

60%

What are the barriers and opportunities for completion that you impacted goal 2 in the last month?

Our acquisition pipeline strategy is evolving with new collaborations, particularly with the Southland Development Authority. This partnership focuses on outreach through webinars and informational sessions for business owners and advisors to promote worker ownership as a succession planning tool, especially in manufacturing and energy. Additionally, our collaboration with Manufacturing Renaissance is proving valuable, with Early Warning Systems helping to identify businesses that may undergo ownership transitions.

What proportion of Goal 3 overall is complete at this point?

30%

What are the barriers and opportunities for completion that you impacted goal 3 in the last month?

We are advancing our workforce development curriculum by incorporating in-depth cooperative training on ownership, governance, and decision-making, preparing participants not only with technical skills but with the knowledge to thrive in cooperative structures. Additionally, RI’s CEO Sequane completed DAWI’s cooperative development training, which has informed our final cooperative conversion strategy and broadened RI’s resource base.

CWB Ecosystem

Did you access Technical Assistance for your CWB project last month?

No

Which TA provider(s) did you work with within the Phase I CWEB grantees?

Which TA providers did you work with OUTSIDE of the Phase I CWEB grantees?

Did someone from your organization attend the Working Group this month?

Yes

How would you rate the usefulness of the working group to your project last month? (on a scale of 1-5)

Very useful

How would you rate the usefulness of the Working Group for building community?

Very useful

What have been the two most valuable contributions of the Working Group this month?

Community Building
Collaboration

Please share any comments about the working group meetings.

How many TOTAL housing units did you preserve or create last month? (it is okay if the answer is zero)

0

How many TOTAL CWB businesses did you develop last month? (it is okay if the answer is zero)

0

Community Engagement

Number of stakeholder meetings held related to your Pre-Development Project?

2

Number of community meetings attended last month related to your Pre-Development Project?

0

Organizational Capacity

Service / Capacity

Service Capacity

Accounting & Financial Management

3 some ability

Advocacy

3 some ability

Conflict Resolution

1 limited ability

Cooperative Development and Operations

4

Education & Training

4

Fundraising or Raising Capital

3 some ability

Governance / Legal

4

Marketing & Communications

2

Other

N/A

Project Management

3 some ability

Real Estate Acquisition & Development

N/A

Relationship Building

5 extensive ability

Research

5 extensive ability

Other (please describe and include ranking)

What constraints or limitations with internal capacity is the organizarion experiencing related to its Pre-Development Project?

Limited capacity for consistent data tracking and reporting has made it challenging to measure participant outcomes effectively. This has impacted our ability to capture precise data on participant progress and the overall impact of workforce initiatives.

What opportunities, if any, did the organization take advantage of related to its Pre-Development Project?

RI’s CEO, Sequane, completed DAWI’s cooperative development training, adding a layer of strategic insight that has been instrumental in refining our cooperative conversion strategy. This training has broadened RI’s resource network and informed our tactical approach to workforce and cooperative development. Also, RI is in the process of integrating data tracking tools, such as the Plan Street CRM with IMAN and Air Table with Loyola University. These systems, once implemented, will provide more comprehensive tracking capabilities, allowing us to capture participant progress and measure outcomes more effectively in the long term.

Optional Space

Please use this space to elaborate, contextualize, or add any additional info about the details submitted in your report: