Concerned About Business Moving Offshore? Don’t Look for Co-ops There!

By Lyle Ford

There’s a lot of talk these days about businesses moving operations offshore to increase profits. Some argue it helps the economy while others say it hurts. But one thing’s certain. Those who are doing it aren’t likely to be cooperatives. Why? Because as member-controlled enterprises, co-ops are run largely by the people who live and work in the communities they serve. That gives them a different perspective from businesses owned by distant investors.

The nation’s 40,000-plus cooperatives come in all shapes and sizes. They operate in virtually every industry and range in size from small storefronts to Fortune 500 companies.

But they have some things in common. They are owned and democratically controlled by the people who use their services or buy their goods. They are motivated by service to their members, not by profit.

As a result, co-ops are not likely to desert the locations in which their members live and work.

Sierra Vista Natural Foods Cooperative Vice-President Steve Fletcher put it this way: "Community is not just where we work; it’s why we work."

Added Helen Patterson, Sierra Vista Natural Foods Cooperative director, "Cooperatives are motivated to serve their members, not outside investors. Doing that means we must also serve the communities in which our members live, work and play." Beyond generating hundreds of thousand of jobs and billions in income, co-ops support local causes ranging from education and the environment through cash contributions and volunteerism.

Sierra Vista Natural Foods Cooperative members volunteer in a number of other organizations, from Rotary to ViCAP.

Cooperatives around the country share this community commitment. For example:

• A rural electric co-op in South Dakota helped fund an ethanol plant that today adds $50 million to the area economy.
• Four credit unions combined to assist low-income New Yorkers with their tax forms, triggering $2.5 million in tax refunds that otherwise would have gone unclaimed.
• An Arizona food co-op formed a recycling program that now includes approximately 100 businesses and was cited as the best in the state.
• A co-op printer in Massachusetts donates 10 percent of its profits to the community in support of causes including labor and human rights, the environment, child development and the homeless.

At a time of increasing concern about the nation’s economy, co-ops show an uncommon loyalty and commitment to their communities. They are creating jobs, income and opportunity in their hometowns every day.

Sure, investor-owned businesses generate jobs and make charitable contributions. But for co-ops it’s more personal. It’s a critical part of where we work, what we do and why we do it.

And it’s why you’re not likely to see a headline about a co-op moving offshore anytime soon.

How can you help? You can join the Sierra Vista Natural Foods Cooperative to help open the new store by visiting http://www.sierravistamarket.com/ and downloading a membership application or by calling 520-508-7201.

# # #

Lyle Ford is the project manager of the Sierra Vista Natural Foods Cooperative, Inc. and a long-time resident of Sierra Vista.