Great Support for the Madison Cooperative Business Conference

Over a dozen Madison businesses have pledged their support to sponsor the June 6-7, 2012 Madison Cooperative Business Conference. The conference, to be held at The Pyle Center, will include an exploration of Madison's existing cooperative business community, cooperative best practices, and a discussion of what can be done to advance business cooperatives in Madison. The pre-conference session will include an in-depth exploration of business succession planning and the use of cooperative conversions as a way to maintain thriving businesses under employee ownership. Registration for the conference is still available at www.cityofmadison.com/business/coopconference. Mayor Paul R. Soglin recognizes that the "cooperative ownership model provides not only the benefit of jobs, but the maintenance of assets and wealth within the community." Matt Earley of the Just Coffee Cooperative notes that they have added a couple of positions over the past year, despite the challenging economy. Mr. Earley "encourages entrepreneurs to consider the cooperative form of ownership," and he believes that "business cooperatives will play an important role in Madison's future economy." This conference is targeted to existing cooperative owners, entrepreneurs exploring a cooperative model, business service providers, and planning and economic development professionals. Additional information about the conference, including conference sponsors, is available at www.cityofmadison.com/business/coopconference. Resources regarding business cooperatives are available at www.uwcc.wisc.edu.

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