Cooperative Development Institute

05/28/2026

If you live in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine area, here's your chance to steer the vision and direction of the new Lewiston Auburn Community Market!

LACM has purchased the former police station building in downtown Lewiston and has plans underway to safely and responsibly demolish it and transform the location into a vibrant, community-owned marketplace and cultural hub designed for everyone in our community.

By becoming a member you can enjoy an exclusive discount at the register, you will have a vote on decisions made at the co-op, and you can help elect the co-op's next board of directors.

The co-op will be holding its next annual meeting on June 12.

Learn more about how to become a member here: https://lacommunitymarket.com/membership/https://lacommunitymarket.com/membership/

05/19/2026

Fiston Lowatiwiya believes that life gets better when your home is clean. That’s why he took eight hours cleaning one house when he was only supposed to spend a couple of hours.

“My husband is a clean freak,” said Azinaida, Fiston’s wife. They both are both worker-owners of Clean With Passion Co-op. “He loves cleaning. He believes that cleaning improves your life and relieves stress. He feels he should provide the gift of cleaning to everyone.”

Clean With Passion Co-op launched last year and today has six worker-owners. They clean both homes and commercial spaces in the greater Lewiston-Auburn, Maine area, Azinaida said.

Azinaida is drawn to the co-op model because it lets worker-owners with various skills work together and can offer training and flexible schedules, which is important for many cleaners who have to take care of children and family members, she said.

“For immigrants, it is really hard to learn how business works in America,” said Azinaida, whose role at the co-op is to help structure the business and ensure systems are working correctly. “In a co-op, everyone brings their skills and supports each other. It’s easier to do it together than to do it alone."

Read the full story here: https://cdi.coop/clean-with-passion-lewiston-maine/

05/07/2026

Congratulations worker-owned cooperative Dean's Beans Organic Coffee Company for being named Rural Business of the Year for Massachusetts by the U.S. Small Business Administration! We are so happy to see all of your hard work and dedication recognized! 👏👏👏👏

Small Business Development Center Advisor Anita Elison guided the transition of Dean’s Beans to 100% employee ownership BOSTON – The U.S.

05/06/2026

When the team at Nextstage Design learned that they had won a contract to renovate a multimillion-dollar performance center for the University of Massachusetts with 1,900 seats, the whole team cheered and pumped their chests, said NJ Ollsten, a worker-owner and general manager at the Connecticut-based firm.

“Everyone, even those who didn’t touch the teaming effort or previous study, felt a piece of getting that money and feeling like they contributed,” NJ said. “That’s just one example of how profoundly things have changed since we became a cooperative.

“There’s more ownership over mistakes and victories. There’s more agency, more willingness to critique or put your neck out to try something new. It’s incredible to work in that kind of environment.”

Nextstage Design, founded in 2014, officially became a worker-owned cooperative on January 16, 2026. The company, which now has five worker-owners, designs theaters and performance spaces for clients around the globe, from high school auditoriums to performing arts centers.

Read the full story to learn why the NextStage team decided to go co-op and how they made the transition: https://cdi.coop/employees-of-connecticut-theater-design-company-form-co-op-to-buy-out-business/

05/05/2026

CDI is hiring an executive director! We're looking for a leader who can help our organization continue to thrive and grow.

Working remotely and reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director provides strategic leadership for CDI and is responsible for the overall management of staff and operations. The Executive Director excels in building connections, maintaining and establishing relationships with donors and partners, and representing the interests of CDI and its clients.

If you're someone with leadership experience who enjoys facilitating in a participatory management workplace, including constructively receiving input, to produce organizational decisions supported by and supportive of staff, this is the position for you!

Learn more about the position and apply here: https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=76b9cbd1-6aa1-4bd1-ba33-d9c01c06913f&ccId=19000101_000001&source=CC2&lang=en_US&selectedMenuKey=CurrentOpenings&jobId=559043

04/28/2026

Did you know that 72% of Cambridge business owners are 55+? Many beloved businesses in our community will face ownership transitions in the coming years—but succession planning resources can be hard to find.

Join us for our Succession Stories discussion panel on May 1 at City Hall.
Local business owners will share how they bought or sold a Cambridge business and what they learned along the way.

If you’re a business owner thinking about the future, this conversation is for you.

Register at https://camb.ma/4mRF79b

04/22/2026

On Earth Day, we want to take a moment to appreciate our Water Infrastructure Support Program (WISP) that is currently working on a project in Vermont to improve the electrical systems for 233+ low income households!

In Colchester, two adjacent resident-owned communities, Breezy Acres Cooperative and Hillcrest Resident-Owned Community, have only 60-amp electrical service going to each home. This is not up to code and means residents don't have enough electrical capacity to replace fossil fuel heating with heat pumps. WISP helped the co-ops raise $4.4M in grant funds to upgrade their electrical infrastructure to 150 amps.

By replacing aging, undersized electrical services and installing code compliant, larger capacity electrical services, this project removes a key barrier to increasing electrification, allowing homeowners to lower their fossil fuel usage and participate safely and affordably in a transition to cleaner energy.

Everyone deserves to have safe drinking water, a working sewer system, and a choice in how they heat their homes! Happy !

Learn more about our WISP Program here: https://cdi.coop/wisp/

04/15/2026

The employees of Earth Sky + Water, a New Hampshire-based publisher of laminated, fold-up field guides, formed a cooperative and bought the business from their boss this month.

Steven Lewers, 77, started and ran the company for 25 years before deciding to sell it to his employees. About a year ago, Mr. Lewers started thinking seriously about what to do with the business when he retires.

“I knew book publishers who were interested in buying my company, but naturally I was worried what they would do with it,” Mr. Lewers said. “I concluded that Earth Sky + Water would have the best chance of surviving and thriving if the people who work here owned it, rather than if I sold it to an outsider or to a large company.”

“A part of my thinking was, of course, my legacy; I want the company to do well after I leave, and I also felt an obligation to my employees and to the community we’ve worked in all these years,” Mr. Lewers added.

When he floated the idea of transitioning to a worker-owned cooperative to his staff, many were incredulous.

“It seemed too good to be true,” said Heather Carver, one of the worker-owners who has worked at Earth Sky + Water for the past seven years and has now taken on the position of General Manager. Among other questions, Heather wondered, “could the employees really come up with the financing to buy the business?”

Read the full story here: https://cdi.coop/earth-sky-water-new-hampshire-publishing-worker-owned-cooperative/

04/14/2026

Congratulations to the Farmington Food Co-op community, which celebrated the co-op's grand opening on April 10!

The co-op opened at the former location of The Better Living Center (BLC), a natural food store that has served the Farmington, ME community since 1973. When the BLC went up for sale last year, the community rallied to purchase it and turn it into a cooperative. CDI is proud to have supported the community during this transition!

We stopped by the Farmington Food Co-op's grand opening last week to hear from community members. Watch the video below to learn what they had to say:

04/09/2026

If you're a small business owner in Massachusetts or an organization that supports small businesses in the state, you won't want to miss this informative in-person event organized by the City of Cambridge.

Hear from a panel of local business owners who will share about their experience selling or buying their business, including their transition to a worker-owned cooperative.

Participants will leave inspired to tackle common succession planning challenges and understand why planning ahead is essential for owners, workers, and the community.

The panel will feature:
🟢 Julia Hallman, Owner, Formaggio Kitchen
🟢 David Sandberg, Co-Owner, Porter Square Books
🟢 Joshua Ge**er, Owner, 1369 Coffee House
🟢 Gerry Wolf, Founder/Former Owner, 1369 Coffee House
🟢 Caleb Z., Founding Co-Owner, Circus Cooperative Cafe.

This event, held at Cambridge City Hall, is moderated by John Allen of Allen Business Advisors and sponsored by the City of Cambridge Community Development Department (Official).

Register here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=54tqwHmEc02zUZO8m6gpXNWHCcH2P2xLjjut_68seBRUNlJBN0k1VjhYODZUSUc5VFk5OE5YWUZBUC4u&route=shorturl