Co-op U had a wide array of tools to use for new or existing co-ops. One of the beautiful things about the course is that not everyone needs every tool, but they are all there to be used or modified for your co-op. Bogdan from Cleveland Owns is an amazing coach and facilitator and really helped us to see the usefulness of the tools. With a combination of cheerleading where we are strong, challenging us where we needed improvement and modifying tools to help them be more useful for us I don’t think we could have had a better facilitator. I’m confident that People’s Plumbing would not be where we are today without the support of Cleveland Owns and the knowledge gained from the Co-op U class.
Cristobal Van Breen: People’s Plumbing, Operations Coordinator & Service Technician
I highly recommend participating in the course! People’s Plumbing participated in Co-op U in early 2024. Before the course, People’s Plumbing worked a few jobs, but we struggled to find work and were overwhelmed with everything we needed to do to start our co-op. As part of Co-op U, we conducted interviews and did financial modeling. Now, we apply the skills and knowledge that we learned through Co-op U every day. And we built connections because of Cleveland Owns. We can now cover our expenses and pay ourselves each month, and we plan to buy a van and hire another plumber in the upcoming months. We would not be where we are today without Co-Op U and Cleveland Owns!
Emma Folkerts: People’s Plumbing, Financial & Administrative Coordinator