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WHAT IS A CO-OP?
CO-OPS: A USER OWNED, DEMOCRATICALLY OWNED BUSINESS
People form cooperatives -- user-owned, democratically-controlled businesses -- for many reasons. Co-ops can:
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address market failures where neither the private sector nor the government provide a needed service,
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help small players gain parity with large investor-owned competitors, or
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give consumers a deliberate choice of enterprise to better meet their common needs and aspirations.
Regardless of the reason, the very structure of a cooperative requires that it be responsive to its member-owners, and in turn to the local community. The nature of cooperatives is inherently both locally-based and participatory, embodying a direct connection between member needs and the services provided.
![Screen Shot 2019-03-26 at 4.43.35 PM.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/98a0e1_0f2a7ef3b69540b798513c911bfddfc0~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_498,h_175,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Screen%20Shot%202019-03-26%20at%204_43_35%20PM.png)
![Screen Shot 2019-05-16 at 2.16.11 PM.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/98a0e1_f3b06bd60c9b430daef962a1cb14c391~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_349,h_460,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Screen%20Shot%202019-05-16%20at%202_16_11%20PM.png)
![Growing Plants](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d332a8abfccc494ab03b9de8d3fb83e1.jpg/v1/fill/w_74,h_49,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Growing%20Plants.jpg)
![Lawn Mower Selection Support](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9dc18799fdf342eca424a7d09277bd1c.jpg/v1/fill/w_62,h_41,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Lawn%20Mower%20Selection%20Support.jpg)
![Roofer at Work](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2f53f207ee93407a813cd323b4764200.jpg/v1/fill/w_62,h_41,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Roofer%20at%20Work.jpg)
![Conference](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/782e82bd666b4f4f9e7ebb0d7c160b76.jpg/v1/fill/w_74,h_49,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Conference.jpg)
COOPERATIVE SECTORS
Cooperative businesses operate across virtually all industries or sectors and range in size from small, local stores, to $30 billion multi-national organizations:
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Agriculture
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Education
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Financial Services
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Consumer
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Healthcare
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Housing
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Industry Services
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Insurance
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Purchasing
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Utility services
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Worker