Episode 10: Nancy Casady and Cooperatives

This month our guest is Nancy Casady, the General Manager of the Ocean Beach People's Organic Food Market, a cooperatively owned retail store in San Diego. OB People's concentrates in selling vegetarian food, but the cooperative as a business model can be applied to any kind of business that is now run by a corporation. The difference of course, is that shares are held in a one-owner, one-share manner and no one can accumulate shares and the influence that goes with them. Nancy discusses the history and the globally recognized principles that define the cooperative model. She also talks about how its democratic organization is better for civic virtue and participation, since each owner is equally empowered and can profit equally. By answering to individuals, the cooperative is more responsive to the needs of a wider segment of a community.