FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 20, 2011
Contact: Cheryl Tessier, 608-695-6510, ctessier@finessepr.net
Carrie O’Connor, 608-243-5000 ext. 1215
Carrie.O’Connor@summitcreditunion.com
“Co-op Connection” to feature live music, family activities and information about
Dane County co-ops
MADISON, Wis. – To kick off October Co-op Month and enhance awareness about the local, member-owned/member-controlled businesses, Summit Credit Union is hosting a free “Co-op Connection” event on Sat., Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center.
The inaugural event will celebrate cooperatives and all that they contribute to their communities with live music from local bands, kids’ activities, prizes, free product samples and complimentary snacks.
Attendees will have the opportunity to meet cooperative members and enthusiasts from Dane County co-ops, including:
Badgerland Financial
Cooperative Development Services
Co-opoly!
Credit Union National Association
CUNA Mutual Group
Equal Exchange – Madison
Frontier FS Cooperative
Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wis.
Interpreters Cooperative of Madison
Just Coffee
Lakeside Press Cooperative
Mad WorCs
Natures Bakery Cooperative
REI
Rural Electric Supply Cooperative
Summit Credit Union
Union Cab of Madison Cooperative, Inc.
Union Technology Cooperative
UW Center for Co-ops
Williamson Street Grocery Cooperative
Wisconsin Credit Union League
Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association (WECA)
Yahara River Grocery Cooperative
Yoga Cooperative of Madison
“The Co-op Connection will not only celebrate cooperatives and their long and proud history of helping people help themselves, but the event will also serve as a fun source of education on how cooperatives support and enhance the local community,” said Carrie O’Connor, SVP – Business Services & Development at Summit Credit Union.
For more information on the Co-op Connection, please visit www.summitcreditunion.com/coopconnection.html.
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About the Co-op Connection organizers:
Cooperative Network is a leading Wisconsin business association. It serves more than 600 member-cooperatives owned by 6.3 million Wisconsin and Minnesota residents by providing government relations, education, marketing and technical services for a wide variety of cooperatives including: farm supply, health, dairy marketing, consumer, financial, livestock marketing, telecommunications, electric, housing, insurance, worker-owned cooperatives, and more. For more information about Cooperative Network, visit www.cooperativenetwork.coop.
Established in 1935, Summit Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative open to anyone in Wisconsin. Summit holds $1.6 billion in assets and has more than 120,000 members with a total of 23 locations throughout the Madison and Milwaukee areas. For more information, visit www.summitcreditunion.com or call (608) 243-5000 or (800) 236-5560.
CUNA Mutual Group insurance, retirement and investment products provide financial security and protection to credit unions and their members worldwide. With more than 75 years of true market commitment, CUNA Mutual’s vision is unwavering: To be a trusted business partner who delivers service excellence through customer-focused products and market-driven insight. For more information on CUNA Mutual, visit www.cunamutual.com.
Editor’s note: the following are comments about co-ops from some of the event sponsors:
“Summit Credit Union is proud to be a not-for-profit cooperative. We believe in the tangible value cooperatives bring to their members, employees, and communities. That’s why it’s our goal to celebrate the cooperative business model and help fellow cooperatives thrive. When cooperatives thrive, everyone wins.”
-Kim Sponem, CEO/president of Summit Credit Union
“One of the key factors in CUNA Mutual’s decision to make Madison our hometown more than 75 years ago was the local emphasis on cooperatives. Today, CUNA Mutual continues to partner with the co-op movement around the globe and is especially proud to serve co-ops in our own backyard. We are pleased to help sponsor this event highlighting cooperative principles and their impact on our local economy.”
–Steve Goldberg, Community Relations Director, CUNA Mutual Group
“In an era of high unemployment and economic uncertainty, cooperatives put people before profits, provide quality and affordable goods and services, and allow members to have some control over their own destinies.”
–Bill Oemichen, president and CEO of Cooperative Network
“Cooperatives represent the best of society: they’re made up of people and organizations who work together to achieve what couldn’t be done alone. National CooperativeRx is a cooperative for self-insured businesses to come together and get better purchasing power for their prescription drug spend, and we’re excited to support the Co-op Connection.”
–Greg Horstman, CEO of National CooperativeRx
“Cooperatives exist to satisfy needs. That’s how co-ops are created and why the cooperative structure has been successful through good and bad economic times. The members of a cooperative own and control the business. I can’t imagine a better way to ensure satisfaction with the products or services received. Given the choice, why would anyone choose a business other than a cooperative to work with? The focus is on serving members and returning profits to them as well.”
–Sam Skemp, General Manager of Frontier FS
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