consumer

East River Power Electric Cooperative/Basin Electric Cooperative

Basin Electric Power Cooperative members spoke loud and clear in late 2005 when they voted unanimously to adopt a resolution calling for at least 10 percent of the power it provides to be generated from renewable energy sources by 2010.

Kind of Co-op: consumer, utilities

Pella Cooperative Electric

"Pella Cooperative Electric made it possible for us to get the power we needed to start our business in 1995," said Loren Van Wyk, owner of LDJ Manufacturing in Pella, Iowa.

Kind of Co-op: consumer, utilities

Oberlin Student Cooperative Association

In 1950, a group of 11 students at Oberlin College sought an alternative to the expensive, low-quality food and restrictive housing on campus.

Kind of Co-op: consumer, housing

French House

Will Stovall, a senior at The University of Texas, returned from studying in Mexico determined to go to law school. In service of this goal, he resolved to work harder, which meant he would have little chance to see old friends or to acquire new ones.

Kind of Co-op: consumer, housing

Nationwide

In May of 2007, a giant tornado with 200-miles-per-hour winds drilled a deadly path across Greensburg, Kansas, destroying both homes and businesses. The only business left was a concrete grain elevator.

Kind of Co-op: consumer, other

Group Health Cooperative

In 1947, consumer-governed, prepaid group medical coverage was a radical idea. When Group Health began, there was a major gap in health care that left most middle-class people without coverage.

Kind of Co-op: consumer, health care

HealthPartners

Jean Jantzen knows the value of a co-op; she spent most of her career working for one. These days, the retiree is appreciating how important a cooperative can be to her health.

Kind of Co-op: consumer, health care

North Carolina State Employees' Credit Union

John and Jennifer Hall had plenty of mortgage options for their first home, including a VA loan. But because they were buying a starter home, it made better sense to work with a non-profit financial cooperative—the State Employees' Credit Union (SECU) in North Carolina.

Kind of Co-op: consumer, financial services

Self-Help Credit Union

When Martin Eakes was a teenager growing up in a poor, rural community outside of Greensboro, N.C., his best friend was shot and killed on a playground near Martin's home.

Kind of Co-op: consumer, financial services

National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions

Dan Apfel believes in cooperatives. The first co-op he joined while a student at the University of Rochester, Minowin Environmental Cooperative (MEC), was one that he helped to formalize.

Kind of Co-op: consumer, financial services