CALENDAR

Editor 's note: submit events, meetings, workshops and conferences at least one month in advance to cibm@news-gazette.com for inclusion in Mark Your Calendar.

Untitled < Dec Jan Feb >

January 12
ECI SCORE Starting a Small Business 3 to 5:30 p.m.
Champaign County Chamber of Commerce, 303 W. Kirby Ave., Champaign Reviews the advantages, hazards and requirements of starting a small business. Content: Defining your business, competitive analysis, marketing, cash flow and tips for small business startup. Workbook provided. Cost: $25 or 3 for $60. To register, contact LynetteL@champaigncounty.org or call 217-359-1791.

January 14
CPR for Healthcare Providers 3:30 to 4 p.m., 4 to 4:30 p.m., 4:30 to 5 p.m., or 5 to 5:30 p.m.
Parkland College Health Professions, 1309 N. Mattis Ave., Champaign Option 1: Online and Hands-on Skills Session and Test Complete "BLS for Healthcare Providers Online part 1" at www.onlineaha.org and print your certificate of completion. Fee: $19.95 (to be paid online). Register for one of the sessions to complete a hands-on skills session (Part 2) and then a skills test (Part 3) with an American Heart Association instructor. American Heart Association BLS-Healthcare Provider Course Completion Card issued upon completion. Fee is $30. Registration deadline is Jan. 6.

January 17
CPR for Healthcare Providers 8 a.m. to noon or 1 to 5 p.m.
Parkland College Health Professions, 1309 N. Mattis Ave., Champaign Option 2: Instructor-led and Hands-on Skills Session and Test Complete a four-hour traditional instructor-led class, hands-on skills session, and skills test with an American Heart Association instructor. American Heart Association BLS-Healthcare Provider Course Completion Card issued upon completion. Fee is $60. Registration deadline is Jan. 10.

January 17
CNA 21 Skills Recertification 6 to 9 p.m.
Parkland College Health Professions, 1309 N. Mattis Ave., Champaign This is an Illinois Department of Public Health-approved evaluation session intended for CNAs who need to update their 21 skills for recertification. Initial class meets for three hours. To complete the update, students are required to schedule a three-hour on-site clinical session with a Parkland College instructor at a long-term care facility. Fee is $125. Registration deadline is Jan. 10.

January 17
Jan. 17 and 19 A Manager's Guide to Human Behavior 1 to 5 p.m.
Parkland College Business Training, 1315 N. Mattis Ave., Champaign Join Karen Deering to discover how to inspire employees to higher performance; maximize your positive impact on others; develop more productive working relationships by communicating in sensitive, nonthreatening ways; establish rapport and mutual trust; give and receive performance feedback; and really understand people's needs. Fee: $265 (book and assessment included). Registration deadline Jan. 10.

January 24
Business Success Seminar - Government Contracting 101 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Champaign County Chamber of Commerce, 303 W. Kirby Ave., Champaign The Illinois Procurement Technical Assistance Center of Central Illinois was established to help small businesses understand and profit from government contracting. This workshop will focus on federal and state contracting basics; bids and proposals; special programs; and understanding who is there to help you.

January 26
ECI SCORE Writing a Small Business Plan 3 to 5:30 p.m.
Champaign County Chamber of Commerce, 303 W. Kirby Ave., Champaign Review the importance of writing a business plan. Content: Business plan format, financial analysis and securing financing. Workbook provided. Cost: $25 or 3 for $60. To register, contact LynetteL@champaigncounty.org or call 217-359-1791.

January 26
Communicating for Superior Teamwork: Managing Your Communication Style 8 a.m. to noon
Parkland College Business Training, 1315 N. Mattis Ave., Champaign Join Steven Welland as he explores the essence of teamwork - effective communication. This program employs the Classic DiSC instrument to provide participants with a better understanding of their own communication style, while offering them expanded opportunities for team building practice. Paid registrants will be issued an access code to complete an online DiSC personal profile assessment. The assessment must be completed by Jan 23. Fee: $175 (book and assessment included). Registration deadline Jan. 19.

January 28
ECI SCORE Financing a Small Business Workshop 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Champaign County Chamber of Commerce, 303 W. Kirby Ave., Champaign Provides a basic understanding of startup financing for a business. Content: Business requirements, preparation needed and sources of capital. Workbooks provided. Cost: $25 or 3 for $60. To register, contact LynetteL@champaigncounty.org or call 217-359-1791.

January 30
Jan. 30-Feb. 2 QuickBooks Premier 2010 6 to 10 p.m.
Parkland College Business Training, 1315 N. Mattis Ave., Champaign Steve Heidbreder, CPA, will help you explore QuickBooks. Learn how to manage business accounts and checkbooks; reconcile bank statements; produce budgets; manage cash flow; create the financial management reports required by banks and the government; and share data with Microsoft Office applications. Fee: $265 (book included). Registration deadline Jan. 23. Prerequisite: Windows XP/Vista/7 or equivalent knowledge.

COVER STORY January 2012

A different way of doing business

Cooperatives emphasize building community, meeting social goals -- while operating a successful business

By Jodi Heckel
CIB contributor, editor

Common Ground Food Co-op moved into a new, much larger space in 2008, adding more products and a deli, and its sales have increased by about 30 percent each of the last several years.

Now a new expansion is underway that will triple the size of the local and organic foods store in Urbana.

"The growth has been phenomenal, far beyond anything we predicted," said Ben Galewsky, chairman of the board of the cooperative.

Galewsky is hoping the success of the Common Ground co-op can be replicated at the Art Theater. He's been working with theater operator Sanford Hess on laying the groundwork for a cooperative to take over operations of the downtown Champaign theater.

Operating the Art Theater has been a labor of love for Hess, but not a particularly lucrative one. A single-screen theater is not a big moneymaker, and the theater needs a new $80,000 digital projection system, as all films will soon be available only in a high-resolution digital format.

While the Art may not turn a huge profit, it is valuable to a community that wants to have a movie house that shows independent films. The community support for the Art is why Hess and Galewsky believe a cooperative is the ideal business model for it.

"It gives a nice avenue for everybody to say, 'I really believe in this. I want to be part of it,'" said Hess.

Members of a cooperative buy a share and receive an ownership stake in the business, as well as a voice in how it operates. Businesses that are local in focus and enjoy broad community support work well for a cooperative business model, Galewsky said. Common Ground is a good example.

"People love this store and love being part of it, knowing the money they put into it stays in our community. To many owners, it's a lot more than a grocery store," he said.

The mission of the cooperative includes building a local food network and educating owners on food issues. Likewise, Galewsky said, the Art builds community by bringing in film festivals and offering "2 Minute Theater," during which any audience member can introduce one of the Late Night movies and explain why he loves it.

"That's what cinema is -- the difference between going to cinema or staying in the living room," Galewsky said.

Cooperatives exist to meet the economic and social needs of a community, and they are democratically governed by their owners -- the two main differences between cooperatives and more traditional or investor-owned businesses.

While social dividends take priority over profits, the business must still be run as a for-profit business, in a way that meets the needs of its customers. Hess likes the entrepreneurial energy around cooperatives such as Common Ground.

"Common Ground is a thriving business. They moved, the new store is beautiful, they want to do more. The spirit of it is like a for-profit business," he said. "If you don't seek to do anything more than what you're doing, you will stagnate."

A cooperative business model can also be a good way to raise capital. Common Ground's owners offered $700,000 in loans to help finance its expansion. And the financial risk is spread among many.

For the Art to become a cooperative, it needs at least 1,000 people to join, and it needs to begin operations with $100,000 -- $80,000 for the digital equipment and $20,000 for operating expenses. The price of a one-time ownership share will be $65. The drive for co-op members began in mid-December and will finish in October 2012.

"They're not going to get a huge dollar return. That's not what it's about," Hess said. "We don't want people putting money in because they think they are going to get money out of this. We want people putting money in because they support the Art Theater."