Category: News and updates

Job Description: Pipeline Developer

Organization Description:

The Baltimore Roundtable for Economic Democracy (BRED) helps worker co-ops in the greater Baltimore area get the capital they need to start and grow. Our non-extractive lending process prioritizes inclusion and equity, rather than locking communities out of the funding they need to start owning their economy. Combining the financing we offer, with technical assistance and cooperative mentoring, we can support worker-owned businesses and give them a chance to thrive. BRED has mobilized over $7 million of patient capital in the past seven years to local cooperatives. 

We are a member of Seed Commons, which is a national network of locally-rooted, non-extractive loan funds that brings the power of big finance under community control. By taking guidance from the grassroots and sharing capital and resources to support local cooperative businesses, we are building the infrastructure necessary for a truly just, democratic and sustainable new economy.

Job Description: 

This position will be responsible for building up our pipeline of potential projects to either lend to or connect to our cooperative business services. A crucial component of our work is finding new individuals and partners to work with, while this responsibility is spread across our team, we are seeking a new team member to focus exclusively on building this pipeline. 

This is a new position for BRED so the responsibilities outlined below may change as the person selected adapts in the role. Some of these responsibilities will include:

• Networking, Awareness-Raising, and Community Connecting

• Seek out and attend events for Baltimore entrepreneurs and social enterprises as a representative of BRED.

• Present a public face of the organization and be able to speak in detail about our offerings for both financing and technical assistance. 

• Be the first point of contact for folks interested in learning more about cooperatives

• Be a co-op enthusiast! 

• Deeply knowledgeable about co-ops, how they can operate, and benefits of transitioning existing businesses into shared ownership. 

• Share anecdotes and narratives from our cooperative network to prospective and developing cooperatives.

• Participate in The Seed Commons Peer Network, which includes:

• Active participation in ongoing Peer Network phone calls.

• Active participation in semi-annual Peer Network trainings.

• Active participation on the Peer Network Slack.

Strongly Desired Skills & Qualifications

• High level of knowledge regarding cooperatives, ideally experience as a member of a co-op

• Highly organized, motivated, and detail-oriented

• Experience accessing various small business resources in Baltimore City 

• Entrepreneurial and resourceful

• Relationship builder

• Ability to communicate with diverse groups at various levels of business development 

• Experience with collaborative governance and decision making

• Based in the Baltimore area, or willing to relocate

Salary: $65,000/year for full-time, plus vacation and sick pay and an additional healthcare stipend.
Applications accepted on a rolling basis until close of business on March 8th, apply by emailing a resume and cover letter to jobs@baltimoreroundtable.org. Interviews will commence as materials are received.

Our ED Christa talked with Julie Scharper about raising chickens and how it isn’t as easy, or as cheap, as people think. Read this informative and eye opening article here: Baltimore Banner

Check out this article in the Baltimore Banner about Red Emma’s and their new permanent home! We are so happy for them!

With only one in-person event in the books for 2022, we realized we haven’t had a happy hour event in a long time! So we are happy to say that on November 2nd, BRED will be hosting a Co-op Happy Hour! If you’re a co-op member or plan to be in the future, join us at Red Emma’s new location from 5-7 PM. If you’ve never been to one of our happy hours, it is a great chance to casually get food, eat, drink, and talk with BRED staff and other members of Baltimore’s cooperative community. We hope to see you on the 2nd.

Masks are required unless actively eating or drinking

This weekend Cajou Creamery celebrated the one year anniversary of opening their scoop ship! We have loved seeing how having a physical location allowed Cajou to expand and also become a permanent Baltimore City. We hope you got to attend and if you didn’t please make plans to, because their cashew ice cream is out of this world!

CBS Anniversary Interview

This looks like an amazing opportunity!

The Worker Ownership State Advocacy Fellowship (WOSA) is a program of the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives that equips and supports worker-owners as advocates and spokespeople for worker co-op initiatives, particularly in their home state. In our second year of the fellowship, we are pleased to be able to expand the cohort as well as increase stipends for participation.

For more information and to apply click here ——> Apply

SAVE THE DATE for May 7th, 2022!

The Baltimore Roundtable for Economic Democracy (BRED) will be hosting our fourth Worker Cooperative Jumpstart on May 7, 2022! After a hiatus, we are excited to bring back this jam-packed day of workshops focused on establishing and running worker cooperatives. Whether you’ve been a worker-owner for years, are thinking about starting a co-op, or just want to learn more this event is for you!

New and developed cooperatively-minded workers will be able to learn the basics of cooperative structure and economics, get ideas on how to start or structure your own cooperative, and be able to Q&A with experienced worker-owners! There’s something for everyone – past Worker Cooperative Jumpstarts have included panels with long-term worker-owners, in-depth information on how to make your business “breakeven,” and a nuanced look at what happens with worker-owner governance.

Our new highlighted workshop will be Cooperative Conversions – Are you and your coworkers interested in buying the business where you currently work and converting it into a cooperative? This is for you! Organizations and individuals are welcome!

REGISTER here

Date: May 7, 2022 Time: 10am-4pm Location: 2640 St. Paul street, Baltimore

Light Breakfast + Lunch will be provided

Please let us know by April 24th if you need the following:

*Interpretation and what kind (Spanish, sign language, etc)

*childcare

Article by Robert R. Raymond

In an exploitative system like the restaurant industry, restaurant co-ops offer economic justice and peace of mind. Members of Red Emma’s and other worker-owned co-ops talk with Truthout about how the co-op business structure is changing the game for workers.

“Being an owner of a business is a great feeling because I feel like it’s mine, that I have my name attached to something and I can impact something that’s bigger than myself — it’s empowering,” Malik Cole, a worker-owner at Red Emma’s, a cooperative restaurant, bookstore and community events space in Baltimore, Maryland, told Truthout. “It’s not just one person that’s running everything — it’s all the worker-owners coming together.”

Click Red Emma’s talks to Truthout to read more.