NADO Webinar: Recovering from the BP Gulf Oil Disaster - Lessons Learned from Exxon Valdez

The National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) asked us to pass along this upcoming webinar information.

Title:
Recovering from the BP Gulf Oil Disaster - Lessons Learned from Exxon Valdez

Date:
Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Time:
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM EDT

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
 https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/734086826

The BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico has already surpassed Exxon Valdez as the worst oil-related disaster in U.S. history. 

As concerns continue to grow about the long-term impact on the businesses and livelihoods in the Gulf Coast region, people are searching for ideas on how to be proactive in the recovery process. What is the role of local government? Should businesses expect to relocate? How do we best manage public and mental health issues? How can we diversify our workforce? 

Drawing on their experience in the Exxon Valdez recovery process, NADO is honored to have two presenters share their thoughts on the obstacles to oil spill recovery:



- Molly McCammon, Executive Director of the Alaska Ocean Observing System and former Executive Director of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council 


- Dave Cobb, Business Manager of the Valdez Fisheries, former Mayor of Valdez, AK, former member of Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council 

The purpose of this broadcast is gather insight from one historically significant disaster to assist in the recovery process of another.

Communities become entrepreneurs

This week's post is by guest contributor Joshua Bloom, Principal of Arlington, VA-based Community Land Use and Economics Group, LLC.

Cooperatives have been around almost forever. But the movement has seen new growth and creativity, especially now, when retail revitalization requires new approaches to traditional business recruitment. As an alternative to recruiting businesses, many communities are actually becoming entrepreneurs and developing businesses themselves. In Clare, MI, for example, a 100-year-old downtown bakery was about to close. But the Clare police department put a stop to it: rather than letting the store become vacant, the entire police department organized themselves (as private citizens) to become an investor group and buy the bakery. They renamed it "Cops & Doughnuts". They now have 18 employees and the bakery has already doubled its retail space in the first twelve months of operation.

The March/April issue of Main Street Now, a publication of the National Trust Main Street Center, explores the wide range of community-owned businesses -- including Cops & Doughnuts.

Community-owned retail businesses typically use one of four models:

• Cooperative. A communally owned and managed business, open to anyone, and operated for the benefit of its members. In a cooperative, each member owns an equal share.

• Community-owned corporation. A traditional for-profit corporation that integrates social enterprise principles. Investors may make different equity investments and own differing numbers of shares.

• Small ownership group. A small, ad hoc investor group that capitalizes and/or operates a business as a partnership or a closely-held corporation.

• Investment fund. A community-based fund that invests debt or equity in local business ventures. Typically, the community investment fund finances a local entrepreneur as the owner/operator of the business.

For resources and examples, see communitybusinesses.blogspot.com. To read the original article, visit www.preservationnation.org/main-street (membership required).


Joshua Bloom, principal
Community Land Use and Economics Group, LLC
www.cluegroup.com | 202.427.4722
www.communitybusinesses.blogspot.com