Dear Friend,
It won’t likely come as a shock to hear that I look forward to August, when Congressional legislative business in DC is put on hold and I can return home for a longer period to reconnect with constituents. It is not only a respite from DC dysfunction, it also sparks ideas for things we can get done in spite of that craziness.
To that end, in early August I spent a day visiting local cooperative businesses including Just Coffee Cooperative, Isthmus Engineering & Manufacturing and the soon-to-open third Willy Street Co-op on Madison’s Northside. In our district, Dane County alone is home to 80 cooperatives, the highest number of co-ops per capita of any county in the country!
Because our district embraces this model that gives workers a voice and a stake in business decisions, earlier this year I co-founded the bipartisan Congressional Cooperative Business Caucus with Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA) to help policymakers enact co-op friendly legislation. During my visits I not only had the chance to highlight successful co-ops in our district, but I also heard great feedback on what works and what might help others exploring this collaborative business model.
I appreciate all that our cooperatives and small businesses throughout our district do to foster a strong economic climate. They make our region an incredible community to call home.
Thank you,
Mark Pocan
It won’t likely come as a shock to hear that I look forward to August, when Congressional legislative business in DC is put on hold and I can return home for a longer period to reconnect with constituents. It is not only a respite from DC dysfunction, it also sparks ideas for things we can get done in spite of that craziness.
To that end, in early August I spent a day visiting local cooperative businesses including Just Coffee Cooperative, Isthmus Engineering & Manufacturing and the soon-to-open third Willy Street Co-op on Madison’s Northside. In our district, Dane County alone is home to 80 cooperatives, the highest number of co-ops per capita of any county in the country!
Because our district embraces this model that gives workers a voice and a stake in business decisions, earlier this year I co-founded the bipartisan Congressional Cooperative Business Caucus with Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA) to help policymakers enact co-op friendly legislation. During my visits I not only had the chance to highlight successful co-ops in our district, but I also heard great feedback on what works and what might help others exploring this collaborative business model.
I appreciate all that our cooperatives and small businesses throughout our district do to foster a strong economic climate. They make our region an incredible community to call home.
Thank you,
Mark Pocan