Welcome to the 2011 NCB Co-op 100

A Letter from the President

National Co-op Month is a fitting time for those of us in the cooperative community to highlight the strong stories we have to tell- and especially this year as we launch the 2012 International Year of Cooperatives.

"Cooperative Enterprises build a better world" is the official slogan of the 2012: International Year of Cooperatives – a United Nations declaration and global campaign to educate the public about the benefits of cooperatives. The International Year of Cooperatives presents a unique opportunity to build awareness of cooperatives in all fields of enterprise.

The NCB Co-op 100 is one way we are educating the community about the impact cooperatives have in the United States. As you can see from this year’s Co-op 100, the economic impact that cooperatives generate for their members is large.

In 2010, the top 100 Cooperatives generated nearly $194 billion in revenue. We also saw 7 new editions to the list including; TOPCO Associates, Inc., Darigold, Riceland Foods, Inc., Citrus World, Inc, Big Rivers Electric Corporation, Pacific Coast Producers, and Equity Co-op Livestock Sales Association.

Like our Co-op 100 audiences, we are eager to see which co-ops make the list, how they rank compared to the previous year, and what kinds of revenues they’re generating. This year, as always, we are delighted to see that co-ops continue to grow and expand, providing vital services to their community and members.

I encourage you to get involved in the International Year of Cooperatives by educating the public of the impact cooperatives have in our community.To learn more on how to get involved, please visit The National Cooperative Business Association website at www.ncba.coop or the International Year of the Cooperative website at www.2012.coop.

Charles E. Snyder Signature

Charles E. Snyder
President & CEO, NCB

Did you know?

  • Minnesota was the first state to observe Co-op Month in 1948, and it spread quickly to the entire nation. Co-op Month became a government sponsored national event in 1964.

  • There are more than 29,000 co-ops in the United States with Americans holding 350 million co-op memberships.

  • Some 250 purchasing cooperatives offer group buying and shared services to more than 50,000 independent businesses.

  • Over 7,500 Credit Unions provide financial services to nearly 90 million members

  • More than 900 rural electric co-ops deliver electricity to more than 42 million people in 47 states.

  • The majority of our country's 2 million farmers are members of the nearly 3,000 farmer-owned cooperatives. They provide over 250 thousand jobs and annual wages of over $8 billion.

  • Approximately 8,000 housing cooperatives exist in the United States providing 1 million homes.


© 2011 National Consumer Cooperative Bank. All rights reserved.