Bill Gessner
Phone: 612-823-4509
Fax: 612-823-8203
BillGessner@cdsconsulting.coop

Minneapolis, MN

Bill Gessner is our lead consultant with over 20 years of experience assisting over 150 retail and wholesale cooperatives with a primary focus on planning and expansion/relocation projects.

Bill can work with your co-op on:

• Expansion/relocation projects
• Organizational planning and facilitation
• Management support and development
• Capitalization
• Business strategy

“It was essential to have Bill Gessner as the lead consultant for the Wedge Community Co-op’s two year expansion and relocation project. He is hard-working and experienced, is a good negotiator and a great planner. I would definitely rehire him.”

—Dan Foley, General Manager,
Wedge Co-op, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Articles on this site

• Secure Resources, Financing During Down Economy
  (March-April 2010, Volume 10, Number 2)
• The Rochdale Pioneers’ Message to the Future
  (January-February 2009, Volume 9, Number 1)
• Expansions During Challenging Economic Times
  (November-December 2008, Volume 8, No. 6)
• Project Stage II: Preparing for Leasehold Improvements/Construction
  (May - June 2008, Vol. 8, No. 3)
• Cost and Complexity of Today’s Expansion Projects
  (March - April 2008, Vol. 8, No. 2)
• Navigate the Waters
  (March - April 2008, Vol. 8, No. 2)
• Store Design Manifests Co-op Community Vision
  (November - December 2006: Volume 6, No. 6)
• First Year in Expanded Store: Homing in on Success
  (March 2005: Volume 5, No. 2)
• Focus on Vision Expands Small Co-op Possibilities
  (Winter 2005: Volume 5, No. 1)
• Case Study - How Small Co-ops Define Success
  (Winter 2005: Volume 5, No. 1)
• General Managers Speak: Means for Effective Management
  (Spring 2004: Volume 4, No. 2)
• Case Study - Operational Rehab Allows Co-op to Thrive Again
  (Spring 2004: Volume 4, No. 2)
• Financial Pro Forma Is Early Step in Expansion Planning
  (Spring 2004: Volume 4, No. 2)
• Assessment as Strategic Approach to Co-op Development
  (Spring 2003: Volume 3, No. 2)
• Case Study: Build Organizational Capacity to Move Forward
  (Spring 2003: Volume 3, No. 2)
• Empowerment + Accountability = Success (and Fun)
  (Winter 2003: Volume 3, No. 1)
• Balanced Resources for Membership and Operations
  (Fall 2002: Volume 2, No. 4)
• The Expansion Toolbox: A Tool for Board and Management of Expanding Co-ops
  (Winter 2002: Volume 2, No. 2)
• A Round-Robin Discussion with CDS Consultants: Talking Co-op
  (Fall 2001: Volume 2, No. 1)

Articles not on this site

Member Loan Toolbox by Bill Gessner, Beret Griffith and Ron Griffith, published by Food Co-op 500

*Relocation and Expansion Toolbox.” Bill Gessner. Click here to order this publication.

Additional Stores: Expanding. Bill Gessner.Cooperative Grocer.#134. January-February 2008.

Capitalization Strategies. Bill Gessner. Cooperative Grocer. #129. March-April 2007.

Co-op Expansions Raise the Bar. Bill Gessner. Cooperative Grocer. #121. November-December 2005.

Avoiding Post-Expansion Burnout. Bill Gessner. Cooperative Grocer. #120. September-October 2005.

The Spirit of Generosity: Co-ops need to plant and nourish the seeds of future cooperation. Bill Gessner. Cooperative Grocer. #111. March-April 2004.

Your New Store: Meeting First Year Challenges. Bill Gessner.Cooperative Grocer.#99. March-April 2002.

Conducting Member Loan Campaigns. Bill Gessner. Cooperative Grocer. #86. January-February 2000.

Clarifying Board and Management Roles in Expansion/Relocation Projects. Bill Gessner. Cooperative Grocer. #83. July-August 1999.

Project Management for Cooperatives. Bill Gessner. Cooperative Grocer. #46. May-June 1993.

Preparing for Expansion. Bill Gessner. Cooperative Grocer. #33. March-April 1991.

Cooperative Empowerment Stream. Bill Gessner. Cooperative Grocer. #63. March-April 1996.