Lordy, Lordy—We Are Forty!

In 1985, the Wisconsin Cooperative Development Council formally incorporated in Madison, WI, under the founding leadership of Rod Nilsestuen, Louis Fortis, Susan Hobart, Thomas Schomisch, and Ann Hoyt.  Forty years have passed since that auspicious beginning, and along the way the organization that is now Cooperative Development Services, and the many people who have played a role here, have worked tirelessly to advance our work to build and strengthen cooperative enterprises in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, and to contribute meaningfully to a robust and connected cooperative development community across the nation.   

Over the course of this year we plan to highlight some of the notable accomplishments and collaborations throughout CDS’s history. And later this spring, we’ll be launching a capital campaign to invite friends and supporters to contribute to a special 40^th anniversary fund to support our ongoing work, so stay tuned for that.  In the meantime, we are kicking things off by shining a spotlight on the many Cooperative Hall of Fame members who have been part of our organization in some meaningful way over the years.: Rod Nilsestuen, Ann Hoyt, Judy Ziewacz, Dennis Johnson, Walden Swanson, Kate Sumberg, Bill Gessner, Marilyn Scholl, Rosemary Mahoney. We are grateful to these talented people whose cooperative heroism is part of our DNA! Click on their photos to review their impressive profiles on the Hall of Fame website: