The City of Madison, in partnership with the UW Center for Cooperatives, is hosting the Madison Cooperative Business Conference on June 6-7, 2012 at The Pyle Center. The conference will include an exploration of Madison's existing cooperative business community, cooperative best practices, and a discussion of what can be done to advance business cooperatives in Madison. The June 6 pre-conference session will include an in-depth exploration of business succession planning and the use of cooperative conversions as a way to maintain thriving businesses under employee ownership. Registration for the conference will be available online until Friday, June 1st at 4:00 PM at www.cityofmadison.com/business/coopconference. Registration thereafter will be available at the door the day of the pre-conference and conference.

Attendance is on track to meet expectations, with over 30 individuals registered for the June 6th pre-conference session, and more than 60 individuals planning to attend the June 7th conference. This interest has been bolstered by the generous financial support of a dozen Madison business cooperatives, including Heartland Credit Union, Willy Street Co-op, Summit Credit Union, Group Health Cooperative, Isthmus Engineering, and Union Cab.

The conference is targeted to existing cooperative owners, entrepreneurs exploring a cooperative model, business service providers, and planning and economic development professionals. Additional information about the conference, including a list of all conference sponsors, is available at www.cityofmadison.com/business/coopconference. Resources regarding business cooperatives are available at www.uwcc.wisc.edu.