NCBA fetes Kaptur, Oxley - Newsline - National Cooperative Business Association honors Marcy Kaptur, Mike Oxley - Brief Article

Rural Cooperatives, July-August, 2003 by Patrick Duffey

A pair of U.S. representatives from Ohio have been honored with cooperator awards from the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) for their efforts in supporting cooperatives in Congress and in their state. Rep. Marcy Kaptur was cited for her ongoing support for funding 17 cooperative development centers across the nation. The center developers have been leaders in finding innovative cooperative solutions to the challenges facing farmers and others in rural America. Kaptur serves on the House Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee which has increased funding for the centers from $700,000 10 years ago to $6.5 million for fiscal 2003. Rep. Mike Oxley was recognized for supporting credit unions both state and nationwide and promoting a bill which provided regulatory relief and enabled credit unions to better serve their members. Oxley is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. Chuck Snyder, chairman of NCBA's board, also is president of the National Cooperative Bank which provides financial services to rural and urban member-owned-and-governed credit unions. During NCBA's business session, all officers were renamed and two new and three incumbent directors were seated. Initially joining the board were Wilson Beebe, president of Thanexus, a New Jersey-based management cooperative for independent funeral homes, and Sherman Hardesty, director of the Center for Cooperatives at the University of California. All the elected directors serve three-year terms.

Meanwhile, People's Food Cooperative at Ann Arbor, Mich., has been honored with NCBPes Best. Coop Web Site award. The small cooperative developed a volunteer-designed Web site that is attractive and easy to navigate and educates visitors about cooperatives (www.peoplesfood.coop). The co-op prominently features information about its values, vision, commitment to community as well as frequently asked questions and answers on cooperatives and co-op ownership.