Cooperative
Development
Center
Twenty-five years building mutually owned, democratically controlled businesses that keep wealth and opportunity in rural western Montana.
What We Do
The Cooperative Development Center helps individuals and communities start, grow, and sustain cooperative businesses. Cooperatives are enterprises owned and democratically controlled by their members, with profits shared equitably among the people who use them.
We've spent over 25 years making that model work in rural western Montana. Whether you're a group of farmers looking to share equipment and markets, a community trying to save a local business, or workers ready to own their workplace, we have the experience to guide you through every step.
Full-Lifecycle Support
Support across the full cooperative lifecycle, from the first conversation to long-term sustainability.
Starting a Cooperative
We guide founding groups through vision development, feasibility analysis, model design, legal formation, and launch, turning a shared idea into a real business.
Growing Existing Co-ops
Membership development, capital fundraising strategies, board governance coaching, and strategic planning to help established cooperatives build lasting resilience.
Business Conversion
Helping business owners transition to cooperative ownership, a proven path for succession planning that keeps businesses rooted in their communities.
Financing Solutions
Access to cooperative-focused loan packages through Mission West's Business Development Center, plus guidance on capitalization strategies and member investment structures.
Education & Training
Workshops, retreats, and board governance programs that build the leadership capacity and shared knowledge cooperatives need to thrive.
Partnership & Referrals
Connections to specialized legal, HR, and accounting expertise, and a network of cooperative development organizations across the region.
Specific Services
We Deliver
From the first conversation through long-term operation, here's what working with the CDC looks like in practice.
Group Facilitation
Organizational Documentation
Business Planning
Capitalization Strategies
Board Governance Workshops
Strategic Planning
Specialized Referrals
Cooperative Financing
CDC Staff
Cooperatives We’ve Built
Twenty-five years of cooperatives that are still operating, still growing, and still rooted in this region.
Ronan Cooperative Brewery
Montana’s first consumer-owned cooperative brewery, developed by Mission West as part of a downtown revitalization campaign.
Glacier Processing Cooperative
When a regional USDA-inspected meat processing facility faced closure, Mission West guided local producers to form a co-op and purchase it, saving essential infrastructure for family-scale ranching.
Western Montana Musicians Cooperative
A democratic, member-owned space for area residents to perform, practice, and enjoy music together, built from a shared vision among friends.
Northwest Food Hub Network
A partnership of farmer-owned cooperatives delivering a complete catalog of local food to regional communities year-round, under Mission West’s leadership.
Ready to Build
Something Together?
Whether you're starting fresh, converting an existing business, or strengthening a cooperative you already run, our team will follow up within one business day.