Howard Brodsky set out to conquer the carpet world. Dan Bleier just wanted to save his family-owned business. But both cherished their independent status in a retail chain, “big box” business world. Now, each realizes success through a purchasing cooperative.The pair spent almost eight months reviewing different business models, disqualifying one after another. Then they looked at cooperatives. Brodsky and Bleier are founders of two of the estimated 300 purchasing cooperatives in the United States?a sector which serves roughly 50,000 independent business owner-members. “The co-op was the ultimate choice to bring (buying) scale to local ownership while honoring their differences and valuing their independence. It also allowed us to leverage our efforts to serve their best interests,” says Brodsky, chairman and co-CEO of CCA Global Partners. “By comparison, other business structures didn’t endure.”Entrepreneurs across the American business landscape?from furniture dealers to funeral service providers?are using co-op power to level the playing field between family-owned enterprises and mega-retailers.Purchasing co-op owner-members are joining together to increase the competitiveness of their independently owned businesses. By pooling their buying power to acquire inventory and services, they lower operating costs, better respond to competition, and improve their businesses’ overall performance.Conquering the worldBy virtually every business standard, CCA has more than endured. It has exploded. Starting with 13 members, the cooperative has grown to 650 owners who operate 3,600 independent stores around the world. The company reported sales exceeding $10 billion last year and has never experienced an unprofitable quarter in its 24 years of existence.

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