Northern Star Cooperative helps rural communities thrive
北极星合作服务皇冠hga010安卓二维码(Northern Star Cooperative Services)在明尼苏达州鹿河(Deer River)的一家药店中发挥了不可或缺的作用., to serve residents including 小维克·威廉姆斯.
作者:马修·王尔德
小维克·威廉姆斯. 庆幸自己只需要开几英里的车就能到明尼苏达州北部小鹿河(Deer River)的Essentia Health药房取药. 当当地药店的前老板四年前宣布退休并关门的计划时, the town faced the possibility of losing an essential service.
“Our community is aging,” says Williams, a recent retiree. “Medication is an integral part of our existence, including mine. 方便很重要.”
这位前伊塔斯卡县治安官可以轻松开车15英里到明尼苏达州的大急流城., the closest city with a drug store. But that trip would be burdensome for many elderly Deer River residents, 他说, especially during harsh 明尼苏达州esota winters.
Northern Star Cooperative Services, based in Deer River, played a key role in keeping the pharmacy. While cooperatives are mainstays in rural communities, medications and health care products are not traditional co-op offerings. 但北极星领导人表示，他们愿意采取一切必要措施帮助当地居民.
合作公寓董事会成员威廉姆斯表示:“我们采取措施确保我们的社区保持活力和健康。. “It’s one of the main missions of Northern Star Co-op. 我们业务的力量依赖于我们周围的人，我们的客户的力量.”
Northern Star Cooperative Services at a glance
- Energy and consumer/retail cooperative
- Headquartered in Deer River, 明尼苏达州., with a service area from International Falls to Alexandria
- 8000个成员
- 13000个丙烷客户
- 2022年销售额为6700万美元
- Since 2009, Northern Star has paid nearly $19.400万美元的现金分红和股票退休金，其中包括超过1亿美元.2023年1月将达到200万. The co-op’s average annual dividend over the last 10 years was nearly 6%.
- 业务包括燃料, 丙烷和润滑剂, 便利店, 北极星市场, 存储单元, 启动营销
- 专注于社区，支持其他当地企业，并强调慈善事业
健康的社区
该合作公寓最初签署了一份购买协议，购买药房业务，但没有购买店面. Shortly after that, Essentia Health, based in Duluth, 明尼苏达州.该皇冠hga010安卓二维码提出收购该企业，以补充其在鹿河的医院和诊所. 知道Essentia Health拥有相当多的药学专业知识——该皇冠hga010安卓二维码在中西部北部经营着25家药店——北极星达成了一项对所有人都有利的交易.
在合作社的支持下, essential Health买下了这家药房，并将其搬迁到北极星市场, 这是一家合作社所有和澳门皇冠赌场平台的零售企业，当时正在进行改造和扩张. Essentia Health signed a long-term lease for $3,000 per month. 该镇保留着药房, 健康必需品扩大, 而北极星通过租金收入和额外的客流量创造了更多的收入.
“获得药房服务对于提供高质量的保健和确保保健的连续性非常重要,肯齐·霍曼说, who heads up ambulatory care pharmacy services for Essentia. “我们很自豪能够在我们有幸服务的社区为患者提供这些服务.”
这家药店只是北极星皇冠hga010安卓二维码愿意适应并提供当地居民需要的产品和服务的一个例子.
发展中的农村企业
随着人口结构的变化，农村社区往往难以保留企业和基本服务. 年轻人搬出去寻找更好的机会，小农场和小企业解散和合并.
迈克尔·达杰, 他是明尼苏达大学推广社区经济专家和商业保留和扩张专家, 说医疗保健, 杂货店, hardware and lumber businesses are often the hardest for small towns to keep. 来自网络和大型零售巨头的竞争加剧了农村商业的困境, 他补充说.
“一旦一家企业离开一个农村社区，就不太可能有其他企业取代它的位置，”达格说. “我不会称之为危机, 但是，许多在婴儿潮末期出生的企业主正准备退休，社区需要解决这个问题.”
Northern Star has embraced change to survive, says CEO 布拉德盒子. Established as an agricultural co-op 100 years ago, 北极星已转型为皇冠hga010安卓二维码和消费/零售业务，以满足其不断变化的客户群的需求.
博克斯说，20世纪80年代，鹿河附近的小农场，尤其是奶牛场，大多消失了. With them went the need for livestock feed and crop inputs.
旅游业、木材和采矿业成为推动该地区经济发展的力量. Itasca County is a wooded area that’s home to more than 1,000 lakes and is a popular vacation and weekend destination. The need for fuel, propane, lubricants and 便利店 grew.
“为了合作社的生存, we had to adapt and figure out ways to provide value to member-owners,盒子说.
在90年代早期, 为了从CHS手中收购位于鹿河的太阳能天然气丙烷厂，北极星背负了债务. “That started our meteoric rise as a cooperative,盒子说. Other energy acquisitions followed. Today, Northern Star business ventures include:
- 四家便利店
- 三个散装石油设施
- 七个丙烷分支
- Mini storage buildings with 174 units
- 北极星市场 with a pharmacy, deli and foodservice; merchandise ranges from gifts made by local artisans, clothes and home decor to locally produced foods
- 启动营销, 提供全方位服务的社交媒体, 营销和电子商务澳门皇冠赌场平台皇冠hga010安卓二维码，帮助当地企业建立品牌和产品知名度
Northern Star sales grew from $7 million in 1993 to $67 million in 2022. Co-op membership increased from hundreds to 8,000, Box reports. The propane customer base grew from zero to 13,000.
“有时候，让合作公寓董事会理解变革的必要性可能是一个很大的障碍，”博克斯说. “我们的董事会一直非常善于找出我们需要做些什么才能生存和发展.”
创造性思维
作为一个消费者驱动的合作社, Box意识到，要想持续取得成功，需要积极的营销和社交媒体努力. The cooperative hired his daughter and former intern, 谢尔比的盒子, 三年前制定了一个卓有成效且成本效益高的营销计划. This includes regular social media posts to boost brand awareness, 广告活动, a revamped website and an e-commerce site for 北极星市场.
最近，谢尔比盒子皇冠hga010安卓二维码将数字广告纳入了合作社的营销计划. Sales have grown by millions of dollars in the past few years, and a focus on marketing is a big reason why, 箱说. 他希望利用这一成功，创办一家名为启动营销的合作企业, which began taking on clients in March 2023.
“许多小企业没有诀窍，也没有时间做市场营销和成功所必需的事情,盒子说. “We can use our expertise to help.”
Blueberry Hills Golf Course and Blueberry Hills Campground in Deer River, owned by Northern Star Office Manager 尼基Osse and her husband, 约旦, served as a beta test in 2022 for 启动营销. 其目标是通过有针对性的广告和在脸谱网和Instagram上发布社交媒体帖子来提高知名度，从而提振业务. 它工作. Social media views increased from 3,000 views to nearly 11,000 per month. Ad campaigns and specials also helped draw customers.
“We’ve never been as busy as we were last year,” reports 尼基Osse. “It’s hard to know how much it was because of Launch, but it helped.”
Box adds, “If our community succeeds, we succeed.”
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