NCBA CLUSA president and CEO Doug O’Brien joined Daytime Buffalo/WIVB last week to lift up the economic impact of cooperatives in Western New York and across the country.

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There are 111 co-ops in Western New York, according to Cooperation Buffalo, a partner of the Co-op World Map. Buffalo has a rich cooperative history. Upstate Niagara Cooperative was established in 1965, and Lexington Co-op Markets has strengthened the local economy for more than 50 years.

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Over the past five years, worker co-ops quintupled in Western New York, from two to 10, including Extra Extra Pizza, Buffalo’s first cooperatively-owned pizza shop and wine bar that opened in 2022. This growth mirrors a similar surge nationwide, making worker co-ops the fastest-growing co-op sector in the country.

Daytime Buffalo also covered last month’s Co-op Fest, presented by Cooperation Buffalo to celebrate the region’s growing cooperative economy. The annual event is an opportunity to introduce community members to the cooperative businesses in their neighborhoods.

WIVB is the CBS affiliate in Buffalo, New York.