David Leppert
Celebrated Cooperative Expert
"...nothing short
of revolutionary."
Susan Greco | INC. Magazine
"Underneath it all, there's a flavor of independence that's absolute," says David Leppert, CEO of Cooperative Solutions, an organization set up to support cooperatives. Leppert has helped start half a dozen small-business co-ops in businesses ranging from bike shops to drywall dealers. Leppert went so far as to draw up a "Declaration of Independents," a portion of which appears in the introduction to this story. If this is war, the battle plan is twofold: defend local ownership positions and attack the enemy with the fortifications of an army. The result is nothing short of revolutionary."
Susan Greco
INC. Magazine
“David has built cooperatives in ten different industries. He has repeatedly pooled the power of independents to stake their claim amid change. No one knows how to harness cooperative power like David.”
Michael D. Basch
Senior Founding Vice President
FedEx
"David is driven, appreciative, inclusive, an avid learner, great thinking on his own, but also a person who values excellence on his team. When David sees a new business opportunity, there's a very good chance that he's on to something that will redefine a market and add significant new value to partners and shareholders."