We believe that a cooperative is its people.
Today, Mindful Maker Co is technically a partnership consisting of two of our desired five founding Member-Owners. While we do need additional founding members to meet the technical qualifications of a cooperative in Virginia – on the practical front, we need more members to provide support, challenge our perspectives, to help us break ground with our manufacturing facility, and to reach an audience of people who share our concerns for the unsustainable nature of the manufacturing industry and are seeking an accessible, and legitimate, alternative.
We are looking for people who see the value of our Cooperative Purpose, are eager to learn and apply the foundational cooperative principles, and are currently in a stable enough position to contribute the time and money. The initial financial contribution and ongoing commitment of additional founders is what Mindful Maker Co needs to demonstrate our viability to cooperative lenders.
Meet our Current Worker-Owners
DANNY
Design, Fabrication,
and Logistics
Danny is the inventor of Leaf Tree and has 25+ years experience design, construction, and fabrication in multiple material mediums through his work in restaurants, theatre, film, live entertainment, and live events. Danny currently works as a Digital Design and Fabrication Manager for the School of Art, Design, and Art History at James Madison University
ALEX
Digital Design, Research, and Cooperative Development
Alex holds a degree in Industrial Design and brings an interdisciplinary background and socioenvironmental-centered approach to product design and iteration. Alex currently works in QA testing, UX/UI design, project management, and market analysis for a Boston-based software company.
Where We Are
The Shenandoah Valley – Home to Mindful Maker Co and so much more
Mindful Maker Co is looking for the perfect property within the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. The Valley is home to a wide range of industrial facilities and is has a long history of agricultural production. The beautiful forests, caverns, rivers, and the diverse flora and fauna of our region deserve to be centered in our approach to manufacturing, waste redefinition, and transportation. Our aim as a manufacturer in the Valley is to spearhead the development of environmentally regenerative practices that are accessible to locally owned and operated organizations across all sectors so the beauty of this region can exist for all generations to come
Prospective owners
People we need to pursue our purpose and foster community cooperatively
We spoke to the general outlook we hope to see in prospective founding owners, but there are specific skills that we are currently lacking and would be incredibly beneficial to Mindful Maker Co’s startup and long-term sustainability! If you want to reach out but don’t see your skillset reflected in the list below, still do! There are so many valuable skills and experiences we just don’t know we need yet, and we are excited to speak to anyone who is at all interested in our manufacturing worker cooperative, or even cooperatives in general. If you’re local to the Valley we can meet in person, and if you are anywhere else in the world we can meet on Discord!
Skills We Are Looking For
Making: experience in manufacturing, woodworking, materials & processes, or any passion or enthusiasm for how things are made
Media: web development, social media management, marketing, video production, graphic design, semiotics, or any experience with how to make great impressions and foster online community building
Business: financial management, market research, relevant legal expertise, networking, e-commerce, data analytics, or unique (human-centric) experiences and interests within the business sector
Governance: Democratic structures, collective decision making, political science, cooperative management, or a passion for democratic systems and human-centric operations
Logistics: supply chain management, ensuring transparency of suppliers, forming B2B sales partnerships, product distribution and returns, product EOL management, any experience of interest in managing where everything comes from and how it all gets to the production facility and the consumer
Unexpected: any skill, experience, passion, interest, or motivation that is kindred with our cooperative purpose. If you care about intergenerationally sustainable business models and are in a position to take on the risks associated with co-founding a manufacturing enterprise, we would love to hear from you
Contact Us!
you can contact us via
mindfulmakerco@gmail.com
email is the most assured way to reach us,
but we are also on social media if that is your preference:
Mindful Maker Co 