Columinate

Name

Columinate

Legal name

Columinate

Website

https://columinate.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting for Cooperatives

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) & Belonging Consulting (BPAHAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Meeting & Conference Planning & Coordination (HSACADAA)

Keywords

• Cooperative consulting services
• Governance support programs
• Leadership development workshops
• Compensation benchmarking database
• Retail grocery consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Individual consulting engagements across governance support, leadership development, HR consulting, retail operations, strategic planning, and other specialized advisory services provided by the network of consultants.
2. CBLD Program Enrollment: Annual program enrollment for Cooperative Board Leadership Development including monthly consulting, board retreats, webinars, and access to CBLD Academy. Offered in three tiers: Basic ($5,750), Regular ($8,550), and Complete ($10,450).
3. Compensation Database Subscription: Annual subscription for access to the Columinate Compensation Database providing GM, department, and administrative manager compensation benchmark data. NCG members receive free access; others pay $275/year.
4. Job Board: Job posting platform for co-ops, integrated with ZipRecruiter for broader distribution. Included free with Compensation Database subscription.
5. Training Programs and Workshops: Fee-based training including Facilitation Training Series, Inclusion Inspiration Labs ($399/person), Women's Leadership Learning Circle ($289/person), DEIB workshops ($249-$299/person), Essentials of Leading ($259), and Mighty Community Markets Grocery Bootcamp ($999-$1,499).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Columinate is a national consulting cooperative that provides governance, leadership development, strategic planning, retail operations, HR, DEI, and feasibility/viability consulting to food co-ops, electric co-ops, credit unions, housing co-ops, and non-profit organizations. It delivers these through a distributed network of 40+ independent consultant members, structured annual programs (such as CBLD), subscription products (Compensation Database, Job Board), and fee-based training workshops and bootcamps. The organization has operated since 1994 and is itself structured as a shared service cooperative.

Product overview

Columinate is a national consulting cooperative serving mission-driven organizations with a network of over 40 consultants. Founded in 1994, the organization offers a comprehensive suite of consulting services organized around core practice areas: Governance Support (through the award-winning CBLD Program), Compensation Benchmarking (Columinate Compensation Database), Talent Management (Job Board, Employee Surveys, GM Search Support), Leadership Development (GM Development Program, Leadership Learning Circles), DEI Training (Inclusion Inspiration Labs, Foundations for Sustained DEIB Impact), Retail Operations (Mighty Community Markets Grocery Bootcamp, Management on Contract), and sector-specific services for retail grocery co-ops, utility co-ops, housing co-ops, and non-profits. The portfolio includes both ongoing programs (CBLD annual enrollment, Compensation Database subscription) and event-based offerings (Co-op Cafe series, Facilitation Training). The organization operates as a cooperative itself, with consultant members providing services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cooperative Board Leadership Development Program (CBLD) Award-winning annual subscription program providing monthly consulting, facilitated board retreats, webinars, online training through the CBLD Academy, and a library of governance resources for food co-op Boards of Directors. Now in its 23rd year.
• Columinate Compensation Database Subscription-based compensation benchmarking tool providing confidential General Manager, Administrative, and Department Manager comparable data, including GM plus department and manager roles, trans and non-binary people tags, and BIPOC equity reporting capabilities.
• Columinate Job Board Job posting platform for co-ops that automatically re-posts listings to ZipRecruiter.com for broader distribution. Included with the Compensation Database annual subscription and offers unlimited job postings.
• Employee Surveys Custom-designed employee survey program offering confidential satisfaction and engagement surveys, benchmarking, follow-up interviews, and comprehensive reporting for food co-ops, used for over 25 years.
• Mighty Community Markets Grocery Bootcamp 6-week remote training program for grocery leaders covering financial metrics, price strategy, merchandising, and business planning. Led by Jeanie Wells with over 25 years of retail operations experience.
• Women's Leadership Learning Circle 4-session interactive online leadership development program for women leaders, with a complimentary one-on-one coaching session; limited to 12 participants per cohort.
• Inclusion Inspiration Labs for Food Co-ops 6-session workshop series for food co-op boards and operations staff focused on practical application of inclusive practices, peer learning, and DEI practitioner engagement.
• Foundations for Sustained DEIB Impact 5-part interactive workshop series for community-focused organizations exploring diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging foundations, DEIB team formation, and sustained impact strategies.
• Facilitation Training Series Two-level training program for facilitators: Fundamentals for novice facilitators covering tools and techniques, and Intermediate training for meeting design and handling difficult dynamics.
• Co-op Cafe Annual event series bringing food co-ops together for shared learning, questioning, mutual support, and solidarity through regional in-person and virtual cafe gatherings.
• Gender Equity Project Research initiative studying pay inequity between male and female general managers in grocery co-ops, using the Compensation Database to identify disparities and drive equity progress.
• GM Development Program
• GM Search Support
• Management on Contract
• Retail Grocery Consulting
• Utility Cooperatives Services
• Resident Owned Communities and Housing Co-ops Services
• Non-Profit Organizations Services
• Financial Services
• Startup Support
• Growth, Feasibility, and Capital Services
• Leadership Coaching

Quantifiable outcome

• CBLD program has been running for 23+ years with measurable improvements in board governance effectiveness
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Food Co-op Initiative (FCI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026FCI issued a news release covering the Wasatch Food Co-op Grand Opening and collaborated with Columinate on supporting new cooperative startups. Both organizations support food co-op development.
• National Co+op Grocers (NCG)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNCG sponsors the Co-op Cafe series, providing financial support for regional gatherings that bring food co-ops together for shared learning and collaboration. NCG also provides financial support for the Gender Equity Project and Compensation Database.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CDS Consulting Co-op: A cooperatively structured consulting firm serving food co-ops with retail operations, governance, and GM development services. It is the closest direct competitor to Columinate in the food co-op advisory market.
• BoardSource: National nonprofit focused on nonprofit and mission-driven board governance, leadership, and effectiveness. Overlaps directly with Columinate's CBLD-style governance consulting and leadership development offerings.
• La Piana Consulting: Consulting firm specializing in nonprofit and mission-driven organization strategy, governance, and capacity building. Comparable to Columinate's nonprofit and cooperative governance and strategic planning services.
• Nonprofit Finance Fund: Provides financial consulting, capital, and benchmarking services to nonprofits and mission-driven organizations. Comparable to Columinate's financial services practice and Compensation Database benchmarking offering.

Emerging players

• Food Co-op Initiative: Nonprofit that supports startup food cooperatives through feasibility and development stages. Directly comparable because it serves the same buyer base (new and emerging food co-ops) with overlapping startup support services.

Broad incumbents

• Bridgespan Group: Large, established consultancy serving nonprofits, NGOs, and mission-driven organizations on strategy, leadership, and organizational effectiveness. Comparable in client base and service mix, but operates at significantly greater scale.

Others

• National Co+op Grocers (NCG): Secondary cooperative providing services to retail food co-ops. A strategic partner and ecosystem player for Columinate, with overlapping food co-op buyer base and shared programs like the Co-op Cafe.
• Cooperative Development Foundation: Foundation supporting cooperative development domestically and internationally. Adjacent ecosystem player serving similar cooperative and mission-driven clients through capacity-building and development services.
• Democracy at Work Institute: Cooperative development organization focused on worker cooperatives and democratic workplaces. Operates in the broader cooperative ecosystem and serves overlapping mission-driven clients with governance and capacity support.
• The Ohio Employee Ownership Center: Resource center supporting employee-owned and cooperative businesses with training and technical assistance. Comparable as a cooperative-focused technical assistance provider, though with a regional (Ohio) footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ColuminateCoop
• Facebookfacebook.com/Columinate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Columinate