FROM: John Rossetto, Riverwest Investment Co-op
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The newly founded Riverwest Investment Cooperative held its
inaugural investor/membership meeting on April 10th at
Dino's Restaurant. Over forty residents from Riverwest and
the City of Milwaukee were in attendance to learn more
about this community-driven venture. The Riverwest
Investment Cooperative (RIC) was created by a group of
Riverwesterners interested in creating a vehicle to
positively influence the neighborhood for current and
longtime residents.

Quinn Wilder and Tom Stocco, two of RIC's founding members,
provided an overview of the mission and goals of RIC,
explained the membership and operational structure of this
cooperative, and addressed several questions that were
raised by those in attendance. Among those questions: What
are RIC's goals? How does Riverwest benefit from this
cooperative? How does RIC make property investment
decisions? What's in it for individual investors--including
investment terms, conditions, and returns?

RIC's stated mission is "to build a stable, diverse, and
vibrant community by directing member-owned resources to
agreed- upon investments in the Riverwest neighborhood."

Bottom-line: RIC wants to purchase distressed property,
perform necessary repairs, and match those properties with
new owner occupants who share a direct stake in the
well-being of the Riverwest community. But RIC cannot take
its first step without support from the community. The
success of RIC in fulfilling its mission is dependent on
the financial investment of individual residents of
Riverwest and the Milwaukee area. Anyone who is committed
to improving Riverwest's stability and maintaining its
valued diversity can become a member of RIC by investing
(initial member investment is $1,000). With member
resources, the member-elected Board of Directors and
Officers of RIC will then direct the investments in
Riverwest property, while the individual members receive a
competitive return on their investment (how much? That is
among the first decisions of the elected board of
directors).

RIC will be hold its next meeting on Thursday, April 24,
7:00 p.m., at the YMCA CDC Office on 604 E. Center Street.

RIC will be accepting new members/investors and will begin
the process of establishing a permanent board of directors
and officers. All residents of Riverwest are welcome and
encouraged to attend.