Bradley given co-op sector’s highest honor  

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Home and community have held a valued role for ROC USA® Founding President Paul Bradley for his entire life.  

Growing up, he was fortunate to have a stable home in a community loved. As an adult, he and his family have been able to achieve the same.

This passion has inspired his career, where he’s made his focus helping others achieve this stability and safety.

“Everything starts at home,” he said.

The hard, meaningful work that’s made positive changes in thousands of homes has not gone unnoticed. — Bradley was inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame at the celebration in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

“Thank you for this honor,” Bradley said. “It is very meaningful to me, and to all of us in the ROC movement.”

That Network of LLC members, Board of Directors, national staff, affiliates, bankers, lawyers, philanthropists, fellow cooperators and friends has been vital to that movement.

“We are out to prove one thing: An aligned and focused social venture together with co-op leaders can scale grassroots cooperative ownership,” Bradley said.

Induction into the Cooperative Hall of Fame is the highest honor that the U.S. cooperative community bestows on the extraordinary men and women who have made genuinely heroic contributions in support of the cooperative form of enterprise.

For decades, Paul and the rest of the ROC USA Network have helped more than 14,000 homeowners gain affordable and stable housing through cooperative ownership. His work began in 1988 at the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, whose pioneering work laid the foundation for ROC USA when it formed in 2008.

“The 220 communities and 14,000 homeowners we serve include many heroes,” Bradley said. “We count more than 1,200 who are elected Directors, and many more who are active Members.” 

Andrea Levere, chair of ROC USA’s Board of Directors and president of Prosperity Now, said Paul’s commitment to his vision and goal is what has bolstered those in ROC USA Network. She nominated Bradley for induction.

“Paul structured ROC USA with a business model designed for scale and with cooperative principles embedded at every level of the enterprise,” she said. “It is Paul’s commitment to this vision that ensured that all the members of the cooperative community that contribute to the mission of ROC USA—homeowners, TA providers, LLC members, lenders and investors, policy advocates, the extraordinary staff and, perhaps, most important of all—his family—are in the room today.”

Paul is one of four inductees that will be honored at the ceremony this year. The others are Rudy Hanley, retired president and CEO of SchoolsFirst Credit Union; Rosemary Mahoney, a cooperative business consultant; and Marilyn Scholl, manager of CDS Consulting cooperative.

The celebration was held on May 2 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Congratulations to Paul and the rest of inductees. The recognition is well deserved.