National Cooperative Bank's Barry Silver Named to Cooperative Hall of Fame

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- National Cooperative Bank (NCB), a leading financial institution dedicated to providing banking solutions to cooperatives nationwide, is proud to announce that Barry Silver, an Executive Vice President, is a 2014 inductee to the Cooperative Hall of Fame. Mr. Silver, and three other honorees, will receive the cooperative community's highest honor, and join a select group of individuals who have been recognized for their dedication to fostering cooperative enterprises worldwide.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131216/PH33417)

"Working with cooperatives has been a career-long commitment, and I'm honored to join such a prestigious group of members in the Cooperative Hall of Fame," said Mr. Silver. "I'm proud to work for an organization dedicated to fostering and promoting the growth of this sector. We continue to challenge ourselves, and our peers to identify new programs and initiatives that will further these efforts and continue to expand the cooperative sector."

Since joining NCB in 1980, Mr. Silver has been an unstoppable force within the Bank and industry in the development of cooperative programs. A walking educational resource, he is renowned for finding new and innovative ideas that benefit the cooperative community.  Over the past 33 years, he has helped thousands of cooperatives obtain financing to succeed in business.

Mr. Silver is also responsible for founding the NCB Co-op 100, the annual listing promoting the financial impact the country's cooperatives have on the economy. Now, 20 years later, The Co-op 100 still remains the only annual report of its kind to track the profits and success of cooperative businesses in the United States. The report was also the inspiration for the International Cooperative Alliance's creation of the Global 300 report.

In 1999, Mr. Silver was the first ever recipient of the Stan Dreyer Spirit of Cooperation Award. Stanley Dreyer was a co-founder of NCB and devoted supporter and promoter of cooperatives. The award, created by NCB, is given annually to a Bank employee or customer who lives by the cooperative principals and embodies Mr. Dreyer's devotion to the industry. 

Mr. Silver is consistently working to expand the reach cooperatives have in the community. It is because of this commitment the Purchasing Co-op Conference was created. He was critical to its development, which is an annual assemblage for CEOs in the purchasing cooperative sector to share ideas and receive support. Now in its 20^th year, the event has become a major force in the industry, and Mr. Silver was recognized in 2005 for his role with the National Cooperative Business Association's Honored Cooperator Award. 

As a consultant for the World Bank in China, Mr. Silver worked with agricultural cooperatives for four years, mainly involved in the improvement of water irrigation systems for farmer cooperatives in the country. He was tasked with assessing new cooperatives in five regions and educating leaders in the agricultural sector. Additionally, Mr. Silver has partnered with USAID on cooperative and capital enhancement projects in Peru; offered cooperative education to  credit unions in the Dominican Republic; and is active in the expansion of Spain's Mondragon Cooperative to the U.S.

While Mr. Silver is highly dedicated to the growth and development of NCB and its programs, he also demonstrates a strong passion for volunteering with organizations in the cooperative sector.  He served on the Advisory Board of Group Health Association, was a member of the advisory board to the National Grocers Association; and was the Vice Chairman of the Sollars Fund, which provides financial grants for international co-op projects.   Mr. Silver also served as the Treasurer of the Board for 12 years of the National Multicultural Institute, a non-profit dedicated to teaching and integrating diversity in the workplace; and currently serves as a board advisor for the Cooperative Development Foundation.

Mr. Silver has also taken his experience and knowledge of cooperatives to an international level. He currently serves as a board member of the International Cooperative Alliance, ACI Americas section; is a member of the COFIA board, which is dedicated to the development of co-op banks and credit unions in the Americas; and was recently elected to the executive committee of ACI Americas, representing cooperatives from the United States. 

The Cooperative Hall of Fame is administered by the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF), the 501(c)(3) non-profit affiliate of the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA).  Nominations are received annually from the cooperative community, with the final selection made by the NCBA Board of Directors on the recommendations of a selection committee of national cooperative leaders. 

NCB is dedicated to strengthening communities nationwide through the delivery of banking and financial services, complemented by a special focus on cooperative expansion and economic development. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Bank has offices in Alaska, California, New York, Ohio and Virginia. To learn more, visit www.ncb.coop.

The NCB Financial Group consists of the Congressionally-chartered National Consumer Cooperative Bank (NCCB) and NCB, FSB, a federally insured savings bank wholly owned by NCCB. The NCB Financial Group provides financial products and services for the nation's cooperatives, their members, and socially responsible organizations.

The NCB Financial Group also works in a strategic alliance with NCB Capital Impact, a non-profit Community Development Financial Institution created under the same act of Congress as NCCB with particular focus on impacting low and moderate income communities.

Contact:

Jordana Marks – Great Ink (212) 741-2977
OR
Mary Alex Blanton – NCB (703) 302-8876

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SOURCE National Cooperative Bank

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