"Rob has been involved in this effort from the beginning – , he worked closely in drafting the proposals which garnered funding for the project and he's a natural fit for the programs objectives and can get it off the ground," Wheeler said.

As program leader for the project, Holland will participate in a variety of training by the KCCD, will serve as the program liaison between the KCCD and CPA and will be the primary director for coordinating, planning and implementing the program’s strategies. "In our evaluation and planning of value-added enterprises over the years, we have seen many opportunities for lower risk and greater returns through cooperative efforts. Now we will be better able to address these opportunities," Holland said.

Holland will coordinate teaching for two mini-conferences in Tennessee devoted to improving the understanding of cooperative forms of business organization, new generation coops and coop success stories will be conducted. Holland will also coordinate and facilitate strategy sessions for pilot projects with well-organized farmer groups that are considering a cooperative organization. In addition, a variety of web-bases resources will be posted to the CPA’s web site and a variety of comparative analysis of business organizations.

Overall, the project will build on the CPA’s five-year success in providing direct technical assistance (feasibility, marketing and production) to farmers, entrepreneurs and groups in rural areas to create a new program emphasis in the area of “Cooperative Development.” The program will improve the understanding and application of cooperative development strategies in the state and will increase the consideration of cooperative efforts by farmers, entrepreneurs and groups in rural areas.

Holland has been and Extension Specialists with the Center for Profitable Agriculture since 1998. The Center is a partnership program between The University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service and the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation.. The Center is headquartered at the Middle Tennessee Experiment Station in Spring Hill, Tennessee.