WORKER-OWNERS | Spoke Folks

OUR TEAM

Meet the Spoke Folks Co-op worker-owners!

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JESS COOPER

Jess is the current president of the board and a worker/owner of Spoke Folks Co-op Inc.

She is an avid environmental advocate who has centered her work around organizing youth in western Maine. Her focus is on climate action and projects that reflect the values of preserving natural lands and creating thriving environments to live and work in.

She is a member of several climate action coalitions in the state of Maine, including Maine Climate Action NOW! (MCAN) and Maine Youth for Climate Justice (MYCJ) and conducts her youth organizing work through the Center for an Ecology-based Economy (CEBE).

She currently works at the Fare Share cooperative in Norway, where she enjoys being able to work in alignment with cooperative values, share the youth perspective on environmental advocacy and the impact of our current waste systems.

As a dancer and singer, Jess also co-founded the non-profit Creative Norway, backed by strong community support. She felt called to help develop Spoke Folks because the values that drive the Co-op's formation align with her values of limiting our impact to the environment and building a healthy community.

SONNY SMITH

Sonny has been a worker/owner of Spoke Folks since 2022.

They are a passionate cyclist and bikepacker, and believer in the power of bikes to transform communities and improve mental well-being. Sonny has integrated biking into almost every aspect of their life—living car-free for many years, racing with a track cycling team in New York, and teaching bike maintenance to promote confidence and self-sufficiency in new cyclists. They are inspired by Spoke Folks' commitment to lessen our collective impact on the environment and promote human-powered alternatives in a car-centric culture.

Outside Spoke Folks, Sonny can be found taking photos, quilting, making food, attempting a new craft, and hanging with their dog, Bijou (despite her unfortunate dislike for bicycles).