Podcast appearances and mentions of niki okuk

In this episode of the Trucking for Millennials podcast, we kick things off by reflecting on Memorial Day. We express our gratitude to service members, both past and present, for their sacrifices. We then dive into some significant freight news, discussing a new bill that aims to fine double brokers $10,000. This legislation seeks to enhance transparency and accountability in the trucking industry by targeting fraudulent practices. We debate whether this bill will effectively deter double brokering or if it will just lead to new loopholes. Next, we shift gears to the topic of electric trucks, highlighting the recent Advanced Clean Transportation Expo. We discuss Tesla's push for the trucking industry to adopt fully purpose-built electric vehicles and the challenges faced by traditional OEMs in transitioning to electric powertrains. We also touch on Kenworth's new Super Truck 2 concept, which boasts impressive aerodynamic design and efficiency improvements. The conversation then broadens to the overall complexity of transitioning to greener technologies in the trucking industry. We explore the balance between maintaining diesel engines, which currently dominate the market, and investing in zero-emission technologies. The discussion includes insights from industry leaders on the need for improved infrastructure and collaboration to support this transition. To provide a deeper perspective, we revisit a debate we hosted last year between Niki Okuk of Cal Start and David Heller of the Truckload Carrier Association. They discuss the practical challenges and potential benefits of transitioning to electric trucks, particularly focusing on charging infrastructure and the feasibility of long-haul electric trucking. Overall, this episode offers a comprehensive look at the current state and future of electric trucks in the industry, highlighting both the progress being made and the hurdles that still need to be overcome. We invite our listeners to share their thoughts on these developments and stay tuned for more insightful discussions in future episodes.

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We're so excited to have had the opportunity to host this conversation between Niki Okuk and David Heller!  David is the VP of Safety and Govt Affairs for the Truckload Carriers Association, and has been on the podcast in the past. Check out that episode here. He's also advocating to the White House what his members think about electric trucking and believes there are many obstacles and issues in the way that must be resolved. Niki is the Deputy Director of CALSTART, a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating to growth of clean transportation tech - and a veteran trucker herself. She's talking with truckers and fleet managers about why it's crucial for them to get ahead in this transition.  So we decided it would be great to bring these two together so they can help us learn about the subject through a conversation between two opposing sides! What resulted was an excellent chat about charging infrastructure, the reliability of electric trucks, the affordability of electric trucks, what the point of all the changes are and much, much, more!   

On the show this week, Chris Hedges discusses worker cooperatives with Niki Okuk, activist and founder of the worker cooperative Rco Tires. Okuk founded Rco Tires in 2012. They've since recycled more than 300 million pounds of rubber, diverting 70 million gallons of oil from landfills, and with 16 employees, making it one of southern California's largest sustainability plants. Rco Tires creates alternative uses for trash tires, turning them into new products. Because of Okuk's progressive hiring and management practices, the cooperative provides stable jobs for local black and Latino residents who struggle to find employment because of past criminal convictions or their legal status.

There’s a bold plan in LA’s Crenshaw neighborhood to purchase the local mall for north of $100 million and let the community profit from its redevelopment. The idea has a lot of support from business owners and residents. But the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall’s owners, lenders, and some community leaders aren’t convinced. “When someone comes in from the outside and [has] a completely different agenda, it might not be what’s best for the neighborhood,” says Malik Muhammad, who has owned and operated Malik’s Books at the Crenshaw Mall since the early 1990s. “It might be a plan to gentrify, uproot and push [us] out. … We need to develop our own communities.” Enter Downtown Crenshaw Rising, a community effort to buy the mall, redevelop it, and let the neighborhood profit from its economic revitalization. “We heard that the plan was to build luxury condos and townhouses here. We knew that we had to draw a line in the sand and really stop that type of gentrification from happening,” says Niki Okuk, a local entrepreneur and board president with Downtown Crenshaw.

What would happen if we gave workers the opportunity to own the companies they work for, and encouraged businesses to reinvest profits in their communities? We’re diving into this question with this week’s guest, entrepreneur Niki Okuk. She founded Rco Tires, a rubber recycling facility in California, in 2012 and her TedX Talk “When Workers Own Companies, The Economy Is More Resilient” has over 1 million views. She’s passionate about giving workers more power in the companies they work for, and expanding accessibility to jobs and resources for people of color in South Los Angeles.     On this episode, Niki is sharing her insight on some of the barriers that underrepresented groups face in trying to raise themselves up from the systems that keep them down, the growing opportunities for cooperative business models, and why aligning your values will help you to achieve your goals.    Listen now to hear more about:   How economic systems and business creation impact communities that are underrepresented Why Niki came back to South L.A. to reinvest in the community A lack of accessibility for Black folks trying to start a business The extractive nature of big box businesses — and its impact on the surrounding community Why leaders NEED to create sustainable opportunities for their workers  How urgency interrupts equity (and the #1 thing you can do to change it!) The importance of being explicit with your truths so you can align with the right customers — plus, Niki opens up about a time she stood up for her truths Niki shares why the need for interconnected community relationships and cooperative business models are more important now than ever And so much more! Short on time? Check out the show highlights: [4:15] The economic systems that impact underrepresented groups [6:30] What Niki did to reinvest in her community of South L.A. [10:45] The problems with big box stores [13:10] Making sustainable opportunities for workers [21:05] Niki’s experience speaking up about her truths [30:15] Affordable, cooperative projects Niki is working on  [38: 00] How you can get involved and learn more about local cooperative projects   Connect with Niki Okuk! The cooperative project Downtown Crenshaw: https://www.downtowncrenshaw.com TedX Talk - “When Workers Own Companies, The Economy Is More Resilient”: https://www.ted.com/talks/niki_okuk_when_workers_own_companies_the_economy_is_more_resilient/up-next?language=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikiokuk/ Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trudilebron/

Niki Okuk, Downtown Crenshaw Board Chair, and Damien Goodmon, Downtown Crenshaw Board Member, discuss plans for the acquisition and redevelopment Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. The historic Crenshaw Mall being acquired through Downtown Crenshaw Rising, a community nonprofit established to purchase and redevelop the mall. Downtown Crenshaw plans to reinvent the mall as an “urban village.” The 40-acre site will be used to create worker owned businesses, community space, cooperative housing and much more. Niki Okuk attended Audubon Middle school in South LA and went on to complete her degree in Economics at Columbia University, a Masters from the Nanyang University in Singapore, and a certificate in Sustainability at MIT Sloan School of Business before returning home to start a green-collar business in Compton. Rco Tires existed for nearly a decade as an example of black woman owned small business, employing dozens of formerly incarcerated community members, recycling millions of pounds of tire rubber into new products and creating decent, dignified, and democratic workplaces in South LA, which she talked about in her 2017 TED talk, "Fire the Boss". “Niki and her mom, Lis Ryder, are co-founders of LUCI (Los Angeles Union Cooperative Initiative). Lis, together with Mary Hoyer, is a co-founder of the Union-Coop Council, part of the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives. Both the USFWC Union Coop Council and LUCI are closely aligned with the 1worker1vote movement.” Niki continues to work at the intersection of sustainability, industry and environmental justice and is currently serving on the leadership team for Downtown Crenshaw Rising, the ambitious community led effort to purchase and redevelop the historic Crenshaw Mall 40-acre site into a thriving urban village under collective and cooperative models which will house, employ, stabilize, and nurture the Crenshaw community for generations to come. Damien Goodmon, a 27-year Leimert Park resident, has been labeled a “visionary” by the LA Times, recognized as one of the L.A.’s “100 Most Influential African-Americans” by the LA Wave Newspapers, chosen beside former LA Mayor Richard Riordan and actress Drew Barrymore for the 2009 “LA People” issue of LA Weekly, and is a lead subject of the award-winning documentary “Beyond the Echo of the Drum,” which premiered at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. As a nonprofit executive director he has led some of the Crenshaw and Black Los Angeles' most impactful community advocacy campaigns. As a political operative he has managed, led departments and advised electoral campaigns from the school board level up to the presidential. As an executive management consultant and systems thinker, he has built, reconstructed and managed multiple large companies and departments, including some with over 400 employees, and successfully guided complex projects and partnerships, featuring actors with divergent interests. A graduate of L.A. Loyola High School, he has studied at the University of Washington and Harvard University programs.

Another economic reality is possible -- one that values community, sustainability and resiliency instead of profit by any means necessary. Niki Okuk shares her case for cooperative economics and a vision for how working-class people can organize and own the businesses they work for, making decisions for themselves and enjoying the fruits of their labor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Une autre réalité économique est possible -- une économie qui valorise la population, la durabilité et la résilience plutôt que le profit à tout prix. Niki Okuk argumente en faveur de l'économie coopérative et de la façon dont les personnes de la classe ouvrière peuvent s'organiser et posséder les entreprises dans lesquelles elles travaillent, prendre les décisions pour elles-mêmes et profiter des fruits de leur labeur.

지금과는 다른 경제적 현실이 가능합니다. 어떻게든 이익만을 쫓는 것이 아닌, 지역사회와 지속가능성, 경제적 안정성에 더 가치를 두는 경제. 니키 오쿡은 자신이 경험한 협동적 경제와 노동자들이 자신이 일하는 기업을 조직하고 소유할 수 있고 그들이 스스로 결정을 내리며 자신들 노동의 결실을 직접 거둬갈 수 있는 방식에 대한 자신만의 비전을 여러분과 공유합니다.

Eine andere wirtschaftliche Realität ist möglich -- eine, die Gemeinschaft, Nachhaltigkeit und Widerstandsfähigkeit anstelle von Profit um jeden Preis schätzt. Niki Okuk berichtet von ihren Erfahrungen mit der kooperativen Wirtschaft und erklärt, wie Arbeiter die Unternehmen, für die sie arbeiten, selbst verwalten und besitzen, selbstständig Entscheidungen treffen und die Früchte ihrer eigenen Arbeit genießen können.

Uma outra realidade econômica é possível, uma que valorize a comunidade, a sustentabilidade e a resiliência no lugar do lucro a qualquer preço. Niki Okuk compartilha sua história de economia cooperativa e uma visão de como as pessoas da classe trabalhadora podem se organizar e serem donas das empresas nas quais trabalham, tomando decisões por si próprias e usufruindo dos frutos do seu trabalho.

Otra realidad económica es posible: una que valora la comunidad, la sostenibilidad y la resiliencia en lugar de las ganancias por cualquier medio necesario. Niki Okuk comparte su caso para la cooperación economía y una visión para personas de clase obrera sobre cómo pueden organizar y poseer los negocios en que trabajan para tomar decisiones por sí mismos y disfrutar de los frutos de su trabajo.

Another economic reality is possible -- one that values community, sustainability and resiliency instead of profit by any means necessary. Niki Okuk shares her case for cooperative economics and a vision for how working-class people can organize and own the businesses they work for, making decisions for themselves and enjoying the fruits of their labor.