Cooklin: A passion to improve lives
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, November 18, 2001
HIGH POINT — HIGH POINT — Gerry Cooklin, president of South Cone Trading Co., is passionate about creating economic benefit for natives of the regions where his company gets raw material.
At a party at the October market where he announced the Partnerships and Technology for Sustainability program, he told 80 South Cone customers that showing local populations how they can improve their lives through forest management is a key to sustaining tropical wood resources.
Cooklin, a native of Peru, has seen for himself the mistrust and problems created by the huge imbalance of wealth.
"In Peru, 2% of the population has 98% of the wealth," he said. "The rich don't trust the poor and the poor don't trust the rich, and that is the core of most of the problems.
"Peru also has a very strong culture, the Incan. Western civilization has told them their culture doesn't matter, but nobody has taught them how to make money."
South Cone even chose the name of its program to help garner local support. PaTS is not only an acronym for the campaign, but a word with deep spiritual meaning for the native population. To the indigenous Yanesha people, "pats" means Mother Earth, viewed as the sustainer of life and provider of necessities.
Cooklin hopes local buy-in eventually will create opportunities for Peruvians along the lines of what citizens in countries like the United States enjoy.
"This country is unbelievable — God bless America," Cooklin said. "This country truly is freedom. You can make a good living based on who you are what you can do."
The problem, he said, is that people in the developed world seldom look outside their boundaries, creating the danger they will become much like that 2% of wealthy Peruvians.
"The people with wealth have to do something about changing this process," Cooklin said. "The people without wealth are powerless, so it's up to the people with wealth.
"We want partnerships in the communities around the forests, partnerships with other manufacturers — right now it's just us," he said. "We can partner with you as retailers to educate consumers. That's what will make it sustainable."
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