Supply chain specialist CHAMPS Group Purchasing (GPO), business affiliate of The Center for Health Affairs, is pleased to announce an expansion of its partnership with Team NEO, a leading Northeast Ohio business development organization.

CHAMPS GPO and Team NEO came together in 2021, in collaboration with JobsOhio, to bring much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) and other COVID-19 related products to CHAMPS members. Under the expanded relationship, Team NEO partners and investors will now be more broadly introduced to CHAMPS Group Purchasing’s membership or supplier partnership offerings. This collaboration model provides CHAMPS GPO the opportunity to provide further investment back into local Ohio communities.

“Our partnership with Team NEO advances CHAMPS' commitment to supporting local, diverse and small business domestic suppliers,” said Maria Summers, director of CHAMPS Group Purchasing. “This helps us to meet our goals of growing the regional economy while at the same time meeting the needs of our members nationally, helping them achieve savings with their no-cost commitment to CHAMPS.”

Through this partnership, small, local and diverse businesses in the Northeast Ohio region and across the state will be brought to the national stage as part of a portfolio of suppliers available to CHAMPS GPO’s more than 20,000 member locations across the country.

“This partnership provides an opportunity for Northeast Ohio businesses to thrive as supply chain disruptions continue,” said Team NEO Chief Executive Officer Bill Koehler. “We are grateful to partner with CHAMPS Group Purchasing on this program to support small and minority-owned businesses.”

About CHAMPS Group Purchasing

CHAMPS Group Purchasing leverages the purchasing power of 20,000+ member locations across the United States. CHAMPS’ members gain access to significant savings in product categories including medical & surgical supplies, foodservice, IT, wireless, office supplies and facility maintenance. Together with its national GPO partner Premier, CHAMPS supports healthcare and business & industry member supply chain initiatives through their expertise in contract management, aggregation savings, supply chain technology, spend analytics and customized service. Find out more about CHAMPS GPO membership benefits here. Parties interested in partnering with CHAMPS GPO as a contracted supplier can learn more here.

About Team NEO

Team NEO is a private, nonprofit economic development organization accelerating business growth and job creation throughout the 18 counties of the Northeast Ohio Region. As the designated JobsOhio Network Partner, we align and amplify local economic development efforts in the region’s 18 counties; we conduct research and data analysis to inform local conversations and influence solutions; we market the Northeast Ohio Region; and we work to increase access to jobs, education and training for the region’s 4.3 million people. We do this to build a more vibrant regional economy, one that is more talented, equitable, competitive, innovative, resilient and prosperous. For more information, visit teamneo.org.