Earlier this month, CHAMPS Group Purchasing (GPO) launched our Supply Chain Solutions blog with a kickoff post from CHAMPS GPO director Maria Summers. I’m excited to be the first one up to bat as we introduce the blogosphere to our team and what we do over these next few months. As the title suggests, and I am a national account manager for CHAMPS GPO. I work with a variety of classes of trade, including healthcare (so think home care, hospice, home medical equipment, behavioral health and correctional health facilities) as well as all non-healthcare classes of trade such as education, hospitality, retail, nonprofits, manufacturing and so on. I’m somewhat of a jack of all trades when it comes to the group purchasing landscape – the territory that comes with my role requires versatility! 

My journey with CHAMPS began in March 2017 as a junior account manager. My time as a junior account manager was one in which I learned the ropes and came to understand the importance of GPO-type organizations and the part they play in the overall supply chain. I was promoted to my current role in June 2018, and I’m thankful for the opportunity it brings to learn about such a variety of industries and apply that knowledge to my interactions with both members and suppliers. It positions CHAMPS and me as a valuable resource to both. I’m immensely proud any time I'm able to improve the bottom line for our members.

CHAMPS’ 100+ year roots are tied to healthcare group purchasing. In the dawn of the new millennium, we expanded our footprint to partner with members in non-acute classes of trade, and today we serve over 19,000+ member locations across Northeast Ohio and the United States who represent healthcare, education, recreation, hospitality, business, industry and more. The best part? Non-healthcare members can benefit from a CHAMPS membership in the same ways as healthcare members. CHAMPS offers nearly 3,000 contracts in total and many of those contracts are applicable to all business types such as office supplies, PC hardware and software, corporate credit cards and much more. My colleagues and I work with our members to identify each business’ unique needs and the contracts applicable to those needs. 

Whether you’re in a healthcare or non-healthcare trade, when you become a CHAMPS member, our services are always available to you – I’m only a phone call or email away. Think of me as an extension of your purchasing department!

Sound like what you are looking for in a GPO relationship? Learn more about becoming a member. 

This is an archived blog. Please visit our blog landing page to view our latest entries.