All Star Dairy Association continues to exhibit strength and leadership with membership and volume growth. Even in the midst of a weak economy and industry consolidation, All Star continues its expansion in sales, supplier offerings, service programs and especially, savings to its members.
Led by executive director Jeff Sterne and a very capable and experienced staff, All Star has purchasing relationships with nearly 230 individual companies representing more than 340 plants.
Along with membership additions, new growth is coming from new programs with UPS, dairy powders, freight, fleet-related items, cream sales, gas and diesel fuel and Ryder Truck Leasing. This is in addition to its list of more than 150 suppliers offering discounts in the major categories of:
• Packaging (resin, caps, cartons, bottles, bags, labels, bulk cans and bulk totes)
• Ingredients (flavorings, juice/tea concentrates, nuts, confections, powders, vitamins, drink bases, oils, sweeteners and fruits)
• Cleaning, sanitizing, water treatment, lubricants
• Coolers, freezers, dispensers, lab supplies, uniforms
• Plastic cases and pallets, ink jet coders, stretch and shrink film
• Tires, trucks, autos, parts, decals, oil, forklifts and parts
“Our members are really trying to find ways to save money due to today’s ever-increasing cost of raw ingredients and the far-reaching effects of the tough economic times,” Sterne says. “Without the help from a larger buying entity, companies find themselves at a distinct disadvantage when they buy supplies using only their own purchasing power. Additionally, our members frequently use our other services to remain profitable and competitive.”
Valuable services that truly pay off
Beyond saving members money with purchasing programs, All Star offers many services to its members to assist in savings, compliance and efficiency, including:
• Web-based freight quotes. Obtaining freight quotes from up to five different freight haulers/consolidators is as easy as clicking a button. With fuel costs and fleet availability causing surcharges and inflated hauling, members find the new freight quote button on the website to be both easy to use and a huge cost savings.
• Also new on the All Star website. Members can buy dairy powders and easily buy or sell cream with the click of a button. This is just another commission-free service offered to the All Star membership.
• All Star University. New discounted agreements are now in place with Steve Jones of Waterfork Solutions LLC, Sandy, Utah, to conduct plant training, consulting and assistance; Vigilistics, Irvine, Calif., to provide manufacturing intelligence; and Hanna Resource Group, Lexington, Ky., to offer a variety of human resource services to the All Star members. Areas of concentration now include operations and food safety, engineering and maintenance, manufacturing intelligence, accounting and software, distribution, blow molding equipment, safety and OSHA compliance and human resource services.
• Quality assurance. More than 30 member plants are fully participating and many more are using parts of this valuable service. Randolph Associates, Birmingham, Ala., performs plant audits, micro and chemical testing, and sensory evaluations. The firm has the approval to satisfy many required third-party audits and are HACCP, SQF and GMA-safe certified. Today, many national and regional customers demand these audit services and certifications. It is also expected that the state and federal governments will be more active with plant inspections in the coming year. All Star is positioned perfectly to handle audits, training and certifications at their members request. Randolph Associates added Allen Sayler to its staff, bringing a highly respected addition to the company. n
This article was prepared by All Star Dairy Association. For more information, visit www.allstardairy.com.
Meet the staff
• Jim Sutton, senior vice president, for packaging
• Bruce Daily, director of purchasing, for ingredients and freight
• Jeff Hoogerheide, controller/buyer, for fleet, refrigeration and supplies
• Doug Eikenbary, regional vice president of sales
• Greg Bryant, regional vice president of sales
• Jeff Sterne, executive director
