Seated (from left): Frank Mason, Jolene Weir, Mindy Hutchinson, Teresa Bradley and Bruce Daily; Standing (from left): Jim Sutton, Doug Eikenbary, Jeff Sterne, Jeff Hoogerheide and Greg Bryant

All Star Dairy Association continues to exhibit strength and leadership with membership and volume growth.   Even during the lingering weak economy and continued industry consolidation, All Star is expanding once again 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 expanded purchasing relationships with nearly 260 individual companies representing more than 390 plants.

Along with membership additions, new growth is coming from new programs such as MRO suppliers Grainger, Barnes Distribution and Kimball Midwest.  Other new programs include equipment rentals, peanuts and peanut variegate, sugar, ice cream containers and diesel fuel card, as well as many others. This is in addition to a list of over 150 suppliers offering discounts in the major categories of:

• Packaging (resin, caps, cartons, bottles, bags, labels, bulk cans, bulk totes)
• Ingredients (flavorings, juice/tea concentrates, nuts, confections, powders, vitamins, drink bases, oils, sweeteners, 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. These include:

Web-based freight/cream/powder quotes – Obtaining quotes from up to eight different freight haulers/consolidators and four different cream/powder companies is as easy as clicking a button.

Also new on the All Star website – Members can access detailed invoice information via  a comprehensive electronic billing service.  Whether it is examining a particular invoice, confirming price changes, or looking at order history, the system is easy to use and password protected.

All Star University – A new discounted agreement is now in place with Steve Jones of Waterfork Solutions LLC to conduct plant training, consulting, special project assistance, and FARM certification.  Areas of concentration now include:

• Operations and Food Safety
• Engineering & Maintenance              
• Manufacturing Intelligence
• Accounting & Software
• Distribution
• Blow Molding Equipment
• Safety & OSHA Compliance
• Human Resource Services

Quality assurance – In May of 2012 All Star announced an agreement with Eurofins to be its preferred laboratory supplier.  Eurofins has facilities throughout the United States providing a wide range of microbiological and chemical testing services.  This program is in addition to the QA plant audits, micro/chemical testing and sensory evaluations provided by Randolph Associates.  Randolph Associates will continue to satisfy third-party audits and HACCP, SQF and GMA-safe certifications. 

Recall Insurance – Agri-Services Agency has been chosen to write discounted recall insurance policies for the All Star membership.  This program was chosen due to the vast experience of the agency as well as the new Food Safety and Modernization Act giving the FDA mandatory recall authority.

Park City Score Tracker – Monitoring store out-of-stocks, returns, promotion movement and space allocation continues to affect membership sales.  All Star has discovered the answer.  Score Tracker provides sales by chain, by store, by SKU and by day using store scan data.  All Star has negotiated the comprehensive program at a very low affordable price for its members. 

“This program gives a sales rep the tools to gain shelf space.  The rep will know more about sales movement than the store chain buyer,” says Sterne.