Steve Husome, executive vice president of sales and marketing, and Brian Janssen, president and CEO.

Allied Purchasing is the oldest dairy purchasing cooperative in the United States, and its chief service is helping members improve their bottom line through volume purchasing. Allied has a strong focus on customer service with account managers who are well versed in pricing of products, placing orders and solving customer service issues such as order and freight problems, thus taking the burden off our members. Allied believes customer service is talking to a real person when you call and not simply having to dial “0” to be connected.

Allied Purchasing joined forces with Quality Chekd Dairies, Lisle, Ill., and SECO (South East Cooperative Organization), Lisle, Ill., to become a third partner with QCS Purchasing LLC, also in Lisle, Ill. The combined purchasing power of the three organizations will help keep our members competitive in a challenging marketplace.

By joining together with QCS, Allied Purchasing offers a unique diversified portfolio and expands its supplier offerings and improves pricing to our dairy industry, along with other Allied Purchasing divisions: bottled water, treated water, soft drinks and brewing. Allied has found that many member companies rely on diversification and crossover products to fuel their growth into new production categories. This product diversification has been an asset from both a supplier and a member viewpoint, helping both to achieve their business goals.

Allied Purchasing is a member-owned, not-for-profit purchasing organization led by a board of directors who are also members. With the changing landscape among suppliers and the trend toward company mergers in the industries served, Allied continues to add new members to its current base of approximately 1,600 plant locations.

Account managers have an average of 18 years experience dealing with Allied member companies. With this amount of expertise, it is easy to see why industry knowledge and helping customers is the group’s primary focus.

The company traces its roots back more than seven decades, when a group of smaller independent dairies in Iowa formed the first successful buying group of its type in the nation.

“The success of Allied Purchasing is based on integrity, confidentiality, credibility and commitment to our members and suppliers,” says Brian Janssen, president and CEO. “Allied Purchasing has changed and evolved as the needs of members have grown and expanded.”

Allied Purchasing was formed in 1937 in very tough economic times to give the individual dairies purchasing power. The dairies combined their volumes and were able to get very competitive prices. That economic climate is very similar to what companies are experiencing today, and Allied is still working for its members.

Allied’s board of directors helps guide the co-op’s success and, as owners of companies, they draw from their personal experiences in running their own businesses. The board consists of Lon Saulsbury, Kemps LLC, Minneapolis; Thom Heiken, president of Crystal Clear Water, Des Moines, Iowa; Ken Kohlwey, president of Cedar Crest Ice Cream, Manitowoc, Wis.; Homer Sledge Jr., president of Nehi Bottling Co., Cleveland, Miss.; Fred Dewey Jr., president of Harrisburg Dairies, Harrisburg, Pa.; Rick Doerner, president of Fizz-O Water, Tulsa, Okla.; Malone Garret, president of Nantze Springs Water, Dothan, Ala.; and Winslow Stenseng, president of Culligan Water of the Rio Grande Valley, San Benito, Texas.

President and CEO Brian Janssen reports to the board of directors and is assisted by Steve Husome, executive vice president of sales and marketing; and Linda Jenson, president of administration.

Products at a glance

Among the products available through Allied Purchasing are bottles (HDPE, polycarbonate, PET), orange juice concentrate, ingredients/flavorings for ice cream and milk, milk caps, resin (HDPE, PET), labels, bags (BIB), shrink/stretch wrap, corrugated, invert sugar, sweeteners, ice cream cartons/bulkans, plastic containers, chemicals, cones, nuts, freezers, milk coolers, paper milk cartons, milk crates, tires and other general items for dairies.

The QCS programs for Grainger, FedEx, Aramark, Nelson-Jameson and a fleet program are examples of some excellent purchasing opportunities. Allied has additional products for the bottled water, treated water, soft drink and brewery divisions.

Prospective members can join Allied by purchasing a share of stock for $50. This investment provides the independent business the chance to lower cost, gain purchasing power and compete as a larger entity while concentrating on its core business.