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Dedicated to providing members with even more buying power and purchasing benefits, Quality Chekd and SECO & Golden "100" fully integrated their purchasing units on January 1, 2005. The combined entities now operate as QCS Purchasing, LLC, formalizing a joint venture that began in 2001 to benefit the two organizations' member companies.

Since the consolidation, QCS Purchasing, LLC not only provides substantial savings to its members, it is taking buying coop programs to a whole new level by bringing together a wealth of resources the membership can choose from to create a valuebased package tailored to the specific needs of each member.

Members can create a customized benefit program from expanded services including:

• New volume purchasing discounts
• Marketing and sales programs
• Quality and food safety technical training
• Management performance seminars and human resource services
• Export/import network opportunities
• Strategic partnerships with Quality Milk and Silliker Labs

Working together, the partners are continually exploring new cost saving opportunities and evaluating the array of purchasing programs and resources to bring added value to members. QCS Purchasing, LLC enhanced purchasing programs continue to provide reduced costs in packaging, commodities, ingredients, chemicals, and other valuable offerings crucial to dairy and agricultural businesses.

"In only a brief period of time, we have seen significant improvement in expense reduction, an increase in the number of programs being offered and added value to those programs," says Peter Horvath, managing director, Quality Chekd. "We have only begun to scratch the surface of possibilities that exist through this newly formed company and will continue to offer our members a choice in the services they need."

Quality Chekd and SECO & Golden 100's membership of dairy cooperatives and proprietary businesses represents agricultural-based companies and producers of various products to the food industry. This makes QCS Purchasing one of the most diverse purchasing groups in the US today. With a geographically broad membership offering a wide range of products from frozen foods, fluid milk, cultured products, soy beverages, ice cream, cherries and walnuts, QCS Purchasing, LLC achieved significant economies of scale for the two forming partnerships. This diversity, along with over 120 combined years of experience, provides QCS Purchasing, LLC members a wealth of resources in other countries, as well as major benefits in creating a more efficient, cost saving operation.

"Our combined membership has already begun to see immediate cost efficiencies while our suppliers are benefiting from one face, one single point of contact," says Ron Edmundson, president and CEO of SECO & Golden "100," and president of QCS Purchasing LLC.

The QCS staff is committed to providing exceptional, costeffective services to its members in the dairy and food industries. Both companies continue to carry on their operations outside of this new purchasing organization.

Partner Profiles

Founded in 1944, Quality Chekd is a member-owned organization of more than 35 independent dairy processors with over 60 manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States, El Salvador, Mexico and Colombia. Headquartered in Naperville, Illinois, Quality Chekd member companies provide consumers with world-class dairy products that are endorsed by the familiar Blue Q, Red Chek trademark.

Member services are comprised of management and production training programs, sales and marketing services, plant quality and food safety consultation and a product testing program through their partnership with Silliker Laboratories.

SECO & Golden "100," Inc. is a member-owned purchasing cooperative headquartered in DeLand, Florida. The company was formed in 1945 by a group of southeast dairy producers/processors who sought to improve their bargaining power by combining and leveraging their purchased requirements. Today, the membership of 37 companies is comprised of a select group of agriculturally based cooperatives and proprietary companies that are engaged in the production of food and dairy products. The members collectively participate in purchasing programs designed to optimize opportunities within the supply chain for delivering added value.

Quick Facts

• Combined member sales of $6.2 billion
• Over 70 members located across 32 states in the U.S. as well as Canada, Mexico, El Salvador, Colombia, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama

FOR MORE INFORMATION: GARY HESS, VICE PRESIDENT OF PURCHASING, QCS PURCHASING, LLC, 1600 ESSEX AVENUE, DELAND, FL 32724, 386/734-3906, GARY@QCSPURCHASING.COM OR RUSS SAGER, C.P.M., VICE PRESIDENT DEVELOPMENT QCS PURCHASING, LLC, 1600 ESSEX AVENUE, DELAND, FL 32724, 386/734-3906, RUSS@QCSPURCHASING.COM.