ExtraMileIssue11

O P E N a crowning achievement $ Innovation can begin in the most unexpected places, including a high school National Dance Team Competition. During the January 2017 Championships in Orlando, Florida, two dads, Todd Koca and Keith Rawson, had a conversation about their respective careers while waiting for their daughters’ team to perform. Thirty minutes into the conversation, Todd knew he and Keith would eventually become business partners, and that business would ultimately become CROWNSOURCE. Just prior to this trip to Florida, Todd resigned from the company he founded in 2005 that had recently been purchased. While he loved the work, after 3 years Todd was getting the itch to build another business. He just didn’t know what that would be, until his conversation with Keith. Keith, the leader of contracting and procurement at YRC Worldwide, found himself in the same position; he loved his work, and did it well, saving YRC tens of millions of dollars on supply and service purchases, but was ready for a new challenge. Although both came from different industries, Todd and Keith had similar experiences. Todd was also in the business of saving his clients’ money, to the tune of over $400M through his health care supply custom contracting and technology business. Today’s transportation industry, like healthcare before it, is challenged by thin margins and hyperfragmentation. Individual organizations do not have the resources or size to create lower price points on supplies and services. Together, Todd and Keith knew their knowledge of healthcare purchasing and transportation procurement could revolutionize transportation through CROWNSOURCE, a new business designed to transform how the trucking, moving and storage and passenger transportation industries purchase supplies and services. Purchasing Network model increases negotiating power across the trucking, moving and storage and passenger transportation industries. The Purchasing Network membership community is designed for any size company – from small to large – to generate the purchasing power needed to deliver bigger savings that members can individually attain. Total supply cost savings are passed to members through CROWNCONNECT, a world-class eCommerce Marketplace and eProcurement system. CROWNCONNECT not only connects members to a comprehensive, industry-specific portfolio of deeply discounted national and regional contracted supplies and services, it delivers a centralized purchasing platform with purchasing controls to manage spend more effectively. CROWNSOURCE provides members depth and breadth of supplies and services, including office supplies, equipment, furniture and technology, breakroom supplies, shop supplies, janitorial and cleaning supplies, safety supplies, facility supplies and facility maintenance services. Additionally, due to rapid membership growth, CROWNSOURCE is moving into custom contracting of rolling stock supplies (tires, parts, fuel, oil, lubes and equipment). CROWNCONNECT will truly be the onestop shopping experience for members to reduce their total cost on the items they purchase every day. The CROWNSOURCE contracting philosophy goes beyond line-item savings. Contracting experts incorporate pricing, purchase process and supplier management into the CROWNCONNECT platform, giving members an easy and effective way to save. CROWNSOURCE’s sole mission is to improve members’ bottom line through effective and efficient total supply cost management; simply, to save members more money on everyday products and services. CROWNSOURCE is committed to the continuous improvement of purchasing processes through membership collaboration. Buying supplies should be easy. Saving money should be easy. Together with CROWNSOURCE, member companies can realize both without adding infrastructure, resources or costs. To learn more about CROWNSOURCE, visit www.crownsourceinc.com CROWNSOURCE’s mission is to transform how transportation companies purchase their supplies and services through their total supply cost management platform, CROWNCONNECT. With decades of contracting and procurement expertise, industry experience and supplier relationships, CROWNSOURCE is uniquely prepared to improve historically thin profit margins across the transportation industry. In the few short months since its launch, the company is experiencing rapid growth in membership. TODD KOCA President and Chief Executive Officer CROWNSOURCE delivers value to member companies through its Membership Purchasing Network and eCommerce Marketplace. Similar to what Todd experienced in healthcare, the CROWNSOURCE KEITH RAWSON Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer 10 11