michelle sanders-wilson becomes 37th president · rae townsel, cppb of the city of ... bennett is...

M P P OA SPANS THE STAT E

Early Summer, 2006Vo lume 35, No. 3

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Calendarof Events

August 5-9, 2006NIGP Forum

September 14, 2006Vendor Golf Outing andRegional Meeting

Lansing area—tbd

November 9, 2006Regional Meeting

Kalamazoo area—tbd

February 8, 2007Regional Meeting

Detroit area—tbd

May 16-18, 2007Annual Conference

TreetopsGaylord, MI

October 8-10, 2008Annual Conference

Mission Point

Michelle Sanders-Wilson becomes 37th PresidentCheri McCaffery Passes the Gavel

Much more on the Annual Conference inside

Look for a separate Vendor Newsletter,highlighting and listing the 47companies who gave their time andfinancial support to MPPOA byexhibiting at the Annual Conference.

Marvin KlangAward Winner

Jean FarrisCity of Rochester Hills

see page 3

Manager of theYear

Roberta BennettLivingston County

see page 4

Buyer of theYear

Julie HamiltonCity of Rochester Hills

see page 4

“The best part of the conference was seeing good friends and networking with themabout our common concerns and goals.”—Mike Lasley, former MPPOA President

Cheri McCaffery moved to the board positionof Past President at the Annual Conferencewhile Michelle Sanders-Wilson took the oath ofthe office of the President.

McCaffery successfully led the board to create anew website, a mentoring program and a newapproach to scholarships during heradministration. Her enthusiasm and straight-forward style inspired her constituents.

mppoa summer 2006a 6/19/06 3:35 PM

❖2 ❖ The S PA N N E R S u m m e r, 2006❖

President’s CornerMICHELLE SANDERS-WILSON

I am proud to serve as president of MPPOA for the upcomingyear. I want to commend Cheryl McCaffery for doing anoutstanding job as President for the past year. She has workedextremely hard and we applaud her accomplishments.

The MPPOA annual conference recently held at the beautifulRadisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo was a great success. NormaHall, CPPO, CPPB, President of NIGP opened the conferenceMonday morning with “Team Building in the ProcurementArena.”

Some conference attendees, including myself, enjoyed anafternoon of learning and flying fun at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo,while others participated in the golf outing held at the scenicThornapple Creek Golf Course. Afterwards, we all came togetherfor dinner and the golf awards.

Tuesday morning John Gillooly, Municipal Attorney for GrandLucow Miller, P.C. of Detroit opened with “Tips and Tricks forPublic Purchasers.” Then Erica Oliver presented a relaxing yetenergizing session for participants. The strolling lunch buffet andvendor expo followed with concurrent educational sessionspresented by vendors on various topics ranging from IdentityTheft to Blue Print Reading for Buyers.

The banquet on Tuesday evening was a huge success with awardsgiven to the Buyer and Manager of the year, along with ourbiggest honor, The Marvin Klang Award.

Rae Townsel, CPPB of the City of Southfield opened Wednesday’ssession with a hilarious, yet informative presentation on “Workingwith Elected Officials” and the conference concluded withroundtable discussions that were beneficial to all.

Soon I will be posting a yearly calendar on the website, which listsboard and regional meetings, as well as other items of interest.Committee chairs have been chosen for the coming year and willbe announced in our next newsletter.

Several members of MPPOA will be attending the annual NIGPforum in Tampa, FL beginning August 5-9. You can still sign upif you would like to attend.

I look forward to serving you as MPPOA’s President for the nextyear. If you have any ideas or concerns, please do not hesitate tocontact me. Havea great summer.

Michelle

Roberta Bennett, CPPB, PurchasingAgent, Livingston County, was namedManager of the Year.

Recently, Bennett helped implement ap-card program for the county. Sheestablished purchasing policies and procedures to unite alldepartments of the county for a cohesive relationship with increasedpurchasing power. “Roberta continues her endeavor to demonstrateto all department directors how to utilize the PurchasingDepartment most effectively and continues to educate the directorsand staff on purchasing principles and policies,” said Belinda Peters,Financial Officer of Livingston County.

Bennett is also active in Leadership Livingston, an elite group ofcounty business leader who come together to support communitygrowth and development. She assists local villages, townships andcities to attain the standardization that has saved her entity hundredsof thousands of dollars.

As Belinda Peters said in her nomination, “One of the guidingprinciples for Roberta is her quest for knowledge. She demonstratesthis principle every day in her work. As government employees, weare all ‘Keepers of the Truth’ and we can trust that Roberta Bennettis working hard behind the scenes to get the best value for everydollar spent in the county.” She also added, “Roberta’s energy forwork and family never ends.”

“Julie Hamilton began her career inpublic purchasing just five years ago,” saysJean Farris, Procurement Supervisor ofthe City of Rochester Hills. “Althoughlimited in years, she has been a dynamicinfluence in enhancing sound purchasingpractices in the city.”

Hamilton works in a thorough, investigative way. In fact, this hasled her to many situations which sound more like CSI thanpurchasing. In one instance, she suited up to use the “jaws of life”before making a purchasing decision for the Fire Department.

She is known for uncovering details about products, suppliers andservices and handles politically charged purchases withprofessionalism. She looks to find ways to save the city money andhas made herself the “go to” person for the city’s integrated financialsystem, when questions arise. Hamilton serves as secretary to theregional J.D. Edwards users group and provides staff training fromthe knowledge obtained from these meetings.

Julie has been an active MPPOA member and earned her CPPB in2004. “Julie focuses on customer service,” says Farris. “She isextremely approachable and doesn’t hesitate to assist an end user,manager or department director with their needs—purchasingrelated or otherwise.”

Roberta BennettManager

of the Year

Julie HamiltonBuyer of the Year

My support i ve family:husband, mother, sonand step-father, at theAnnual Conference inKalamazoo.


S u m m e r, 2006 The S PA N N E R ❖ 3❖

Jean Farris is Marvin Klang Award Recipient “Jean is a true leader, and one of the most ethical and reliablepurchasing professionals I know,” said Janeil Valentine, the lastrecipient of the Marvin Klang Award. “Her opinion is soughtfor difficult procurement situations, because she always has asolution.”

Farris, a former President of MPPOA led the board to developthe 2010 Strategic Plan to chart the course for the organization.

Farris wrote her agency’s purchasing manual, purchasingordinance, and mission statement. She also implemented newsoftware and led her staff through a renovation of the RochesterHills City offices. She established a p-card program and was afounding member of MITN.

Howard (pictured at left), Jean’s husband of 37 years, attendedthe banquet at which the honor was given. Jean began her careerafter supporting his career goals and raising children. She beganwith the City of Rochester Hills in 1986 as the city’s Planningand Zoning Secretary. She graduated with a Bachelors ofBusiness Administration in 1990 from Northwood Institute andwas promoted to Procurement Supervisor in the same year. In

2000, Jean was awarded the MPPOA PurchasingManager of the Year.

Farris has been a diligent member of MPPOA, workingas Secretary many years before attaining the Presidency.Her peers, co-workers, the vendor community andMPPOA enjoy her refinement and diplomacy, herknowledge and her impeccable integrity.

We congratulate you, Jean—a true model for the MarvinKlang Award.

MPPOA Members attending the conference who were previous Marvin KlangAward winners include: (l to r) Jean Farris, City of Rochester Hills; JaneilValentine, Ingham County; Mike Lasley, City of Farmington Hills; SharonPickett, County of Oakland; Mike Meyer, City of Midland; MargaretCunningham, City of Jackson and Nick Lam, City of Kalamazoo.



Golt Results are in!The longest putt for men was made by vendor Dave Vorhes—aregular supporter of the event. For women, Crystal Wake took theaward.

The Longest drive in the men’s category was Mike Meyer and for thewomen, again, Crystal Wake.

Cheri McCaffery was the Closest to the Pin for the ladies and BobDevault for the men.

The low team score went to Brad Weston, Robert Devault, andWard Yondo.

The weather finallycooperated for a beautifulMPPOA golf outing.Thornapple Creek GolfClub was a beautiful coursethat challenged evenveteran golfers.

Thanks, hole sponsors



Scholarships at Work

Proceeds from the Golf Outing benefit the scholarship program,which is designed to help fund conference registrations, educationalfees, and other expenses members incur to continue theirinvolvement in MPPOA. This year, an estimated $500 was added tothe scholarship fund from proceeds from the golf outing.

Tina Clinkscales, City of Detroit and Christian Toebe, Muskegonwere awarded monies from the fund for registration fees for theconference.

Desiree Quinney, Michigan State University, was financially assistedwith the registration fee for the CPPB Certification Examination aswas Antonia (Amy) Kraus for the CPPO Certification Test.

Scholarship funds are still available. If you or someone you knowneeds help with a regional meeting fee, a conference fee or the costof certification classes and exams, you can download an applicationfor use of the scholarship funds from the website. If you have anyquestions, please contact Sylvia Pahl, Chair of the ProfessionalRecognition/Scholarship Committee at [email protected].



Conference offeredOpportunitiesick Lam, City of Kalamazoo, introduced Hannah McKinney,

mayor of the city. McKinney, aprofessor of Economics and Businessfrom Kalamazoo College, welcomedthe group to the city.

The keynote speaker for theconference was Norma Hall, presidentof NIGP. Norma spoke on Team

Building in the ProcurementArena. This discussion, withlively hands-on exercises,included a Team-Player Surveywhich helped participantsidentify their style.

The following day, the agenda was filled with a multitude of sessionchoices.

As a fun, self-awarenessexercise, the GetEnergized session hadparticipants color withcrayons as they exploredthe positive and negativeflow of energy in theirlives. “The people wehave close to us, ourlifestyle choices and

telling the truth about what we value all contribute to our energylevel,” explained Erika Oliver, a relationship consultant.

John Gillooly, Municipal Attorney, led Tipsand Tricks for Public Purchasers. Gilloolyexplained where public entities were at riskand where they had immunity from legalaction. He also went into detail about theFreedom of Information Act (FOIA) and gaveMPPOA members more information aboutthe details of the law and how it affects publicentities.

Bill Costick from Orchard, Hiltz, McCliment was back to give moreinformation on Qualifications Based Selection (QBS). He was joinedby Bruce Kuffer, FTC&H Engineering to present the use of QBS

for architectural andengineering contracts.QBS also had a booth atthe Trade Fair, duringwhich members couldstop by and discuss theprocess in detail.

continued on page 7

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Also helpful for those who are faced with building projects—Design/Build Services: What, Why, Who, How and more! waspresented by Juliana Garner, Bryce and Associates and DouglasPhilips, CSM Group. This project delivery system was explainedand resources were offered for further study.

In addition, Paul Romano, Jones and Henry Engineering, presentedBlueprint Reading for Buyers, an informational session to teachbuyers how to look at plans like and engineer.

Information is the Key to Committing andPreventing Fraud was led by Latisha Easley.Easley, the Senior Fraud Investigator of theFinancial Intelligence Department ofComerica Bank, gave participants a wealth ofinformation on identity theft. She discussedprevention practices and loss control, as well assteps to take when your identity has beencompromised.

Danielle Ansell, Executive Vice President of BidNet and MikeLasley, representing the MITN (Michigan Intergovernmental TradeNetwork) joined together to present a creative and informativevideo about how these forces work to help purchasing professionals.With 5400 registered suppliers and 22 member agencies since goinglive in 2003, this program highlighted the success it has enjoyed.

Scott Guzzy spent time with those curious about the new websitejust created for MPPOA by New LinearGroup. The website will be user friendly formembers, with easy information updates andrecord keeping for educational activity andmembership renewals. The site is simple touse, has eye appeal and will be readily availableto view newsletters, calendars and otherinformation. It is expected to be ready to gosome time this month.

Rae Townsel delighted the audience with her tools for Working withElected Officials. Townsel brought members her wealth of experienceand knowledge, as well as suggestions for diplomacy, patience andhumility that have been tried and true personal resources forworking with those elected by the public.

The ever-popular Round Table discussions wrapped up theconference.

They included: Pros and Cons of Centralized and DecentralizedPurchasing was facilitated by Arlene Wittenberg; MaintainingExcellence with Minimal Staff facilitated by Stephanie Robinson;and Hiring and Maintaining Good Employees, facilitated by CheriMcCaffery.



THE OUTGOING MPPOA BOARD OF DIRECTO R S(l to r)

Janeil ValentineJana DarosczyCheri McCaffery, PresidentDebbie ScullyJan Sierzenga, SecretaryJean Farris, Past PresidentLynn ZatalokinSylvia PahlMichelle Sanders-Wilson, President ElectRoberta Narlock, TreasurerScott Guzzy

Missing from the photo: Keri Bright

Thanks, also to Anne Minshall who served apartial term as Treasurer.

First Time Conference AttendeesVeronica Caston-Frost

SMART

Douglas GlaserWayne County Airport Authority

Kim GuntherKalamazoo County

Laruel HillsIngham County Road Commission

Irelita (Missy) JonesWayne County Airport Authority

Mansfield MatthewsonGrand Rapids Community College

Greg VlietstraCity of Portage

New 2006-2007 MPPOA BoardNew Officers are: PRESIDENT—Michelle Sanders-Wilson, CPPB, City of Southfield; PRESIDENT-ELECT—Scott Guzzy, County ofOakland; SECRETARY—Janice Sierzenga, City of Sterling Heights; TREASURER—Roberta Narlock, CPPB, City of Kalamazoo; PASTPRESIDENT—Cheryl McCaffery, CPPB, County of Kalamazoo.

Newly elected board members are: Lynn Zatalokin, CPPB, Muskegon County; and Jana Darosczy, CPPB, Livingston County.

Newly appointed board members are: Keri Bright, SMART; Mansfield Matthewson, C.P.M., Grand Rapids Community College; and StephanieRobinson, City of Lansing.

Continuing on the board are: Deborah Scully, CPPB, Road Commission of Macomb County; and Sylvia Pahl, CPPB, City of Kalamazoo

New 2006-2007 MPPOA Board

Welcome

Connor JamesMarsh

born May 226 lbs. 3.6 oz.

Congratulations Mom

Renee MarshWayne County

Airport Authority

Renee reports that bothmother and son

are doing just great!

McCaffery Moves On

Cheri McCaffery,Immediate Past President ofMPPOA has has beenappointed by NIGPPresident-Elect DarinMatthews to serve on anewly-created committee.This committee, theNational Chapter RelationsCommittee asks for a 2-yearcommitment, commencingJuly 1, 2006.

Congratulations, Cheri, onyour appointment.

NewMembers

Scott SederlandChippewa Valley Schools

Bonita Danette-ShannonDoris Hunter

City of Detroit Water and Sewer



Desiree T. Quinney is a 30 year employee ofMichigan State University (MSU). She hasspent the vast majority of her university careerin the Purchasing Department as a memberof the buying staff. She is a Purchasing Agentwith commodity responsibilities for universityconstruction, renovation and maintenance.Additionally, Quinney is the university’sSupplier Diversity Coordinator. In this role,she assists small and disadvantaged businesseson how to conduct business with MSU and isa tireless advocate for the local minoritybusiness community. Supplier assistanceincludes introducing new vendors to thebuying staff and to MSU departments,explaining university requirements tovendors, issuing contracts and insuring timelypayments. Quinney also participates in localnetworking events and is a member of severalcommittees that promote supplier diversity.

Quinney holds a board seat on the MichiganMinority Business Development Council

MemberProfile

Desiree Quinney

(MMBDC) and has held this seat since the inceptionof the council. She has also served as a board memberof the Lansing Public Purchasing Group, past boardmember of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber ofCommerce, a committee seat for the LansingChamber of Commerce, in addition to hermembership in MPPOA. She has been recognizedwith awards such as: Minority Business Advocate ofthe Year (1999) for the Lansing Regional Chamber ofCommerce, U.S. Small Business Advocate of the Year(2002), Corporation of the Year Award for MMBDC—MSU Purchasing, 2006 “7 Gems” Award Finalistand has been nominated Buyer of the Year (2006)through Michigan Minority Business DevelopmentCouncil.

Ms. Quinney’s social interests include church andfamily activities. She is marred to Derrick Quinney,is the mother of daughter Dekeea Quinney-Davisand son Dominick N. Quinney, and grandmother toKalania Rose (age 5) and Kiyan Pierre (age 1). Herfavorite pastime is collecting antiques, particularlyperfume bottles.

Meet yourPresidentElectThe new President-Elect is ScottGuzzy, Chief of Purchasing for the County of Oakland. Scotthas been the a member of the Board of Directors and has chairedthe Technology Committee for several years. He wasinstrumental in obtaining services to create the new MPPOAwebsite and spoke at the annual conference on that subject.

Student Membership Now AvailableRecent action by the MPPOA board approved memberships forstudents. The fee will be $25. These non-voting members mustfollow the requirements outlined in the bylaws to be considered.The first Student Membership will go to Theresa Johnson, who isworking in an entry level purchasing position in the City ofKalamazoo while attending school.

Online Voting“It was easy,” said Jana Daroczy, Chair of the Online VotingCommittee. “We were able to get out multiple notices, and with a12 day opportunity to cast a vote, we were hoping to get moremembers to activly participate in the activities of MPPOA.”

Though the numbers were a disappointing 56 votes out of 219active members, the board has agreed to try it again. The nextanticipated date for voting will occur next spring, when a new slateof officers and board members will be presented to the membership.

“It was also good to be able to announce the results of the election atthe Annual Conference,” said Daroczy. Those newly elected weresworn in at the banquet. Subsequently, three board members wereappointed by the President. They were sworn in at the boardmeeting held in Lansing on June 8.

Lifetime MembershipGranted to Retiring ZulaKaren Zula, from the City of Riverview, will be retiring on June 29,2006. A Lifetime Membership will be given to her at a party in herhonor, which is being held at Arnaldo’s Banquet Center at 5:00 thatevening.

Karen has been an active member of MPPOA for many years. Herlast assignment was Manager of Golf at the Riverview HighlandsGolf Course, which is owned by the city.

Annual Conference Stats

45 Member Attended

47 Vendors Booths were sold for the Trade Fair

31 Golfers (9 Members)


michelle sanders-wilson becomes 37th president · rae townsel, cppb of the city of ... bennett is...

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