Too many distributors offering too many items and providers to too many areas.
Aegis Dwelling knew its course of was not sustainable.
So when the Bellevue, Washington-based senior dwelling supplier, which operates over 38 communities in California, Nevada and Washington, sought to streamline its vendor relationships, particularly in meals service and medical provides, it turned to Group 4 Foodservice. A pacesetter within the meals service group buying sector, Group 4 helps senior dwelling operators monitor vendor alternatives, handle contracts and determine new pricing wins.
“Aegis had traditionally labored with a number of distributors, so they’d recognized the chance of streamlining meals procurement to at least one principal broadline distributor,” says Ashleigh Pedersen, RDN, Aegis Dwelling Vice President of Enterprise Culinary Providers. “Group 4 helps us be sure that service ranges are the place we want them to be in order that we’re not working out of product.”
Since switching to Group 4 in 2018, Aegis has decreased its complete vendor companions, elevated its high quality and even saved 30% on its medical provides. They view Group 4 as a part of their Buddies of Aegis vendor program.
“They’ve been important in serving to us dissect our personal info to say, ‘Are we getting the perfect bang for our buck?’” Pedersen says. “In senior dwelling right now, we’ve to essentially ensure that each penny is spent properly and that we’re conserving prices down for our seniors. Group 4 helps us do this.”
How Group 4 helps Aegis in three key areas
Previous to working with Group 4, Aegis was drawing over 9,000 meals gadgets throughout its portfolio, working with a number of distributors relying on every of their three states. With Group 4 and their meals distribution vendor, they’ve been in a position to get that all the way down to roughly 2,500 gadgets. They’ve additionally seen medical provide wins. All of it elements into three areas the place they’ve discovered success.
- Balancing mission with margins
As we all the time say, senior dwelling is a mission-driven enterprise. However it’s additionally a enterprise. For Aegis Dwelling, they want consistency in pricing to handle their margins whereas conserving providers inexpensive for his or her residents.
“Our partnership with Group 4 permits us to verify we’re conserving product prices constant all through every contract cycle,” Pedersen says. “They’re serving to handle these contracts in order that our margins keep the place we count on them to be, and seniors can proceed to entry the providers they want. We have now that stability and confidence realizing that Group 4 has received our again.”
- Slicing prices on contracts with out comprising high quality and care
Senior dwelling is usually a hyper-local enterprise, with many residents shifting to a group from their hometown or close by. Aegis residents reside within the Northwest, bringing sure culinary expectations.
“If I don’t have good high quality salmon on the menu, for example, our residents are going to note,” Pedersen says. With Group 4, Aegis is ready to convey them their exact product specs and get the perfect costs with out reducing product high quality.
That goes for medical provides, too.
“Incontinence merchandise are important to what we do in senior dwelling,” she says. “Figuring out our residents are snug whereas sustaining their dignity, and offering our workforce members a wide range of sorts to greatest serve the residents whereas making their jobs simpler — that’s essential for us. Group 4 goes out they usually advocate for us. They ensure that producers have these gadgets out there for us, that the distributors have all the things stocked and that it’s all rapidly delivered. I can name and say, ‘That is what I would like,’ and I’ve it inside our communities right here within the subsequent 24 hours.”
- Embracing a world of data-driven choices
“We speak about this with our common managers: in case you don’t know your numbers, you’re not managing your small business,” Pedersen says. For Aegis, realizing their numbers means realizing meals value, and every other product value, per resident day. The info from Group 4 lets Aegis make choices on the place to take a position extra, and what to go away as is.
That issues in meals, it issues in medical, and it issues in region-specific methods. In California, there are HVAC and electrical energy challenges distinctive to the area. Group 4 brings them information and knowledge round power rebates.
“The significance of partnering with Group 4 is that they’re one other useful resource and advocate in our again pocket,” she says. “We don’t must do all of that analysis ourselves. I don’t should be the professional in each single product class. I can name Group 4 and know that they know the professional to speak to. They assist us join the dots for us to search out these financial savings.”
This Views article is sponsored by Group 4 Foodservice. To find how Group 4 Foodservice can help your group wants, go to teamfourfoods.com/contact-a-healthcare-team-member-today.html.
