Mohave Cooperative Earns Prestigious Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award
by Administrative Team
We are proud to announce that Mohave Cooperative (Mohave) has been honored with the 2025 Achievement of Excellence in Procurement® (AEP) Award, presented by the National Procurement Institute, Inc. This distinguished recognition places our procurement team among an elite group of public and non-profit agencies committed to the highest standards in procurement excellence.
The AEP Award recognizes Mohave’s unwavering commitment to excellence in procurement, highlighting Mohave’s dedication to innovation, professionalism, efficient processes, e-procurement, and strong leadership.
Earning the AEP award is no small feat. It is awarded annually to agencies that meet a rigorous set of criteria designed to measure performance against established best practices.
Mohave was evaluated across multiple benchmarks, including:
- Continued professional development and certifications.
- Implementation of automation and technology tools.
- Strong internal controls and ethics policies.
- Leadership and contributions that further advance the public procurement profession.
Benefits to Members:
- Confidence in ethical, efficient, and transparent procurement.
- Access to competitively sourced, high-value contracts.
- Improved vendor quality and service.
Benefits to Vendors:
- Partnership with a trusted, award-winning organization.
- Streamlined, fair, and professional procurement process.
- Greater visibility and business opportunities.
With this recognition, Mohave proudly joins a distinguished group of agencies nationwide that have reached this prestigious milestone. This award reaffirms our status as a leader in responsible procurement and reflects our unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and public service.
We extend our deepest gratitude to every member of our team for their role in achieving this milestone.
Congratulations to all involved!
Mohave Cooperative Saddles Up for Summer AASBO!
by Mohave/ASPIN Team
Yeehaw! The Mohave Cooperative team had a rootin’-tootin’ good time at this year’s Summer AASBO Conference! We loved catching up with our members and vendors while showing off our Mohave Ranch and ASPIN Farm–themed booth.
A huge shoutout to Chelseya Molner for designing a booth that was the belle of the rodeo. Complete with our trusty stuffed horse Mospin and plenty of fresh ASPIN apples to give away. Chelseya’s vision brought the Mohave spirit to life and gave attendees plenty of reasons to stop by and say howdy.
Our staff had a blast sharing updates, answering questions, and spending time with the amazing folks who help make our cooperative strong. It’s always exciting to see familiar faces and meet new friends who share our passion for supporting Arizona schools and communities.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Mohave Ranch! Be sure to check out the photos below of our team and the booth. There were plenty of smiles, cowboy hats, and maybe even a few farm animals!
We can’t wait to see y’all at the next event. Until then, happy trails from all of us at Mohave Cooperative!
Arizona Leads the Way at SNA ANC 2025
by ASPIN Team
The 2025 School Nutrition Association (SNA) Annual National Conference (ANC) held July 13–15 in San Antonio, Texas, united over 6,000 school nutrition professionals, industry partners, and allies to strengthen school meal programs nationwide. Arizona shined as Shannon Gleave, RDN, SNS, from Glendale Elementary completed her reign as President. This year taught Shannon the unwavering dedication to serving children keeps us resilient and determined to never give up.
Focused on advancing professional development and collaboration, ANC 2025 offered more than 120 educational sessions across areas including nutrition, operations, administration, and marketing. A major focus of the event was tackling ongoing challenges in school nutrition, including labor shortages, financial constraints, and regulatory demands. The bustling exhibit hall featured nearly 360 exhibitors showcasing healthy menu innovations, new equipment, and service solutions.
(Click to enlarge) Inspirational keynote speakers, including Magie Cook and Jia Jiang, shared messages of resilience and leadership. Networking opportunities fostered the exchange of best practices and built connections among professionals nationwide.
The highlight of the conference was honoring Jennifer Gordon, MPH, NDTR, SNS, of Laveen Elementary School District, as Director of the Year. Below are just a few of Jennifer’s achievements:
- Districtwide free meals through CEP
- Grants for culinary tools and staff training
- A clean label initiative to improve ingredient quality
- Nutrition education through classroom activities and taste tests
- Strong community outreach via events and open houses
Bob Hickok of ASPIN was honored to support members at the conference, where the energy and passion from San Antonio will propel us through the upcoming challenges.
User Guides: Your Go-To Tool for Direct Online Ordering Success
by Contracts Team
Mohave has over 30 contracts which use the Direct Online Order process where the member places their orders directly with the contract vendor. Since each vendor’s website and ordering system is unique, the ordering process can vary from contract to contract.
User Guides are your key to navigating through each of the contracts successfully.
When Mohave launched our first pilot program for Direct Online Ordering in 2005, we prioritized the needs of our end users—our members. We recognized early on that providing a User Guide from contract vendors, along with key ordering information, would be essential in helping members navigate vendor websites and streamline the ordering process.
On the About Vendor page on our website, we include the following notification to advise you that you are using a Direct Online Order contract: Direct Online Order Contract: place order directly with vendor. See the Direct Online Order User Guide in the More Info tab for additional ordering instructions.
You can locate the contract vendor’s User Guide for each of our Direct Online Order Contracts under the More Info tab on the About Vendor page.
Should you have any issues or questions, please contact the Contract Specialist, or email us at: contracts@mesc.org.