Sourcewell is joining forces with two national experts in public safety, procurement, and purchasing to reinforce its commitment to members in the public safety industry.

Crosby Grindle and Keely Maroney of Cooperative Services LLC are partnering with Sourcewell, a leader in cooperative purchasing solutions; bringing with them a combined 40-plus years of experience in public safety, procurement, and purchasing.

“Sourcewell takes its public safety initiatives very seriously,” said Tom Perttula, Sourcewell's manager of contract administration. “Through this partnership, Sourcewell is bringing on partners who are also passionate about public safety and are coming alongside our organization to maximize communications with the public safety industry and share the resources available to them.”

Grindle has 30 years’ experience as a uniformed first responder and leader, specifically in the fire and rescue industry. He also brings long-standing experience and professional relationships with several credible procurement and purchasing organizations, as well as public safety related industry management, including eight years in cooperative procurement development.

Maroney most recently worked her way from account manager and contracting and operations manager to the director of operations for a national public cooperative procurement organization with over 32,000-member organizations, specializing in public safety.

Grindle and Maroney said their collective experience gives them an understanding of a unique industry with unique needs which, in turn, translates to unique procurement needs and solutions.

“Sourcewell is making an investment in the public safety community by building on and enhancing public safety specific contract solutions and seeking various ways to better support the public safety community,” Grindle noted, adding member outreach and input, education, and support are at the top of that list.

Perttula said, through this initiative, it is Sourcewell’s intent to better assess the public safety sector’s needs and respond by way of additional contract solutions, education and programmatic support, and more.

About Sourcewell

Sourcewell (formerly National Joint Powers Alliance) is a self-supporting government organization, partnering with education, government, and nonprofits to boost student and community success. Created in 1978 as one of Minnesota’s nine service cooperatives, the organization offers training and shared services to our central-Minnesota members. Throughout North America, we offer a cooperative purchasing program with more than 300 awarded vendors on contract. Sourcewell is driven by service and the ability to strategically reinvest in member communities.