ROC USA’s purchasing co-op reports dramatic growth

The purchasing cooperative that ROC USA joined three years ago is growing faster than predicted, and that growth means more savings opportunities for resident-owned communities and their members.

A large pool of potential customers is attractive to all sorts of businesses, from retailers like Mobile Home Parts Store, Best Buy and Sherwin Williams to service providers like propane dealers, banks, flooring companies and more. ROC USA Network already brings together more than 10,000 homeowners in more than 170 communities in 14 states.

But those numbers alone aren’t enough to secure some of the best discounts available. That’s why ROC USA helped establish Community Management Company Cooperative in the hopes of driving down the costs of a host of services on the homeowner and association level for ROCs.

The purchasing cooperative is made up management groups that work with homeowner associations. Mary Hurand, president of CMC Cooperative, told ROC USA this week that the cooperative is now up to more than 550,000 homes is more than 2,800 associations.

“We bring together likeminded members to leverage the power of scale,” Hurand said, adding that she’s not content to slow down despite the large numbers. The goal is to obtain critical mass in each state to not only provide outstanding National programs but to leverage local buying power for unique regional opportunities as well.

The deals brokered by the purchasing cooperative are made available through ROC Mall at myROCUSA.org, ROC USA’s online community center.

Paul Bradley, president of ROC USA, said he’s excited about the prospect of a robust discount purchasing platform for all the homeowners who live in communities that work with ROC USA and the eight Certified Technical Assistance Providers.

“We had three main areas of focus when we launched ROC USA – financing for residents to purchase their communities, ongoing training to help those communities thrive, and a wide array of member services for the folks who live in ROCs,” Bradley said. “As ROC Mall continues to grow, we’re beginning to realize just how powerful the economics of scale can be, and what a difference it can make in the everyday lives of the communities and homeowners we work with.”

ROC Mall is available to anyone living in a resident-owned community that works with or has worked with one of the Certified Technical Assistance providers of ROC USA Network. Users can access it via a free registration at www.myROCUSA.org.