On June 15 and 16, the GracoRoberts Integrated Procurement Team (GRIP) gathered for its first-ever two-day Procurement Summit — a focused, energizing opportunity to align as a team, strengthen how they work together, and build the foundation for future success.
GRIP is a newly structured team that brings together GracoRoberts' sourcing and purchasing functions into one integrated organization. Their work plays a critical role in ensuring the right product reaches the right customer at the right time — with the right documentation — helping support a seamless experience for both customers and internal teams across the business.
Co-facilitated with the GracoRoberts People Services team, the summit focused on three key areas: building a shared team identity, understanding how individual strengths contribute to collective success, and defining what clear, collaborative procurement looks like in practice.
The team completed a CliftonStrengths assessment, which revealed a collective profile anchored in Responsibility, Achiever, Developer, Relator, and Belief. Using these insights, participants explored how to better leverage individual strengths, improve collaboration, and support one another in delivering exceptional results.
Team members left the summit feeling unified, inspired, hopeful, excited, productive, enlightened, and grateful about the future ahead.
Conversations throughout the summit were candid, honest, and forward-looking. The team worked through communication norms, clarified cross-functional expectations, and explored how they can contribute to an even stronger culture of collaboration across GracoRoberts.
As a result of the summit, GRIP is focused on continuous improvement in process, communication, and team development. By strengthening alignment within the team, they are better positioned to support colleagues across the organization, drive operational excellence, and continue delivering value to customers.
What does this mean for our employees? A more aligned procurement team means clearer communication, stronger cross-functional partnerships, and greater consistency in how we support the business.
A special thank you to Melissa, Nikki, and Faye from People Services for facilitating the summit, and to every team member who brought their full selves, ideas, and energy to the experience.
Mandi Fenn
Director of Procurement, Sourcing, and Supplier Relationships