City of Valdosta Purchasing Agent Honored by GPAG

On November 7, City of Valdosta Purchasing Agent Greg Brown, CPPO, CPPB was awarded the 2018 Governmental Procurement Officer of the Year Award by the Governmental Procurement Association of Georgia (GPAG) at the Organization's Fall Trends and Mentoring Conference. The conference was held at Amicalola Falls State Park and Lodge in Dawsonville. This award, presented by the Executive Board, honors a dedicated GPAG member who serves the chapter faithfully and embodies the high standards of the organization and field of governmental procurement. Many criteria are required to be met before the nominee can be considered. This includes such things as service to the chapter and membership, the highest of ethics, and support to fellow procurement professionals throughout the State and Country.

Brown has served GPAG in many capacities through the years including instructor, membership chair, expo chair, awards and scholarship chair, treasurer, president of the organization, and past president to name a few. He has over 20 years of dedicated service to GPAG. Also, he has been a member of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) for 24 years.

Brown is a nationally certified procurement officer through NIGP which he earned in 1996 and has successfully recertified every five years. As a purchasing agent for the City of Valdosta for nearly 24 years, Brown oversees the purchasing division which provides centralized procurement of all equipment, supplies, and services necessary to operate the City and supports all departments with information, specifications, and standards. His division is also responsible for maximizing revenues for the disposal of surplus property and maintaining annual contracts for specific services and commodities to assure the best pricing and service available to City staff.

"Greg is an outstanding member of the City of Valdosta team, working together with other City employees to best utilize our resources for the benefit of our citizens and community," said City Manager Mark Barber. "The City applauds Greg for his professionalism and dedication, resulting in him being recognized with this prestigious award."

GPAG, a State Chapter of NIGP, is a nonprofit professional organization that promotes continuing education, high ethical standards and professionalism in public purchasing. GPAG is an organization dedicated to connecting those involved in public purchasing with the resources necessary to succeed and is a highly respected organization throughout the State of Georgia, the United States, and Internationally.