MOA Builds Purpose-Driven ERP on Progress OpenEdge

New Life Centers, a nonprofit based in Chicago, Illinois, needed a better way to manage and distribute the large volume of donations they receive daily. Supporting homeless individuals, at-risk youth and families in need, they provide food, clothing, hygiene items and other essentials.

With a growing network of churches, schools, jails and other nonprofits relying on their donations, New Life’s warehouse operations faced significant logistical challenges—inventory was difficult to organize, donations were scattered and there was no efficient way to coordinate distribution among partner organizations.

As Connie Marquez, Warehouse Lead at New Life, explains, "We started in a small garage, doing everything by hand. At first, there was no plan, just people wanting to drop off donations to help. As needs grew, we ended up expanding to over 40,000 square feet of warehouse space. With bins of clothes being dropped off and more donations coming in, it became clear we needed a real system."

MOA’s mission to give back to the community aligned perfectly with New Life’s needs.

Having already built extensive ERP solutions for diverse industries, MOA stepped up with a tailored Kechie Inventory Management solution—a streamlined, user-friendly system capable of handling New Life’s complex inventory demands and growing partner network.

MOA leveraged the OpenEdge platform to deliver a comprehensive Kechie Inventory solution with a unique B2B portal designed specifically for New Life Centers and other non-profits. This cloud-based portal allows over 200 partner organizations—including churches, schools, community centers and correctional facilities—to securely log in, view available inventory and place orders for needed goods, just like shopping online.

All donations—ranging from food items to clothing and hygiene supplies—are tracked and organized within the Kechie Inventory system. The OpenEdge platform handles the entire backend of Kechie ERP, including inventory management, order management, procurement, logistics, financial modules and the programming logic that makes real-time access and transactions possible.

With such a powerful platform and 4GL capabilities, MOA was able to implement robust functionality within the Kechie ERP solution, such as inventory categorization, warehouse location mapping, and automation of order processing and delivery scheduling.

Beyond technology, MOA’s approach is deeply collaborative. They treat their customers as partners, staying in close contact to adapt to changing needs. As President Mehrdad Komeili says, “It’s not that we just sell them software and walk away. We stick with them—COVID happens, life changes happen and we’re always there for our partners.”