MOA Builds Purpose-Driven ERP on Progress OpenEdge for New Life Centers

Products:
OpenEdge

Challenge

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. 

Solution

Having already built extensive ERP solutions for diverse industries, My Office Apps (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.

Result

  • The reliability, scalability and ease of use of the OpenEdge platform helped MOA empower New Life Centers to expand their impact across Chicago.
  • Over 200 nonprofits now place and track orders online.
  • 99.9% uptime helps New Life focus on serving families, not system outages.

Full Story

Challenge

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."

My Office Apps' (MOA) 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.

 

Our entire product line runs on OpenEdge because it delivers exactly what we need—the reliability, security and scalability our platform demands.

Mehrdad Komeili

Founder and President at My Office Apps

Solution

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.”

Result

Since launching the OpenEdge-powered Kechie Inventory Management system with a customized portal, New Life Centers has dramatically improved how donations flow through its system. The partner organizations can now access inventory easily, select needed goods and coordinate pickups or deliveries. The result is faster distribution, less waste and more families getting the essential supplies they need.

The reliability and consistent uptime of the OpenEdge platform have been critical.

“OpenEdge is always on,” Komeili highlights. “We’ve never had downtime—customers want 99.9% uptime and that’s what we get with Progress.”

This stability means nonprofits like New Life Centers can focus on helping people instead of worrying about technology failures.

The ease of use is another key win. New Life’s partners, many of whom operate with limited staff and resources, find the Kechie portal intuitive—like “shopping on Amazon,” as Komeili describes it. This simplicity translates into greater efficiency and more time spent on community outreach.

New Life Centers gained the critical inventory tracking capabilities they desperately needed to manage the influx of diverse donations and purchases.

"Kechie has helped us have a tracking system to track whatever item comes in and out of our warehouse, whether it comes through the vendor or from an organization that donates on a weekly or monthly basis,” Marquez explained. “We're able to create a barcode system for our storage bins in our warehouse racks so we know and are able to find every item that we're looking for and maintain accountability on that."

Looking ahead, MOA continues to expand its ERP suite—adding vendor and supplier portal task management, equipment maintenance and 3PL capabilities—all built on the OpenEdge platform. Their commitment to nonprofits remains strong, working with Meals on Wheels, veterans’ groups and food recovery organizations across the country.

OpenEdge is always on—customers want 99.9% uptime and that’s what we have. It’s reliable, fast and easy to use.

Mehrdad Komeili

Founder and President at My Office Apps

Learn more
about the products

OpenEdge

Keep exploring
stories like this one

Read Next Story