Carol Cooper, Director of Materials Management for the City of Garland, won the prestigious Harold M. Cosgrove Award at the 60th Annual Southwest Purchasing Conference on Friday, October 6, 2006 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Harold M. Cosgrove Award is the highest award given in the Purchasing profession in the Southwest region of the United States.  The Cosgrove Award has been presented annually at the Southwest Purchasing Conference since 1955. Carol Cooper was awarded this high honor because of her innovation and dedication to the purchasing profession for the past 28 years.  Carol has been the Director of Materials Management, which encompasses the Purchasing Department and the Warehouse, for the City of Garland for the past 12 years. Carol has led her team of purchasing professionals to win the Excellence in Procurement Award from 1998 to 2006 and the Excellence in Innovative Supply Management from 2003 to 2007.  These awards issued by the National Purchasing Association (NPI) and ISM Southwest Supply Chain Forum are used to recognize excellence in the purchasing profession through benchmarking and innovations in purchasing management and leadership. Commenting on Carol’s award, Bryan Bradford Senior Managing Director with the City of Garland said, “this award is confirmation of what everyone at the City of Garland already knows and that is that Carol is a dedicated professional who constantly strives to improve and innovate our business practices.  Not only does she hold herself to high standards but inspires those who work with her to do the same.  She has always been a forward thinker and a leader for the City of Garland in the Purchasing and Materials Management field”.