Join us as we celebrate the 100th episode of the Logistics with Purpose podcast!

This special episode, hosted by Enrique Alvarez and Kristi Porter of Vector Global Logistics, features many special guests, including Scott Luton of Supply Chain Now, Kelly Cobb with Bombas, Julie Forsyth with Partners for World Health, and so many more.

Listen in as Enrique and Kristi reflect on the evolution of the podcast over the past four years, highlighting the diverse range of guests and topics covered. They discuss the significant changes in the logistics and supply chain industry, including a greater focus on sustainability and purpose-driven business models, and so much more.

Tune in and celebrate this important milestone for the Logistics with Purpose team, and here’s to at least 100 more!!

Featuring Special Guests:

• Scott Luton- Founder and CEO, Supply Chain Now
• Julie Forsyth- COO, Partners for World Health
• Sam Berman- CEO and Co-Founder, Logistics Advanced Research Center
• Cristina Aleixendri- COO and Co-founder, bound4blue
• Kelly Cobb- VP of Giving, Bombas
• Christopher Hussaini- Senior Sales Manager, Hapag-Lloyd
• Jenise Steverding- Chief Impact Officer, Gifts for Good
• Christelle Delenclos- Senior Director Growth Enablement Aid and Relief (Maersk Project Logistics, A.P. Moller-Maersk

Intro/Outro (00:02):

Welcome to Logistics with Purpose presented by Vector Global Logistics. In partnership with Supply chain. Now we spotlight and celebrate organizations who are dedicated to creating a positive impact. Join us for this behind the scenes glimpse of the origin stories change, making progress and future plans of organizations who are actively making a difference. Our goal isn’t just to entertain you, but to inspire you to go out and change the world. And now here’s today’s episode of Logistics with Purpose.

Kristi Porter (00:35):

All right, thank you. Welcome. I don’t even know how to begin. I’m so excited. I dunno how to begin. So this is The Logistics with Purpose podcast, Enrique Alvarez, Christie Porter of Vector Global Logistics. We are joined by special guest, Scott Luton of Supply Chain now. And this is an incredible episode because it is our 100th episode. This has been four years in the making and yeah, I don’t even know what to say.

Scott Luton (00:59):

Hey, I’m going to start with a big congrats to both of y’all, but also all the wonderful team that’s behind the scenes, the guests. I mean, as we’ve talked about, a lot of podcast series don’t even sniff six or seven episodes. So this is big and the stories y’all have published and poured your heart into, we’ve gotten feedback from around the globe. So congrats to both of y’all and the team.

Enrique Alvarez (01:21):

I would like to say, Scott, that it weren’t for you on your team at Supply Chain now, none of these would’ve really happened, so congratulations to you as well. I hope you feel as part of this as we all are here. And you’re right, we wouldn’t have a hundred episodes, we wouldn’t have a one episode if we didn’t have the teams. We have. Maybe people listen to our voices and see our faces, but the real magic happens with our guests and with the team that we have and we have an amazing team. So Christie Scott, thank you to you both. It’s been amazing. I can’t believe it’s been a hundred episodes.

Scott Luton (01:51):

Well said

Kristi Porter (01:53):

Is like four years too. I was looking at that earlier, looking back at the episodes, and that’s, wow, that’s a lot of time. I had

Enrique Alvarez (01:58):

No gray hairs back then. It’s all Scott, some of the US Scott’s name for sure,

Scott Luton (02:05):

No doubt. Undoubtedly. Christie, we’re talking kind of pre-show and I think you were chatting about the origin story of this series, right?

Kristi Porter (02:16):

Yeah, there’s some questions we wanted to ask you. So first of all, I’m just going to start by interviewing you guys because I was not around in the early days, and so I think some of this stuff I’m not even familiar with, so I’m excited to break it down and be in the war room with you guys. And so I guess in the beginning, let’s talk about, we are big fans of Simon Sinek here. So let’s start with why. So first question to you, Enrique, why the Logistics with Purpose podcast? Why was it needed? What was the gap you saw?

Enrique Alvarez (02:44):

Well, logistics with podcasts actually came about for many different reasons. It’s not something that we thought was going to be a hundred episodes for sure. I mean, we always work with very interesting organizations with great people. And me knowing Scott probably having lunch together, I told him a little bit about the kind of people that we’re working with and how much we would love to share some of those very inspiring stories and organizations with other people. And at the end of the day, it was really all Scott, right? He turned around and said, well, that’s a great idea. Why don’t you start it? I’m like, I’m not a podcast host. I don’t know what I’m doing. You’re the one I’m bringing you this idea, so you would do it. And he is like, no, no, no, I think that you should do it. So I guess the first part was we work organizations and that inspired us. And working with them on a day-to-Day basis makes our work easier. And everyone knows that supply chain and logistics in general is like a ungrateful job sometimes and very demanding and challenging. So actually it’s a good energy boost. And this Christie, every time we have a good guest, we actually leave that interview feeling so much better. So it’s like therapy for us. So I don’t know,

Scott Luton (03:55):

Let me add to this, Christie, a couple of thoughts. So first off, low extension of what Enrique was sharing there because as we all know, global supply chain, global logistics, that whole community we’re uniquely positioned to truly change the world and make a massive positive impact. And I love how y’all baked that into this series. And of course that takes me back to the first time I’ve met Enrique Alvarez. Christie, and you and I have talked about this. After you shake hands and you kind of get a sense of who he is, probably the third sentence out of his mouth is we’re changing the world. And as I’ve said a thousand times, a lot of people when they hear that, they’re like, oh, come on, you roll the eyes, all this stuff. And then now, 4, 5, 6 years later, since I first met Enrique, y’all Vector Global Logistics, logistics with purpose.

(04:38):

And of course, because y’all are very humble, a lot of the things y’all do behind the scenes with other initiatives, y’all truly, your team truly is changing the world and committing to take action and drive outcomes that help folks internationally. And once we uncovered that, then it was like, okay, how do we bake that into a series? And then now a hundred episodes later, as I scan, and before we kicked off this episode, I had all your episodes pulled up on one of my screens here and I was just scrolling through and man, the powerful stories of change makers and World Improvers and folks that came from nothing. And now they’re just helping so many people, the sheer generosity and action oriented leadership and great stories and good news that y’all bake into this series. No wonder we’re in hundred episodes and I can’t wait for the next a hundred. So anyway, that’s when I think of the origin story, all of that. And going back to your question, Christie, of the why, man, why not, right? Why not?

Kristi Porter (05:37):

Yes, we started as a little series and then grew into our own podcast probably also with a little pushing Baby Bird out of the nest. A little hesitant at first to try and do this a little bit more on our own without you. But yeah, your team has been an incredible support and we’ve certainly learned a lot from your team. And yeah, I think just there’s a lot that supply chain now does behind the scenes as well that a lot of people don’t hear about. And so I think it’s a good mix. But yeah, it is encouraging and exciting to hear, to get to talk to the people we get to talk to no matter what level at the organization they are. And to just be able to be like, man, every day, every day something gets to be new and exciting and different and impactful because they show up for work. And so that’s pretty exciting. Well

Scott Luton (06:19):

Said. Yeah. And to be able to put the spotlight on these individuals as you’re describing Christie and Enrique, whether it’s logistics with purpose or a program that we do at supply chain now, or just social or going out and visiting folks and capturing a couple minutes, just being able to amplify great people doing great things and helping others. I mean, that’s why we’re here on this earth. So great job, Enrique Christie, we’re celebrating with you and your teams because I admire you both and the team for cranking it out and sharing with the world these stories that maybe don’t get as much awareness and publicity that they should.

Enrique Alvarez (06:58):

And one of the things, Scott, that I’ve realized over the last a hundred episodes is that at the beginning they were a little bit even less unheard, a little bit less kind of rewarded or acknowledged or recognized. But as the world progresses and evolves, I’m really happy and excited to see that companies are more purpose-driven. So we’re starting to get more and more amazing organizations that are actually shifting the way they see business and changing their mindsets so that they can actually become more purpose oriented, which is what we have at Vector and what you guys have at Supply Chain now. And so this series have become very exciting. Again, I just can’t believe that we have reached a hundred, but I am very certain because I now see the light at the end of the tunnel, that this will just continue to be the trend. I mean, it’s not even a trend anymore. That’s just the way businesses are run, and I’m very excited for that.

Scott Luton (07:47):

Yes, well said.

Kristi Porter (07:49):

Well, I want to know, well, logistics with purpose, let’s start there. Enrique, where I credit you, I guess this is you, I credit you and I trademarked the spray, so I hope it was you, this phrase, but where did it come from?

Enrique Alvarez (08:04):

Well, again, it came from the culture we have at Vector, and I’ve never really trademarked anything ever. And I thought, well, it sounds cool and I’ve never done it. And you know me and Scott knows me as well. And so for me, doing things that I’ve never done before are exciting. So I love to make mistakes and I’ll keep making them. So I thought, why not? As Scott was saying, why not trademark this? And honestly, the name, I don’t specifically remember what was behind it, but it just fits with the culture that we have at Vector. And so it was just like a pretty nice name that encompassed what we wanted to do and what we wanted to share, and that’s why we called it Logistics with Purpose.

Kristi Porter (08:42):

Scott, you mentioned a little bit ago just it made sense to you this is what logistics does, it does have the power to impact. So I’ll ask you as we’ve asked some of our guests, what is the phrase logistics with purpose mean to

Scott Luton (08:54):

You? That’s such a great question and a couple thoughts that come to my mind instantly. Number one, I’m not sure I’ve been a part of many logistics efforts that had no purpose. And then secondly, kind of going the other direction is some of the logistics in particular that are on display in these stories as part of this series go far beyond the day-to-Day mission of getting stuff to where it needs to be for the right people at the right price, all that stuff. It goes well beyond that. A lot of the stories that I’ve heard y’all focus on is it helps fuel Noble missions. Chrissy, not too long ago we were sitting down with a couple of incredible Ukrainian entrepreneurs that are fighting a good fight with a lot of forces, including the power of logistics and supply chain. We’ve interviewed coffee growers that not only want to build a great business, but want everybody, all different shareholders in the ecosystem to have great business and get paid for a good day’s work and all and everyone win together.

(09:53):

So when I think of logistics with purpose, business with purpose, it’s really evident in many of these stories and it’s just a tip of the iceberg. And I went and Cherry picked a few, Christie and Enrique, some of my favorites, Terrence Lester Love Beyond Walls early days. That’s like in the first year or so I think of some new logistics behind that powerful nonprofit, which if you want to kind get a sense of what that nonprofit’s about, how about this great quote he shared with us. Terrence Lester said quote, just because you don’t have an address doesn’t mean you’re not a neighbor. So think of all that. What has to come together, take care of folks that may be experiencing not having a home or a physical structure and whatnot, right? Love that. I think of David Robinson and Meta Robinson, right? David being one of Jackie Robinson’s children.

(10:39):

Yes, that legendary Jackie Robinson folks. David and Meta was Jackie and Rachel Robinson’s granddaughter, I think I’ve got that right. Christie and Enrique. And they’re doing big missions going back to the coffee community, right? Again, ensuring all shareholders in that ecosystem. There’s no one being taken advantage of. There are opportunity for all, man, this stuff is contagious. Christie and Enrique, when I think of the stories that make up, so I went far beyond your question, Christie, but I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t help it. I started diving in and reminiscing about some of the ones I’ve been a part of and some of those I just have been able to listen to. And this is awesome, Christie, Enrique job.

Enrique Alvarez (11:19):

It’s been a very, I guess diverse group of people as well. So it’s been like from Terrence Lester to an astronaut to an incredibly successful corporation and steamship lines, you realize, Scott, to your point, that purpose is everywhere. It’s not like the non-for-profit fighting the war. It’s not like the person in charge of helping homeless people it, it’s really everywhere. And a lot of companies have a purpose-driven mentality, and they actually try to use and leverage logistics to change the world. And it’s exciting because everything we have and everything we do has a logistics component to it, right? The computer, we’re using the microphone. You have the books behind you, so it’s a really

Scott Luton (11:58):

Good, I read all of these them

Enrique Alvarez (12:01):

Twice. Some of them I can see

Scott Luton (12:05):

That’s a little secret between us. Hey, Enrique, two quick comments. I promise I’ll shut up. Christie, Enrique, I got to get my time in while we’re here talking with two of my favorite people. So some folks meander, some folks meander, but Enrique, Chrissy, and the team here do not everything to Enrique’s Point is done with purpose and there’s so much what we like to call Greg, help us coin this give forward, right? Love that. And then secondly, since you mentioned it, the astronaut, because I’m a big old space nerd, Enrique, Susan Kra, I think I’ve got that last name spelled right. It’s one of my favorite episodes, Chrissy, is that right? Yes,

Kristi Porter (12:40):

It is.

Scott Luton (12:41):

Okay, so get this, and I think this is really important, this quote that she’s shared because being a space nerd, and it’s been a big, I mean, gosh, it is a very unique time in all things space these days.

Kristi Porter (12:53):

Yeah, rejuvenated.

Scott Luton (12:54):

Yes, rejuvenated. That’s right. It’s a great word, Christy. I’ll learn what that means. One day I got to go check out the dictionary behind me, but hey, and there’s a lot of questions about the investments made in space, and we have so much to do in earth and hey, different strokes, different folks. We can lean in it and have meaningful conversations where we exchange those points of view. But Susan made a great point. She said, I don’t think people understand that a lot of what we’re doing in space is about making life on earth better or studying earth and how the earth is changing. That’s such a great point because so much that has come out of NASA missions and then the more modern private sector, so many enhancements here on earth, there’s lack of awareness there. So Enrique and Christie, to have literally an astronaut join one of out of the a hundred episodes so far was just a stroke of genius, and I thought she was a great guest.

Kristi Porter (13:47):

Well, I too am a space nerd, so I was totally giddy behind the scenes. We were all giddy about when she was coming on. And yeah, afterwards we asked her, unfortunately I didn’t get it on the interview, but after we got off, asked her the UFO question and it is classified, so

Scott Luton (14:04):

Oh, Christie, I know. Oh, man, you’re teasing. If you share anything more, I

Kristi Porter (14:09):

Know they’re

Scott Luton (14:10):

Going to put you in witness protection or something,

Enrique Alvarez (14:12):

You’re going to shut us down. No more episodes.

Kristi Porter (14:15):

She was fascinating to talk to it. Fact, we’re

Enrique Alvarez (14:17):

Going to have to have her back and talk a little more about that for sure.

Kristi Porter (14:20):

Yes. Shortly after that, I went to a space museum and they were highlighting all these things and I was like, I don’t see Susan, and I was educating them on it.

Scott Luton (14:29):

That’s awesome. Power of knowledge sharing for sure.

Kristi Porter (14:32):

Yeah, it was great. We’ve had some incredible guests. I think especially we all come to it with different perspectives and some questions hit us more than others, or you think, okay, we need to ask this, but probably this will be the more interesting one and it usually turns us on our head some way. And yeah, you just kind of learn that everybody has a remarkable story if you take the time to listen to them. And I think we keep experiencing that again and again, and especially with people doing the jobs that we have the privilege of talking to Scott, I wanted to ask you, our resident podcast expert who we look to a lot for what you’re doing and how you’re doing and what you’re learning, and you’ve hosted hundreds of episodes and seen of course podcasts come and go. And so I’m curious from your perspective, speaking to our specific logistics supply chain audience, why do you think this podcast has resonated to stick around this long?

Scott Luton (15:23):

That’s an excellent question. I think several thoughts come to my mind. I think one of them is the authenticity and just how genuine these conversations are, right? Y’all have been leading here. I think authenticity, there’s no replacement for it. Everyone knows when you’re tuned into something that’s scripted and that’s anything but really what we do here and certainly what y’all do with logistics, with purpose, so I love that. I think also, not that it’s always been cool or timely or it’s always been the right thing to do, to give back, give forward. However, I think maybe between the pandemic and other challenges we’ve had in the last few years, the conflicts we’ve been having in the last year or two, I think it’s overdue for a big large spotlight to be placed on people and leaders and organizations that exist simply to help others and help make their journeys easier. Especially a lot of those folks out there that have no one looking out for on their own in so many different ways. And you got organizations and people helping others and stepping in to make their days easier. I think that’s amongst a long list of reasons why folks tune in. While I’m yapping here, Christie, Enrique, I got to add one more thing. You’re a

Kristi Porter (16:32):

Host, we’ve invited a host on, and that is what we get in return.

Scott Luton (16:36):

I never get questions, Christie, Enrique, I never get questions, so this is great. But just today we were talking with the world’s largest manufacturer in a specific sector, and we were asking him what’s some of their secrets behind their success? And I’ve heard relationships matter put about 10 million different ways, but for this business, they found the right partner that helped them establish operations in different parts of the continent, and he attributed a lot of their success to finding that right partner that you can trust, you can build with. And when you think of global supply chain or logistics or helping people around the world, I instantly and our relationship comes to mind. I instantly think of people that share values, that share, dedication and commitment to making things better day in and day out. And when I think of this series and a hundred episodes and a thousand to come, a million to come, that’s some of the critical DNA that I think resonates with y’all’s team as you pour blood, sweat and tears in to do it. It’s not easy, and it certainly resonates with the audience because that’s what fills my ears when I tune in and listen to the great conversations and stories that y’all produce. Thank

Kristi Porter (17:50):

You, Scott. I don’t know how to answer that. I’m uncomfortable getting compliments. That is, yeah, very kind. And again, I praise we’ve been so honored to partner with you and your team through all this too. So it’s been definitely a back and forth love fest. But yeah, we’re still learning.

Scott Luton (18:07):

Well, and hey, out there, to all the folks tuned into this episode, the 100th of logistics with Purpose, I still like to say we’re just getting started. We’re all very proud of what we’ve done together, right over the last four years and the stories and the relationships and the good work we’ve done together, the action and the outcomes, but the best is still yet to come. And Chrissy and Ricky, I say that with as much excite I’m containing myself. I can’t wait to see what we do next. So thank you for y’all’s partnership. Most importantly, thank you all for the type of people you are, you and your teams, because I think if more folks thought and view the world, y’all do as if it’s our responsibility, it’s our burden to make things better, man, what on earth be a lot better place. So I’ve enjoyed learning from y’all, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Kristi Porter (18:58):

Thank you. Thank you so much. Yeah, we don’t have your fancy, we’re on a budget over here, so we don’t have your fancy swoop out like you do. So we’re just going to kick you out and say goodbye and thank you and thank your team. And yeah, thanks for being an incredible supporter and partner. Great

Scott Luton (19:17):

Work. Keep it up here. We’re on to the next 100 episodes and the next 1 million Acts of Kindness. Okay, thanks Christy. Thanks en Ricky. We’ll talk to y’all soon. Thank you,

Kristi Porter (19:27):

Scott. Here’s Julie foresight of Partners for World Health to tell us what logistics with purpose means to her.

Julie Forsyth (19:46):

Such an interesting question. I had to really think about that. I kind of stopped and I really thought about it, and I think logistics is always about problem solving, and I think that it’s what I do is what we do every day, day in and day out. But I think the benefit of what we do is that every time we make a connection, we’re helping somebody. We’re solving a problem that benefits someone or an organization somewhere, and I know that we’re making a positive difference. So people always say to me, what is it that you love about your job? And the word I always use is purposeful. So it’s kind of nice that it sort of dovetails here because I do feel purposeful. I feel that the work that we do makes a difference and that we should always be striving to make that difference. So as my mother said, anyone can make a difference when everyone should try. I feel that that is what logistics with purpose means to me, that we are making a difference because we’re really working hard to use the systems that exist in order to help as many people as we possibly can because it’s not just about a supply. It’s not just about getting it from point A to point B, it’s about making sure that we’re doing as much as we can at point A so that the benefit is as great as possible at point

(19:46):

Enrique Alvarez (21:06):

Now, it was amazing to have Scott as said, he’s a real mentor to us on the Logistically Purpose Podcast now we’ve been doing it for four years, which is, it feels like a lot, a hundred episodes. It’s a lot. And actually I think it’s been very educational, at least for me in particular, you can start seeing the evolution of how supply chain is moving and shifting and really growing before Vector. Global Logistics has been around for 10 plus years, and the industry as a whole has been changing very, very rapidly. At the beginning, you can probably highlight the amazing push for efficiency and being cost effective and being very efficient in the way that you ship things around the world, making sure they had a very low inventory levels. So just in time was a thing, low inventory levels, then you can then kind of push forward towards the pandemic, and all of a sudden having not a lot of inventory at hand was not very helpful to fill the shelves with toilet paper and some of the other things that we completely missed.

(22:09):

And so the industry very rapidly evolved and had to change quickly and reinvented itself to one, getting a better understanding as of how many inventory levels companies should have, but then also how work should be performed. I mean, as we know, vector has always been based on results, results only culture, but in general, the industry had to very quickly learn that having people at the office with PCs was not going to cut it when everyone had to be at their house. So that kind of changed. And then also supply chain became front and center as opposed to being one of those nice things to have that no one really even questioned because people really understood how things got to the shelves when you went to the retail shops to something that was very interesting to everyone because we all relied on it. And so it has changed very rapidly now.

(22:59):

You see the technology has been amazing. There’s a huge technological revolution when it comes to supply chain from track and tracing to better mitigate potential impacts in the supply chains and to being more purpose driven in sustainability, which is the next frontier, which I know you and I are particularly happy about. And we can see at least over the last 10 years that this is a ever evolving industry, and it’s actually, changes are happening faster and faster. So we’re just happy to be a little bit of a witness through our interviews with different leaders of how quickly this industry has been changing

Kristi Porter (23:39):

For sure. And yes, definitely during the pandemic with everybody at home, then it was all of a, what do you mean? I can’t get this in two days? It was a really difficult thing to keep up with. And of course, our team working literally round the clock trying to get people what they need. And so I’m curious, so thank you for sharing your perspective on that. I’m curious if there are any changes that you’ve seen or trends maybe from our guests that have stood out to you that kind of mirror that difference in how supply chain works in the last few years versus previously changing fast, but it is still a very traditional industry.

Enrique Alvarez (24:14):

Yes, I think it’s evolving fast, but you’re right. So I think that one of the main changes that I see, and it’s easy to spot a sustainability. Some of the first episodes and some of the first interviews that we had with people, very rarely someone said, well, this is CO2, offsetting is important. Now if you take a look at some of the recent episodes, almost everyone mentions it right? In one way or another. They’re worried as organizations that sustainability is a big important thing and they’re working on it and they have very amazing initiatives, and there’s tons of really good companies out there doing amazing things to make sure that they’re carbon neutral soon. So I think that’s an easy example on how things are changing. Another one is probably on the way companies are managed as a whole. At the beginning, we believe people were a little bit more focused on this very traditional hierarchical structure.

(25:03):

And again, it was all about shipping cheaply, for lack of a better word, cost effectively probably sounds nicer, but at the end of the day, that’s what it was. And then now it’s a little bit more sophisticated in terms of, well, sometimes just going with the cheaper providers, not like the best alternative. And sometimes it’s actually not even the cheaper option because you have to consider a lot of other things. And so you can start to see a really nice evolution from just ship it as cheaply as possible to Let’s be smart here. Where should our distribution center be? Should we consolidate in China and then ship it? Should we ship it by air and a little bit by ocean? So there’s a little bit more of that with our guests as well. It’s another change that I’ve seen.

Kristi Porter (25:43):

I agree. Positive changes for sure.

Enrique Alvarez (25:45):

Very positive for sure. Yes.

Kristi Porter (25:47):

I think too, we are seeing more and more of our, even back to sustainability, but in other ways too. We’re seeing more of our industry take ownership for its role in the world. And I think that’s

Enrique Alvarez (25:58):

Accountability, right?

Kristi Porter (26:00):

Yeah, absolutely.

Enrique Alvarez (26:01):

A lot of accountability now compared to what we saw 10 years ago or four years ago even. Also, just there’s a lot of younger people coming into the industry. If you take a look at education, there’s incredible supply chain programs out there. A lot of colleges are offering it now, and it’s become a very important thing to study. So you’re getting more educated people in the supply chain these days compared to maybe 10 years ago. Right? I’m not saying that there were an educated, all I’m saying is that there’s been such a boom and incredible push for these programs that the universities and education general are trying to keep up with the demand when it comes to supply chain. Yeah,

Kristi Porter (26:40):

I think that’s true. I think back to episodes, one of your original ones with Jasmine Crow solving food shortages and who has always said the food chain is more of a logistics problem than a supply problem or quantity problem or anything like that. Very young as well. I think of Danielle Sutherland with VE in who without building ships and racing around the world and doing things at 15, and how now she’s speaking to large audiences on how to build a more sustainable supply chain, literally build it from the ground up, starting with ships. But yeah, I think we’ve had some definitely starting small people looking at an idea and saying, yeah, I can do something about that because nobody else has, so I’m going to do it.

Enrique Alvarez (27:21):

Yes. And then you take that, and then you also extrapolate it to the corporate world or the larger or multi-billion organizations out there. And you have Maersk, right? We actually interviewed Christelle, and when we started interviewing people, I don’t think that was in their radars. And if it was, it wasn’t as important as it is now.

Kristi Porter (27:40):

I love looking back on those people and seeing the trendsetters and we get to say, Hey, I know those people. They’re pretty a

Sam Berman (27:46):

Lot of visionaries

Enrique Alvarez (27:47):

Too, right? Wouldn’t you say? Yeah, the first couple episodes we interviewed people and they actually always asked them. I remember back then one of our main questions was, well, where do you see the future? Where is logistics heading? And if you compare their answers to what’s happening, I mean, a lot of them were very on target.

Kristi Porter (28:03):

Yeah, I agree. Here’s Sam Berman of Lark to tell us what logistics with purpose means to him.

Sam Berman (28:22):

It simply means utilizing the standard of the world and how we move things to change things, not just in the process itself, but in how we utilize the resources we get, the blessings we get from doing. We all have to be giving back. But if you can change the market space and you can utilize those resources at the same time, you’ve really succeeded. I’ve never started a company of any kind that did you give something back? Even though I been those little tickle monsters, you could adopt ’em for kids in the hospital. When you’ve taken the kids in the hospital, you have utilize the resources and blessings you have for pass those down to other people while changing markets. And the more destructive you are to those markets, the more resources you have to continue to do that. It’s called logistics for purpose, but shouldn’t everything just be business of purpose?

(29:07):

Every business should have a purpose, and it’s too narrow of a concept to just be logistics. And I think that what you’re doing here is amazing. I think taking the idea of what is really the least sexy industry in the world, and taking that and realizing how important it is to not just the existence of our world today, but what we can do with it to make it even better, to make things faster, to make things more efficient, manufacture things in a better way to make products that the world really needs. I think you’re really onto something here. I’m so glad that you do this podcast. You get people thinking In a very different way.

Kristi Porter (29:48):

One of your quotes that I use constantly in our marketing and logistics with Purpose Everywhere, such a great quote. In fact, when you and I met, this was one of the original things you said to me, and I was like, let’s write that down and put it on a sticker. But you said Logistics is another vehicle for changing the world. So I think that sums up both Vector and this podcast. So we talked a little in the beginning about where Logistics with Purpose came from, but there’s still that whole idea behind it somewhere that came to you, somewhere that philosophy. So where does all that originate for you?

Enrique Alvarez (30:22):

Well, at the end of the day, I think that everything comes from my parents. That’s just the way I was raised, and I’m incredibly thankful for the parents I have. I understand that I’ve been very lucky. There’s nothing else. I feel like it’s just luck. I was lucky enough to be born in a family that actually cared about things like this, and so I feel now a little bit of the responsibility to give back because of all the things I’ve forgotten without really doing anything for them. So I think it comes a little bit from just my background, Brian Oxley, my business partner’s background, and just the people that we actually started working together at Vector Global Logistics, we just all thought the same way. I think that it actually was interesting to see the first 10 employees that we had, if you asked us anything about logistics, we probably would not have been as experienced or as good as we are now, but we’re super passionate about doing something and changing the world and making a positive impact.

(31:18):

So I think it just permeates from that. It comes from the culture that we have at Vector and the team that we have at Vector, and why we actually are doing what we’re trying to do to logistically purpose. And now why I think it makes sense and why I think it’s actually something very practical to see is because everything has a logistics component to it. And again, the more I interview people and the more we grow our company, and the more I am in supply chain, I feel it even more tangible. If you really want to change the world, and if you really, really believe that you can change it, I think logistics is a great place to start. It involves everything. Everything has to do with logistics and supply chain these days. So it’s a good starting point for really impacting change. As Scott was saying earlier today,

Kristi Porter (32:05):

Well, we’ve certainly seen this idea demonstrated, as you mentioned in every single episode, and we talked about it never fails to inspire us. I think I will be the first to admit, I don’t want to turn on my camera or something. There’s some fire to put out that day. But every episode, no matter who we talk to, some people are yours and mine friends personally, or we know them through conferences or different things, and every single person has just been really incredible in what they’re doing in the spectrum of what they’re doing, and never fails to put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. So I want to ask you, I know this is hard. I’m not asking you to play favorites entirely, but what are a couple of the interviews that have really stood out to you?

Enrique Alvarez (32:51):

It’s a really good question. It’s a very, very hard question because I was thinking about this, and you and I were talking about this a couple of days ago in preparation to this interview, and I don’t think I can answer it. It’s just every single interviewee or guest has been very unique. I mean, there’s not like we actually interview people that are doing the same thing for the same organizations. Again, we mentioned it before, we had Terrence Lester with the lobby on walls, and then we had an astronaut, and then we have Chriselle at Maersk. So it’s been very exciting. So what I can tell you though is that no matter what we’re going through, listening to this guest is amazing and it’s inspirational, and I really feel very happy after we interview them, and I actually get a little more energy to continue working on the things that we’re working at Vector.

(33:36):

So it has, and I’ve said this before, but it has become some kind of therapy. I mean, when we don’t schedule an interview one week or another, I’m just starting to itch about like, Hey, I need to talk to someone that is positive and inspiring and smart and efficient, and we all need that. So it’s been a really good way to just get my energy levels up to keep going. I have to thank everyone. Everyone that we have actually interviewed has been amazing. And it’s really simple too. I mean, we don’t really do much shut up and listen to them, and just listening to their stories makes us feel better. So it’s been great. I encourage people to just talk to more people and maybe listen more, I guess.

Kristi Porter (34:21):

Yeah, for sure. I think for me, I’m not going to say favorites, but definitely impactful because again, it would be really, really hard to do that. But I’ve been grateful to put people that I know and admire my friends at C one 17 and Good Steps and organization. I think my first interview was with Laura Cyrus at Truckers Against Trafficking, who I,

Enrique Alvarez (34:43):

Yeah, that was amazing.

Kristi Porter (34:44):

I had been following her for a long time. So then I had a great excuse to reach out, and she didn’t ignore my email, and she showed up and it was an amazing conversation and something I’m really passionate about that also fits within our industry. And then, yes, of course, we mentioned Susan Buddy at Souls for Souls. I love every chance I get to talk to him. And even our charity partners like Serve. We had a Dion. And so we’ve been able to talk to so many cool people, Winona Satcher at Maker Studio. And then one of the ones that also really stood out to me was Ismail Sy at Islamic Relief for the reason of, we all hear, of course, on the news constantly these in the last couple of years, but about refugee camps. And so we start every interview, just tell me about your background.

(35:28):

And some people have really thrown us for a loop in those first couple of questions, and it sends the interview in a different trajectory than we started. And he was one of those that had actually grown up in a refugee camp. And so I asked a lot of questions because I just didn’t know. I didn’t know what that was like. And so to talk to somebody who’d actually lived in that environment and how his family valued education and his dad was determined to get him an education in a better way of life was incredibly inspiring. And then we’ve had, speaking of just the breadth of our guests, one of the ones that you talked to was a Popo Saves lives. They use rats to

Enrique Alvarez (36:04):

Detect That was a good one too, actually, yes,

Kristi Porter (36:08):

To be able to detect chemicals and cargo and all the things. So yeah, just all the creative crazy ways that people are out there using their skills.

Enrique Alvarez (36:19):

Remember John Thompson, one of the first ones with Community Connect and what he’s been doing in Nicaragua, and if you actually talk to him, I know him and I had the pleasure of actually playing soccer with him still sometimes. He has grown so much from when the time that we interview him four years after to what they have now, books for Africa. Pat Lansky is another good example of the powerful organization they have and how successfully they have actually grown it. Kelly Cobb with Bombas, very similar. It’s been really, again, it’s very, very hard to pick one or two. They’re just very different. We had the opportunity to interview the Madam Ambassador in Africa, remember Hilda Suka. It was incredible. It was really, really interesting.

Kristi Porter (37:02):

And I think, of course, the last couple of years, vector has been so involved with the Ukraine War and supporting Ukraine. And so being able to talk to Brad Hendrickson just about the work, he was out there doing solo, helping her supplies and conduct rescues. And then we’ve talked to International Medical Corps, and of course people, as Scott mentioned, people that have just been everywhere from on the front lines to shipping supplies, to fundraising, to just,

Enrique Alvarez (37:31):

Well, to Haak Lloyd, we had the chance to interview Christopher Husseini, who’s an amazing, they’re doing an amazing job, and PAC’s an amazing job when it comes to not only shipping things around the world, but the kind of culture they have and the sustainability efforts they have. We mentioned Christelle with Maersk as well. And then again, we went from that to remember the monuments men. What was the

Kristi Porter (37:55):

Oh, yes. Oh my gosh, Anna. Yes. Anna, Anna,

Enrique Alvarez (37:58):

Anna Bottinelli, Anna Bottinelli

Kristi Porter (38:00):

And women. Yeah, that

Enrique Alvarez (38:01):

Was very interesting too. Completely different from everything else that we have actually talked about, but very, very interesting as well.

Kristi Porter (38:08):

Yeah, rescuing World War II artifacts and returning them to their original owners. Yeah.

Enrique Alvarez (38:13):

How about that for a logistics twist, right? I, and there’s a movie that you can relate to that actually is a pretty good movie as well. It’s

Kristi Porter (38:20):

A really good movie.

Enrique Alvarez (38:22):

We had a lot of CEOs as well. We had Amanda Baldwin, we had

Kristi Porter (38:27):

Your friend Paul Rice.

Enrique Alvarez (38:29):

Yes. David Gardner,

Kristi Porter (38:30):

Yes. Oh, David Gardner. We love him so much.

Enrique Alvarez (38:33):

We do special shout out to him because he is a really great guy. Yes. Paul Rice as well. Fairtrade

Kristi Porter (38:41):

Davis Smith with Cotopaxi.

Enrique Alvarez (38:43):

Oh, that’s right. That’s right. An amazing, amazing brand. We still have the vector backpacks at Cotopaxi. We talked to the SBP of operations at L’Oreal.

Kristi Porter (38:53):

Caroline, yes. She was incredible. Yeah. I still think about all the things she talked about with leadership and leading a team and where she sees herself in that mix, and just how she worked her way up and still,

Enrique Alvarez (39:05):

And the organization itself. I didn’t really know much or anything about L’Oreal, to be honest. And turns out they’re incredible organization, very committed to not only sustainability, but purpose-driven organization and overall amazing leadership skills for sure.

Kristi Porter (39:19):

Yeah. Yeah, it’s been an absolute privilege. And just as you said, I agree too with we have talked to people across the board who are using their individual role, whether they’re new or emerging, or a founder or a director or the founder, CEO of a very large organization, but all using logistics as another vehicle to change the world.

Enrique Alvarez (39:41):

Some of them may have been more practical in nature, some horn. I mean, remember, she actually even made us take out a notepad and start writing things, and it was it like a class. It was really like, I don’t think it was as much a podcast as it could have been like a webinar or something. And Aaron Edwards of the Charles Group, as we, I guess remember all this, Christie, one thing that I think all these people have in common is that they’re just so much better speakers than us.

Kristi Porter (40:07):

A hundred percent true.

Enrique Alvarez (40:09):

We just have to ask these simple questions, and they come up with this amazingly well structured, eloquent sentences back that it’s not only fun and interesting, but it’s easy for us.

Kristi Porter (40:19):

Right? Show up and talk to a cool person. I can do that. Check. Yes,

Enrique Alvarez (40:23):

Check.

Kristi Porter (40:34):

And now here’s Christina Alexandria, a bound for blue, to explain what logistics with purpose means to her.

Cristina Aleixendri (40:43):

When I think about with purpose, I always think that all the jobs have a real purpose behind. And I really think about somebody cleaning the windows. And you could think, okay, I’m just cleaning a window and I could be very angry because really, what’s the purpose behind? But that person was smiling and you could ask him, and he said, I’m happy because I’m bringing more light into the life of the people that are working inside the building. So that is what purpose means. I mean, logistics is logistics, and you can go to the dictionary and find the dictionary behind what logistic means, but then it’s the purpose of what you do that matters. And I think all jobs and all sectors, all industries should have a real purpose behind really. Logistics has this deep purpose that it’s impacting everybody’s life. I mean, we are seeing it every day, how really a disruption in logistics is affecting the energy that arrives, the price, the time, electronics, everything is going on a ship. Nearly everything I would say. I really cannot say anything that is not shipped. So basically it’s this purpose behind that. I really like this analogy with the person cleaning the window.

Kristi Porter (41:51):

This has been a blast. A hundred episodes, four years. That’s a lot of time and investment and a lot of good conversations. So I’m really excited we took the time to kind of reflect and remember some of our past guests didn’t even get to mention them all. So we encourage everybody to go back and look at our amazing stellar list of previous guests, because pick any episode at random and you’ll feel good about it afterward. But thank you to everyone who’s been with us on this journey. From our vector team to the production staff, to Luisa, our podcast coordinator, to just showing up to listen and sharing time with us. We know time is everyone’s most precious resource. So the fact that you showed up to share some time with us, we are honored and grateful and looking forward to our next 100.

Enrique Alvarez (42:36):

We’re incredibly grateful for that. And then I’ll also thank our guests for giving us the time. I mean, when we started comparing the first episodes, last ones, I didn’t think anyone was going to give us time to talk about this. I mean, we’re not famous. We’re very small kind of team, small podcast series. And I don’t know if it’s the subject or the culture and the purpose-driven mentality that binds us together. But I was impressed that we reached out to very successful and famous individuals, and they always gave us some time. So thank you so much. I still don’t understand why you did it, but we are thankful and we wouldn’t have the a hundred episode without you, and the time that you took and the chance you took to actually talk to our listeners here at Logistics With Purpose.

Kristi Porter (43:19):

That’s right. So be sure and hit subscribe because episode 101 going to be another good one.

Kelly Cobb  (43:33):

Hi, Kelly from Bombas here to offer my congrats to Logistics with Purpose on episode 100. Thank you for bringing us so many insightful and inspiring conversations highlighting the people and businesses who are creating change and meeting business challenges with benevolence. Thank you for leading with heart and creating positive impact through logistics. Keep leading the way.

Christopher Hussaini (43:58):

Really big congratulations to logistics with purpose for your 100th episode. I mean, who doesn’t want to be a hundred? Huh? This is phenomenal. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it, and I have no doubt we’re going to be on a thousand quite soon.

Jenise Steverding (44:13):

Congratulations, vector Global Logistics on your 100th episode of your podcast. That is such a testament to the role that logistics play in creating Impact. So thanks for having me on your show. Thanks for all you do, and thanks for helping share how we can make the world a better place.

Christelle Delenclos (44:30):

Through. Hello everyone. Can you believe it’s the hundred episode of Logistics with Purpose? From the very first episode to this amazing milestone, so much wisdom and passion and inspiration has been shared. So I want to take a moment to thank you for all the valuable insights this podcast has brought into our lives, to the host and team that make it all happen, and to many more episodes filled with positivity and purpose, with this fantastic achievements. And here’s to the next hundred episodes of Logistics With Purpose Keep Shining. Great.