Episode Summary
In the first interview from the SCAC AIAG Supply Chain & Quality Conference in Charleston, South Carolina, Scott, Greg, and Beau Groover of The Effective Syndicate welcomed Suzanne Dickerson of SC Council on Competitiveness and Maureen Woolshlager of Vector Global Logistics, to Supply Chain Now Radio.
Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] It’s time for Supply Chain Now Radio Broadcasting live from the Supply chain capital of the country. Atlanta, Georgia Supply Chain Now Radio spotlights the best in all things supply chain the people, the technologies, the best practices and the critical issues of the day. And now here are your hosts.
[00:00:29] Hey, good morning. Scott Luton here with you live on Supply Chain Now Radio. Welcome back to the show. We are coming to you once again today from the AIAG SCAC Supply chain & Quality Conference in Charleston, North Charleston, South Carolina. This conference is dedicated to the world of automotive and we’ve been meeting with many of the leading industry thought leaders that have been participating here over the last day and a half or so. But first, big thanks to our conference broadcast sponsor of the EFFECTIVE SYNDICATE for making our coverage possible. The EFFECTIVE SYNDICATE helps companies win by optimizing process and developing winning cultures. You can learn more at the effective syndicate dot com. Quick programming note. Like all of our series on Supply Chain Now Radio, you can find all replays on a variety of channels Apple podcasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, YouTube and wherever else you find your podcast. As always, we’d love to have you subscribe, so don’t miss anything. So let’s welcome in our esteemed co-hosts here today. We have Mr. Greg White, regular co-host Supply Chain Now Radio and a serial supply chain, tech entrepreneur and trusted advisor. Greg, how are you doing? I’m doing great. Seems like we’ve been talking a lot about cereal lately. We have. We have. But is this true in your case? Right. You can’t shy away from a a wide variety of successful entrepreneurial ventures.
[00:01:46] As I’ve told many people, I’m not an entrepreneur because I’m exceptionally talented. I’m an entrepreneur because I’m otherwise unemployable.
[00:01:54] Good.
[00:01:56] Still, that would also say hello to Bo Gruber, founder and president of the Effective syndicate and co-host of our Leadership Matters series here on Supply Chain Now Radio. Bo, how you doing? I’m doing great. Good morning, everybody. You know, we had a great day yesterday, so I think we did seven interviews and in all of them covered different aspects of what’s going on here with a lot of us led to automotive, a lot of us related to the in Supply chain. And while we were worn out heading back to the hotel last night, what a great day of inspiring thought leadership, I thought.
[00:02:28] I agree. I think, look, there was we learned a lot a lot of different angles. I think a lot of people think of Supply chain as that one thing. Right. Right. But there are a lot of different angles, cybersecurity, customs, trade policy, you know, ports and trucks and just everything. Also, we learned a little bit about generational transition. And I have a new newly upbeat view of the future after talking to Mike Mouse from South Carolina Ports. That’s a very talented young man. Is true and passionate.
[00:03:06] And that was other. I think one of my other interests, you know, we do 10 episodes or 10 interviews in a single day. We don’t always get a consistent level of passion. But every single one, every single person that sat in these chairs yesterday was loving what they were doing and and knew there why. I thought that was really intriguing. And I think we’re gonna continue with this session here today. We’ve got no pressure. Right. Well, we’ve got a repeat guest that we really enjoyed meeting are having on the show several months back up at the upstate. Now we’re down here in Charleston. So Suzanne Dickerson, director of Logistics at the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness, also knows Sally up as SC Competes. Good morning, Suzanne.
[00:03:48] Hey, doing good morning. Great to be here. Thanks for having me back.
[00:03:52] Great to have you back. Really enjoyed you hosting us up at our car up in the upstate. Gosh, how about six while back? Yeah. This year it’s right here. Yeah. You had a great conversation with our friend Chuck Baker, the absolute Chuck Baker, longtime Supply chain volunteer leader at Apex, ACM leader and enjoyed our conversation there. And we. We get we’ve got two great guest today. So we’ll also welcome Maureen Woolshlager, business development executive with Vector Global Logistics Maureen. Hey, Don.
[00:04:25] Thank you for having me.
[00:04:27] Absolutely. We’ve enjoyed I’ve enjoyed this is your first conference down here as well.
[00:04:31] Yes, it is my first time on the radio, too.
[00:04:34] Hey, doing great so far.
[00:04:37] You are in good hands with a lot of kindred spirits around this table. And I think there’s a lot of neat stories and even initiatives you’re going to share. So Suzanne and Maureen, welcome. Great to have you back on this show. All right. So with that said, Suzanne, we want to put you on the spot first. Tell us more about yourself and your background that led, you know, your journey to leading to where you are today.
[00:04:59] Thank you so much. I am not only here today because I’m on the board of the South Carolina Automotive Council, but I’m a 20 year automotive veteran, and once you get that in your blood, you don’t get it back out. So even though we’re focused on SC Logistics and supporting the robust Logistics economy in South Carolina, you can’t do that here in our state with three hour. Without being focused on the automotive industry. Just like aerospace, you know, South Carolina, by I think any measure has been wildly successful in recruiting world class companies to come and do business here. About three and a half years ago, we also recognize that we need to have a team of people waking up every day thinking about how did they move their goods in now and across the state. Right. And so the timing is great. We’re investing two billion dollars. I’m sure Mike talked about this yesterday in port infrastructure, New England ports expanding, inland ports deepening and widening the Charleston Harbor. And so then there’s a team of us at the Council on Competitiveness that are thinking about what else do we need to do to help the Logistics companies in the state, because all of that’s critical. It’s really the backbone. And I think of, you know, what makes doing business in South Carolina great for automotive and aerospace companies.
[00:06:21] Absolutely. And last time you’re on the show, you talked about how just a few years from now how much more Logistics infrastructure and and providers is going to be needed here in the state. Right out. Does all the Greene now.
[00:06:33] So, you know, when we look at the writing on South Carolina’s wall, we’re expected to move at least 60 percent more freight in 2040 than we do today. And so that’s the thing that we think about every morning when we wake up and how we’re going to do that. I’ll talk a little bit more about, you know, we think technology for sure plays a role in that. But, you know, we need to make sure that the companies that are in the Logistics industry here, existing Logistics companies, are getting what they need. And in some cases, like, you know, DHL and others who are come into the state newly for the first time, really with a big investment in Dorchester County, real close to here. You know, that’s all part of the it’s going to be part of the success story.
[00:07:21] So any before we shift back over to Maureen and kind of get her story and learn more about Vector, what else what makes a SC Competes so unique as relates to the mission and the offerings? And how does your role play into that?
[00:07:34] Yeah. So I think there really isn’t anything quite like the Council on Competitiveness where we have business led industry cluster initiatives in partnership with state agencies. So for example, in the SCA Logistics organization, we not only have a number of private sector partners both on the supplier, shipper and carrier side, but three state agencies, the state of South Carolina Port Authority, the South Carolina Department of Transportation and the South Carolina Department of Commerce. And so you have all these people at the table on a regular basis talking about what’s really going on in the trucking association. We shouldn’t forget, by the way, national truck driver prefabs. You know, and so. So you’re not discussing what needs to be done in any kind of a vacuum, right? You have everybody at the table that you need to have to be able to move things forward quickly and effectively. And I think that’s a distinguishing factor for the Council on Competitiveness.
[00:08:37] Agreed. And and, you know, for as long as we have been collaborating on different things and in learning more about SC Competes, I love the practical nature of what DA are doing. There’s so many groups that are not throwing stones, anyone else. But we love practical application of things that work and help really meaningfully drive growth in South Carolina and elsewhere. OK, so let’s talk about Maureen. Let’s talk about your background and your journey into where you are today.
[00:09:08] Okay. Well, I started a long time ago in the McMaster car supply company. I worked for them. Some people I’ve heard of them, they’re absolutely no good says. Yeah, well, they are, but they’re they’re really quiet and private. So a lot of times, you know, people haven’t heard of them. And I transition into Supply chain Logistics Consulting. And I did that. And I worked for a small company for a while and had some really phenomenal projects, mainly in the food and restaurant industry. And I took a break for a little bit. I had some kids and lived in Europe for a little bit. And when I came back, I was able to find Vector. And it’s a phenomenal company to work for. We do our small in the. We do importing, exporting. If you have one box or one container. One hundred containers. We can help you get that in and out and help you with the whole process. But it’s a really great. Ready to work for and I’m so excited to be a part of it. And Victor’s doing it. Doing it globally, right? Yeah. Yeah. All over the world we do. Not just in and out of the United States. Yeah.
[00:10:08] So now that’s all. It’s your role. What you love most about what you do it, Victor.
[00:10:13] I love that. Really? I have control over my own schedule and who I want to work with.
[00:10:18] So when I see an opportunity, I have free rein to go and try and pursue that opportunity. I’m not given a directive on that as to who I should work with or I can only work with big companies or I work with the largest, you know, big box retailer. I can do a lot of work with NGOs and non-profits. And we work with companies large and small and we do a segment of their business or maybe all of it. So I like the ability to go and choose who I work with and really pursue that and have that freedom to develop those relationships.
[00:10:49] You know, we had a good fortune to have dinner with with. You mean Greg had dinner with you the other night down here as we got here in town for four Charleston. And what I loved about what you were sharing is that you really look for those cultural fits, right? Yeah. The companies that that are doing business the right way, that that’s when you’re short priority items, when you’re you’re.
[00:11:08] Yeah. Figuring out who to work with. Right. Yeah, we do. We like to partner with companies who kind of share our vision to give back and in that manifest itself in a lot of different ways. So I’ve personally developed lesser companies that I want to go and try and pursue and work with because they share values in that way. And so I’m working on that slowly. It’s a pretty unique level of freedom. I mean. Yeah. Right. To be able to do that. Yeah. It’s a really great work culture. We have equality of where it Daryl and I were talking about you. When you walk into an unwelcoming or toxic work culture, you really notice and you really dread going to work in factories is really I don’t feel that way about. We’re big fans.
[00:11:48] We have we have a lot of Logistics. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:11:52] So real quick and we we want we want to share while we why we’re big fans of actor. But I know you’re a big culture guy and you love cultural stories. Weigh in on what you just heard. Maureen there. I hope I’ll need is it. If you’re Enrique or if you’re your party leadership leadership team at Vector to hear an ambassador for the culture, they have it fantastic.
[00:12:15] I mean, I think the leadership principle is always the leader or leadership team should define what’s important and why it’s important. And then they had to get the heck out of the way and let people go do it. And what you’re describing is you’ve got a lot of leeway, a lot of freedom to say, hey, here’s my target, here’s my clients, here’s why I’m going to go make this happen. Right. And because of that, it’s a self driven energy. Instead of pounding on you to go hit your number and make your calls and reach your target. So it’s music to my ears like them. I’m excited to learn more about that.
[00:12:45] Miura of the book, Why Work Sucks. I have not. OK. We are. We have to read it. And it just talks about. It’s like a performance driven. Yes. Results oriented culture. And so it’s you know, you really appreciate and want to work when you go into work because you’re focused and you’re not distracted with other things are going on. So if it’s in the middle of the day and you have to go do something, you know, I don’t feel like there’s this sideways glances or worry about what my colleagues are thinking or or what I’m doing. It’s like, nope, I’m gonna go do my run right now or I’m going to go volunteer at my kid’s school. But, you know, I am I’m able to focus on that. But then when I go into work, wherever that is, at home, in the office, at a coffee shop and with a customer, I’m focused on that and I’m not feeling like I should be doing something else. Yes. So it’s a really good book. And we read it so we can kind of have that way as we approach our day. Mm hmm.
[00:13:32] Great. So really neat. Company Vector Global Logistics. Our studio is hosted by Victor in Atlanta in West Atlanta, King Plow facility, which is really is like testimony to the circular economy. Yes. So more folks need to be aware of King Plow in Atlanta and ran regionally because I think it really serves as a model for for repurposing really character architecture. Yeah.
[00:13:58] You know, I mean, it’s it’s a great environment, right. The King family who started the King Plow company in 1982, they still own they still own the building. And it has transitioned to an event space, work, lives, space. You know, office successfully.
[00:14:18] Yeah. Why is it successful? And it’s a great environment. Yes. Very energizing. And a great restaurant. Yeah.
[00:14:24] Yes. Best empanadas in Atlanta. All right. And at stations that are not like it’s like. Yeah. This is on the paid endorse. We have no connections other than that.
[00:14:36] Right. About. OK. So let’s get kidding aside. Let’s get back and Suzanne. There’s several things that your team is working on and driving and leading that we really we love. And we believe that more groups like yours coast to coast, if not globally, but certainly coast to coast need to take on some of these projects. But let’s start with the easier stuff. So you’re here today. This is our first time at the AIG SCAC event here, nor Charles. I think this is the third year of doing that as a partnership. What have been some of your your key takeaways so far?
[00:15:09] So I’ve loved the diversity of the agenda. You know, every yesterday we had everything from, you know, educational and workforce best practices from some of South Carolina’s, you know, companies are doing business here in both rural and urban areas. Some of these were phenomenal. I don’t know if you guys heard the for example, the Scheffler program, you know, where they’re paying for people to work and go to school. You know, for the first two years, full time employees. I mean, that is a phenomenal best practice. It reminds me of things I saw when I lived and worked in Germany. That’s a very real Jenny. Right. Exactly. The dual system, right? Yeah. It’s great to see those kinds of things come here. I also thoroughly enjoyed the discussion about, um, from the gentleman from Volvo Cars who are one of our US who Logistics partners talking about their supply chain and how important, you know, some of their new strategies are going to be for all of the expansion and the big visionary plans that they have going forward and how how the Supply chain Automotive is really changing. All right. You know, it’s not just your component suppliers anymore today. It is, you know, Silicon Valley and Apple and Google and Microsoft and everybody else. And, you know, we were looking at the future. Right. I felt like we were getting a glimpse into the future. And then, you know, kind of rounding out the day yesterday. The discussion about the new Trident Tech Centers, Aeronautical Training Center, both for aerospace and automotive. Right. I think everywhere you look at what I walked away last night out of here thinking, you know, everywhere you look, somebody is doing something great. In the state to try to, you know, make sure that we have the talent that we’re going to need in the future and the kind of companies in the supply chain for the industries that are doing business here. It was really a nice way to walk away. You kind of, you know, leave the room with a smile on your face.
[00:17:13] Absolutely. Good news. And speaking of Volvo Cars USA, Carl Hooper is on the show here yesterday. And fifteen hundred folks they are currently employing and they’re going to grow to 4000 just around the corner. Right. With the launch of the next line. Yeah. That score. Amazing story. So that’s great. That’s what a successful win, not just for the state, but regionally. It’s just not the same. So beyond this week’s events, Suzanne, you’ve got a slew. That’s coming up. But in particular, the Logistics Tech talk is back down here in Charleston in October.
[00:17:48] Tell us about that. Yeah. Thank you. So, you know, I mentioned earlier the writing on our wall with the 60 percent increase in projections of freight movement in 2040. So what we know is you’re going to need to have technology solutions to help you get there. Right. And our we feel like, you know, part of our mission has been to highlight and feature what some of those trends are for our Logistics economy here. So three and a half years ago, we started thinking about what if we just did a dedicated event on technology solutions for Logistics and that became so popular that this year we had to actually do two. We had a lot of requests and some demand to also do one in the upstate, which we did back in June. But we still love partnering with the International Trade Conference, which starts on October 21st this year with the state of the Puerto Dress and then a great program that’s been put together by that organization. And we’ve been booked ending that the last three years. So and we hope to, you know, have Supply chain radio now be with us.
[00:18:52] We do there again.
[00:18:53] And, you know, it’s gonna be a great event. I mentioned DHL coming to this day and coming to this region. Actually, they will be providing the keynote that day actually with three people, a little trifecta and keynote, which I think it’s very cool. We have Volvo trucks coming to talk about some of their truck tuning. We’ll have FedEx talking about some of their new electrification strategies. And then we’d love to feature startups that are in the technology space. As South Carolina. We have two of those shipped chain out of Greene, which is focused on block chain technology solutions for shipping and logistics. And then you can’t do anything without thinking about talent. Right. So we have a company that’s using artificial intelligence for predictive hiring for Logistics companies and they’re going to demo their technology. So. Well, you know, we feel like we’re we’re really hitting, you know, the technology, trade, talent, transportation, you know, all of the major trends that are going on in Logistics today. So. You won’t want to miss that. Please see us. We’ll be at the Guilford Center with the trade conference, October, October.
[00:20:04] All right. That’s right. And for folks that are interested in registering, they can go to your your L.
[00:20:10] That’s right. Which is LLC Logistics industry dot com.
[00:20:14] Fantastic. So before we we we get back Maureen and talk about some of the things it’s initiatives that they’re leading at Vector. We won’t talk about a special project that we were talking in the warm up that that we have collaborate on previously, and that is the supply chain awareness programs you are doing in schools in South Carolina, which is like taking off like hot bar.
[00:20:34] Yeah. So, you know, first of all, thank you, Scott. You know, a couple of us road trips to Georgia last year and looked at the Supply chain one to one game that you were rolling out for fourth and fifth graders there. And we loved it so much. We said that’s a great thing we should be doing in our state as well. And so LLC Logistics has really picked up that ball and run with it from a organizational point of view. But we couldn’t do what we’re doing in the schools without some of our private sector partners. Michelin sponsor, the last ones we did in the upstate Continental will be sponsoring those in the fall and this sorry in the spring and this fall and the Maritime Association is sponsoring we I think we have six or seven schools lined up between now and the end of the year where we will be rolling out with professionals, supply chain professionals who are taking time out of their busy day to come and spend time with fourth and fifth graders introducing them to Supply chain. And it is so fun and so rewarding to see their eyes light up and go, oh, it’s not just, you know, ordering something from Alexa, but how what happens after I order it from Alexa? How does it get to my front door? It’s it’s been great. And so, you know, thank you for the collaboration and the partnership on that.
[00:21:56] You bet. And, you know, it is great to hear and evidently understand that hot fire is not a phrase. It’s wildfire. And I won’t do it justice because it really the amount of traction I’ve gotten in such a short amount of time. Thank you, Malcolm. Malcolm Birgit to kiss me on my toes. That’s a tough job. But the amount of time of attraction I’ve had in such a short amount of time and the amount of folks are willing to help out by going into schools and then the the folks like Michelin and Continental and the Maritime Association, they get behind these efforts. This is exactly what this is. This is what makes, I believe, supply chain really rewarding in the the things that you learn from the students. I mean, that’s what we’ve learned in Georgia as we’ve gone in so many schools, you know, we thought we’re gonna be sharing with them. But now we’re the ones learning. You know, it’s very, very interesting project. But kudos. All the success you’ve had seven schools went down in the year only on top of which I’ve already done. Great to hear that. So how can folks, if they want to help and get involved, whether it’s volunteering or supporting the effort in there, maybe their local county or what have you. Just reach out.
[00:23:05] Yeah, absolutely. So if they go to the Web site and see Logistics industry dot com, they can either reach out to me directly or to our new deputy director, Taylor Jackson, who’s Charleston based. And she’s really just taken off with the the low country schools. And we couldn’t be happier. You know, South Carolina is a relatively small state, but it still takes a lot of doing the right to get with the schools. And and kudos to the schools for being, you know, open to having us come in and kind of take their kids away for an hour and a half and talk to them about Supply chain. But they’re all really open to it. And you’re right that the kids know so much more than you think they know. When you go in there, you know, they want to talk about, you know, cybersecurity. Yeah, let’s talk about that. We need you in that business.
[00:23:53] Yes. Well, and we should give a half Father Chet Baker and Chuck Bass here. He was an early, early adopter. He’s been working with the Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week for like 20 years, going up there, talking business with, I think, high schoolers. That’s right. So he is very passionate about giving back. And Chuck and Suzanne are quite a one two punch here. So looking forward to having your back on and kind of hearing how the program evolves and as you engage more, more students. So, yeah, we’d love to come back. Absolutely. All right. Sam Maureen along the same lines. You know, Victor is also very active in community and in industry and doing things beyond just doing business is a key part of the M.O.. So tell us more about one of your favorite projects that you’ve been involved in.
[00:24:39] One of my favorite projects that I was involved in. I really like to run.
[00:24:42] And if you say I’m passionate about it, that I’m interested in running a pass, Miles, that I think I have to do that, too. I check the spreadsheet better and passionate about better you than me. Sure. I’ll be listening to the last one hundred and thirty nine episodes as Supply Chain Now Radio. High cars to get me through that tomorrow. If I were running 18 miles, I could do that. Yeah. Yeah. All of them. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. That check.
[00:25:08] But we I really enjoy an active lifestyle. And so I partnered with Enrique. You guys now. And we did a team building event in March in Atlanta. And we brought in most of our team from all over the place, about 25 of us. And they did the five K, the 10K and half marathon and vector brought everybody in. And we got matching shirts and everybody got up and medal, you know, in the dark, took Marta in while I participated in it. And so that was certainly they didn’t have to change. Some people really like just going to Atlanta for the week to. But definitely it was something that we believe in, letting each person kind of choose their own their own path and they want to do and how they want to give back. And so I I think all my colleagues are happy. I think a couple of them that were thanked me for getting them out there in the middle of the night, in the middle of the dark, had to go run the race. But that was something that meant a lot to me that that our team is like, yeah, okay, we’ll do that and we’ll support that. So that wasn’t a slight giving back into specifically a charity or an organization, but it was kind of everybody giving back to themselves in a way to be out there.
[00:26:20] But that’s that’s just one of the numerous things, you know, in regards can come on the show for a month to go in from helping families fight cancer. Yes, especially in childhood cancer to us, just a slew of special needs program. Right. And then I think you also donate 100 meals for every container.
[00:26:42] Yeah. Yeah, we do. And we do that through serve the organization I serve. And I’ll tell you, yesterday or the day before our team in Atlanta all went out to Decatur and helped pack up a bunch of medical supplies that we were shipping for a customer to go to Africa. So we did it as a team building event. And so everybody carpooled out there. They help the customer get the materials ready.
[00:27:06] One area I did not I was here. I think I saw you. Yeah. I was running a Wal-Mart.
[00:27:13] But they all went out there and then participate in that. And they went out to lunch. And then everybody some people went home, work from home, and then others kind of went back to the office. So it’s a very I don’t want I want to get the impression that we’re not working hard because we are a vector, but we do. We’ve seen yeah, we do value the opportunity to give back. And however that whatever your passion is or how rare that is, you know, to encourage your colleagues and your friends and family to do that to me, they’re really supportive of that.
[00:27:38] And one of the things that jumped out when you were talking about the running the organizing group run, if you think about a healthy culture, it’s not just you come into the office and it doesn’t suck. Right. I mean, the right to the bottom. Wrong. Yeah, but it’s holistic and any more with electronics the way they are. You can’t separate work in life anymore. Jerai. It’s a facade. If you think you are so incorporating, then I mean I give you guys kudos because. Well, taking care of yourself is an important part of our culture. Let’s make that part of who we are. And here’s a way that you can participate and do this as a group. I think that’s fantastic.
[00:28:12] Yeah. And I think especially with what we’re doing, I mean, we’re working with customers all over the world. So the expectation is not that I have my phone and I answer it at 3:00 in the morning if somebody from China calls me or anything like that. But certainly, you know, it’s difficult to get away from the electronics when we’re working with. Well, you know, with people all over the world at any because everybody’s in a different time zone. And so to be able to step away and say, yep, I’m gonna go volunteer my kid’s school right now, I’m going. You know, we’re gonna go pack meals in the middle of the day because I think they did it yesterday. You know, 10:00 or 11:00 in the morning. It afforded that opportunity. So then, you know, everybody went back and hunkered down and caught up. It wasn’t as though we just turned our lights off for the day. But I think everybody felt really great about what they did and then give them a renewed perspective, come back to them. Right.
[00:29:00] So let’s make sure folks can can get rich out based on something they’ve heard. They want to compare notes when they all have question for one year organizations, some Maureen. How do how can folks get in touch with you a vector if they want to get in touch with us?
[00:29:15] If you’re on LinkedIn, you can find us under Vector Global Logistics or if you look under my name, you could link up with me. Maureen. Woolshlager.
[00:29:23] Give you an a plus if you can spell or jerai.
[00:29:29] There’s no C and then you can find us on Facebook. I’m harder to find on Facebook. I bought on Instagram. I don’t remember our handle at the moment because I’m not on there yet, but, uh, that’s one of my tasks making me.
[00:29:45] So yeah. So a wide variety of ways, including vector geo dot com. Yes. Right. Yes. Okay. Great. And Suzanne. I know. Well I mean scale. You sure. I think you shared South Carolina largest. Six industry dot com. Yeah, that’s one friend.
[00:30:01] There you can also always look at the council website, which is SC Competes dot org. And then, you know, our tech talk is up. So if you just Google a C Logistics tech talk, you’ll find this year’s Eventbrite page. Please go there and register. We want to see you. You don’t want to miss the program we’re putting on on October 3rd.
[00:30:22] Absolutely. Sounds like a great one. And it’s interesting. That’s right. It’s what a wonderful reason to come back. Well, thanks so much to both of you all. I appreciate the. Which I’ll share to hear today, but also appreciate what you are doing in industry. So big thanks to Suzanne Dickerson, director of Logistics at the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness and Maureen Woolshlager, business development executive with Vector Global Logistics. Thanks so much. All right. I’ll sit tight for a second. We’re going to wrap up on a couple other events that we’ve got coming up. And there’s two we want to kind of take a little detailed view into. And then first one is coming up a week from today. Tell us about the non 20 executive roundtable. Yes.
[00:31:06] So we’re excited about it. Speaking of Emory, earlier we’ve partnered with Emory professor named Robert his engine and he talks about strategic business work like so the elements of a good strategy. So we’re partnering up with him. I’m going to co host or co keynote with him. He’s you know, we talked about the elements of a good strategy. I’ll be talking about the elements of good world class execution. And we’re excited about it. So if folks are interested, I hope they will reach out to me or the Supply Chain Now Radio Avenue.
[00:31:36] You can choose a note to connect at Supply Chain Now Radio dot com and we will send you more information. Okay. And Miura coming up on October 9th.
[00:31:46] Yeah, well, we’re going to do doing Georgia Manufacturing Summit with our friend Jason Moss. Right. It’s gonna be the ninth at Cobb Galleria. About a thousand people from nine hundred ninety one. Exactly. Is that what it is right now? Okay. And counting so. Well, I figure Alex will sign up shortly.
[00:32:06] And I think he’s right. He’s really good at getting people over the line when you put your eggs at a couple actually numbers.
[00:32:15] But anyway, representing some of the 10000 manufacturers in Georgia and the companies that do business with them. So you don’t have to be a manufacturer. But it’s really interesting group of folks. And we’re going to be broadcasting live. And these two fellows here, Scott and Bowe, are going to be conducting panels as well. Right. So excited. We got some really interesting people on your panels and then a couple of secret, top secret guests on this on the show. We’ve got a couple of trade ministers from a couple of our foreign neighbors.
[00:32:49] Yes. You’ve got a trick. You’ve got the more sensitive conversations. You believing them than we do. Well, I told you, I think you all know what would have. So here’s here’s. But here’s the kidding aside. Here’s a really cool thing that the GM has done. We all know or if you’ve been listenership, you certainly know the challenges that our veterans face as they’re transitioning out of active duty and looking for jobs in the private sector. Or maybe they have transitioned out and they’ve just started working and they’re building their professional network, which as a veteran, I know I saw firsthand that challenge. Jason and Jason Moss, CEO of the Georgia manufacturing alliance, has freed up 50 seats for free, no strings attached for our veterans to come out and and register. So if you’re a veteran listening to this podcast, you can go to Georgia manufacturing alliance dot com and use the promo code, go to the events tab, register for the summit use event Code USA vet and it’s going to be a free seat. And that is a very generous gesture that Jason May did. He is a fellow Air Force veteran as well. Out of my stuff like that. Deeds, not words. OK, so we’re gonna be flipping the counter a little bit. We’re gonna be in Austin in November at the 2013 Logistics CIO Forum, the reverse Logistics Association conference, next bow in Vegas in February. And of course, Moto X 2020 in Atlanta in March.
[00:34:12] And the Atlanta Supply chain Awards as well, which they’re hosting, which is fantastic.
[00:34:15] And by the way, Moto X is free to go to. They’re expecting 35000 folks when a shows supply chain trade shows in North America. Moto X show dot com. Okay. We have jammed a lot of great content in about 46 minutes. So we’re getting under even our tech time.
[00:34:33] It’s a little bit less than that. So both got the clicker over here. I’ll go out. I’m still running the timer. Now we’re gonna have to tell you what tech time means.
[00:34:42] So I go in the next episode, the next episode.
[00:34:45] But to our listeners, be sure to check out other upcoming events, replays of our interviews, other resources at Supply Chain Now Radio dot com. You can find us an Apple podcast, SoundCloud. All the leading sites were podcasts can be found. Be sure. Subscribes subscribers, you don’t miss anything big. Thanks to Suzanne, Suzanne and Maureen for joining us here today. Greg and Beau, we’re going to stick around. We’re going to continue our coverage of the AIG SCAC conference here in North Charleston on behalf the entire team. The entire team. Though, Friday morning, this is Scott Luton. Wish you a wonderful weekend ahead. And we will see you next time on Supply Chain Now Radio. Gates about.
Would you rather watch the show in action?
Watch Scott, Greg, and Beau as they interview Suzanne Dickerson and Maureen Woolshlager for SCNR Episode 165 in Charleston, South Carolina at the AIAG SCAC Supply Chain & Quality Conference.
Featured Guests
Suzanne Dickerson joined the SC Council on Competitiveness in 2016 after serving for 8 years as the Director for International Business Development at Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). Suzanne’s experience includes 20 years in the automotive industry: 12 years within BMW working in the fields of corporate sustainability, innovation management and long-term strategic and structural planning. She began her career with BMW in Munich Germany at corporate headquarters upon completion of the Bosch Foundation Fellowship Program. Suzanne speaks fluent German and is also a Fellow of the BMW Foundation Leaders Forum. Suzanne serves as Vice President of the multi-state Southern Automotive Women’s Forum and is a Board Member of the South Carolina Automotive Council. Locally, Suzanne is a Board member on the Roper Mountain Science Center and a Fellow of the Riley Institute Diversity Leadership Program. The South Carolina Research Authority awarded Suzanne the Knowledge Economist Award in 2013 and in 2015, Suzanne was the recipient of the Clemson Women in Leadership Award. In 2018 Suzanne joined the South Carolina Manufacturers Extension Partnership Executive Board. Learn more about the SC Council on Competitiveness here: https://sccompetes.org/
Maureen Woolshlager started her career at McMaster-Carr’s Management Development Program working in sales, marketing, distribution operations, finance and accounting. After McMaster-Carr, she spent a year managing operations in one of Target Corporation’s warehouses before finding a role within a small management consulting company in Denver, Colorado. She worked on large projects for international food and restaurant companies and advised on account management, business development, operations management, warehouse operations, continuous improvement and distribution center operations, and procurement/supplier/inventory optimization. She has spent the last 9 years living in Belgium & Germany where her husband has been stationed as a US Army officer. Maureen has her B.A. from Emory University. She earned a certificate in Management & Marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania & her M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix. Learn more about Vector Global Logistics here: https://vectorgl.com/
Beau Groover is Founder and President of The Effective Syndicate. He has been working with manufacturing and operations-focused organizations for over 20 years, primarily focused on developing bullet-proof processes and teams that are built to win. Beau has helped organizations save millions of dollars while also improving those companies’ customer experiences and building high-performing teams that continue to drive the business forward. He has developed his approach and strategy over years of working with some of the biggest companies in multiple levels within the organizations, including The Coca-Cola Company, Nordson Corporation, and Westrock (formerly RockTenn). Just prior to launching The Effective Syndicate in 2015, Beau served as the Director of Lean Supply Chain at Serta Simmons Bedding, LLC. Connect with Beau Groover on LinkedIn and learn more about The Effective Syndicate here: https://www.theeffectivesyndicate.com/
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