Emprender puede dar mucho miedo, pero a veces, como en el caso de Rayo Torres, cuando tienes una oportunidad, tienes que tomarla y correr con ella. En este episodio de Supply Chain Now en español, escuche al presentador Enrique Álvarez hablar con Rayo sobre su infancia y su familiaridad con el espíritu empresarial, la creación de CargoSprint y su visión para la organización de cara al futuro.
[00:00:01] Bienvenidos a su peli Now en español, presentado por Better Global Logistics y Supply Chain Now. Este es el programa que damos a las personas de habla hispana en la industria logística en constante cambio. Únete a nosotros mientras descubrimos las historias inspiradoras de nuestros huéspedes y aprendemos de su experiencia colectiva. Nuestro objetivo no es solo entretenerte, sino fomentar tu pasión por esta emocionante industria y apoyar tu desarrollo profesional en el camino. Y ahora, aquí está el episodio de hoy de su pitching now en español.
[00:00:38] Muy buenos días y bienvenidos otra vez a un nuevo episodio de Supply Chain Now en español. Mi nombre es Enrique Álvarez y hoy tengo el placer de entrevistar a una compatriota muy exitosa que a ella y su compañía, su socio, han logrado revolucionar la industria de logística en la parte de pagos. Pero sin más preámbulo. Rayo Torres CIO de Cargos Sprint Rayo. ¿Qué tal? ¿Cómo estás? Buenos días.
[00:01:04] Hola, Enrique. ¿Qué tal? Buenos días. Muchas gracias por tenerme aquí en tu programa. Este. Muchas gracias.
[00:01:10] No! El gusto es todo mío. Es un gran orgullo también siendo mexicana. Y bueno, sabiendo también que estamos en Atlanta Radio Yo nos conocimos recientemente. Entonces es un gusto tenerte aquí con nosotros. Gracias por darnos el tiempo y compartir un poco tu historia.
[00:01:26] Muchas gracias. Pues adelante.
[00:01:29] Empecemos. Empecemos. Cuéntanos si quieres un poco antes de meternos a tu carrera y un poco a la empresa que fundaste. Cuéntanos un poco de ti. Cuéntanos dónde naciste. ¿Algo que te acuerdes de tu infancia?
[00:01:44] Sí, claro. Yo soy. Nací en Guadalajara y ahí viví los primeros 20 años de mi vida. Este, cuando tenía 21 años, me fui a vivir a Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Después regresé a Guadalajara y he estado como entre aquí, entre Estados Unidos y México desde ese entonces.
[00:02:04] ¿Oye algo en particular que te acuerdes de Guadalajara? Algo a lo mejor algún recuerdo de tu infancia, algo de tus papás, algo que te empezó a guiar en el camino de que tienes ahora.
[00:02:19] Sí, bueno, pues el el el comercio y emprender pues viene como del DNA de mi familia. Este siempre por parte de mi mamá, siempre han sido muy emprendedores, mis tíos, mi abuela, mi mamá. Entonces ellas fueron grande influencia para mí para tomar este camino de emprender.
[00:02:39] ¿Oye, y algo en particular de la ciudad me imagino que te digo Guadalajara, una ciudad muy hermosa para los que nos escuchan que no son de México, es de qué te acuerdas de la ciudad?
[00:02:52] Ah, pues la ciudad, la ciudad en sí es. Es muy bonita el clima, pues muchos saben, es muy agradable. Este es en sí la ciudad una influencia que tuve de la ciudad del Centro empresario tapatío Jorge Vergara. Él también fue una gran influencia en mi manera de ver los negocios, desde un como approach humanista. El eslogan de Omnilife es gente que cuidar, la gente. Entonces tú ve más adelante en el podcast, puedo expandir en esto, pero él fue un gran empresario tapatío que influyó mucho en mi decisión de emprender, pero también desde el lado de vista humano no.
[00:03:38] Hay ese lado. ¿He visto humano mío y si no lo traes también arraigado de de tus papás, lo viste? ¿Cómo ves reflejado esta parte humana en en tu vida nuevamente al principio de tu carrera, no?
[00:03:51] Sí, sí, he en el peso mayor que tuvo, en cómo ayudar a otros seres humanos a través de una empresa, pues fue mi experiencia con con la empresa de de Jorge de Omnilife. ¿Y cómo afectó? Impactó la vida mía, de mis hermanos, de mi mamá. Este cómo mejorar nuestra calidad de vida no, aunque es un multinivel y mi empresa no es de multinivel. ¿En la empresa ahorita manejamos una cultura humanista donde no sólo los clientes tienen la razón, verdad? Pero también el la persona que decide trabajar con nosotros recibe una atención grande y todo está centrado en relación a la experiencia humana, tanto externa como internamente. Entonces es fomentar esa cultura dentro de la empresa.
[00:04:43] Eso está muy interesante. Estoy seguro que nos meteremos un poco más al detalle este en unos momentos más. ¿Cuéntanos un poco más de tu carrera profesional que estudiaste, dónde estudiaste este? ¿Cómo llegaste a abrir tu empresa?
[00:04:57] Sí, claro. Mira, yo estudié letras Hispánicas en la UdeG, quería ser escritora este y deje la carrera porque me casé y me aventé. Y es.
[00:05:08] Escritora. Es totalmente diferente.
[00:05:10] A.
[00:05:11] Logística.
[00:05:13] Sí, sí, Saramago ganó su es un escritor tardío y le preguntaban por qué ganaste tu premio Nobel tan tarde y porque no escribiste Antes decía no tenía nada que decir entonces. Ah, no quito el dedo del renglón algún día. Si el destino me lleva por ahí, pues escribiré algo, pero ahorita no tengo nada que decir.
[00:05:34] Más escribiendo algo. ¿O sea, tienes tú para ti algo bueno?
[00:05:38] No, no, no, no, no, no realmente no, no, me ha llegado la musa de la inspiración y no tengo nada que escribir ahorita. Mi pasión realmente es impactar las vidas de las personas a través de la empresa.
[00:05:53] ¿Oye, bueno, volviendo a a Rayo que estaba estudiando la carrera, cuéntanos entonces de ahí qué pasó? ¿Cómo? ¿Cómo seguiste creciendo personal y profesionalmente?
[00:06:06] Sí, claro, mira ahí también, pues hubo los trabajos que tuve. Yo empecé a trabajar desde los 15 años, este estuve en dirección de franquicias en Gulfstream, donde estaba trabajando en el departamento de franquicias y de marketing. También trabajé en la empresa de del tío de una amiga. Estaba en Contabilidad A apoyando pues nómina, procesamientos de pagos a proveedores, todo, todo eso. Entonces fue como que la vida me fue preparando y a pesar de que fueron experiencias laborales muy cortas, todo ese aprendizaje me ayudó. Después, cuando tenía mi propia empresa a crecer, la desde una persona no y he ir armando la arquitectura organizacional del equipo de trabajo, los departamentos, etcétera Entonces este fue. Esas experiencias de trabajo fueron muy importantes para después aplicarlas en mi propia empresa.
[00:07:05] Claro. Alguna recomendación o sugerencia que algunos me hicieron que a lo largo de tu carrera y a lo largo de todos estas experiencias laborales, pues tuviste varios mentores, gente con la que trabajaste y gente con la que aprendiste mucho. Tienes algunas sugerencias para la gente que nos escucha y a lo mejor se está graduando o está pronta a graduarse, algo que que puedas compartir en cuanto a sugerencias.
[00:07:31] ¿Si realmente el es la persona que está buscando respuestas como que dicen que no llega el maestro hasta que el alumno está listo, no? Entonces es como un camino muy personal de cada individuo. Este ah a como a qué maestros se. Aun encontrando en su vida. Lo que si puedo decir es que para emprender es un camino muy, muy místico. No tienes que ir a un viaje hacia dentro muy profundo, porque afuera vas a encontrar muchos, nos vas a encontrar pérdidas, rechazos, hay clientes que no te van a pagar. ¿Entonces tienes que trabajar mucho con tu energía y con tu enfoque en en cómo generar abundancia, no? Y no dejar que te reste toda esa realidad externa. Entonces sí, pues en recomendación general sería empezar un trabajo personal, profundo de de autoconocimiento y tomar todas estas herramientas que tenemos como humanos para poder crear cosas nuevas donde no las hay y cambiar realidades que no estamos conformes o no nos gustan. Pero todo eso se cambia desde la mente. No hay ahorita muchísima literatura, muchísimas escuelas. Este estar acá en la Ley de Atracción, por ejemplo, está Eckhart Tolle, esta yo dispensa. Hay demasiadas, de demasiadas enseñanzas que hay, pero lo más importante es como el trabajo diario sobre uno mismo. No.
[00:09:12] No! Totalmente de acuerdo. Y bueno, es un gran mensaje. ¿De hecho me recordó algo que mi mamá nos decía mucho cuando éramos chicos, no? Que ahora ya cada vez tenemos menos y menos excusas como para no estudiar y saber las cosas, no antes. A lo mejor en varias generaciones atrás pues bueno, hacías las cosas de cierta manera porque no sabías o no había lugar donde poder aprender, pero como tú dices ahora, con tanta literatura, con tanta informática, con tantas fuentes para aprender, pues bueno, depende de uno y de esa retrospección y de esa este tiempo para pensar y estar consciente de quién eres, no el poder seguir adelante.
[00:09:51] Sí, claro.
[00:09:52] Cuéntanos. ¿Te gradúas entonces de la carrera? ¿Cómo va el siguiente? ¿Cuál es el siguiente salto en la carrera profesional de Rayo? ¿Todavía antes de llegar a cargo Sprint?
[00:10:02] Sí, sí. En la carrera. No me gradué. Voy a hacer una. Una nota. No me gradué porque dije Me voy a casar y voy a continuar en Estados Unidos este. Y allá la terminó. Y tuve hijos y la dejé así a la mitad este. Pero a los 28 años, cuando tenía 28 años, fundamos Cargo Sprint, mi ex esposo y yo. Este queda una. Es una plataforma de pagos para la industria de la carga aérea en Estados Unidos. Este en ese momento yo estaba en un viaje inmersivo en lo que es mindfulness, la ley de atracción, el autoconocimiento devorando literatura de cómo crear la vida de tus sueños. Este En ese momento yo sentía que si yo quería ir a trabajar a un McDonalds no me iban a contratar o si me contrataban era por 7 $ la hora y yo tenía tres hijos y en una una nanny te cuesta 15 $, no este. Entonces mi panorama profesional estaba muy oscuro, muy obscuro. Yo decía no terminé la carrera como y yo veía casas de 1 millón de dólares y decía Yo quiero ese estilo de vida. Veía a las señoras manejando bolsos en la ciudad donde vivo. Y yo decía Yo quiero un carro así. ¿Manejaba un carro viejísimo, no? ¿Claro, este entonces el meterme en esto de la ley de atracción y decir puedo soñar con esa casa, puedo soñar con ese carro sin cuestionar mucho el cómo es confiar que va a llegar a ti no? Y en ese inter, de esa exploración de cómo crear la vida de tus sueños, este aunque la realidad externa te diga no es posible, no, no, no tienes carrera o no es posible porque tal vez tienes un acento en inglés o estás loco. No, eso es lo que el mundo te va a cuestionar. Pero he ahí la diferencia entre trabajar realmente con tu sistema de pensamientos y con la fe y con la imaginación usarla a nuestro favor. No, porque mi imaginación catastrófica y mi imaginación constructiva.
[00:12:20] Y muchas veces somos los nuestros propios enemigos, no por la forma en la que pensamos de nosotros, nos limitamos. Muchas veces no siento que el ser humano, al menos a mí me pasa. Tienes muchas formas, a lo mejor negativas, de pensar de ti mismo, a lo mejor de ser un poco más positivo.
[00:12:36] Por supuesto. Y hay una frase que creo que es de Neville, pero no quiero hacer unas referencias que no sean, pero dice creer es crear. Entonces, si realmente lo crees realmente esa es tu realidad. Si. Es que estás gordo. No vas a estar gordo. ¿Crees que eres un fracasado? Vas a ser un fracasado si crees que vas a tener éxito. Y lo crees un día y otro también, y lo sientes con todo tu cuerpo, vas a estar ahí. Entonces lo fabuloso de todo esto es que ese aprendizaje que en ese momento estaba explorando en mi vida, me sirvió para la empresa, este ya construirla. Y empezamos en 2012. Pero los tres primeros años era de funcionar.
[00:13:22] Esto es que es mucho. Es la otra parte de la ecuación. O sea, una cosa es crear, es creer, pero bueno, alguien tiene que salir y despertarse temprano y trabajar, o sea, no te no te quita el hecho que trabajaste sumamente fuerte para lograr lo que tienes ahora y bueno, es un gran orgullo, pero bueno, cuéntanos un poco más esa primera etapa de emprendimiento que normalmente es pues no solo la más difícil, pero normalmente también se vuelve de la que más aprendes y de la que realmente forja el tipo de empresa que luego vas a tener. ¿Entonces cuéntanos cuáles eran tus principales preocupaciones, dificultades, retos que enfrentaste en esas primeras parte del emprendimiento?
[00:14:06] Pues en ese momento era cuestión de ser paciente. ¿Es es entender y la naturaleza es muy muy sabia no? Entonces cuando tú ves y siembras una semilla de una manzana, no esperas que te den manzanas al día siguiente. ¿Sería ilógico, no? ¿Entonces por qué de una empresa queremos ver resultados? ¿Que nos ponga el Ferrari o el Porsche o el yate al año, no? ¿Entonces me sirvió mucho una plática que vi del fundador de Yakult, que es otra empresa que está muy fuerte en Jalisco, donde él decía las empresas mexicanas fallan mucho y a los antes de los cinco años ya cerraron porque? Porque el empresario no es paciente con la empresa. Tienes que ver la empresa como un proyecto a largo plazo y entender que no te va a comprar la casa, el yate y el carro hasta en 20 años. Al principio tú tienes que vivir para nutrirlo y hacerlo crecer igual que cuidarías una semilla de Si quieres que crezca y madure y produzca manzanas, pues tienes que cuidar y darle toda esa semilla en un inicio. Entonces, los primeros años yo no tenía salario, vivía al a, o sea, todo era reinversión. ¿El primer millón de dólares que ganamos en la empresa es cómo los reinvertimos, este cómo seguimos creciendo y todo ha sido así, que la empresa no, no era de que hoy que padre tenga 1 millón de dólares, que qué carro, que casa me voy a comprar, sino es cómo, cómo lo voy a reinvertir, no? Entonces sí hay que ser muy pacientes este en los resultados de la empresa y verla como con ojos paternales, no de que es un bebé que tenemos que cuidar y. ¿Y no le exigiremos a un bebé un niño de siete años que te den los resultados de alguien de 20? No tener un poco a muy, muy firmes los objetivos que son a mediano y largo plazo.
[00:16:08] Totalmente de acuerdo y muy muy buenas sugerencias para la gente que nos escucha y que está en En otros países de habla hispana. Este no necesariamente, a lo mejor México o Estados Unidos. Cuéntanos un poco dos cosas uno. ¿Cuál fue la oportunidad que viste en la industria? ¿O sea, por qué cargo? ¿Por qué cargo Sprint iba a ser exitoso? ¿Cuál fue el problema que querías resolver? Y bueno, para la gente que a lo mejor no está tan familiarizada con el proceso de estas cargas aéreas, pues bueno, cuéntanos un poco más en términos generales. ¿Bueno, cuál era la oportunidad que viste? ¿Y luego qué es lo que hace realmente? ¿O sea, cómo funciona de manera general? ¿Cargo sprint?
[00:16:51] Sí, claro. Mira la idea. No, no voy a hacer. Me voy a robar el acervo intelectual de alguien más. No, yo no, no era yo no estaba en la industria Este mi ex esposo. El es un fraude for Water y era un broker de en Estados Unidos. ¿No? Y un día el. El es muy, muy creativo. Tiene una mente muy brillante. Este su nombre es Joshua Wolf y es el fundador y ahorita de la empresa él. ¿Él está obsesionado con dar un servicio al cliente perfecto, no? Y un día hace le tuvo dificultades con una carga y tuvo que pagar almacenaje y estaba muy frustrado porque los cargó Facility en Estados Unidos. En ese tiempo solo recibían cheque y querían un cheque y no había manera de pagar electrónico. Entonces él llegó conmigo un día y me dice Oye, voy a hacer una plataforma de pagos y voy a poner impresoras en cada aeropuerto y vamos a imprimir nuestros cheques. Y puedes pagar los pagos en el mismo día. No era este. Era su manera de cómo eficientar ese proceso de pagos. Yo, la verdad, no lo escuché. Él había tenido 20 ideas más que habían sido fallidas. Yo dije Ah, sí, claro.
[00:18:09] Bueno, y sin saber. Sin saber de logística. Tampoco conocía obviamente, lo que lo que pasaba a través de tu esposo en aquel momento. Pero no, no estaba así. Íntegra ya.
[00:18:19] Totalmente. ¿Muy buenas nociones, porque todo el tiempo lo escuchaba, lo vivía, lo masticaba, era todo mi mundo, no? En ese tiempo, entonces cuando yo escucho la historia te digo está bien, hazlo.
[00:18:34] No se oía como que había oportunidad ahí, me imagino. Bueno, pues no al principio, si no a lo mejor no.
[00:18:41] Yo dije pues va a ser una idea más de tantas. Me pesó porque la inversión inicial eran 6.000 $ que yo me imaginaba que iba a ser nuestro enganche para una minivan. ¿Y dije pero no voy a ser mala onda, verdad? Él nada más se dedica a trabajar porque voy a ser la mala del cuento y decirle no, no te los puedes gastar si.
[00:19:00] Van a dar una buena oportunidad a final de cuentas para.
[00:19:03] Los dos. Yo pensé que iba a ser la verdad, que se iba a ir a la basura. No, no hacía mucho. ¿Ya que estuvo la plataforma, le dije A ver entonces cuál es el modelo de negocio, no? Pues que ganamos 5 $ por cada pago. Los otros 5 $ se los pagamos el mensajero y nuestro handling fees de 10 $. Y yo empecé a empezar.
[00:19:23] Cuéntanos porque eso es muy interesante y yo creo que vale la pena. O sea, con un ejemplo más, más práctico. Digamos que un fast forward tiene que recolectar cierta carga de una bodega en el aeropuerto de Atlanta, por ejemplo. ¿Pero qué pasa? ¿O sea, qué hace la plataforma que antes no pasaba? Antes tenías que llevar tu cheque como telonero o bueno, cuéntanos, cuéntanos tu, tu, tu tienes. Tú eres la.
[00:19:45] Experta. Sí, claro. Cuando. Cuando llega carga aérea en el océano es muy fácil. Los cargos no son tan complicados de pagar porque tienes dos meses de anticipación para saber qué pago, que qué cargos tienes que pagar para liberar tu carga en el puerto. Pero carga aérea es mucho más rápida. Todos los que están en la industria de la carga van a saber que carga aérea se mueve. Así no puedes tener un booking un día y al día siguiente ya va a estar. Y lo tienes que liberar. ¿No? Entonces en. En carga aérea, en el momento de la importación hay muchas personas que se convierten en stakeholders de la carga. Entonces está la aerolínea y está el gran Genuine Agent, que es la agencia de carga subcontratada por la aerolínea. Para recoger la carga hay unos cargos que se llaman Import Service charge o y SB que se le tiene que pagar a la agencia de carga que es el jefe y trabajando en Agent para que te liberen la carga. En ese tiempo eran 45 $. Ahorita ya está esa, esa, esa tarifa en 170 $ en 100. Entonces si no pagan ese dinero por el manejo de la carga a la agencia de carga subcontratada por la aerolínea, no pueden recoger la carga en ese tiempo. Muchas o la gran mayoría de todos querían nada más. Pagó en cheque. Sí, el precio.
[00:21:12] Como tenía que traer el camión, la persona que iba a recoger, o sea, la persona que recogía la carga, traía su cheque y.
[00:21:19] Y los traileros no, que algunos traileros avanzaban el pago en representación del footer y cobraban cinco o 10 $ por por ese cheque. ¿Pero como no es el negocio de traileros y luego les costaba mucho trabajo conciliar con el cliente, no? Entonces muchos no lo querían hacer. El hotel tenía que mandar un FedEx o un yuppie overnight así y que cuesta 20 o 25 $. No costaba en ese tiempo este ente y mandar su propio cheque. Y tú sabes que operaciones y contabilidad.
[00:21:51] Coordinar con el camionero para que cuando llegue el cheque ya esté ahí y luego lo encuentren, porque a lo mejor.
[00:21:57] Y luego se destino. Pero y perdona.
[00:22:00] No lo recibió o no fue a trabajar ese día.
[00:22:03] Se le.
[00:22:03] Salía un.
[00:22:04] Gasto que lo dejaban abajo del café o el contador no lo registró bien, entonces era un gran problema y muchos traileros eran rechazados porque no había pago o y aunque ya estuviera el pago no, y aparte era muy ineficiente el proceso porque internamente para él era que Operaciones fuera y le pidiera a contabilidad un cheque y si Contabilidad salió de lonche o no fue a trabajar o algo se te atora la carga y el.
[00:22:30] Camionero está desperdiciando ahí su tiempo y muchas veces.
[00:22:34] Cobran la vuelta. Tú sabes que cobran una vuelta que dan y si fue por.
[00:22:39] Culpa de tres horas o diez minutos pues es lo mismo para.
[00:22:43] Ellos. Entonces aquí lo que cambiamos nosotros es que el operador en el de operations e operador en el weather se podía meter. Ahora nuestra plataforma hacía el pago. Nosotros mandábamos el cheque en el mismo día por medio de un mensajero que estaban en los mayores aeropuertos de Estados Unidos. Este y nosotros dábamos una factura al al de operaciones que tenían 14 días para pagar con nosotros.
[00:23:12] ¿Entonces ustedes financiaban ese sí y le daban el cheque físico a usted?
[00:23:17] Sí, claro.
[00:23:18] Todo cargo Handling Agent Brown.
[00:23:22] Entonces era muy beneficioso para las personas de operaciones con el poder porque decían Qué belleza! Mi pago sale en el mismo día. No me tengo que preocupar de nada. Y luego mi departamento de de pavos en.
[00:23:36] Mi.
[00:23:36] Empresa a su ritmo, que trabajan a ritmos diferentes, muy diferentes. Ya ellos sacan el cheque cuando ellos quieran, no lo procesan, lo meten al sistema y todo entonces le era, le facilitaba mucho la vida, también en en internamente a los free Waters.
[00:23:55] ¿Y este año de qué año estás hablando? Cuando empezó a poner las impresoras y cosas así.
[00:24:01] En 2012, en 2002. Esa es la historia de que típico el traía su impresora y el era el mensajero en Atlanta, entonces andaba de cargo facilito. Encargó Facility con un hotspot de internet, este imprimiendo cheques y el se colgaba en su dashboard, se formaba con sus cheques, el que se le habían acumulado de los requerimientos de los clientes y los entregaba, no este. Poco a poco fuimos haciendo conforme los cargo Facility se veían como que a cargo Sprint. Cargo sprint y ven nuestros cheques y eran más y más el volumen este. Ya empezamos a hacer alianzas, pagos electrónicos, este o instalar la impresora ahí mismo claro este. Entonces ya, ya fuimos como haciendo eficiencias en en el sistema de nosotros y también haciendo alianzas estratégicas. Este Y así fue como empezamos.
[00:25:01] ¿Y eso fue de decías que hay que tener paciencia no? ¿O sea, los primeros tres años era reinvertir, Reinvertir en qué momento? ¿Porque al principio nos acabas de confesar este que pensaste que era una idea más, estabas en qué momento cambia un poco tu punto de vista y dices oye, no, esto, esto realmente si tiene, tiene pies y va a llegar a algún lado, en qué momento cambia y qué? ¿Te acuerdas de esa, de ese cambio? ¿A lo mejor y cuando te empiezas también tú a meter de lleno al negocio?
[00:25:28] Sí, claro. Mira, fue en el 2012, en el en marzo me propuso hacer la plataforma. Yo dije está bien, gástate los 6.000 $ y ya veremos. Y sale la plataforma en junio. ¿Ya estaba lista, no? Una muy, muy, muy básica. No tenía ni login siquiera. Este. Entonces la entrega y ya empiezo a preguntarle cómo va a operar internamente. Me explica su idea, cuánto es el cargo, por por cada solicitud y empiezo a hacer mis modelos. Ahí me metí en mi Excel, dije a ver si sacamos mil pagos. Es tanto dinero 2003 mil. ¿Cuánta carga se mueve en vez de ser como mi modelo financiero? ¿Así súper, súper en un Excel, no? Entonces dije Ah, esto tiene gran potencial. Sí, con que saquemos mil pagos al mes de solicitud.
[00:26:21] De depósito de la minivan.
[00:26:23] ¿Ahí ya no hay, ya tenemos para comer, no? En ese tiempo el trabajaba, entonces el cambio. Gran cambio fue que pues tú tienes la oportunidad, pero por miedo.
[00:26:34] No lo hay. Cuando te arriesgas a dejar tu trabajo.
[00:26:37] Fijo, la vida te da empujones. Entonces son muy buenos empujones. Entonces llegó un momento, en octubre del 2012 que estará la plataforma desde julio más o menos que nos la entregaron y es la la compañía registrada en julio del 5 de julio, 4 de julio o 5 de julio del 2012. Y no hacíamos nada por miedo, porque él tenía su empleo, era seguro. Entonces nos aferramos ahí a lo que es seguro y conocido y es da mucho miedo lo inseguro, lo que no sabes y lo desconocido no es este. Entonces en octubre lo despiden de su trabajo, este y y le digo sabes que no busques otro trabajo, vamos a hacer la plataforma ya está ahí, hay que hacerla. Prefiero fracasar, que fracasemos juntos y decir cuando tengamos 60 años, pero lo intentamos o morir a los 60 años con tu pensión bien seguros aquí, con nuestra casa segura. Pero decir. ¿Y qué tal si lo hubiéramos hecho y morir con esa duda? Dije Prefiero mil veces fracasar. Cañona. Así a morir con la duda y la incertidumbre de qué hubiera pasado. Si perseguimos nuestros sueños, entonces no busco trabajo y yo de verdad, a veces me metí así como que a buscar trabajo, se decía podría conseguir este empleo y dudaba, pero no le decía nada. Entonces seguíamos y seguíamos y seguíamos. Y fue cuando empezó así la empresa. ¿Pero la la vida, te digo, te da empujones, no? A veces las cosas más feas que te pasan es por un propósito. Si nunca lo despiden de su trabajo, nunca.
[00:28:27] Hubieran, nunca.
[00:28:27] Habían empezado, nunca, nunca, porque él estaba cómodo. Ah, es que estoy trabajando porque fue salir de su zona de confort para los dos, quedarnos sin ingresos. Este él tener que ir por todos los aeropuertos de Estados Unidos a instalar impresoras fue fue una decisión muy difícil, con tres hijos para.
[00:28:49] ¿En un país que también era relativamente nuevo para ti, no?
[00:28:53] Sí, este para para mí fue. Fue esa parte para mí, más que el país eran los hijos. ¿Es decir, tengo tres hijos, tengo que pagar la hipoteca de la casa y cómo vamos a sobrevivir? ¿No, o sea que va a pasar? Era de locos. Toda la gente nos decía. ¿Cómo que no va a buscar trabajo? ¿No? Este entonces sí fue una decisión que fue tomada en conjunto, pero es la diferencia, no de de decir voy a creer y me voy a aventar así con los ojos cerrados. Y si me estrello, pues ya Dios proveerá, no este, pero es ahí sí es aplicar todo lo que has aprendido, este de de la vida y de decir ok, aquí es mi momento de prueba, porque esos momentos de prueba y decir de que estoy hecho y entonces tienes que ser congruente con lo que dices que quieres y con lo que haces.
[00:29:53] Sí que es. Yo creo que lo más fácil en la vida, no todo el mundo quisiera x o y cosa, pero bueno, estás activamente trabajando día y noche para lograrlo. Y bueno, ahí es donde se divide las personas que llegan a cumplirlo y las que no llegan a cumplirlo. Y bueno, de manera sumamente exitosa tú lo lograste. ¿Cuéntanos ya que estuvo un poco establecida, ya que sabías que iban a salir adelante de esa etapa de haber sido sumamente difícil y estresante para ti como mamá de tres hijos, como en un país aquí en Estados Unidos también, pero cómo? ¿Sí, qué sigue después? ¿O sea, en qué momento dice ok, bueno, ahora hay que empezar a creer, hay que empezar a crecer, poner una estructura, contratar cómo, cómo te imaginaste o cómo? ¿Cómo resolvieron todos los siguientes problemas que vienen de tener una empresa nueva, no?
[00:30:41] Sí, pues como te comento, los primeros tres años no había el primer, o sea, los primeros meses ni siquiera nos pusieron una solicitud de pago. No era así como que ah, qué padre! ¿Pero no, no, nadie se anima, no? Entonces este por ahí nos empezaron a poner solicitudes.
[00:31:00] No aquí en Atlanta o gente que es de tactos que ya tenían o conformes esos primeros creyentes en empresa.
[00:31:07] La era. Él hablaba por teléfono y decía ahí está, plataforma de pagos que puedes usar y la gente se queda que oh, sí, claro, y él el primero. El primero era una empresa en la que él trabajó, que era mdi. Son unos brokers en Milwaukee, este y ellos fueron los primeros como usuarios, no este. Y poco a poco se fue corriendo porque no teníamos obviamente ni un peso para campañas de marketing. Entonces se fue corriendo así como que lo probaba, alguien veía que funcionaba y que no era un fraude y decían ah, esto está muy bien. Entonces de boca en boca empezó a recomendarse, pero eso tarda mucho. Un crecimiento orgánico, tres años sin recibir capital, porque somos una empresa que se bootstrap, no pedimos ningún préstamo ni tomamos capital de nadie para empezar la empresa con nuestras propias ganancias. Seguimos creciendo. No este en el dos. A finales de 2014.
[00:32:08] Como referencia y perdón que te interrumpa en el 2012 a finales. ¿Cuántos pagos procesaron en ese año? Más o menos cero. ¿Y el 2013? Cero también.
[00:32:17] Tal vez 20.
[00:32:19] ¿20 en todo el año?
[00:32:20] Sí, 20, 30 sí. Y el.
[00:32:23] 2014.
[00:32:24] 2014 ya empezamos a crecer más y habremos procesado unos mil, 3000 en todo el año. Entonces era nuestro métrico, mi mi, mi objetivo principal era en el primera, en el por un mes, por cada mes procesar mil pagos. Y nosotros le decíamos a la gente queremos procesar una meta, mil pagos al mes, porque con eso ya era un salario. Digno para nosotros que para pagar la hipoteca y la comida. Si entonces la primera meta era mil pagos al mes. Le decíamos eso a la gente y se reía y decía jajajaja, nadie necesita eso. ¿Sabes cuántos pagos procesamos ahorita? Esta pregunta arriba de 170.000 pagos mensuales.
[00:33:13] 170 de mil era la meta, no llegaron a mil, eran mil en todo el año, a 170.000 por mes.
[00:33:21] Por mes.
[00:33:22] Ahora en el año pasado.
[00:33:24] Sí, no, la meta era mil mensuales, mil mensuales que nos daba un mínimo decente para poder.
[00:33:30] En el 2014 el total del año no era, no eran mil.
[00:33:34] Eran unos 3005 mil pagos este 2014. Entonces empezamos a crecer y yo me meto de tiempo completo. En enero 2015 este ya contraté alguien aquí para mi casa y empezábamos a ganar tracción antes de que yo entrara a trabajar. Una amiga con la que yo corría con ella era muy buena y le dije ah, pues vente a trabajar con Joshua y ahí está. Ella fue la segunda persona que se integró al equipo después de Joshua sigue con nosotros trabajando. Su nombre es Ana Vázquez y yo fui la tercera persona hasta 2015. ¿Entonces son tres años de estar un día sí y otro también y creyendo que esto va a funcionar, no? En 2015 explotamos. Ahora sí, para el verano del 2015 decidimos hacer nuestro back office en México y empezar a desarrollar toda la estructura organizacional de la empresa. En México. Nos cambiamos de ciudad a Guadalajara a vivir, dejamos Pitch City y ese fue otro salto de fe, no de decir qué voy a hacer. Tengo ya mi casa, mi hogar, mi nidito, mis hijos, mis juguetes, sus juguetes, etcétera Y como que dejar todo un día e irte a otra casa a empezar de ceros al día siguiente es muy difícil. Claro, eso fue otro salto.
[00:35:03] De fe, pero todo era una un movimiento muy estratégico y que también les funcionó muy bien no tener todo tu backoffice en México, este. Cuéntanos un poco de ese proceso o de las ventajas que es tener un backoffice en México, porque estoy seguro que muchas empresas que nos están escuchando podrían beneficiarse de países como y no solo México, no cualquier país en Latinoamérica creo que tiene la misma oportunidad de hacer lo que hiciste.
[00:35:29] Sí, claro, y de hecho es un es algo que lo hacen las grandes empresas HP, Oracle y BM están en Guadalajara. Todos los call centers de Guadalajara también atienden clientes como Amazon Bank of America. Atenti entonces es es un es ya es un no es algo nuevo.
[00:35:58] Y está probada.
[00:35:59] Si no es, es y sobre todo ahorita con COBIT que pueden trabajar remoto desde cualquier lugar, pues ya está. Es algo ya muy muy fluido. ¿A nosotros nos benefició bastante porque Guadalajara es un hub tecnológico para el país, no? Entonces en 2017 decidimos abrir nuestro laboratorio de software y en vez de seguir haciendo outsourcing empezamos a reclutar ingenieros y armamos nuestro propio laboratorio de software este. Y ahí está. Basado en Guadalajara.
[00:36:31] ¿Su software es el de ustedes también?
[00:36:33] Sí, sí, el software, todas las herramientas que que tenemos son de nosotros desarrollados. También tenemos un ingeniero en India y algunos en Estados Unidos, pero gran parte de la fuerza de software está en Guadalajara.
[00:36:50] Talento mexicano 100%. Sí, claro. Oye, y es parte de la idea, el licenciar un poco el software o no es simplemente lo usan ustedes exclusivamente nosotros.
[00:37:01] Nosotros estamos usándolo, lo usamos como plataforma de pagos, entonces realmente no es algo que se puede licenciar. Hacemos el Wide Table, por ejemplo, tenemos iPod. Ellos tienen su plataforma de pagos con nosotros y y. Pero está la marca de de ellos. Entonces hacemos White Label. No, no cobramos una licencia. Es absolutamente gratis para ellos. Y lo único que adquirimos nosotros son las transacciones, no este. Pero ellos tienen su propia marca, conservan la identidad y todo, y nosotros realizamos todo lo que es el la plataforma.
[00:37:44] Oye, yéndonos ahora, saltándonos varios años, Bueno, sabemos que es una empresa exitosa, totalmente establecida, muy creativa y siguen innovando. ¿Cuál es? Cuál es el siguiente paso en tu. ¿En tu visión estratégica? Este. ¿Vámonos un poco hacia el futuro, donde ves el crecimiento que nos puedes platicar del del futuro? ¿Cuál es tu perspectiva? ¿Un poco de lo que va a pasar en estos próximos 5 a 10 años?
[00:38:10] Sí, claro. Mira, de hecho estuve en en la conferencia de carga de allá. Era de carga aérea en la semana pasada en Londres y vienen cambios muy fuertes para la industria de la carga aérea. Están enfocándose en digitalización al 300%. ¿No? ¿Entonces, hay muchísimas empresas con propuestas muy interesante para la digitalización de los procesos operativos que ahorita se hacen manual este y estamos viviendo todos una transición en estos momentos, no? Entonces a mi para nuestra empresa, que empezamos de una manera disruptiva a digitalizar el área de los pagos, este es nuestro siguiente paso, es continuar creando innovación para la industria. Tenemos otro producto que es Spring Pass y Spring Pass es un producto súper noble, no es una plataforma como tal, ya es un hub para el ecosistema, no donde puede haber interacción entre el poder y el trilero y el cargo. Facility y visibilidad también de para la aerolínea. Entonces este este hub se concentra en el pick up en ropa de cargo en las en los AM agencias de carga aéreas con Spring Pass. ¿El trailero puede hacer desde su abu desde su teléfono un check in antes de que se presente por la carga, por ejemplo, o el El hotel puede tener la visibilidad de donde llega este punto ciego de que AC ya se descargó el avión porque la aerolínea es buena para dar el tracking de la carga, pero una vez que llega al cargo Facility quién sabe qué pasó, no? Entonces nosotros tenemos estos, estos métricos y por medio de Spring se da la la visibilidad. No, este es un.
[00:39:57] Producto, lo están apenas está.
[00:40:00] La. Cuando este este producto tenemos con él en desarrollo cinco años, cinco años y estamos en cerca de diez aeropuertos. Estamos en Atlanta con un cargo facility, estamos en San Francisco, Los Ángeles, Chicago, en New Jersey, en Nueva York, en Florida y en en Texas Este Tenemos alrededor de 20 cargo Facility con diez diferentes 16 que están en el sistema y estamos instalando sistemas y sistemas uno tras otro. Es libre de costo para el cargo. Facility este. Ponemos el check in, el quiosco que hace el check in y check out al reguero y les administramos todo este sistema sin costo. Entonces el objetivo de este producto es digitalizar el proceso, crear la visibilidad operativa para todos los stakeholders. ¿Este y también como colateral, tenemos un impacto ambiental positivo, porque si podemos hacer que el trailero no esté esperando tres horas con el tráiler encendido afuera de la la bodega de carga, pues se va a reducir el las cargas de carga de contaminación al aire que está alrededor de los aeropuertos, no?
[00:41:33] ¿Qué separa? Es un tema muy importante. ¿Me decías la última vez que platicamos que la parte de sostenibilidad de y todas estas iniciativas verdes para salvar al planeta son importantes para ti y por ende para cargo Sprint, no?
[00:41:47] Sí, claro. Todas las empresas creo que deberían tener en un sentido ético este ser conscientes del impacto que nosotros generamos. Entonces sí no podemos. Destruir el impacto negativo de nuestra huella que dejamos en el planeta de una manera ver cómo podemos hacerlo menos o menos impactante y cómo podemos aportar. Afortunadamente nosotros no estamos en manufactura y software. ¿Es muy noble, no? Pero de cualquier forma. De cualquier manera, si por medio de nuestras herramientas podemos crear eficiencias que dejen un planeta mejor para las otras personas, pues estamos súper contentos con eso. O no también.
[00:42:30] ¿No? Totalmente. Y bueno, es una forma muy responsable de de ser el líder en la industria y bueno es un gusto platicar contigo, creo que podríamos agendar varias llamadas y tener algunos otros episodios, de hecho me gustaría en unos meses futuros volver a platicar. Creo que estás en como decías, no en el centro de muchos cambios en la industria, la tecnología es crítica y seguirá siendo crítica por muchos años. Entonces muchas felicidades, un orgullo y un gusto. Y felicidades a ti y obviamente a tu socio y obviamente a toda la gente que trabaja para cargo Sprint, porque son definitivamente un modelo, un modelo a seguir y nuevamente algo que resalta el potencial que tienen los latinos en todo el mundo y gente en particular de México. En tu caso.
[00:43:22] Sí, claro, así es este. Creo que nosotros como empresarios tenemos la responsabilidad de creer en nuestro talento, no este, y saber que tenemos talento en México, que estoy muy orgullosa de ellos. Nuestro equipo es la verdad, súper trabajador, son muy alegres, tenemos una cultura interna muy bonita este entonces la verdad, y también nos integramos muy bien con la cultura de nuestra contraparte en Estados Unidos, que también tenemos personas en Estados Unidos, directores, Ellos disfrutan mucho de convivir con México cuando van a la posada, la fiesta del diez aniversario, entonces este si es es. La verdad es que tenemos mucho, muchas herramientas en México que podemos como empresarios tener ventaja, sobre todo desde el desarrollo de software. Hay una oportunidad muy grande. ¿Ya termino, no me quiero expandir bastante, no, por favor, por favor, Pero hay un tema que yo quisiera invitar a todos los empresarios, es decir, porque México está manufacturado software para otras empresas, porque nosotros no tenemos nuestros propios unicornios, porque tenemos que maquilar software, no? Entonces fomentar a los empresarios y a todos los empresarios que conozco, Es decir, a ver, piensa, cómo puedes innovar, cómo puedes crear, si tenemos el cómo hacerlo. En nuestro país tenemos muchísimos ingenieros, porque nosotros no empezamos a hacer nuestro propio Facebook, nuestro propio Instagram. Este entonces cuestionarnos desde esa parte, no el el comercio, no solo el los negocios, la empresa no solo es vender algo, pero en software hay una gran gran oportunidad. El e-commerce es un negocio muy bonito este entonces repensar nuestras empresas. Cómo podemos integrarlas a una modalidad de e-commerce.
[00:45:21] ¿No? Totalmente de acuerdo y bueno, es un muy buen llamado para todos los empresarios mexicanos y de Latinoamérica, no que piensen cómo podemos seguir siendo protagonistas en las diferentes industrias y en los diferentes mercados. No, ya lo estamos haciendo, como bien dices, al final de cuentas estamos alquilando software para otras empresas. ¿Pues por? ¿Porque no ser esas empresas? Entonces tienes toda la razón. Y bueno nuevamente muchísimas gracias por por darme el tiempo de platicar este contigo. Obviamente les deseamos lo mejor, cuentan con todo nuestro apoyo y nuevamente muchas muchas felicidades. ¿Algo más que le quieras compartir a nuestra audiencia?
[00:46:02] Pues no, nada. ¿Había unas preguntas que por ahí te brindaste que era? No, no, no me acuerdo cuales eran.
[00:46:09] Te acuerdas de una que no.
[00:46:11] ¿Me sentía bien?
[00:46:11] Te preguntas si, si casual.
[00:46:14] Una. Una era de que te platicara de Harvard. ¿Eh?
[00:46:19] Cuéntame de Harvard.
[00:46:20] Okay. Últimamente, en el último año retomé el lado del tema de la educación y estuve en el IPADE haciendo en la de dos en Guadalajara. Y también fui a MIT a un curso de innovación y en Harvard también fue un curso de innovación. Entonces esto es en referencia a que con qué dejo no este al público. A veces caemos en nuestra zona de confort y de nuestro ego de decir oh, yo fundé esta empresa, si tu empresa ya va bien, de decir ah, yo soy, wow, soy grandioso porque todos tus trabajadores te dicen oh si jefe, claro, no todos se han postulado, pero entonces si, si sería invitación a retarnos a nosotros mismos, a ser unas personas más grandes en todos los sentidos, no solo en el espiritual, pero también en el intelectual. Y continuar oportunidades, estudios hay muchísimas. Harvard tiene su escuela de negocios en línea en MIT y tiene su escuela de negocios en línea. Entonces sí mantenernos actualizados y retomar lo de los estudios, porque ahorita el mundo está cambiando muchísimo del 2000 al 2022. Ahora no, las empresas no pueden administrarse de la misma manera. ¿Entonces sería invitarlos a no decir a nuestra gente quiero que seas mejor, quiero que des tu mejor esfuerzo, quiero que estudies, sigue echándole ganas, si no, empezar con nuestro ejemplo y decir sabes que yo qué voy a hacer para ser mejor versión de lo que fui ayer? Y eso implica estudios. Eso implica autoconocimiento en todos los aspectos humanos mente, cuerpo, alma y espíritu. Trabajar y trabajar y trabajar en ellos. Y Harvard, MIT y el IPADE fueron parte de esto y seguirán siendo porque piensas seguir estudiando y te dan herramientas muy importantes para la empresa.
[00:48:19] Bueno, y si nos puedes mandar que creo que a lo mejor ya hiciste algunos links de todas estas empresas y oportunidades y programas que estás, este que tuviste la oportunidad de participar, los ponemos también en las notas de nuestra entrevista para que la gente que nos escuche, pues no solo aprenda de tu ejemplo, sino que se pueda meter más a detalle si les interesa. Y como tú dices, creo que es una muy, muy buena sugerencia para todos los empresarios y para todo mundo el invertir en invertir en ellos, en su crecimiento personal.
[00:48:50] Sí, la educación es muy importante, son cursos que vas presenciales por una semana y te cambian paradigmas mentales. Y aparte el de MIT fue así, fuimos a Design Thinking. Este la sesión de Design Thinking está súper interesante porque a veces decimos soy una empresa innovadora, pero si no traes el método de innovación en tu DNA y sabes el proceso porque es un proceso, entonces no puedes llamarte innovadora. Si en verdad queremos innovar, hay que ver la milla más innovadora de Estados Unidos que está ahí en Boston con el MIT, y aprender de ellos. No tener esa humildad de decir no lo sé todo, deja voy ver que aprendo.
[00:49:32] Rayos, seguro se me olvidaron varias otras preguntas.
[00:49:34] Bueno, te.
[00:49:35] Agradezco. ¿No hay alguna otra que que quieras recordarme? Porque, digo, todo lo que has hecho es bastante interesante. Así es que hay alguna otra que. ¿Que te gustaría no contestar?
[00:49:47] Yo. Yo creo que nada más es eso. ¿Y la invitación? Pues eso no al desarrollo humano este no solo por hacer más dinero o ser más exitosos, pero porque creo que como empresarios tenemos una responsabilidad de ser líderes e inspirar con el ejemplo a nuestros equipos, no este ir hacia adentro, un viaje hacia adentro de autoconocimiento, de ser, de estar alertas, self awareness y explorar toda esa parte un día sí y otro también. Porque no es leer un libro o ir a una escuela, sino esta auto observación, meditar, estar presentes en en dónde estamos parados hoy.
[00:50:30] No una muy buena cátedra, la que nos diste el día de hoy. Así es que agradezco nuevamente que te hayas tomado el tiempo para platicar conmigo y platicar con nuestra audiencia de Supply Chain en español. Nuevamente te voy a molestar en unos meses más, a ver si puedes volver con nosotros. ¿Creo que todo lo que has dicho ha sido no solo muy interesante, sino que a lo mejor podríamos habernos metido en ciertos aspectos de lo que dijiste en más detalle, pero Rayo, como la gente que nos escucha, cómo pueden? Contactarte. Como pueden saber un poco más de cargos Sprint como. ¿Cómo te pueden localizar los que nos escuchan?
[00:51:09] A Muchas gracias. ¿Está mi liga de LinkedIn? Estoy muy activa en esa red social profesional. Me pueden mandar un LinkedIn si tienen preguntas, compartir experiencias, adelante. Yo por mi encantada de compartir experiencias. ¿A veces el camino del empresario es un poco solo y no podemos ir con nuestras preguntas a nuestros amigos o al familiar, no? Entonces mis mi inbox está abierto para que me manden un mensaje oye, tengo esta situación o me interesó algún punto de mi plática este que tengan dudas. Yo soy un libro abierto entonces por mi super contenta de proveer mis experiencias.
[00:51:53] Y bueno y de tu empresa vamos a poner toda la información. Me dijeron que la página de internet es buena forma de contactar tu empresa, si alguien está escuchando, si quieren algún servicio, si quieren empezar a trabajar con ustedes, que es lo mejor.
[00:52:05] Sí, claro, nuestro nuestro dominio es cargo sprint punto com y ahí creo que también pase la liga de LinkedIn y de Facebook. Ellos si tienen Twitter, yo no. Entonces por ahí también nos podemos conectar y en carro sprint punto com Pues viene también nuestros correos electrónicos.
[00:52:28] Perfecto. Y nuevamente muchísimas gracias por todo, Un gusto platicar contigo, como siempre a todos los que nos están escuchando, si les interesan ya pláticas como la que tuvimos el día de hoy con Rayo Torres, por favor no dejen de subscribirse nuevamente. Mi nombre es Enrique Álvarez y gracias a todos por escuchar su Play now en español.
Entrepreneurship can be very scary, but sometimes, like in Rayo Torres’ case, when you have an opportunity, you have to take it and run with it. In this Supply Chain Now en Espanol episode, listen as host Enrique Alvarez speaks to Rayo about her childhood and familiarity with entrepreneurship, the creation of CargoSprint, and her vision for the organization as they look to the future.
[00:00:01] Welcome to your Now movie in Spanish, presented by Better Global Logistics and Supply Chain Now. This is the program we give to Spanish-speaking people in the ever-changing logistics industry. Join us as we discover the inspiring stories of our guests and learn from their collective experience. Our goal is not only to entertain you, but to foster your passion for this exciting industry and support your professional development along the way. And now, here is today’s episode of his pitching now in Spanish.
[00:00:38] Good morning and welcome back to a new episode of Supply Chain Now in Spanish. My name is Enrique Alvarez and today I have the pleasure of interviewing a very successful compatriot that she and her company, her partner, have managed to revolutionize the logistics industry on the payments side. But without further ado. Rayo Torres CIO of Sprint Rayo Charges. How are you doing? How are you doing? Good morning.
[00:01:04] Hello, Enrique. How are you doing? Good morning. Thank you very much for having me here in your program. East. Thank you very much.
[00:01:10] No! The pleasure is all mine. I am also very proud to be Mexican. And well, knowing also that we are in Atlanta Radio Yo we met recently. Then it is a pleasure to have you here with us. Thank you for taking the time to share a bit of your story.
[00:01:26] Thank you very much. Then go ahead.
[00:01:29] Let’s get started. Let’s get started. Tell us a little about yourself before we get into your career and the company you founded. Tell us a little about yourself. Tell us where you were born. Anything you remember from your childhood?
[00:01:44] Yes, of course. I am. I was born in Guadalajara and lived there for the first 20 years of my life. This one, when I was 21, I went to live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Then I came back to Guadalajara and I’ve been kind of in between here, between the United States and Mexico since then.
[00:02:04] Do you hear anything in particular that you remember from Guadalajara? Maybe something from your childhood, something from your parents, something that started to guide you on the path you have now.
[00:02:19] Yes, well, trading and entrepreneurship come from my family’s DNA. This has always been on my mother’s side, they have always been very enterprising, my uncles, my grandmother, my mother. So they were a great influence for me to take this path of entrepreneurship.
[00:02:39] Hey, and something in particular about the city I imagine I tell you Guadalajara, a very beautiful city for those who listen to us who are not from Mexico, is what do you remember about the city?
[00:02:52] Ah, because the city, the city itself is. The climate is very nice, as many know, it is very pleasant. This is in itself the city an influence I had from the city of Centro Tapatío businessman Jorge Vergara. He was also a great influence in my way of looking at business, from a humanistic approach. Omnilife’s slogan is people to care for, people. So you go further on in the podcast, I can expand on this, but he was a great businessman from Tapatío who had a great influence on my decision to become an entrepreneur, but also from the human side, no. He was a great businessman from Tapatío who had a great influence on my decision to become an entrepreneur.
[00:03:38] There is that side. Have I seen human mine and if you don’t bring it also rooted from your parents, did you see it? How do you see this human part reflected in your life again at the beginning of your career, right?
[00:03:51] Yes, yes, I have in the major weight it had, in how to help other human beings through a company, because it was my experience with Jorge’s company Omnilife. And how did it affect? It impacted my life, my siblings’ lives, my mother’s life. Not this how to improve our quality of life, although it is a multilevel and my company is not a multilevel company. In the company we now manage a humanistic culture where not only customers are right, right? But also the person who decides to work with us receives a great deal of attention and everything is centered around the human experience, both externally and internally. So it is to foster that culture within the company.
[00:04:43] This is very interesting. I’m sure we’ll get into a little more detail on this one in a few more moments. Tell us a little more about your professional career you studied, where did you study this one? How did you come to open your company?
[00:04:57] Yes, of course. Look, I studied Hispanic literature at the UdeG, I wanted to be a writer, but I dropped out because I got married and took the plunge. And it is.
[00:05:08] Writer. It is totally different.
[00:05:10] A.
[00:05:11] Logistics.
[00:05:13] Yes, yes, Saramago won his is a late writer and was asked why you won your Nobel Prize so late and why you didn’t write Before he said he had nothing to say then. Ah, I won’t take my finger off the line someday. If destiny takes me there, I will write something, but right now I have nothing to say.
[00:05:34] More writing something. So, do you have a good thing going for you?
[00:05:38] No, no, no, no, no, no, no, not really no, no, no, the muse of inspiration has come to me and I have nothing to write about right now. My passion really is to impact people’s lives through the company.
[00:05:53] Hey, well, going back to Rayo who was studying for his degree, tell us then what happened from there? How? How did you continue to grow personally and professionally?
[00:06:06] Yes, of course, look there too, because there were the jobs I had. I started working since I was 15 years old, this one I was in franchise management at Gulfstream, where I was working in the franchise and marketing department. I also worked at a friend’s uncle’s company. I was in Accounting A supporting payroll, processing vendor payments, everything, all of that. So it was like life was preparing me and even though they were very short work experiences, all that learning helped me. Later, when I had my own company to grow, the from a person not and I have been putting together the organizational architecture of the work team, departments, etc. Then this was. These work experiences were very important for me to later apply in my own company.
[00:07:05] Of course. Some recommendation or suggestion that some people made to me that throughout your career and throughout all these work experiences, you had several mentors, people you worked with and people you learned a lot from. Do you have any suggestions for people who listen to us and maybe are graduating or about to graduate, anything you can share in terms of suggestions.
[00:07:31] If he is really the person who is looking for answers, they say that the teacher doesn’t arrive until the student is ready, right? So it’s like a very personal path for each individual. This ah a as to which teachers are. Even finding in your life. What I can say is that it is a very, very mystical path to take. You don’t have to go to a very deep journey inside, because outside you are going to find many, you are going to find losses, rejections, there are clients who are not going to pay you. So you have to work a lot with your energy and your focus on how to generate abundance, don’t you? And not let it subtract all that external reality from you. So yes, in general recommendation would be to start a personal, deep work of self-knowledge and take all these tools we have as humans to be able to create new things where there are none and change realities that we are not happy or do not like. But all that is changed from the mind. There is not a lot of literature right now, a lot of schools. This being here in the Law of Attraction, for example, there is Eckhart Tolle, this I dispensation. There are too many, of too many teachings out there, but the most important is how to work on oneself on a daily basis. No.
[00:09:12] No! Totally agree. And well, it’s a great message. It actually reminded me of something my mom used to tell us a lot when we were kids, didn’t it? We now have fewer and fewer excuses for not studying and knowing things, not before. Maybe in several generations ago, well, you did things in a certain way because you didn’t know or there was no place where you could learn, but as you say now, with so much literature, with so much information technology, with so many sources to learn, well, it depends on you and that retrospection and that time to think and be aware of who you are, not to be able to move forward.
[00:09:51] Yes, of course.
[00:09:52] Tell us about it. Are you graduating from your degree program? How is the next one going? What is the next leap in Rayo’s professional career? Still in charge of Sprint?
[00:10:02] Yes, yes. In the race. I did not graduate. I am going to make one. One note. I didn’t graduate because I said I’m going to get married and I’m going to continue in the United States. And that’s where it ended. And I had children and left her halfway through this one. But at the age of 28, when I was 28, my ex-husband and I founded Cargo Sprint. There is one left. It is a payment platform for the air cargo industry in the United States. This at the time I was on an immersive journey into mindfulness, the law of attraction, self-knowledge and devouring literature on how to create the life of your dreams. At that time I felt that if I wanted to go to work at McDonalds they would not hire me or if they hired me it was for $7 an hour and I had three children and a nanny costs $15, not this one. So my professional outlook was very dark, very dark. I would say I didn’t finish my degree like and I would see $1 million dollar houses and say I want that lifestyle. I used to see ladies handling bags in the city where I live. And I said I want a car like that. He was driving a very old car, wasn’t he? Right, so then getting into this law of attraction thing and saying I can dream about that house, I can dream about that car without questioning too much about how it’s going to come to you, right? And in that inter, of that exploration of how to create the life of your dreams, this even though the external reality tells you it’s not possible, no, no, you don’t have a career or it’s not possible because maybe you have an English accent or you’re crazy. No, that’s what the world will question you about. But therein lies the difference between actually working with your thought system and with faith and imagination using it to our advantage. No, because my imagination is catastrophic and my imagination is constructive.
[00:12:20] And many times we are our own enemies, not because of the way we think of ourselves, we limit ourselves. Many times I don’t feel the human being, at least it happens to me. You have many ways, maybe negative, to think of yourself, maybe to be a little more positive.
[00:12:36] Of course. And there is a phrase that I think is from Neville, but I don’t want to make some references that are not, but it says to believe is to create. So, if you really believe it, that’s your reality. Yes. You are fat. You’re not going to be fat. Do you think you are a failure? You’re going to be a failure if you think you’re going to succeed. And you believe it day in and day out, and you feel it with your whole body, you’re going to be there. So the fabulous thing about all this is that this learning that I was exploring at that moment in my life, served me for the company, this already building it. And we started in 2012. But the first three years it was to work.
[00:13:22] This is a lot. It is the other part of the equation. I mean, one thing is to create, to believe, but well, someone has to go out and wake up early and work, that is, it does not take away the fact that you worked extremely hard to achieve what you have now and well, it is a great pride, but well, tell us a little more about that first stage of entrepreneurship, which is normally not only the most difficult, but normally it is also the one you learn the most and the one that really forges the type of company that you will have later on. So tell us what were your main concerns, difficulties, challenges you faced in those early parts of the venture?
[00:14:06] Well, at that point it was a matter of being patient. It is to understand and nature is very very wise, isn’t it? So when you see and sow an apple seed, you don’t expect to get apples the next day. It would be illogical, wouldn’t it? So why do we want to see results from a company? Put us the Ferrari or the Porsche or the yacht per year, right? Then I found it very useful a talk I saw from the founder of Yakult, which is another company that is very strong in Jalisco, where he said that Mexican companies fail a lot and before five years have already closed because? Because the entrepreneur is not patient with the company. You have to see the company as a long-term project and understand that it is not going to buy you the house, the yacht and the car in 20 years. In the beginning you have to live to nurture it and make it grow just like you would take care of a seed of If you want it to grow and mature and produce apples, then you have to take care of it and give it all that seed in the beginning. So, the first years I had no salary, I lived on a salary, that is, everything was reinvestment. The first million dollars we earned in the company is how we reinvest it, how we continue to grow and everything has been like that, that the company was not, it was not that today my father has 1 million dollars, what car, what house am I going to buy, but how, how am I going to reinvest it, right? So we have to be very patient with the company’s results and see it as if it were a baby that we have to take care of. And we won’t demand from a baby a seven year old to give you the results of a 20 year old? Not to have very, very firm medium and long term objectives.
[00:16:08] Totally agree and very good suggestions for the people who listen to us and who are in other Spanish speaking countries. Not necessarily, maybe Mexico or the United States. Tell us a little bit about two things one. What was the opportunity you saw in the industry? In other words, what is the charge? Why would Sprint be successful? What was the problem you wanted to solve? And well, for people who may not be so familiar with the process of these air cargoes, well, tell us a little more in general terms. Well, what was the opportunity you saw? And then what does it actually do? In other words, how does it work in general? Sprint cargo?
[00:16:51] Yes, of course. Look at the idea. No, I will not. I’m going to steal someone else’s intellectual assets. No, not me, it wasn’t me I wasn’t in the industry This my ex-husband. He is a fraud for Water and was a broker in the United States. No? And one day he. He is very, very creative. He has a very bright mind. His name is Joshua Wolf and he is the founder and now CEO of the company. He’s obsessed with giving perfect customer service, isn’t he? And one day he had difficulties with a load and he had to pay storage and he was very frustrated because he loaded Facility in the United States. At that time they only received checks and wanted a check and there was no way to pay electronically. Then he came to me one day and said Hey, I’m going to make a payment platform and I’m going to put printers in every airport and we’re going to print our checks. And you can pay on the same day. It was not this one. It was their way of making the payment process more efficient. I, in fact, did not hear it. He had had 20 other ideas that had failed. I said Ah, yes, of course.
[00:18:09] Well, and without knowing. No knowledge of logistics. I also obviously didn’t know what was going on through your husband at the time. But no, it wasn’t. Integral now.
[00:18:19] Totally. Very good notions, because all the time I was listening to it, living it, chewing it, it was my whole world, wasn’t it? At that time, then when I hear the story I tell you okay, do it.
[00:18:34] It didn’t sound like there was opportunity there, I imagine. Well, well, not at first, otherwise maybe not.
[00:18:41] I said, well, it’s going to be one more idea among many. It weighed on me because the initial investment was $6,000 which I figured was going to be our down payment on a minivan. And I said but I’m not going to be mean, am I? He is only dedicated to work because I am going to be the bad guy and tell him no, you can’t spend them.
[00:19:00] They are going to give a good chance at the end of the day to.
[00:19:03] Both. I thought it was going to be the truth, that it was going to go in the trash. No, I wasn’t doing much. Since the platform was there, I said Let’s see then what is the business model, right? So we earn $5 for each payment. The other $5 is paid by the courier and our handling fees of $10. And I started to begin.
[00:19:23] Tell us about it because that is very interesting and I think it is worthwhile. In other words, with one more, more practical example. Let’s say a fast forwarder has to pick up some cargo from a warehouse at the Atlanta airport, for example. But what’s going on? In other words, what does the platform do that did not happen before? You used to have to bring your check as an opening act or well, tell us, tell us you, you, you got it. You are the.
[00:19:45] Expert. Yes, of course. When. When air cargo arrives in the ocean it is very easy. The charges are not that complicated to pay because you have two months in advance to know what payment, what charges you have to pay to release your cargo at the port. But airfreight is much faster. Everyone in the cargo industry is going to know what air cargo moves. So you can’t have a booking one day and the next day it will be ready. And you have to release it. No? Then in. In air cargo, at the time of import there are many people who become cargo stakeholders. Then there is the airline and there is the great Genuine Agent, which is the cargo agency subcontracted by the airline. To pick up the cargo there are some charges called Import Service charge or and SB that you have to pay to the freight forwarder who is the boss and working in Agent for them to release the cargo to you. At that time it was $45. Now that, that, that rate is already at $170 in $100. So if they don’t pay that money for cargo handling to the cargo agency subcontracted by the airline, they can’t pick up the cargo in that time. Many or the vast majority of everyone wanted nothing more. Paid by check. Yes, the price.
[00:21:12] As he had to bring the truck, the person who was going to pick up, that is, the person who picked up the cargo, brought his check and.
[00:21:19] And not the trailers, that some trailers advanced payment on behalf of the footer and charged five or $10 for that check. But since it is not the trail business and then they had a hard time reconciling with the customer, right? So many did not want to do it. The hotel had to send a FedEx or a yuppie overnight like that and it cost $20 or $25. It did not cost at that time this entity and send its own check. And you know what operations and accounting.
[00:21:51] Coordinate with the truck driver so that when the check arrives it is already there and then they find it, because it may be.
[00:21:57] And then it was destined. But and excuse me.
[00:22:00] He did not receive it or did not go to work that day.
[00:22:03] You will be.
[00:22:03] It came out a.
[00:22:04] Expense that was left under the coffee or the accountant did not register it well, so it was a big problem and many trailers were rejected because there was no payment or even though the payment was already made, it was not, and besides, the process was very inefficient because internally for him it was for Operations to go and ask accounting for a check and if Accounting went out to lunch or did not go to work or something else, the load gets stuck and he would.
[00:22:30] Truck driver is wasting his time there and many times.
[00:22:34] They charge the return. You know that they charge for a lap they give and if it was for.
[00:22:39] Blame it on three hours or ten minutes as it is the same for.
[00:22:43] They. So here what we changed is that the operator in the operations and weather operator could be put in. Now our platform made the payment. We would send the check the same day by courier who were at the major U.S. airports. This and we would give an invoice to the operations al who had 14 days to pay with us.
[00:23:12] So you were funding that yes and giving the physical check to you?
[00:23:17] Yes, of course.
[00:23:18] All charges Handling Agent Brown.
[00:23:22] So it was very beneficial for people in power operations because they would say What a beauty! My payment goes out the same day. I don’t have to worry about anything. And then my turkey department in.
[00:23:36] Mi.
[00:23:36] Company at their own pace, working at different, very different rhythms. They take out the check whenever they want, they do not process it, they put it in the system and then everything was, it made life much easier for them, also internally for Free Waters.
[00:23:55] And what year are you talking about this year? When he started putting up printers and things like that.
[00:24:01] In 2012, in 2002. That’s the story that typically he brought his printer and he was the courier in Atlanta, so he was on easy charge. He ordered Facility with an internet hotspot, this one printing checks and he would hang on his dashboard, form with his checks, the one he had accumulated from customer requests and deliver them, not this one. Little by little we were doing as the Cargo Facility looked like it was in charge of Sprint. Sprint charge and see our checks and they were more and more this volume. We have already started to make alliances, electronic payments, this one or install the printer right there, of course this one. So we have already been making efficiencies in our system and also making strategic alliances. This is how we started.
[00:25:01] And that was from you saying to be patient, wasn’t it? In other words, the first three years was to reinvest, reinvest at what point? Because at the beginning you just confessed to us this one that you thought was just another idea, you were at what point do you change your point of view a little bit and say hey, no, this, this really does, does it have, does it have legs and is it going to go somewhere, at what point does it change and what? Do you remember that one, that change? Maybe when you start getting into the business too?
[00:25:28] Yes, of course. Look, it was in 2012, in March he proposed me to make the platform. I said okay, spend the $6,000 and we’ll see. And the platform comes out in June. It was ready, wasn’t it? A very, very, very basic one. I didn’t even have a login. East. Then he hands it over and I start asking him how he is going to operate internally. He explains me his idea, how much is the charge, for each request and I start making my models. So I went into my Excel, I said let’s see if we can get a thousand payments. It is so much money 2003 thousand. How much freight does it move instead of being like my financial model? So super, super in Excel, right? So I said Ah, this has great potential. Yes, as long as we take out a thousand payments per month on application.
[00:26:21] From minivan depot.
[00:26:23] There is no more, we already have enough to eat, right? At that time he was working, so he changed. Big change was that you have the opportunity, but out of fear.
[00:26:34] There is not. When you risk leaving your job.
[00:26:37] Sure, life pushes you around. So they are very good pushes. Then there came a time, in October 2012, when the platform was delivered to us more or less in July and it is the company registered on July 5, July 4 or July 5, 2012. And we didn’t do anything out of fear, because he had his job, it was safe. So we cling there to what is safe and known and it is very scary what is unsafe, what you do not know and the unknown is not this one. So in October he gets fired from his job, this one and I tell him, you know, don’t look for another job, let’s do the platform, it’s already there, we have to do it. I prefer to fail, to fail together and say when we are 60 years old, but let’s try or die at 60 with your pension safe here, with our house secure. But to say. What if we had done it and died with that doubt? I said I’d rather fail a thousand times. Cañona. So to die with the doubt and uncertainty of what would have happened. If we pursue our dreams, then I don’t look for a job, and I really, really, sometimes I got into this kind of job search, I said I could get this job and I was hesitant, but I didn’t say anything. Then we went on and on and on and on. And that’s when the company started. But life, I tell you, pushes you around, doesn’t it? Sometimes the ugliest things that happen to you are for a purpose. If you are never fired from your job, never.
[00:28:27] Would have, never.
[00:28:27] They had started, never, ever, because he was comfortable. Ah, it’s just that I’m working because it was stepping out of his comfort zone for both of us, running out of income. This him having to go through all the airports in the United States to install printers was a very difficult decision, with three children to.
[00:28:49] In a country that was also relatively new to you, right?
[00:28:53] Yes, this one for me was. It was that part for me, more than the country was the children. I mean, I have three kids, I have to pay the mortgage on the house and how are we going to survive? No, so what’s going to happen? It was crazy. All the people were telling us. What do you mean, you’re not going to look for a job? No? So this was a decision that was taken together, but that is the difference, not to say I’m going to believe and I’m going to go for it with my eyes closed. And if I crash, well, God will provide, not this one, but it is there to apply everything you have learned, this one about life and to say ok, this is my moment of test, because those moments of test and to say what I am made of and then you have to be congruent with what you say you want and what you do.
[00:29:53] Yes, it is. I think the easiest thing in life, not everyone would want x or y thing, but hey, you are actively working day and night to achieve it. And well, that’s where you divide the people who get to fulfill it and the people who don’t get to fulfill it. And well, in a very successful way you did it. Tell us about how you were a little bit settled, since you knew that you were going to get through that stage of having been extremely difficult and stressful for you as a mother of three children, as in a country here in the United States as well, but how? Yes, what’s next? In other words, at what point do you say ok, well, now you have to start believing, you have to start growing, put a structure in place, hire how, how did you imagine or how? How did you solve all the following problems that come from having a new company, right?
[00:30:41] Yes, as I said, the first three years there was no first payment, that is, the first few months we did not even receive a payment request. It wasn’t like ah, what a father! But no, no, no one is encouraged, right? Then they started to put requests to us.
[00:31:00] Not here in Atlanta or people who are of tact who already had or conformed those early believers in enterprise.
[00:31:07] The era. He would talk on the phone and say there it is, payment platform that you can use and people are like oh, yeah, right, and he was the first one. The first was a company he worked for, which was mdi. They are some brokers in Milwaukee, this one and they were the first as users, not this one. And little by little it was running because we obviously didn’t have any money for marketing campaigns. So it was running like that, someone would see that it worked and that it was not a fraud and they would say ah, this is very good. Then by word of mouth it began to be recommended, but it takes a long time. Organic growth, three years without receiving capital, because we are a bootstrap company, we did not borrow or take capital from anyone to start the company with our own profits. We continue to grow. Not this one in two. Late 2014.
[00:32:08] For reference and sorry to interrupt you in 2012 at the end. How many payments did you process in that year? More or less zero. What about 2013? Zero also.
[00:32:17] Maybe 20.
[00:32:19] 20 for the whole year?
[00:32:20] Yes, 20, 30 yes. And the.
[00:32:23] 2014.
[00:32:24] 2014 we have already started to grow more and we will have processed around 1,000, 3,000 in the whole year. So it was our metric, my my, my main objective was in the first, in the for a month, for every month to process a thousand payments. And we would tell people we want to process a goal, a thousand payments a month, because that was already a salary. Worthy for us than to pay the mortgage and food. If then the first goal was 1,000 payments per month. We would say that to people and they would laugh and say hahahaha, nobody needs that. Do you know how many payments we are processing right now? This question above 170,000 monthly payments.
[00:33:13] 170 out of a thousand was the goal, they did not reach a thousand, they were a thousand for the whole year, at 170,000 per month.
[00:33:21] Per month.
[00:33:22] Now in the past year.
[00:33:24] Yes, no, the goal was a thousand a month, a thousand a month which gave us a decent minimum to be able to.
[00:33:30] In 2014 the total for the year was not, it was not one thousand.
[00:33:34] They were about 3005 thousand payments this 2014. Then we start to grow and I get into it full time. In January 2015 this I already hired someone here for my home and we were starting to gain traction before I went to work. A friend of mine that I was running with was very good and I told her ah, well come work with Joshua and there she is. She was the second person to join the team after Joshua is still with us working. Her name is Ana Vazquez and I was the third person until 2015. So it’s three years of going day in and day out and believing that this is going to work, right? In 2015 we exploded. By the summer of 2015 we decided to set up our back office in Mexico and start developing the entire organizational structure of the company. In Mexico. We moved to Guadalajara to live, we left Pitch City and that was another leap of faith, not to say what am I going to do. I already have my house, my home, my nest, my children, my toys, their toys, etc. And to leave everything one day and go to another house to start from zero the next day is very difficult. Of course, that was another leap.
[00:35:03] Of faith, but it was all a very strategic move and it also worked out very well for them not to have your entire backoffice in Mexico, this one. Tell us a little bit about that process or the advantages of having a backoffice in Mexico, because I am sure that many companies that are listening to us could benefit from countries like and not only Mexico, not any country in Latin America I think has the same opportunity to do what you did.
[00:35:29] Yes, of course, and in fact it is something that the big companies HP, Oracle and BM are doing in Guadalajara. All call centers in Guadalajara also serve customers such as Amazon Bank of America. Atenti then it is a is a is a is a is a is no longer something new.
[00:35:58] And it is proven.
[00:35:59] If it is not, it is, and especially now with COBIT they can work remotely from anywhere, well, that’s it. It is already very, very fluid. It benefited us a lot because Guadalajara is a technological hub for the country, right? Then in 2017 we decided to open our software lab and instead of continuing to outsource we started recruiting engineers and set up our own software lab this one. And there it is. Based in Guadalajara.
[00:36:31] Is your software also yours?
[00:36:33] Yes, yes, the software, all the tools we have are developed by us. We also have an engineer in India and some in the United States, but most of the software force is in Guadalajara.
[00:36:50] 100% Mexican talent. Yes, of course. Hey, and it’s part of the idea, to license some software or not is simply you use it exclusively us.
[00:37:01] We are using it, we use it as a payment platform, so it’s not really something that can be licensed. We do the Wide Table, for example, we have iPod. They have their payment platform with us and and. But there is the mark of them. Then we make White Label. No, we do not charge a license fee. It is absolutely free for them. And the only thing we acquire are the transactions, not this one. But they have their own brand, they keep the identity and everything, and we do everything that is the platform.
[00:37:44] Hey, going back now, skipping several years, well, we know it’s a successful company, fully established, very creative and they continue to innovate. What is it? What is the next step in your. In your strategic vision? East. Let’s go a little bit into the future, where do you see the growth that you can tell us about in the future? What is your perspective? A little of what is going to happen in the next 5 to 10 years?
[00:38:10] Yes, of course. Look, I was actually at the freight conference there. It was air cargo in London last week and very strong changes are coming for the air cargo industry. They are focusing on digitization at 300%. No? So, there are a lot of companies with very interesting proposals for the digitization of the operational processes that are now being done manually, and we are all going through a transition right now, right? So for me, for our company, which started in a disruptive way to digitize the payments area, this is our next step, is to continue to create innovation for the industry. We have another product which is Spring Pass and Spring Pass is a super noble product, it is not a platform as such, it is already a hub for the ecosystem, not where there can be interaction between the power and the trilateral and the office. Facility and visibility for the airline. So this hub concentrates on the pick up in cargo clothing in the AM air cargo agencies with Spring Pass. Can the trailer driver do from his abu from his phone a check in before he shows up for the cargo, for example, or the The hotel may have the visibility of where this blind spot arrives that AC already offloaded the plane because the airline is good at giving cargo tracking, but once he gets to the cargo Facility who knows what happened, right? So we have these, these metrics and through Spring the visibility is given. No, this is a.
[00:39:57] Product, they are as soon as it is.
[00:40:00] La. When this product is in development, we have been with it for five years, five years and we are in about ten airports. We are in Atlanta with a cargo facility, we are in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Jersey, New York, Florida and East Texas. We have about 20 cargo facilities with ten different 16 that are in the system and we are installing systems and systems one after another. It is free of charge. East Facility. We set up the check in, the kiosk that does the check in and check out and we manage all this system for you at no cost. So the objective of this product is to digitize the process, to create operational visibility for all stakeholders. This and also as collateral, we have a positive environmental impact, because if we can make the trailer driver not to wait for three hours with the trailer on outside the cargo hold, it will reduce the air pollution load around the airports, right?
[00:41:33] What separates? This is a very important issue. You were telling me last time we talked that the sustainability part of and all these green initiatives to save the planet are important to you and therefore to Sprint, right?
[00:41:47] Yes, of course. I think all companies should have an ethical sense of being aware of the impact that we generate. Then we can’t. Destroy the negative impact of our footprint that we leave on the planet in a way to see how we can make it less or less impactful and how we can contribute. Fortunately we are not in manufacturing and software. It’s very noble, isn’t it? But either way. Either way, if through our tools we can create efficiencies that leave a better planet for other people, we are very happy with that. Or not.
[00:42:30] No? Totally. And well, it is a very responsible way to be the leader in the industry and it is a pleasure to talk to you, I think we could schedule several calls and have some other episodes, in fact I would like to talk to you again in a few future months. I think you are in as you were saying, not at the center of many changes in the industry, technology is critical and will remain critical for many years to come. Then congratulations, I am proud and pleased. And congratulations to you and obviously to your partner and obviously to all the people that work for Sprint Cargo, because you are definitely a model, a role model and again something that highlights the potential that Latinos have around the world and people in particular from Mexico. In your case.
[00:43:22] Yes, of course, that’s how this one is. I think that we as entrepreneurs have the responsibility to believe in our talent, not this one, and to know that we have talent in Mexico, which I am very proud of. Our team is really hard-working, they are very cheerful, we have a very nice internal culture, and we also integrate very well with the culture of our counterpart in the United States, we also have people in the United States, directors, they enjoy living with Mexico when they go to the posada, the tenth anniversary party, so this is what it is. The truth is that we have a lot, many tools in Mexico that we as entrepreneurs can take advantage of, especially in software development. There is a very big opportunity. But there is a topic that I would like to invite all businessmen, that is, because Mexico is manufacturing software for other companies, because we do not have our own unicorns, because we have to manufacture software, right? Then encourage entrepreneurs and all the entrepreneurs I know, I mean, let’s see, think, how can you innovate, how can you create, if we have the how to do it. In our country we have a lot of engineers, because we didn’t start making our own Facebook, our own Instagram. So we have to question ourselves from that point of view, not only in commerce, not only in business, the company is not only selling something, but in software there is a great opportunity. E-commerce is a very nice business so we need to rethink our companies. How we can integrate them into an e-commerce modality.
[00:45:21] No? I totally agree and well, it is a very good call for all Mexican and Latin American businessmen, not to think about how we can continue to be protagonists in the different industries and in the different markets. No, we are already doing it, as you rightly say, at the end of the day we are renting software for other companies. Why? Why not be those companies? Then you are absolutely right. And once again, thank you very much for giving me the time to discuss this with you. Obviously we wish you all the best, you have our full support and again many many congratulations. Anything else you would like to share with our audience?
[00:46:02] No, nothing. There were some questions that you toasted around that was? No, no, I don’t remember what they were.
[00:46:09] You remember one that didn’t.
[00:46:11] Did I feel good?
[00:46:11] You wonder if, if casual.
[00:46:14] One. One was for me to tell you about Harvard. Huh?
[00:46:19] Tell me about Harvard.
[00:46:20] Okay. Lately, in the last year I took up the education side of the issue and I was at IPADE doing the two-year course in Guadalajara. And I also went to MIT for an innovation course and Harvard was also an innovation course. So this is in reference to what I leave the public with. Sometimes we fall into our comfort zone and our ego to say oh, I founded this company, if your company is already doing well, to say ah, I am, wow, I am great because all your workers tell you oh yes boss, of course, not everyone has applied, but then yes, if it would be an invitation to challenge ourselves, to be a bigger person in every way, not only spiritually, but also intellectually. And continuing education opportunities are plentiful. Harvard has its online business school at MIT and has its online business school. So we should keep ourselves updated and resume our studies, because right now the world is changing a lot from 2000 to 2022. Not now, companies cannot be managed in the same way. So would it be inviting them not to say to our people I want you to be better, I want you to give your best effort, I want you to study, keep working hard, but to start with our example and say you know what I am going to do to be a better version of what I was yesterday? And that means studies. This implies self-knowledge in all human aspects mind, body, soul and spirit. Work and work and work and work on them. And Harvard, MIT and IPADE were part of this and will continue to be because you plan to continue studying and they give you very important tools for the company.
[00:48:19] Well, and if you can send us some links of all these companies and opportunities and programs that you are in, this one that you had the opportunity to participate in, we can also put them in the notes of our interview so that the people who listen to us, not only learn from your example, but can get into more detail if they are interested. And as you say, I think it’s a very, very good suggestion for all entrepreneurs and for everybody to invest in investing in themselves, in their personal growth.
[00:48:50] Yes, education is very important, they are courses that you attend for a week and they change mental paradigms. And the one at MIT was like that, we went to Design Thinking. This Design Thinking session is very interesting because sometimes we say I am an innovative company, but if you don’t have the innovation method in your DNA and you know the process because it is a process, then you can’t call yourself innovative. If we really want to innovate, we have to look at the most innovative mile in the United States, which is there in Boston with MIT, and learn from them. Not having the humility to say I don’t know everything, let me see what I can learn.
[00:49:32] Heck, I’m sure I forgot several other questions.
[00:49:34] Well, you.
[00:49:35] Thank you. Isn’t there something else you want to remind me of? Because, I mean, everything you’ve done is pretty interesting. So there is some other that. What would you like not to answer?
[00:49:47] Me. I think that’s all it is. And the invitation? Well, not to human development, not just to make more money or to be more successful, but because I believe that as entrepreneurs we have a responsibility to be leaders and to inspire our teams by example, not to go inward, a journey of self-knowledge, of being, of being alert, self awareness and exploring that part of ourselves every other day. Because it is not reading a book or going to a school, but this self-observation, meditating, being present in where we are standing today.
[00:50:30] Not a very good lecture, the one you gave us today. So thank you again for taking the time to talk to me and to our Supply Chain audience in Spanish. I will bother you again in a few more months to see if you can come back to us. I think everything you’ve said has been not only very interesting, but maybe we could have gone into certain aspects of what you said in more detail, but Rayo, like the people listening to us, how can they? Contact us. As you may know a little more about Sprint charges such as. How can those who listen to us locate you?
[00:51:09] A Thank you very much. Is my LinkedIn link there? I am very active in this professional social network. You can send me a LinkedIn if you have questions, share experiences, go ahead. I am happy to share my experiences. Sometimes the entrepreneur’s path is a bit lonely and we can’t go with our questions to our friends or family, can we? So my inbox is open for you to send me a message hey, I have this situation or I was interested in some point of my talk this you have doubts. I am an open book so I am super happy to provide my experiences.
[00:51:53] And well and your company we are going to put all the information. I was told that the website is a good way to contact your company, if someone is listening, if they want some service, if they want to start working with you, that is the best.
[00:52:05] Yes, of course, our domain is cargo sprint dot com and there I think we also pass LinkedIn and Facebook’s league. They do have Twitter, I don’t. Then we can also connect through there and in the sprint dot com cart we also get our e-mails.
[00:52:28] Perfect. And again, thank you very much for everything. It is a pleasure to talk with you, as always to all of you who are listening to us, if you are interested in talks like the one we had today with Rayo Torres, please do not fail to subscribe again. My name is Enrique Alvarez and thank you all for listening to your Play now in Spanish.
Rayo Torres, since co-founding CargoSprint in 2012, she has been committed to the company’s growth while creating a human-centered culture within the organization. Connect with Rayo on LinkedIn.
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Host, Logistics with Purpose
Kristi Porter is VP of Sales and Marketing at Vector Global Logistics, a company that is changing the world through supply chain. In her role, she oversees all marketing efforts and supports the sales team in doing what they do best. In addition to this role, she is the Chief Do-Gooder at Signify, which assists nonprofits and social impact companies through copywriting and marketing strategy consulting. She has almost 20 years of professional experience, and loves every opportunity to help people do more good.
Host
From humble beginnings working the import docks, representing Fortune 500 giants, Ford, Michelin Tire, and Black & Decker; to Amazon technology patent holder and Nordstrom Change Leader, Kimberly Reuter has designed, implemented, and optimized best-in-class, highly scalable global logistics and retail operations all over the world. Kimberly’s ability to set strategic vision supported by bomb-proof processes, built on decades of hands-on experience, has elevated her to legendary status. Sought after by her peers and executives for her intellectual capital and keen insights, Kimberly is a thought leader in the retail logistics industry.
Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol
Sofia Rivas Herrera is a Mexican Industrial Engineer from Tecnologico de Monterrey class 2019. Upon graduation, she earned a scholarship to study MIT’s Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management and graduated as one of the Top 3 performers of her class in 2020. She also has a multicultural background due to her international academic experiences at Singapore Management University and Kühne Logistics University in Hamburg. Sofia self-identifies as a Supply Chain enthusiast & ambassador sharing her passion for the field in her daily life.
Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol
Demo Perez started his career in 1997 in the industry by chance when a relative asked him for help for two just weeks putting together an operation for FedEx Express at the Colon Free Zone, an area where he was never been but accepted the challenge. Worked in all roles possible from a truck driver to currier to a sales representative, helped the brand introduction, market share growth and recognition in the Colon Free Zone, at the end of 1999 had the chance to meet and have a chat with Fred Smith ( FedEx CEO), joined another company in 2018 who took over the FedEx operations as Operations and sales manager, in 2004 accepted the challenge from his company to leave the FedEx operations and business to take over the operation and business of DHL Express, his major competitor and rival so couldn’t say no, by changing completely its operation model in the Free Zone. In 2005 started his first entrepreneurial journey by quitting his job and joining two friends to start a Freight Forwarding company. After 8 months was recruited back by his company LSP with the General Manager role with the challenge of growing the company and make it fully capable warehousing 3PL. By 2009 joined CSCMP and WERC and started his journey of learning and growing his international network and high-level learning. In 2012 for the first time joined a local association ( the Panama Maritime Chamber) and worked in the country’s first Logistics Strategy plan, joined and lead other associations ending as president of the Panama Logistics Council in 2017. By finishing his professional mission at LSP with a company that was 8 times the size it was when accepted the role as GM with so many jobs generated and several young professionals coached, having great financial results, took the decision to move forward and start his own business from scratch by the end of 2019. with a friend and colleague co-founded IPL Group a company that started as a boutique 3PL and now is gearing up for the post-Covid era by moving to the big leagues.
Host, Supply Chain Now
The founder of Logistics Executive Group, Kim Winter delivers 40 years of executive leadership experience spanning Executive Search & Recruitment, Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, Corporate Advisory, Motivational Speaking, Trade Facilitation and across the Supply Chain, Logistics, 3PL, E-commerce, Life Science, Cold Chain, FMCG, Retail, Maritime, Defence, Aviation, Resources, and Industrial sectors. Operating from the company’s global offices, he is a regular contributor of thought leadership to industry and media, is a professional Master of Ceremonies, and is frequently invited to chair international events.
He is a Board member of over a dozen companies throughout APAC, India, and the Middle East, a New Zealand citizen, he holds formal resident status in Australia and the UAE, and is the Australia & New Zealand representative for the UAE Government-owned Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), the Middle East’s largest Economic Free Zone.
A triathlete and ex-professional rugby player, Kim is a qualified (IECL Sydney) executive coach and the Founder / Chairman of the successful not for profit humanitarian organization, Oasis Africa (www. oasisafrica.org.au), which has provided freedom from poverty through education to over 8000 mainly orphaned children in East Africa’s slums. Kim holds an MBA and BA from Massey & Victoria Universities (NZ).
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Adrian Purtill serves as Business Development Manager at Vector Global Logistics, where he consults with importers and exporters in various industries to match their specific shipping requirements with the most effective supply chain solutions. Vector Global Logistics is an asset-free, multi-modal logistics company that provides exceptional sea freight, air freight, truck, rail, general logistic services and consulting for our clients. Our highly trained and professional team is committed to providing creative and effective solutions, always exceeding our customer’s expectations and fostering long-term relationships. With more than 20+ years of experience in both strategy consulting and logistics, Vector Global Logistics is your best choice to proactively minimize costs while having an exceptional service level.
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Kevin Brown is the Director of Business Development for Vector Global Logistics. He has a dedicated interest in Major Account Management, Enterprise Sales, and Corporate Leadership. He offers 25 years of exceptional experience and superior performance in the sales of Logistics, Supply Chain, and Transportation Management. Kevin is a dynamic, high-impact, sales executive and corporate leader who has consistently exceeded corporate goals. He effectively coordinates multiple resources to solution sell large complex opportunities while focusing on corporate level contacts across the enterprise. His specialties include targeting and securing key accounts by analyzing customer’s current business processes and developing solutions to meet their corporate goals. Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn.
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Jose Manuel Irarrazaval es parte del equipo de Vector Global Logistics Chile. José Manuel es un gerente experimentado con experiencia en finanzas corporativas, fusiones y adquisiciones, financiamiento y reestructuración, inversión directa y financiera, tanto en Chile como en el exterior. José Manuel tiene su MBA de la Universidad de Pennsylvania- The Wharton School. Conéctese con Jose Manuel en LinkedIn.
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Nick Roemer has had a very diverse and extensive career within design and sales over the last 15 years stretching from China, Dubai, Germany, Holland, UK, and the USA. In the last 5 years, Nick has developed a hawk's eye for sustainable tech and the human-centric marketing and sales procedures that come with it. With his far-reaching and strong network within the logistics industry, Nick has been able to open new avenues and routes to market within major industries in the USA and the UAE. Nick lives by the ethos, “Give more than you take." His professional mission is to make the logistics industry leaner, cleaner and greener.
Host
Allison Krache Giddens has been with Win-Tech, a veteran-owned small business and aerospace precision machine shop, for 15 years, recently buying the company from her mentor and Win-Tech’s Founder, Dennis Winslow. She and her business partner, John Hudson now serve as Co-Presidents, leading the 33-year old company through the pandemic.
She holds undergraduate degrees in psychology and criminal justice from the University of Georgia, a Masters in Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University, a Masters in Manufacturing from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Certificate of Finance from the University of Georgia. She also holds certificates in Google Analytics, event planning, and Cybersecurity Risk Management from Harvard online. Allison founded the Georgia Chapter of Women in Manufacturing and currently serves as Treasurer. She serves on the Chattahoochee Technical College Foundation Board as its Secretary, the liveSAFE Resources Board of Directors as Resource Development Co-Chair, and on the Leadership Cobb Alumni Association Board as Membership Chair and is also a member of Cobb Executive Women. She is on the Board for the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s Northwest Area Councils. Allison runs The Dave Krache Foundation, a non-profit that helps pay sports fees for local kids in need.
Host
Billy Taylor is a Proven Business Excellence Practitioner and Leadership Guru with over 25 years leading operations for a Fortune 500 company, Goodyear. He is also the CEO of LinkedXL (Excellence), a Business Operating Systems Architecting Firm dedicated to implementing sustainable operating systems that drive sustainable results. Taylor’s achievements in the industry have made him a Next Generational Lean pacesetter with significant contributions.
An American business executive, Taylor has made a name for himself as an innovative and energetic industry professional with an indispensable passion for his craft of operational excellence. His journey started many years ago and has worked with renowned corporations such as The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (GT) leading multi-site operations. With over 3 decades of service leading North America operations, he is experienced in a deeply rooted process driven approach in customer service, process integrity for sustainability.
A disciple of continuous improvement, Taylor’s love for people inspires commitment to helping others achieve their full potential. He is a dynamic speaker and hosts "The Winning Link," a popular podcast centered on business and leadership excellence with the #1 rated Supply Chain Now Network. As a leadership guru, Taylor has earned several invitations to universities, international conferences, global publications, and the U.S. Army to demonstrate how to achieve and sustain effective results through cultural acceptance and employee ownership. Leveraging the wisdom of his business acumen, strong influence as a speaker and podcaster Taylor is set to release "The Winning Link" book under McGraw Hill publishing in 2022. The book is a how-to manual to help readers understand the management of business interactions while teaching them how to Deine, Align, and Execute Winning in Business.
A servant leader, Taylor, was named by The National Diversity Council as one of the Top 100 Diversity Officers in the country in 2021. He features among Oklahoma's Most Admired CEOs and maintains key leadership roles with the Executive Advisory Board for The Shingo Institute "The Nobel Prize of Operations" and The Association of Manufacturing Excellence (AME); two world-leading organizations for operational excellence, business development, and cultural learning. He is also an Independent Director for the M-D Building Products Board, a proud American manufacturer of quality products since 1920.
Host
Tandreia Bellamy retired as the Vice President of Industrial Engineering for UPS Supply Chain Solutions which included the Global Logistics, Global Freight Forwarding and UPS Freight business units. She was responsible for operations strategy and planning, asset management, forecasting, and technology tool development to optimize sustainable efficiency while driving world class service.
Tandreia held similar positions at the business unit level for Global Logistics and Global Freight forwarding. As the leader of the Global Logistics engineering function, she directed all industrial engineering activies related to distribution, service parts logistics (post-sales support), and mail innovations (low cost, light weight shipping partnership with the USPS). Between these roles Tandreia helped to establish the Advanced Technology Group which was formed to research and develop cutting edge solutions focused on reducing reliance on manual labor.
Tandreia began her career in 1986 as a part-time hourly manual package handling employee. She spent the great majority of her career in the small package business unit which is responsible for the pick-up, sort, transport and delivery of packages domestically. She held various positions in Industrial Engineering, Marketing, Inside and On-road operations in Central Florida before transferring to Atlanta for a position in Corporate Product Development and Corporate Industrial Engineering. Tandreia later held IE leadership roles in Nebraska, Minnesota and Chicago. In her final role in small package she was an IE VP responsible for all aspects of IE, technology support and quality for the 25 states on the western half of the country.
Tandreia is currently a Director for the University of Central Florida (UCF) Foundation Board and also serves on their Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Previously Tandreia served on the Executive Advisory Board for Virginia Tech’s IE Department and the Association for Supply Chain Management. She served on the Board of Trustees for ChildServ (a Chicago child and family services non-profit) and also served on the Texas A&M and Tuskegee Engineering Advisory Boards. In 2006 she was named Business Advisor of the Year by INROADS, in 2009 she was recognized as a Technology All-Star at the Women of Color in STEM conference and in 2019 she honored as a UCF Distinguished Aluma by the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems.
Tandreia holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Systems from UCF. Her greatest accomplishment, however, is being the proud mother of two college students, Ruby (24) and Anthony (22).
Host
Marty Parker serves as both the CEO & Founder of Adæpt Advising and an award-winning Senior Lecturer (Teaching Professor) in Supply Chain and Operations Management at the University of Georgia. He has 30 years of experience as a COO, CMO, CSO (Chief Strategy Officer), VP of Operations, VP of Marketing and Process Engineer. He founded and leads UGA’s Supply Chain Advisory Board, serves as the Academic Director of UGA’s Leaders Academy, and serves on multiple company advisory boards including the Trucking Profitability Strategies Conference, Zion Solutions Group and Carlton Creative Company.
Marty enjoys helping people and companies be successful. Through UGA, Marty is passionate about his students, helping them network and find internships and jobs. He does this through several hundred one-on-one zoom meetings each year with his students and former students. Through Adæpt Advising, Marty has organized an excellent team of affiliates that he works with to help companies grow and succeed. He does this by helping c-suite executives improve their skills, develop better leaders, engage their workforce, improve processes, and develop strategic plans with detailed action steps and financial targets. Marty believes that excellence in supply chain management comes from the understanding the intersection of leadership, culture, and technology, working across all parts of the organization to meet customer needs, maximize profit and minimize costs.
Marketing Coordinator
Laura Lopez serves as our Supply Chain Now Marketing Coordinator. She graduated from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente in Mexico with a degree in marketing. Laura loves everything digital because she sees the potential it holds for companies in the marketing industry. Her passion for creativity and thinking outside the box led her to pursue a career in marketing. With experience in fields like accounting, digital marketing, and restaurants, she clearly enjoys taking on challenges. Laura lives the best of both worlds - you'll either catch her hanging out with her friends soaking up the sun in Mexico or flying out to visit her family in California!
Host
An acknowledged industry leader, Jake Barr now serves as CEO for BlueWorld Supply Chain Consulting, providing support to a cross section of Fortune 500 companies such as Cargill, Caterpillar, Colgate, Dow/Dupont, Firmenich, 3M, Merck, Bayer/Monsanto, Newell Brands, Kimberly Clark, Nestle, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Sanofi, Estee Lauder and Coty among others. He's also devoted time to engagements in public health sector work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. At P&G, he managed the breakthrough delivery of an E2E (End to End) Planning Transformation effort, creating control towers which now manage the daily business globally. He is recognized as the architect for P&G’s demand driven supply chain strategy – referenced as a “Consumer Driven Supply Chain” transformation. Jake began his career with P&G in Finance in Risk Analysis and then moved into Operations. He has experience in building supply network capability globally through leadership assignments in Asia, Latin America, North America and the Middle East. He currently serves as a Research Associate for MIT; a member of Supply Chain Industry Advisory Council; Member of Gartner’s Supply Chain Think Tank; Consumer Goods “League of Leaders“; and a recipient of the 2015 - 2021 Supply Chain “Pro’s to Know” Award. He has been recognized as a University of Kentucky Fellow.
Host
Marcia Williams, Managing Partner of USM Supply Chain, has 18 years of experience in Supply Chain, with expertise in optimizing Supply Chain-Finance Planning (S&OP/ IBP) at Large Fast-Growing CPGs for greater profitability and improved cash flows. Marcia has helped mid-sized and large companies including Lindt Chocolates, Hershey, and Coty. She holds an MBA from Michigan State University and a degree in Accounting from Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay (South America). Marcia is also a Forbes Council Contributor based out of New York, and author of the book series Supply Chains with Maria in storytelling style. A recent speaker’s engagement is Marcia TEDx Talk: TEDxMSU - How Supply Chain Impacts You: A Transformational Journey.
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Luisa Garcia is a passionate Marketer from Lagos de Moreno based in Aguascalientes. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes, Mexico. She specializes in brand development at any stage, believing that a brand is more than just a name or image—it’s an unforgettable experience. Her expertise helps brands achieve their dreams and aspirations, making a lasting impact. Currently working at Vector Global Logistics in the Marketing team and as podcast coordinator of Logistics With Purpose®. Luisa believes that purpose-driven decisions will impact results that make a difference in the world.
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Astrid Aubert was born in Guadalajara, she is 39 years old and has had the opportunity to live in many places. She studied communication and her professional career has been in Trade Marketing for global companies such as Pepsico and Mars. She currently works as Marketing Director Mexico for Vector Global Logistics. She is responsible for internal communications and marketing strategy development for the logistics industry. She is a mother of two girls, married and lives in Monterrey. She defines herself as a creative and innovative person, and enjoys traveling and cooking a lot.
Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol
Sofia self-identifies as Supply Chain Ambassador, her mission is to advocate for the field and inspire young generations from diverse backgrounds and cultures to join the industry so that thought diversity is increased and change accelerated. Recognized as Linkedin Top Voice and Linkedin Community Top Voice in Supply Chain Management, as well as Emerging Leader in Supply Chain by CSCMP 2024, Top Women in Supply Chain by Supply & Demand Executive 2023, and Coup de Coeur Global Women Leaders in Supply Chain by B2G Consulting in 2021.
Public speaker at multiple international events from keynotes and panels, to webinars and guest lectures for bachelor's and master's degrees, discussing topics such as sustainability, women in the industry, technology and innovation. Writer at different online magazines on logistics, supply chain and technology. Podcast host and guest on different recognized programs in the industry. Sofia has more than 5 years of experience from academic research and field studies to warehouse operations, demand planning and network design. She has worked in manufacturing, airport operations, e-commerce retail, and technology hardware across Latin America, North America and Europe.
Currently working as Supply Chain Network Design and Optimization Manager at HP within their Global Supply Chain and Logistics team.
Host
Karin Bursa is the 2020 Supply Chain Pro to Know of the Year and the Host of the TEKTOK Digital Supply Chain Podcast powered by Supply Chain Now. With more than 25 years of supply chain and technology expertise (and the scars to prove it), Karin has the heart of a teacher and has helped nearly 1,000 customers transform their businesses and share their success stories. Today, she helps B2B technology companies introduce new products, capture customer success and grow global revenue, market share and profitability. In addition to her recognition as the 2020 Supply Chain Pro to Know of the Year, Karin has also been recognized as a 2019 and 2018 Supply Chain Pro to Know, 2009 Technology Marketing Executive of the Year and a 2008 Women in Technology Finalist.
Host
Vin Vashishta is the author of ‘From Data To Profit’ (Wiley 2023). It’s the playbook for monetizing data and AI. Vin is the Founder of V-Squared and built the business from client 1 to one of the world’s oldest data and AI consulting firms. His background combines nearly 30 years in strategy, leadership, software engineering, and applied machine learning.
Vice President, Production
Amanda is a production and marketing veteran and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience across a variety of industries and organizations including Von Maur, Anthropologie, AmericasMart Atlanta, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Amanda currently manages, produces, and develops modern digital content for Supply Chain Now and their clients. Amanda has previously served as the VP of Information Systems and Webmaster on the Board of Directors for APICS Savannah, and founded and managed her own successful digital marketing firm, Magnolia Marketing Group. When she’s not leading the Supply Chain Now production team, you can find Amanda in the kitchen, reading, listening to podcasts, or enjoying time with family.
Founder, CEO, & Host
As the founder and CEO of Supply Chain Now, you might say Scott is the voice of supply chain – but he’s too much of a team player to ever claim such a title. One thing’s for sure: he’s a tried and true supply chain expert. With over 15 years of experience in the end-to-end supply chain, Scott’s insights have appeared in major publications including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and CNN. He has also been named a top industry influencer by Thinkers360, ISCEA and more.
From 2009-2011, Scott was president of APICS Atlanta, and he continues to lead initiatives that support both the local business community and global industry. A United States Air Force Veteran, Scott has also regularly led efforts to give back to his fellow veteran community since his departure from active duty in 2002.
Principal & Host
When rapid-growth technology companies, venture capital and private equity firms are looking for advisory, they call Greg – a founder, board director, advisor and catalyst of disruptive B2B technology and supply chain. An insightful visionary, Greg guides founders, investors and leadership teams in creating breakthroughs to gain market exposure and momentum – increasing overall company esteem and valuation.
Greg is a founder himself, creating Blue Ridge Solutions, a Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader in cloud-native supply chain applications, and bringing to market Curo, a field service management solution. He has also held leadership roles with Servigistics (PTC) and E3 Corporation (JDA/Blue Yonder). As a principal and host at Supply Chain Now, Greg helps guide the company’s strategic direction, hosts industry leader discussions, community livestreams, and all in addition to executive producing and hosting his original YouTube channel and podcast, TEChquila Sunrise.
Principal, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain is Boring
Talk about world-class: Chris is one of the few professionals in the world to hold CPIM-F, CLTD-F and CSCP-F designations from ASCM/APICS. He’s also the APICS coach – and our resident Supply Chain Doctor. When he’s not hosting programs with Supply Chain Now, he’s sharing supply chain knowledge on the APICS Coach Youtube channel or serving as a professional education instructor for the Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistic Institute’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) program and University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Center for Professional Education courses.
Chris earned a BS in Industrial Engineering from Bradley University, an MBA with emphasis in Industrial Psychology from the University of West Florida, and is a Doctoral in Supply Chain Management candidate.
Director of Sales
Tyler Ward serves as Supply Chain Now's Director of Sales. Born and raised in Mid-Atlantic, Tyler is a proud graduate of Shippensburg University where he earned his degree in Communications. After college, he made his way to the beautiful state of Oregon, where he now lives with his wife and daughter.
With over a decade of experience in sales, Tyler has a proven track record of exceeding targets and leading high-performing teams. He credits his success to his ability to communicate effectively with customers and team members alike, as well as his strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
When he's not closing deals, you can find Tyler on the links or cheering on his favorite football and basketball teams. He also enjoys spending time with his family, playing pick-up basketball, and traveling back to Ocean City, Maryland, his favorite place!
Host of Digital Transformers
Kevin L. Jackson is a globally recognized Thought Leader, Industry Influencer and Founder/Author of the award winning “Cloud Musings” blog. He has also been recognized as a “Top 5G Influencer” (Onalytica 2019, Radar 2020), a “Top 50 Global Digital Transformation Thought Leader” (Thinkers 360 2019) and provides strategic consulting and integrated social media services to AT&T, Intel, Broadcom, Ericsson and other leading companies. Mr. Jackson’s commercial experience includes Vice President J.P. Morgan Chase, Worldwide Sales Executive for IBM and SAIC (Engility) Director Cloud Solutions. He has served on teams that have supported digital transformation projects for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the US Intelligence Community. Kevin’s formal education includes a MS Computer Engineering from Naval Postgraduate School; MA National Security & Strategic Studies from Naval War College; and a BS Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy. Internationally recognizable firms that have sponsored articles authored by him include Cisco, Microsoft, Citrix and IBM. Books include “Click to Transform” (Leaders Press, 2020), “Architecting Cloud Computing Solutions” (Packt, 2018), and “Practical Cloud Security: A Cross Industry View” (Taylor & Francis, 2016). He also delivers online training through Tulane University, O’Reilly Media, LinkedIn Learning, and Pluralsight. Mr. Jackson retired from the U.S. Navy in 1994, earning specialties in Space Systems Engineering, Carrier Onboard Delivery Logistics and carrier-based Airborne Early Warning and Control. While active, he also served with the National Reconnaissance Office, Operational Support Office, providing tactical support to Navy and Marine Corps forces worldwide.
Host of Logistics with Purpose and Supply Chain Now en Español
Enrique serves as Managing Director at Vector Global Logistics and believes we all have a personal responsibility to change the world. He is hard working, relationship minded and pro-active. Enrique trusts that the key to logistics is having a good and responsible team that truly partners with the clients and does whatever is necessary to see them succeed. He is a proud sponsor of Vector’s unique results-based work environment and before venturing into logistics he worked for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). During his time at BCG, he worked in different industries such as Telecommunications, Energy, Industrial Goods, Building Materials, and Private Banking. His main focus was always on the operations, sales, and supply chain processes, with case focus on, logistics, growth strategy, and cost reduction. Prior to joining BCG, Enrique worked for Grupo Vitro, a Mexican glass manufacturer, for five years holding different positions from sales and logistics manager to supply chain project leader in charge of five warehouses in Colombia.
He has an MBA from The Wharton School of Business and a BS, in Mechanical Engineer from the Technologico de Monterrey in Mexico. Enrique’s passions are soccer and the ocean, and he also enjoys traveling, getting to know new people, and spending time with his wife and two kids, Emma and Enrique.
Host of Dial P for Procurement
Kelly is the Owner and Managing Director of Buyers Meeting Point and MyPurchasingCenter. She has been in procurement since 2003, starting as a practitioner and then as the Associate Director of Consulting at Emptoris. She has covered procurement news, events, publications, solutions, trends, and relevant economics at Buyers Meeting Point since 2009. Kelly is also the General Manager at Art of Procurement and Business Survey Chair for the ISM-New York Report on Business. Kelly has her MBA from Babson College as well as an MS in Library and Information Science from Simmons College and she has co-authored three books: ‘Supply Market Intelligence for Procurement Professionals’, ‘Procurement at a Crossroads’, and ‘Finance Unleashed’.
Host, Veteran Voices
Mary Kate Soliva is a veteran of the US Army and cofounder of the Guam Human Rights Initiative. She is currently in the Doctor of Criminal Justice program at Saint Leo University. She is passionate about combating human trafficking and has spent the last decade conducting training for military personnel and the local community.
Host
Constantine Limberakis is a thought leader in the area of procurement and supply management. He has over 20 years of international experience, playing strategic roles in a wide spectrum of organizations related to analyst advisory, consulting, product marketing, product development, and market research.
Throughout his career, he's been passionate about engaging global business leaders and the broader analyst and technology community with strategic content, speaking engagements, podcasts, research, webinars, and industry articles.
Constantine holds a BA in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an MBA in Finance & Marketing / Masters in Public & International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh.
Business Development Manager
Clay is passionate about two things: supply chain and the marketing that goes into it. Recently graduated with a degree in marketing at the University of Georgia, Clay got his start as a journalism major and inaugural member of the Owl’s football team at Kennesaw State University – but quickly saw tremendous opportunity in the Terry College of Business. He’s already putting his education to great use at Supply Chain Now, assisting with everything from sales and brand strategy to media production. Clay has contributed to initiatives such as our leap into video production, the guest blog series, and boosting social media presence, and after nearly two years in Supply Chain Now’s Marketing Department, Clay now heads up partnership and sales initiatives with the help of the rest of the Supply Chain Now sales team.
Administrative Assistant
Trisha is new to the supply chain industry – but not to podcasting. She’s an experienced podcast manager and virtual assistant who also happens to have 20 years of experience as an elementary school teacher. It’s safe to say, she’s passionate about helping people, and she lives out that passion every day with the Supply Chain Now team, contributing to scheduling and podcast production.
Social Media Manager
My name is Chantel King and I am the Social Media Specialist at Supply Chain Now. My job is to make sure our audience is engaged and educated on the abundant amount of information the supply chain industry has to offer.
Social Media and Communications has been my niche ever since I graduated from college at The Academy of Art University in San Francisco. No, I am not a West Coast girl. I was born and raised in New Jersey, but my travel experience goes way beyond the garden state. My true passion is in creating editorial and graphic content that influences others to be great in whatever industry they are in. I’ve done this by working with lifestyle, financial, and editorial companies by providing resources to enhance their businesses.
Another passion of mine is trying new things. Whether it’s food, an activity, or a sport. I would like to say that I am an adventurous Taurus that never shies away from a new quest or challenge.
Marketing Coordinator
Lori is currently completing a degree in marketing with an emphasis in digital marketing at the University of Georgia. When she’s not supporting the marketing efforts at Supply Chain Now, you can find her at music festivals – or working toward her dream goal of a fashion career. Lori is involved in many extracurricular activities and appreciates all the learning experiences UGA has brought her.
Director, Customer Experience
Katherine is a marketing professional and MBA candidate who strives to unite her love of people with a passion for positive experiences. Having a diverse background, which includes nonprofit work with digital marketing and start-ups, she serves as a leader who helps people live their most creative lives by cultivating community, order, collaboration, and respect. With equal parts creativity and analytics, she brings a unique skill set which fosters refining, problem solving, and connecting organizations with their true vision. In her free time, you can usually find her looking for her cup of coffee, playing with her puppy Charlie, and dreaming of her next road trip.
Chief of Staff & Host
Mary Kate Love is currently the VP of marketing at Supply Chain Now focused on brand strategy and audience + revenue growth. Mary Kate’s career is a testament to her versatility and innovative spirit: she has experience in start-ups, venture capital, and building innovation initiatives from the ground up: she previously helped lead the build-out of the Supply Chain Innovation Center at Georgia-Pacific and before that, MxD (Manufacturing times Digital): the Department of Defense’s digital manufacturing innovation center. Mary Kate has a passion for taking complicated ideas and turning them into reality: she was one of the first team members at MxD and the first team member at the Supply Chain Innovation Center at Georgia-Pacific.
Mary Kate dedicates her extra time to education and mentorship: she was one of the founding Board Members for Women Influence Chicago and led an initiative for a city-wide job shadow day for young women across Chicago tech companies and was previously on the Board of Directors at St. Laurence High School in Chicago, Young Irish Fellowship Board and the UN Committee for Women. Mary Kate is the founder of National Supply Chain Day and enjoys co-hosting podcasts at Supply Chain Now. Mary Kate is from the south side of Chicago, a mom of two baby boys, and an avid 16-inch softball player. She holds a BS in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Marketing Specialist
Joshua is a student from Institute of Technology and Higher Education of Monterrey Campus Guadalajara in Communication and Digital Media. His experience ranges from Plug and Play México, DearDoc, and Nissan México creating unique social media marketing campaigns and graphics design. Joshua helps to amplify the voice of supply chain here at Supply Chain Now by assisting in graphic design, content creation, asset logistics, and more. In his free time he likes to read and write short stories as well as watch movies and television series.
Director of Communications and Executive Producer
Donna Krache is a former CNN executive producer who has won several awards in journalism and communication, including three Peabodys. She has 30 years’ experience in broadcast and digital journalism. She led the first production team at CNN to convert its show to a digital platform. She has authored many articles for CNN and other media outlets. She taught digital journalism at Georgia State University and Arizona State University. Krache holds a bachelor’s degree in government from the College of William and Mary and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of New Orleans. She is a serious sports fan who loves the Braves. She is president of the Dave Krache Foundation. Named in honor of her late husband, this non-profit pays fees for kids who want to play sports but whose parents are facing economic challenges.
Controller
Vicki has a long history of rising to challenges and keeping things up and running. First, she supported her family’s multi-million dollar business as controller for 12 years, beginning at the age of 17. Then, she worked as an office manager and controller for a wholesale food broker. But her biggest feat? Serving as the chief executive officer of her household, while her entrepreneur husband travelled the world extensively. She fed, nurtured, chaperoned, and chauffeured three daughters all while running a newsletter publishing business and remaining active in her community as a Stephen’s Minister, Sunday school teacher, school volunteer, licensed realtor and POA Board president (a title she holds to this day). A force to be reckoned with in the office, you might think twice before you meet Vicki on the tennis court! When she’s not keeping the books balanced at Supply Chain Now or playing tennis matches, you can find Vicki spending time with her husband Greg, her 4 fur babies, gardening, cleaning (yes, she loves to clean!) and learning new things.
Creative Director, Producer, Host
Katherine Hintz, MBA is a marketing professional who strives to unite her love of people with a passion for positive experiences. Having a diverse background, which includes nonprofit work with digital marketing and start-ups, she serves as a leader who helps people live their most creative lives by cultivating community, order, collaboration, and respect. With equal parts creativity and analytics, she brings a unique skill set which fosters refining, problem solving, and connecting organizations with their true vision. In her free time, you can usually find her looking for her cup of coffee, playing with her puppy Charlie, and dreaming of her next road trip.