Supply Chain Now
Episode 1082

I think we will continue to see what we’re seeing in this report for at least the next two quarters. Prices will stay somewhat stable while demand continues to drop to adjust to trucking availability in the country.

-Enrique Alvarez, Managing Director, Vector Global Logistics

Episode Summary

In 2022, U.S. Bank processed $46 billion in freight payments for some of the world’s largest corporations and government agencies. Those payments and the data that accompanies them are analyzed quarterly by Bobby Holland, U.S. Bank vice president and director of Freight Data Solutions and his team. The FPI report includes quarter over quarter, year over year, and full year data and analysis.

In Q4, truck freight shipments experienced the largest year-over-year drop in volume since the third quarter of 2020 – the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although volume is down, driven in part by a decline in consumer spending, carrier spending did not decline significantly, suggesting that capacity is tight and that cost pressures are driving smaller carriers out of the market.

In this interview, Bobby is joined by Enrique Alvarez from Vector Global Logistics to share the results of the Q4 2022 report with Supply Chain Now Co-hosts Greg White and Scott Luton, interpreting what they may mean for the economy and the shipping industry in the short and longer term.

• How high interest rates are influencing consumer spending, and the impact this is having on the freight marketplace

• Secondary headwinds from a slowdown in manufacturing activity and construction spending

• Why the Southwest was the only region of the five defined by U.S. Bank to experience growth in shipments and spending

Episode Transcript

Intro/Outro (00:03):

Welcome to Supply Chain Now, the voice of global supply chain. Supply Chain Now focuses on the best in the business for our worldwide audience, the people, the technologies, the best practices, and today’s critical issues, the challenges and opportunities. Stay tuned to hear from those making global business happen right here on Supply Chain Now.

Scott Luton (00:33):

Hey. Hey. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening wherever you are. Scott Luton and Greg White here with you live on Supply Chain Now. Welcome to today’s livestream. Gregory, how are we doing?

Greg White (00:42):

 Live. Live.

Scott Luton (00:45):

Times two.

Greg White (00:46):

Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:48):

And we are just talking about a certain movie figure out in theaters that is extra Live as well, Greg, right?

Greg White (00:54):

Yeah. Should we share the title?

Scott Luton (00:57):

We’ll save that for later, how about that?

Greg White (00:59):

Yeah. Like, wow, what a promo. That might be the most compelling lightning trailer ever. And I bet people can guess maybe just from that. But we’ll save it for later.

Scott Luton (01:11):

Undoubtedly. Well, hey, Greg, it’s Super Bowl week. We’re going to save that discussion. Of course, it’s your Kansas City Chiefs versus the Philadelphia Eagles. It should be a great game, Sunday.

Greg White (01:23):

That shoulder? [Inaudible] from Patrick Mahomes.

Scott Luton (01:25):

Legendary. He’s becoming quite a legend with that throw. But today, folks, we got basically the Super Bowl of the domestic freight market. Greg, how about that?

Greg White (01:36):

I like that.

Scott Luton (01:37)

So, today, we’re going to be sharing key insights from one of the leading transportation industry resources, so U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index for Q4 2022. Now, Greg, we’re going to be bringing on a couple guests here, but I want to share to folks what they can expect with the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index. You know, we’ve been covering this thing, I think, going on three, four years now and we’re going to dive into this report a lot deeper. But we want to invite all of our listeners out there, hey, download your own copy of the Freight Payment Index to follow along. We’re going to be dropping links and how to get that here. You can see some of the data. They break it out in five different regions, chock full of good insights and takeaways. And, folks, if you’re tuning in, if you’re listening to us, you can go to freight.us bank.com to get your copy. You can mark it up, dog ear it, spill coffee on it, whatever. But use it, right, Greg?

Greg White (02:25):

Don’t print it.

Scott Luton (02:27):

That’s right. Who prints stuff these days?

Greg White (02:29):

Yeah. Finally, Adobe Acrobat will let you make comments on stuff without paying Adobe. So, be cheap, be frugal, be environmentally friendly. But still mark it up, like Scott says. I mean, look, it is worth getting into for sure. And, man, this one – wow.

Scott Luton (02:51):

So, before I throw it over to you, getting key takeaways, again, domestic freight market from not only the Freight Payment Index, but two business leaders that have extensive experience in the industry, especially the transportation sectors. But, Greg, before we introduce our guests here – we’ve got two good ones – tell us more, I mean, we’ve really enjoyed this ongoing collaboration with U.S. Bank, right?

Greg White (03:13):

Yeah. I mean, this is such an important report and U.S. Bank processes $46 billion worth of payments in 2022 – 46 billion, B as in Bezos, as you like to say, Scott, in payments. And that’s just an incredible amount of volume. And I don’t know how many thousands or hundreds of thousands of shipments that is. We’d have to go back and do the math, or maybe Bobby or Dan can let us know. But it is truly impressive. There’s a lot of information here that lets you see what happened in the last quarter, why it happened, and what that might it portend for the future.

Scott Luton (03:56):

Nice. That’s a nice word. Very nice word, portend.

Greg White (03:59):

It means [inaudible] basically.

Scott Luton (04:02):

All right. Well, hey, Greg, man, 46 billion. That is a massive number. A ton of insights from all of that data. But, folks, don’t take our word for it. We’re about to introduce our guests. I want to say just hello to a few folks. I see Adul in Birmingham, Brandy from Central Texas, of course, Amanda and Katherine. The whole production team, thank you all for what you do. Shelly’s back with us. Kashon, David, Juan from Dubai. Great to have everybody. And we look forward to hearing your insights on the data we talk about here today. Okay. Greg, are you ready to go?

Greg White (04:31):

Let’s do this.

Scott Luton (04:32):

All right. Looking forward. So, let’s bring on our first guest as we dive in here. Of course, back by popular demand, we have Bobby Holland, Director, Freight Data Solutions at U.S. Bank. Hey, hey, Bobby. How are you doing?

Bobby Holland (04:46):

I’m doing well. Good morning.

Scott Luton (04:48):

Good morning to you. Greg, it’s not a quarter unless we have Bobby Holland stopping with us, right?

Greg White (04:53):

Yeah. We’ve been doing this for three years, right, Bobby? Are we going into our fourth year now?

Bobby Holland (04:59):

Going into the fourth.

Greg White (05:00):

Holy mackerel.

Bobby Holland (05:02):

It’s great.

Greg White (05:03):

Obviously, I feel like we’ve kind of grown up together. I mean, we were relatively new to this, you were relatively new to doing this for U.S. Bank, and the way this has evolved and grown has been truly impressive. And, of course, it’s always great to just share some time with you.

Scott Luton (05:21):

That’s right, And so, congrats on the rock and roll star you have become. We had to go through your agent to get you booked this time. But, hey, I digress. We’re going to jump into lots of freight data in just a moment. But really quick, Bobby, you just got back on a trip to Cancun, and I’d love to know your one single favorite part about that trip.

Bobby Holland (05:40):

Food. I love Mexican food as it is. Going into the source, we went to Isla Mujeres and had some tacos. Simple tacos but they know what they’re doing, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Scott Luton (05:52):

Man, thank you for making Greg and I starving, probably the whole production team back there and all of our audience members. But we’ll get to get the pictures from you later, Bobby.

Greg White (06:00):

Yeah. That whole area down there is beautiful. Isla Mujeres is incredible, even considering everything that’s beautiful about Cancun and that area.

Scott Luton (06:09):

So, now, we got to get back to work. And Bobby, as Greg and I both shared, great to have everybody in. We see our dear friend, Sylvia, part of the Charleston supply chain ecosystem down there. Bobby, all of our audience really enjoys your quarterly insights perspective, as do folks really around the global Supply Chain Now family. I want to start though. I want to start. We’ve got a special guest joining us here in about 15 minutes. But let’s start with a very brief sneak peek, the five key takeaways from the Q4 2022 Freight Payment Index that we’re going to dive in. So, we just want to tease it on the frontend. And, folks, stick around for more analysis. So, Bobby, what would those five things be?

Bobby Holland (06:47):

Well, the five takeaways from this index are softening market, softening trucking market. We had contracting freight volumes. We had overall spend drop that didn’t meet expectations. We had some lively activity in the Southwest region. And then, we also had a sluggish West Coast region.

Scott Luton (07:06):

Okay. So, folks, we’re going to dive into each of those five things. Greg, when you hear that sneak peek, anything surprise you? Any comment there?

Greg White (07:15):

Yeah. I mean, I think the fact that overall we have market contraction, but the spending didn’t fall as much as we expected. I mean, we’ll get into detail to what that actually means longer term. But it’s funny, Scott, we were talking about freight recession and the absence thereof not so long ago it seems like, Bobby. And it feels like we’re at least getting to some level of equilibrium. So, we’ll dive deeper into that and talk about where the market is going.

Scott Luton (07:42):

Agreed. Agreed. So, y’all stick around, let us know what you think. And by the way, Bobby, you’re not making just our team hungry. Shelly, “Bobby sounds like a Taco Wednesday.” I love that. You’re making everybody hungry. Okay. So, we got the sneak peek. Folks, we want to encourage you, again, download your own copy of the Freight Payment Index to follow along. You can learn more at freight.us bank.com and check that out. Okay. So, Greg, before Enrique Alvarez joins us here in about four or five minutes, where else are we going to take Bob really quick for maybe some helpful background and level setting?

Greg White (08:14):

Yeah. I mean this 46 billion thing, that’s a big wow for me. I think we were discussing offline, that’s about a 24 percent increase over 2021. So, Bobby, I mean, that’s a huge amount of volume. I think, may these are not market leading statements. We have no dog in this fight. But I think that may make U.S. Bank apt or near the top of all freight payment processor. So, it’s incredible the amount of volume that you guys do. Obviously, that’s a big data set. But aside from that, what really makes the Freight Payment Index a good resource for folks to use? And give us a little bit of insight on how it works and what it tells or what your clients tell you they use it for.

Bobby Holland (09:00):

Well, the Freight Payment Index is U.S. Bank’s view of the marketplace. And like you said, it’s based on our processing of millions of invoices to the tune of 46 billion in spend last year. It makes it a great resource because of the broad spectrum of customers that we have. Obviously, we’re in big data territory, which gives us a viewpoint of the marketplace that, individually, carriers and shippers wouldn’t have otherwise. We’re not saying we are the end all and be all of indexes. We’re another viewpoint. And so, the idea is take our data points with others that you have and use that to make some informed decisions in the marketplace, at least get a broad spectrum view of the marketplace. And so, we try to make it as accurate as possible, statistically significant, it’s a chain based index. We’re measuring, you know, the velocity of change in the marketplace on both shipments and spend.

Bobby Holland (09:58):

And, again, one of the things that makes our view point a little bit different is the fact that we have it broken down in the regions. We have the national, the highest level overview, and then it’s broken down into the five United States regions. And by doing so, you can see the impacts affecting each of those regions differently. The Southeast versus the West, they have different drivers. Midwest, same thing. And we’ll go into that a little bit as we talk about the five points.

Greg White (10:27):

I think what’s really important is that it’s a viewpoint that you can’t have as an individual company. And, again, as, Bobby, you said, because of the different areas of focus in terms of commerce in different parts of the country, it allows you to assess, not only a bigger slice than your company represents, but how your industry compares to other industries. Of course, you know, that’s automotive in the upper Midwest and the Southeast, and a whole range of other kinds of commerce in the other parts of the country. So, that is a really good reason to utilize this thing. It’s just to have that broader perspective, but also to have that focus on your either market area or regional area of the country.

Scott Luton (11:14):

All right. So, Bobby, good stuff there. Thanks for being back with us. We got a great discussion coming up. So, what Greg and Bobby both touched on are the business leaders out there that use the Freight Payment Index, and other resources, a number of different ways to make better decisions and plan better. Anyone think planning is important in global supply chain, Greg?

Greg White (11:33):

I don’t think so.

Scott Luton (11:34):

So, one of those such leaders, a dear friend of the show, and a business leader out there making it happen is Enrique Alvarez, Managing Director and Cofounder of Vector Global Logistics. Let’s bring in Enrique. Enrique, good afternoon. How are you doing?

Enrique Alvarez (11:51):

Scott, Greg, and Bobby, it’s a pleasure to be here with you guys today. And one cannot have enough of those swooshing moments that makes you feel important, smart, and ready all at the same time.

Scott Luton (12:04):

Greg, as we’ve said a thousand times, the swoosh is a real star of the show. Clearly, that’s what gets everybody’s attention. But, Enrique, great to have you back. I was with members of your team yesterday on the Leveraging Logistics for Ukraine, an ongoing humanitarian mission. And I’m just honored and we’re all inspired by what you and the whole team, the community have come together to do. So, with that aside, Enrique, I want to start with a two-part question. So, first off, level set with us about what Vector Global Logistics does. And then, also speak to how business leaders, like you, utilize the Freight Payment Index and similar resources.

Enrique Alvarez (12:39):

Absolutely. Well, Vector Global Logistics is an international logistics company with a very unique results-based mentality and a passion to give back. We’re a purpose-driven organization focusing in certain industries, like the automotive, aerospace, renewable, energy, and purpose-driven organizations all over the world. We have our own offices in the U.S., Mexico, Chile, Malaysia, Vietnam, China. And this year, we’re going to open one in Peru, so we’re very excited about that.

Enrique Alvarez (13:08):
And the second question, which, of course, is the most important one, this is an incredible tool. The U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index is a very powerful way of really gauging what the market is doing and what the market could potentially do in the future. As Greg mentioned, visibility is everything. The pandemic made that very clear for every supply chain professional out there. And so, using this index – and I would argue not only at the CEO leadership level, but we usually forward it to everyone in our organization – I think it’s very powerful because everyone gets the opportunity to understand the market. And I think one of the keys to being successful and being efficient is knowing the market and being ready for changes to come, because there’s always going to be changes. And I’m sure we’ll talk about some of those insights from the report in a second with Bobby. But definitely very powerful.

Scott Luton (14:00):

Yeah. Good stuff there. Thank you so much, Enrique. And you’ve got my vote, Enrique. I love that opening salvo there. Okay. So, Bobby and Enrique and Greg, we’re ahead of schedule just by a couple minutes, and if I can, I want to revert back to the food themes since Bobby made us really hungry. We had a commenter here – if I can find it – that said, “El Paso best authentic Mexican food stateside.” Enrique, I’d love to get you to weigh in here. What’s one great place for Mexican food that would make Bobby Holland approve?

Enrique Alvarez (14:32):

Mexico City would be a great place to start. But there’s plenty of really good restaurants all around the U.S. I think the Latin and Mexican culture are very well-ingrained in this country by now. So, you can find good tacos anywhere. You just have to be brave and willing to explore some of those, maybe, not so frequented areas. But I’m with Bobby, tacos, that’s my favorite too.

Scott Luton (14:54):

And, Greg, to belabor the point, we love Nuevo Laredo here in the Atlanta area. Is that right, Greg?

Greg White (15:02):

Yeah. That’s great. And, of course, you know, I moved to Atlanta from Phoenix. My wife is from Phoenix. And when I worked in industry, it was Mexican, so he showed me all of the best, most legit Mexican places in Phoenix. Carolinas, which used to be on a dirt road in the center of downtown Phoenix is the best tortilla I’ve ever had in my entire life. Very legitimate. That’s where his mother went to get tortillas. That’s how I found the place.

Enrique Alvarez (15:32):

So, Scott, I didn’t know that we were allowed to endorse specific points. I’m sure Nuevo Laredo will send those later. But if I may, Buford Highway, El Taco Veloz here in Atlanta. It’s really good.

Scott Luton (15:48):

All right. I got to call a timeout. No more taco. No more food talk, man. Y’all are killing me.

Greg White (15:53):

We’re back on schedule, Scott, and even more hungry.

Greg White (15:54):

We’re back on schedule.

Enrique Alvarez (15:58):

Yes, thank you.

Scott Luton (15:59):

All right. So, thank y’all for indulging me. While we’re all here, Bobby, I want to dive a little deeper into those five key takeaways that you shared on the frontend from the Q4 2022 Freight Payment Index. So, let’s dive in. Let’s take the first one. I think you mentioned the softening trucking market. So, Bobby, tell us more.

Bobby Holland (16:17):

Well, the first one is seismic shifts in consumer spending patterns have affected the marketplace. And rising interest rates are also having disproportionate impact on the market on good consumption. Big ticket items, like autos and homes, those are interest rate sensitive, so when interest rates rise, people stop or slow down in their buying of those things and start shifting more towards services. And we see that in things like recreation entertainment, we can see that those are going up. And the consumer price index for December, the entertainment index and recreation index were two of the ones that continued to rise while others fell. So, it’ll be interesting to see, though, as we move forward, there’s been some talk that mortgage rates are dropping or have dropped some back in September, but not enough to necessarily drop people out in the fourth quarter back into the market. But if that continues, mortgage rate is dropping. It’ll be interesting to see if that’s reflected in any way in Q1, so we’ll be looking at that.

Scott Luton (17:20):

Good. And one of the things you touched on, and certainly the report touches on, is consumer spending less. So, according to data released in January by the U.S. Department of Commerce, both in November and December 2022, durable goods spending – so spending dropped across the board – dropped almost 3 percent alone in November. So, Enrique, weigh in on the kind of overall theme in this number one key takeaway, the softening trucking market.

Enrique Alvarez (17:45):

Well, I think you can definitely see that in a general aspect of the markets. Well, definitely demand is slowing down, for sure. Now, one of the things that is very interesting to see also in the report is how this compares from one region to the other. And that’s something that you’ll definitely have to factor in, and I’m sure we’ll talk a little bit more about that. But that, and then also something that Greg mentioned at the beginning, there’s a disparity between the demand, the shipment is kind of slowing down, but the price is not slowing down at the same rate, which is very interesting. And I think, for me in particular, it speaks to some of the other challenges that the trucking company has in this country, like not enough drivers and some other things related to infrastructure.

Scott Luton (18:26):

Yeah. Good stuff there, Enrique. Greg, weigh in here on number one.

Greg White (18:30):

Well, durable goods are tied to home sales. Home sales are tied to interest rates. Interest rates have skyrocketed. Although, for those of us of a certain age – that’s all of us here except for Bobby who just recently bought a house, the rest of us – not long ago would’ve thought 4 or 5 percent interest rates – which, I know they’ve gone past that in some cases – we would’ve been happy to buy houses at that rate. I remember long ago when you were happy to just have single digit interest rates for your housing. And, now, we’ve gotten quite spoiled. But it is a very real problem. And, of course, to the point that, Enrique, you made earlier, inflation is a big time factor driven by labor, in my opinion, in the trucking industry, much like it’s driven by labor and many other reasons for industries area.

Scott Luton (19:18):

Good stuff there, Greg. And I love your context on how mortgage rates have evolved. Okay. So, Bobby, moving right along. Let’s move into number two of your top five key takeaways. What would that be?

Bobby Holland (19:30):

Well, Enrique kind of touched on it in the fact that spend on freight services didn’t drop as much as you would expect given the lower volumes. And another thing that kind of makes this interesting is the fact that diesel prices were actually down during the quarter, but yet the contract freight rates remained fairly stable. So, we take this to mean that, or as an indication that, industry capacity might have shrunk a little. We kind of look at that, you know, possibly as a lot of smaller carriers finding business climate difficult. And so, a lot of capacity kind of left the market on the lower end, if you will. And that kind of helped to keep spend a little higher than what you would expect considering the drop in shipments. Nationally, spend was only down 0.2 percent. But shipments were down 4.6 percent. So, again, big disparity showing that capacity is still a little tight in the marketplace, even with the shipment volumes declining.

Scott Luton (20:34):

Yeah. All right. So, Enrique, as Bobby mentioned, you were letting the cat out of the bag a little bit on your earlier commentary.

Greg White (20:41):

 Way to go, Enrique.

Enrique Alvarez (20:42):

Thank you, guys. I’ll leave now.

Bobby Holland (20:44):

I prefer to look at it as a segue. A very nice segue.

Scott Luton (20:46):

That’s right, Bobby. That’s right. Very good.

Greg White (20:52):

Transitional data.

Scott Luton (20:53):

Transitional data. That’s right. All right. So, speak to, Enrique, those freight volumes contracting.

Enrique Alvarez (20:58):

Should I talk about the third bullet point then?

Greg White (21:01):

Yeah. Go ahead.

Enrique Alvarez (21:02):

No. So, for us, at least here on Vector, from a freight forwarding logistics forwarder that actually partners with a lot of trucking companies out there, we still see not enough capacity, as Bobby mentioned. But for us, it’s really more about making sure that we continue to partner with the right kind of companies. So, we pay for service, we pay for quality. And so, for us, it’s really more an investment not to try to go after the cheapest option, but really stick with the partners we’ve had. We had really good couple years, so right now that the market might be slightly turning, we are making a very conscious and strategic effort to continue honoring the commitments we have because we know that we are only as strong as our suppliers. And we are incredibly thankful and appreciative for the relationships and partnerships that we have gotten through the years with the trucking companies that we work with. And they clearly were the heroes during the pandemic, maybe even a little bit of uncalled heroes, but they kept this country and the world running. And so, we’re just basically not going to react to the downward pressure as quickly as others. 

Scott Luton (22:09):

That’s right. That’s right. Good stuff there, Enrique. And, Greg, before I come to you next, I want to just point out a great question. Aaron, we’re going to encourage the U.S. Bank, Bobby, and Dan and the team to get back to you after today’s show. Aaron’s talking about if the index is able to identify specific charge trends. So, we’ll get the team to follow up with you there. Great question. Thank you for being here, Aaron. Greg, kind of follow up, you get the last comment here on Bobby’s key takeaway number two.

Greg White (22:31):

It’s a bit of a whiplash effect. A lot of companies move to contract rates from the spot market just about as they saw the spot market elevating. And they went to contract rates at – not at – or maybe at or around the peak of rates, and now they’re stuck with them to a certain extent. That happened. And, of course, remember, a lot of what we saw in Q3 and Q4 that probably, at least nationally, drove shipments down was so many retailers and CPGs overstocked on import good or buying them throughout the year. And then, ceasing their purchasing throughout Q3 and Q4, which has impacted both the shipment count and then the rates as well. I think companies, they’re reaching their limit of their tolerance for where rates are right now. And that probably has something to do with the reason that shipments are going down as well. That’s why I use the E word before equilibrium. And it’s possible that this could be an indicator that things will start to calm down.

Scott Luton (23:32):

Yeah. Was it just equilibrium before the eCommerce era, Greg?

Greg White (23:37):

It was. Yes. Before Amazon, we just called it Quilibrium.

Scott Luton (23:44):

All right. So, good discussion there. And we’re just not even halfway through the five key takeaways. Folks, you got to check out the Freight Payment Index to come up with your own. Maybe you agree with what Bobby is sharing here. Maybe you disagree with what Enrique is sharing here. But let us know.

Greg White (23:57):

Most certainly disagree with what I’m sharing.

Scott Luton (24:01):

Oh, boy. So, Greg, Enrique, and Bobby – Bobby, let’s walk into your number three. So, we’re talking about overall spending drop that didn’t meet expectations for number three, right?

Bobby Holland (24:10):

Yeah. The fact that we had household spending on goods. We had seen a decline in housing activity. Again, which as we talked about, big impact on freight volumes. We also saw manufacturing activity slowing in Q4, which is another headwind. And, again, as we see one of our Harrison points internally is consumer price index. All index items was up 6.5 percent. And, again, we saw increases in recreation but we saw decreases in the index for used cars and trucks. So, again, spending has shifted away from things related to interest rate and a lot of manufacturing and building things and going, like I said, more towards vacations, like the Cancun and stuff like that.

Scott Luton (24:53):

Yeah. And spending on truck freight services.

Greg White (24:54):

Who’s talking?

Scott Luton (24:58):

That’s right. Man, don’t get me started. Greg, don’t get me started. But, Bobby, spending on truck freight services didn’t fall as much during fourth quarter as might have been expected. I think you mentioned that, too, right?

Bobby Holland (25:07):

Right. And, again, we looked at the numbers and, like I said, 2 percent down – 0.2 percent down in spend, but 20 times that in reduction in shipment, so, 4.6 down. So, again, that’s indicating that the market is still tight and gave us some really good reasons why [inaudible].

Scott Luton (25:27):

Didn’t he though? Didn’t he though?

Bobby Holland (25:30):

He did.

Scott Luton (25:31):

Always still in my thunder over there, Greg White. But, hey, one of the things that Bobby touched on – Enrique, I’m coming to you next – was the manufacturing activity. You know, by a variety of different data measures, the manufacturing industry here in the U.S. has contracted two, three months in a row now. That’s one of the things that Bobby touched on. Enrique, talk to us about Bobby’s key takeaway number three here.

Enrique Alvarez (25:50):

Well, generally speaking, I think another variable that we should consider is more the international aspect of shipping and kind of how the ports are, port congestion, how many vessels are parked outside each port. And I think we didn’t see it as much as we have in other years, of course, with demand spiking. But Chinese New Year always is an important driver. And so, the last quarter of last year, we maybe had a little bit of that in the numbers that Bobby’s talking about.

Scott Luton (26:17):

Yeah. Well said, Enrique. Greg.

Greg White (26:21):

Well, manufacturing has been struggling to get people back ever since March 13, 2020. I mean, they basically shut down, then people were locked down, then they were incentivized not to work. And a lot of the people who had those jobs – the baby boomers – left. An extra ten million of them left during 2021 from the workforce. And many of those worked those manual manufacturing jobs. So, manufacturing capacity has continued to be limited, and to the point that we’re just now back at pre-pandemic levels in terms of manufacturing employment.

Greg White (26:55):

So, you know, there’s a significant discussion around reshoring. I hear a lot about people saying that companies are beginning to reshore. It hasn’t really started to impact manufacturing capacity yet. We’ll see how sustainable that is. I think we all know that there are some significant costs headwinds there. I mean, the reason we went offshore was because labor was too expensive here in the states by orders of magnitude, not by fractions. So, that’s going to continue to be a headwind for manufacturing. But at least they are back at pre-pandemic capacity, so, hopefully, we’ll start to see that stabilize. The strong dollar doesn’t help however, because that lessens the import or the exports of manufactured goods. And believe it or not, we have many that we do exports.

Scott Luton (27:40):

Good stuff there, Greg. Thank you very much. I love your thoughts on manufacturing industry, one of our favorite here at Supply Chain Now. Okay. So, Bobby, we’re already in your fourth key takeaway here where you kind of focus on what’s going on in the Southwest region, I believe. Tell us more.

Bobby Holland (27:55):

Yeah. The Southwest was the only region of the five to have both an increase in shipments and spend. The shipments index was up 0.4 percent over the third quarter. We’re attributing that to a few factors that would help chip the freight volumes. One is that energy production and cross border trade with Mexico as well as Texas port activity. And I was just looking at an article recently that talked about how trucks and cars from Mexico saw some huge increases during 2022. So, we see the results of that in the Southwest Region. We also have things like crude oil production was up roughly 4.5 percent in Texas a year earlier. New Mexico production was up over 25 percent during the same period, with Oklahoma production up about 4 percent. And then, again, just the cross-border movement between Mexico and the United States, it was up 1.5 percent. So, again, you can kind of see how all these factors would contribute to a strong Southwest, and it shows.

Scott Luton (28:55):

Speaking of, you mentioned Texas ports, just the Port of Houston, if you look, a total ton is going through imports and exports coming through the Port of Houston. That alone grew a whopping 27 percent in 2022 over 2021. How about that? Enrique, speak to what we’re seeing here maybe in the Southwest.

Enrique Alvarez (29:23):

Well, we actually have offices in Mexico, and one of the offices we have is in Monterey, Mexico which is kind of towards the north part of the country, very close to Texas. And I think Bobby hit the nail on the head, it’s really oil and cross-border operations with Mexico. The volumes from Mexico to the U.S. have increased, and I would claim that they might actually continue to increase for the foreseeable future. Somewhat in line with what Greg said about nearshoring of the little bit of the manufacturing, there’s a lot of new plants opening up in the north part of Mexico and I think we will continue to see that in particular also, as Bobby mentioned, in the automotive industry.

Scott Luton (30:01):

Yeah. Good stuff there, Enrique. Thank you very much. Greg, weigh in on Southwest and beyond.

Greg White (30:08):

Yeah. Not solely because of this brand, but Volkswagen, of course, virtually every Volkswagen that’s bought in the U.S. is built in Mexico. And they were one of the companies that could actually get a hold of chips. I think we have all moved beyond the conflagration that we’ve had with semiconductors and lockdowns into the first quarter of 2022 effectively for many states. And then, of course, shortage of labor and capacity fully into the middle half of last year. I mean, we were talking about that a lot this time last year.

Greg White (30:45):

But anyway, Volkswagen and other automotive companies do import a lot of vehicles. Volkswagen in particular, just as an example, was able to import a lot of vehicles and put them on sales floors when other brands, including U.S. domestic brands, were not able to. Ford, famously with their inability to complete the F-150 because they didn’t have their own logo to put on their own vehicle. I still remember the greatest question, this is the greatest manufacturing quiz and there’s only one right answer, and that is, how many parts does it take to build a Ford F-150? Scott, do you know the answer?

Scott Luton (31:23):

I do, but I want to give it away. Go ahead.

Greg White (31:25):

All of them. All of the parts are required to complete a vehicle. So, because German engineering, generally, and because of the efficiency of the facilities that have been running for decades, frankly, in Mexico to build some of these European mates, they were able to do that. And I think that had some impact on it on the Southwest as well. Automotive always does, of course.

Greg White (31:48):

Agreed. And speaking of all those parts, these days you got to have lights up under your Ford F-150. You can’t take it off the light until you got all the neon lights up under. I don’t know if that —

Greg White (31:58):

Well, now, behind the wheels also.

Enrique Alvarez (32:02):

[Inaudible].

Bobby Holland (32:03):

[Inaudible].

Enrique Alvarez (32:05):

Well, and on top of that, Greg, there’s now a very strong – I wouldn’t call it trend because it’s the future, but the electrification of cars. Like, there’s a lot of manufacturers that were making chassis before for combustion engines that are now resetting their entire footprints in Mexico to accommodate the electric cars, that you have to change a lot of designs, but you’ll see that. And Mexico is actually a couple years ahead when it comes to doing that. So, I think we’ll start seeing that extra demand for electric cars and the increase in truck between Mexico and the U.S. going through Texas, probably almost everything to Detroit, but a lot of also to the East Coast.

Greg White (32:41):

Excellent point because, again, Porsche, Audi, Volkswagen, all the same company, are way ahead of the other brands in terms of electrification. The commentary in the Freight Payment Index alluded to EVs and that sort of thing as well. So, I think that’s a really good acknowledgement.

Scott Luton (32:58):

Bobby, I think you were about to say something.

Bobby Holland (33:00):

No. I was just going to say, I thought I read something recently as well, the large battery manufacturer putting a plant down there. Again, a lot of change coming, and it rolls over in that regard. But they’re serious about electric vehicles. And, again, it would just be interesting. We’re kind of looking at it also to see how that impacts fuel [inaudible] when electrification of transport vehicles becomes a big thing.

Scott Luton (33:30):

The battery industry alone, we could build a whole series dedicated to all the different topics that this EV demand is driving. And you’re right, Bobby, I think Georgia has won at least three new big battery plants. And, Greg and Enrique, since you’re fellow Georgians, I think two of them are on the scale of the massive – we all remember when Kia came into town in West Point, Georgia which really changed the state, changed a lot of infrastructure. Well, at least two reportedly are on that scale. So, we’ll see how this all plays out and what comes to fruition. There’s still lots of negotiations going on for a variety of reasons.

Scott Luton (34:06):

Okay. So, Bobby, I hate that we’re at the end of your takeaway list. I love, not only kind of the focus part of our conversations, but all the things kind of on the edges that some of the things in the Freight Payment Index touches on. So, tell us about number five where we focus on the West Region.

Bobby Holland (34:21):

Well, the West Region, we saw drops in shipment and spend on the West Coast. And, again, we attribute that primarily due to the continuing to shift toward other ports. West Coast import container volumes fell 23.3 percent in October and 26 percent in November compared with last year or the previous year. Some of that volume is due to lower imports, again, that we talked in previous indexes about. So much retail moved forward in second quarter, that third quarter and into fourth quarter didn’t see as much import activity. But, also, we see a lot of it shifting to the East and Gulf Coast ports. If you’re looking at some of the numbers, you know, Virginia was up 21 percent, Savannah was up 26 percent, Charleston up 28 percent over last year. And most of these ports are well above the pre-pandemic level. So, again, a lot of these decisions that were being made to heal the supply chain and strengthen the supply chain we’re seeing some of the impacts of that now.

Scott Luton (35:29):

Good stuff there, Bobby. Greg, let’s start with you this time, Western Region, some of Bobby’s comments there, your thoughts?

Greg White (35:37):

Yeah. Well, I mean, it largely has to be the shift to the ports. We’ve been talking about this, Bobby. We’ve talked about this for probably three or four of these quarterly updates. And the volume just has continued to grow. Every one of these ports has become that much more efficient. I was just pecking my marine traffic East Coast Port of Savannah freight delay index, and there are ten ships waiting outside the Port of Savannah. That was as high as 37 at various times throughout our previous quarterly updates here. And, you know, all of these ports have gotten very efficient. Charleston had big backups. We’ve already alluded to and talked about Houston and other ports even on the West Coast that received additional volume.

Greg White (36:26):

So, yeah, it has a lot to do with that and it has a lot to do with the fact that companies, first, were adapting. I think when we first started talking about this, Bobby, we saw [inaudible] redirecting ships to Houston. Now, they’re booking them to Houston or to Savannah or to Charleston. So, it has been monumental, and now an intentional, not a backup move. But an intentional shift to other ports around the country. And it’s really set in. And it may be longer term than just during the time of excessive volume and, of course, the excessive inefficiency of LBC and LA ports.

Scott Luton (37:03):

Thank you, Greg. I’m dying to hear Enrique’s take on this when it comes to the West and some of Greg and Bobby’s comments there. Enrique.

Enrique Alvarez (37:11):

Yeah. I actually agree with both Greg and Bobby. I think it’s the reflection of what’s going on in the ocean trade industry. Not only because of what Greg so carefully already described, but during the pandemic, we were shipping all over. It was really more about where can I get a booking to. And the prices in the ocean freight are coming down. They have come down significantly. And I think this is a little bit of a very standard kind of normal “shift” towards what’s the best port to import those days as opposed to let’s just get it somewhere fast mentality. So, yeah, I think that’s kind of what’s causing this. I don’t know how much of that could potentially also, in the next coming quarters, be reflected by the slowdown in manufacturing in China, of course, driven by the slower demand. But we’ll have to kind of wait and see what happens. I think, China will be very important to keep an eye on as we get a better sense of U.S domestic trucking, believe it or not.

Scott Luton (38:09):

Yeah. All right. So, this next question, Bobby, you know we can’t ask you any forward looking questions, as always.

Greg White (38:16):

We can ask [inaudible].

Scott Luton (38:20):

That’s right. You know we got Bobby’s back so we’re not even going to ask.

Greg White (38:24):

Yeah. That’s going to put in the bad spot.

Scott Luton (38:26):

But, Enrique and Greg, you are both fair gain. So, Enrique, I want to stick with you for a second. What might we see in the freight market in the months ahead?

Enrique Alvarez (38:36):

Well, there’s so many different things that could actually trigger this, but in general, and we saw it and Bobby presented it very clearly on the report, that it will vary from one region to another inside the country. So, it’s very important that you, not only get those reports, but actually make an effort to read them. And by the way, I’ll get to the question in a second. But they’re so easy, clean, professionally looking so they’re easy to read is my point. So, it’s not that you will waste any time. They’re very insightful and very powerful and it’s also very easy.

Enrique Alvarez (39:08):

Now, answering your question – and I’m sorry I completely digressed – the Fed is doing a good job, I believe, trying to contain inflation. I think that they might continue to increase interest rates but they won’t actually reach where we initially thought that they will reach. And you’ll probably see that in two ways. One, demand will continue to come down for the next quarter or two, but then prices might actually stabilize kind of following the demand/supply in the country. So, what we’re seeing now on the last quarter’s report, I think we will continue to see something like that for at least the next two quarters. So, prices somewhat staying stable while demand continues to drop to adjust to supply/demand of trucking availability in the country.

Scott Luton (39:56):

Okay. Outstanding, Enrique. Thank you. That’s some bold fearless predictions there. But, hey, coming from someone that knows, Enrique and his team, they got their fingers on the pulse of the international markets, for sure. All right. Greg, I’m curious to kind of hear, not only what’s to come from where you sit, but see if you agree with Enrique about Fed’s actions. Get your popcorn and Diet Coke, this might be good. But, Greg, tell us more.

Greg White (40:19):

Speaking of equilibrium, I feel like the world is back in equilibrium because Enrique and I don’t completely agree on this point. I would not argue that Fed is doing a bad job. And to Fed Chairman Powell’s statement that the job is done, I think they probably went with too low of a lift this past time and that will prolong high prices throughout 2023. But it has slowed the growth of inflation, you know, to the point that people are now outraged by $13 eggs. It used to cost a lot less than that. I mean, of course, that has nothing to do with monetary policy by the way, the eggs. But I think that there are more forces at work here.

Greg White (41:03):

I think all of what we’ve seen here from this discussion talks to the complexity of the supply chain of the commerce ecosystem and the interconnectedness of all of this. And some of it we don’t have very good control over. So, aside from the economy, I think we’ll continue to see retailers and CPGs continue to slow down production and demand. And consumers will continue to slow down demand because I think they just reached a near tipping point. We’re starting to see it with retail investors in the stock market. We’re starting to see it with people rejecting luxury goods and other products in the marketplace that signal those sorts of changes. That upper crust, whatever we want to call them, those one percenters in probably the top five or ten percent of people in the U.S. in terms of economic capability, they started dialing back middle of last year. There are some pressures. That’s a very small portion of the consumption, obviously, in the country, but we’re starting to see that trickle down to the greater population.

Greg White (42:06):
And demand, Enrique said – here’s where we agreed – it will continue to slow and that will have an impact on trucking and that sort of thing. I think companies, however, will continue to slow their production. Some of them are carrying a lot of inventory into this year much as others have in past years. So, we’ll see kind of a mixed bag depending on where you are. There is more upheaval to come. There are other large companies that haven’t done their reductions in workforce yet that still will. And as we’ve seen, technology companies continue to reduce their workforce pretty substantially at a greater rate than even they did last year, which was pretty disruptive to employment.

Scott Luton (42:51):

A lot of good stuff there. And I appreciate where it’s good to be able to disagree and agree in conversations like this and I always enjoy —

Greg White (42:58):

We’re probably both wrong.

Enrique Alvarez (43:00):

We’ll battle it out next time we see each other, Greg, [inaudible].

Greg White (43:02):

Absolutely. Over cold beverage.

Enrique Alvarez (43:03):

I don’t know if you agree with me on this particular point, but I think and I see that there is still a lot of money in the market. And some of those deep pocket companies are probably going to think of investing now. Now that it’s the right time to do so. So, yeah, I think we agree in the demand. The rest, we’ll see.

Greg White (43:23):

Yeah. And I think that’s the entire point here. Look, there are people much better trained than Enrique and I that each have our respected positions, and positions all over the spectrum between and beyond what we’ve just talked about here. And there is a 100 percent chance that none of us will be 100 percent right.

Enrique Alvarez (43:43):

Absolutely.

Scott Luton (43:43):

That’s right. All right. Man, we had a supply chain discussion and an economic debate broke out. How about that? That’s good. We’re all smarter because of it. Okay. So, Bobby Holland, always a pleasure. See what you start each time you join us here at Supply Chain Now, I wouldn’t have it any other way. So, Bobby, here’s another question, how can folks connect with you, of course, how can they get their own copy and sign up to get to the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index right on time each quarter? Tell us more.

Bobby Holland (44:12):

You can subscribe to it, the link is at freight.us.bank.com. And it’s low obligation. You just fill in a few pieces of information and it’ll be emailed to you on our publication. Connecting with me is as simple, my LinkedIn is updated, is up to date, so reach out to me, bobby.holland@usbank.com if you have any questions or anything I can try to help with.

Scott Luton (44:38):

Well, I appreciate what you, and Dan, and Andy, and the whole U.S. Bank team does because you do make us all smarter, more informed for decisions we make in supply chain and elsewhere. So, really appreciate what you do.

Scott Luton (44:49):

All right. So, before we let our guests go, Enrique, hey, let’s make sure folks can connect with you and Vector Global Logistics. And briefly mention, if you’d touch on, if folks that want to get involved in helping to send the humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Poland and beyond. How can folks find all that information?

Enrique Alvarez (45:03):

Yeah. I mean the easiest way to do so is look me up on LinkedIn if you want to contact me personally, Enrique Alvarez, Vector Global, and I should pop up. And then, if you want to learn a little bit more about what we’re doing in our company, just go to our website at vectorgl.com. And you mentioned Ukraine, we’re still going. But then, there’s now a new disaster, the Turkey, Syria earthquake, and we’ll probably jump into that and try to help people in both Turkey and Syriac because they really had it very bad. 

Scott Luton (45:34):

Oh, man. Thank you for mentioning that. And more importantly, thank you for what you do and your team does. Maureen and Christie and Astrid, and the whole team over there. Thanks for being here with us, Enrique Alvarez from Vector Global Logistics.

Enrique Alvarez (45:47):

Way cool. Very cool.

Scott Luton (45:48):

All right. So, Bobby, Enrique, thank you both. Folks, reach out to them and we look forward to reconnecting again very soon.

Scott Luton (45:58):

All right. Greg —

Greg White (46:00):

[Inaudible] and then back in. It’s like a double swoosh.

Scott Luton (46:03):

A little extra time. A little extra time. It’s never a bad thing. Just to level set, I think folks should know this, but Bobby Holland there, Director, Freight Data Solutions, U.S. Bank, and Enrique Alvarez, Managing Director and Cofounder at Vector Global Logistics, two salt of the earth individuals. Greg, I want to give you an opportunity, I’ll mention one thing then I’m going to get your final thought, kind of your favorite thing that came out of today’s conversation.

Scott Luton (46:30):

Enrique mentioned, of course, the tragedy that has taken place in recent days in Syria and Turkey. Folks, if you can find a way to help out, please do. I think our production team is on it. We’re nailing down some special guests for Monday’s Supply Chain Buzz at 12:00 noon Eastern Time. I believe we’re going to have, not only Koray Kose from Gartner, who’s jumped right in – he’s got family there – in some of the relief efforts, but also Turkish organization that is leading the charge in recovery. So, stay tuned. Join us, Monday at 12:00 noon Eastern Time for a lot more there.

Scott Luton (47:01):

Greg, on a much, much lighter note, talk to us. We had a full conversation, holistic, full. We touched on a whole bunch of different things. What was your favorite part, most valuable part you would suggest to our listeners about today’s chat?

Greg White (47:14):

Cancun, Isla Mujeres, and tacos. I’m not joking. But not the most important. I think we learned a lot. One is, what an incredibly important trading partner Mexico is. Mexico may single-handedly save us from the tyranny of China, not just within their own country, but their manipulation of trade between the U.S. and China. And probably single-handedly is overstating it, but an enormous contribution. And I think the synergy there is really important, and that is the uplift of the Mexican economy by virtue of driving more and more goods into and through that area, hopefully, enabling the government there to take charge of their own country and make it a safe and economically viable place to live. That economically viable is a critical part of making a country good and safe place to live. So, I think whatever we can do to contribute there, will be returned in the state’s tenfold. Probably let Enrique speak to this. He’s both Mexican National and U.S. citizen, so he knows, obviously a lot more about this than any of us do.

Greg White (48:23):

But the other thing that really struck me, Scott, was this new format, which I hope that our community loves. But I love because we’ve got to experience and talk about the complexities as we did of the supply chain and how it’s interconnected with economics, and how it’s interconnected with international relations, and things like that. And how all of that, even things outside the borders – because Vector is an NVOCC. They do international freight shipping. Enrique’s purview is way beyond the boundaries of the U.S – and the impact on freight in the U.S. comes from far beyond the boundaries of the U.S. So, I think that was important.

Greg White (49:03):

But, also, to understand the kind of insights that we just extracted here that Bobby shared with us because of all the hard and good work that his team does on this thing. I think that’s so incredibly important. And, to me, even though we’re going into the fourth year of doing this, this really represents what an important and valuable bit of information that Freight Payment Index is. And I mean, you and I have always learned something from it, but I think this new way of presenting it and discussing it really helps us to address the why’s and wherefores, not just the what’s as well. It allows Bobby to get involved in that aspect of it without having to be a fortune teller, which, of course, because he works for a bank, he’s not allowed to do.

Scott Luton (49:49):

All right. Well said, Greg. And I think that’s a great way to cap today’s episode. I’ll tell you, folks, if you got 46 billion anything, you better leverage it. And in this case —

Greg White (50:01):

Growing 24 percent and you’re already 37 billion, you are doing something right.

Scott Luton (50:08):

And you know what? You can get these insights each quarter. So, y’all check it out, freight.usbank.com. And, hey, while you’re at it, big thanks again to our production team. Because as Greg mentioned, we revamped how we have these conversations, hopefully, to make it more valuable for you. We want to hear from you. Let us know what you find most valuable about this livestream discussion, the information we share, the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index, you name it, we’d love to hear from members of our global community.

Scott Luton (50:32):

Okay. Folks, scroll there to sign up for the report. We also dropped link in the chat about finding more information about Leveraging Logistics for Ukraine. Over 670,000 pounds of vetted relief aid has been shipped as a result of that communal effort from folks across our ecosystem. Okay. Folks, on behalf of Greg White and our entire team here at Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton signing off now, challenging you if you heard anything, do good, give forward, and be the change. We’ll see you next time right back here at Supply Chain Now. Thanks everybody.

Intro/Outro (51:09):

Thanks for being a part of our Supply Chain Now community. Check out all of our programming at supplychainnow.com, and make sure you subscribe to Supply Chain Now anywhere you listen to podcasts. And follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. See you next time on Supply Chain Now.

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Featured Guests

Bobby Holland leads the Freight Data Solutions team at U.S. Bank where he focuses in analytics and data-related product management for the freight industry. Bobby has more than 36 years of broad-based data processing, software engineering and consulting experience. He has leadership in multiple industries including insurance, large-scale billing, customer care services and banking. At the bank, Bobby leads efforts to produce the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index. The often-cited Index is a barometer for freight shipping trends on both the national and regional level. The index source data is based on actual freight payment transactions from across the country. The pioneer in electronic freight payment, U.S. Bank Freight Payment processes more than $46 billion in freight payments annually for corporate and federal government clients. Connect with Bobby on LinkedIn.

Enrique Alvarez 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 a 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 also enjoys traveling, getting to know new people and spending time with his wife and two kids Emma and Enrique. Learn more about Vector Global Logistics here: https://vectorgl.com/

Hosts

Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

Greg White

Principal & Host

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Kevin Brown

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.

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Jose Miguel Irarrazaval

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.

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Nick Roemer

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.

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Allison Giddens

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.

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Billy Taylor

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.

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Tandreia Bellamy

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).

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Marty Parker

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.

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Laura Lopez

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!

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Jake Barr

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.

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Marcia Williams

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.

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Luisa Garcia

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.

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Astrid Aubert

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.

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Sofia Rivas

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

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Karin Bursa

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. 

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Vin Vashishta

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.

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Amanda Luton

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.

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Scott W. Luton

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.

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Greg White

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.

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Chris Barnes

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.

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Tyler Ward

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!

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Kevin L. Jackson

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 CiscoMicrosoft, 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 UniversityO’Reilly MediaLinkedIn Learning, and Pluralsight.  Mr. Jackson retired from the U.S. Navy in 1994, earning specialties in Space Systems EngineeringCarrier 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.

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Enrique Alvarez

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.

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Kelly Barner

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’.

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Mary Kate Soliva

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.

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Constantine Limberakis

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.

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Clay Phillips

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.

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Trisha Cordes

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.

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Chantel King

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.

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Lori Sofian

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.

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Katherine Hintz

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.

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Mary Kate Love

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.

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Joshua Miranda

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.

Donna Krache

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.

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Vicki White

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.

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Katherine Hintz

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.

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