Supply Chain Now
Episode 835

You can do things for the retailer. You can do things for the world. You can optimize deliveries; you can optimize transportation. You can be more on sustainability. You can be green. The idea for us is for customers to be more involved in the process and for the retailer and logistics companies to be more open to customer needs.

-Tal Weber

Episode Summary

Whether you’re getting ready to paint a room in your home or order a new suit, measurements are usually a huge pain. And getting them wrong leads to disappointment, delays … and the dreaded return. Plus, the problem isn’t just for consumers–imagine the hassle and expense of incorrect pallet sizes making an international journey. But before you pinch your fingers on the tape measure in despair yet again, check out the MySize way of doing measurements. We were so intrigued by this mobile device-based approach to measuring that Scott and special guest co-host Cathy Roberson sat down with MySize’s Head of Partnerships Tal Weber to learn more about the company, how they’re changing the customer experience–and where Tal sees the world of returns going in the future.

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 entities Stay tuned to hear from those making global business happen right here on supply chain now.

Scott Luton (00:32):

Hey, good morning, everybody. Scott Luton with supply chain now welcome to today’s show today. We’re continuing our coverage here at the 18th annual reverse logistics association, conference and expo. And I’m here with my dear friend special co-host repeat guest extraordinaire, Cathy Morrow Roberson who leads research for the reverse logistics association, Cathy, how you doing?

Cathy Roberson (00:53):

Doing pretty good. How are you doing? I’m

Scott Luton (00:55):

Doing wonderful monks friends. And we’re about to meet a new friend.

Cathy Roberson (00:58):

I know, I know this is so exciting.

Scott Luton (01:00):

It is cool. Uh, we’re here in Vegas, which is the center of the returns management and reverse logistics universe at least this week. Yep. And it’s first time we’ve been back here with RLA in about two years. Really? It’s where all the movers and shakers and the returns world are this week, right?

Cathy Roberson (01:15):

It certainly is. Well, see, this is my first RLA conference, so I am I’m ex I’m very excited.

Scott Luton (01:22):

Don’t they know they can’t have a conference without Kathy.

Cathy Roberson (01:26):

You would think you would think.

Scott Luton (01:28):

Well, great to have you here. Great to have you back enjoyed our lives for a couple months ago, but let’s talk to our new friend here. Wanna welcome in our featured guest Tal Weber, head of partnerships and business development with my size Tal, how you doing very,

Tal Weber (01:42):

What? Very excited to be here? Well, for me, Cathy, it’s also the first I LA

Cathy Roberson (01:47):

Yeah,

Tal Weber (01:48):

It’s great to be in Vegas. It’s always great to come to the us and, uh, great to meet new friends.

Cathy Roberson (01:52):

This is your first time in Vegas. No,

Tal Weber (01:54):

No. I’ve been here to many conferences in the past for different industries from cyber security to communication, to retail, adding up in logistics from logistics right now. And, uh, our LA seems like a very exciting and up to date, uh, situation today.

Cathy Roberson (02:09):

Good, good. Well, we’re certainly glad to have

Scott Luton (02:11):

You very glad. And the Mirage is an incredible venue. Right?

Tal Weber (02:16):

Amazing,

Scott Luton (02:17):

Amazing. Okay. So I want to dive into, before we get into the heavy lifting with our friend TA, I wanna get to know you’ll better, right? And so we’ve got some three quick hitter questions we’re gonna start with with Tao. First question is where did you grow up?

Tal Weber (02:31):

So I grew up in Israel. I’m originally based out of Israel, out of Tel Aviv beach, front location, uh, just a nice place, uh, somewhere in the middle east. Okay. Grew up there, but, uh, actually my, uh, education I’ve done in the states, I went to NYU T and NYU for, uh, financial industry done, uh, economics and finance worked in wall street.

Scott Luton (02:55):

Did you? Wow.

Tal Weber (02:55):

Had, uh, the great opportunity to work in twin towers before September 11. Wow. Oh my gosh. And uh, after September 11, moved out of the states after seven years, uh, moved into other industries, other, uh, positions in more, uh, startup companies.

Scott Luton (03:11):

I’ve never, I’m not sure if I’ve rubbed elbows with someone, a wall street wall street, or before that’s highfalutin stuff there, tower

Scott Luton (03:18):

YESS. So it’s,

Scott Luton (03:21):

So what’s more exciting. It’s a plot chain, reverse logistics, my size, which we’re gonna talk about in second or wall street,

Tal Weber (03:27):

Wall street is a lot of show. There’s a lot of behind your, behind the screens. You’re behind computers. You don’t talk to people, you don’t talk to you talk to Excel sheets. I’m more into talking to people, hands on situations, developing, creating, dreaming, achieving. So it’s more for me the place to be and finding the solutions, creating the solutions for this. And when you have this retail logistics, it’s really, as you say, customer centric or the retailers, let’s try to find a way to make everybody happy.

Scott Luton (03:56):

So, and we’re gonna talk a lot more about that with Al and just, he is constantly eating, sleeping, breathing, personalization. And we’ll talk about my size in just a second. Okay. Favorite sports team of all time?

Tal Weber (04:09):

Well, I grew up in Israel, so, uh, basketball, uh, but uh, always looking into the NBA. Yes. Well, I MIS achieved the, the, my mother refused to send me to college in the us when I was a child and, uh, be a good professional basketball player, but still there is a group called macab Tel Aviv famous in Israel, playing in Europe.

Scott Luton (04:29):

That’s so that’s your team?

Tal Weber (04:30):

Yes. I never understood football, American football. So it’s

Scott Luton (04:35):

How,

Scott Luton (04:35):

How tall are you by the way? Tall

Tal Weber (04:36):

6, 6, 6, 6.

Scott Luton (04:38):

Yeah.

Tal Weber (04:38):

It used to be six. Seven. Yes.

Scott Luton (04:42):

So I bet you were always the kids first pick as they were choosing their basketball teams. Yeah.

Tal Weber (04:47):

Something like this. Yes. It’s

Cathy Roberson (04:49):

Always, oh gosh. I played basketball back in the day. Really? Yeah. High school. Yeah.

Scott Luton (04:53):

What, what

Cathy Roberson (04:54):

Position center really?

Scott Luton (04:56):

You see?

Tal Weber (04:56):

Well, basketball players end up in logistics.

Scott Luton (04:59):

How

Cathy Roberson (04:59):

About that? Yeah.

Scott Luton (05:01):

So rebounding blocking shots.

Cathy Roberson (05:03):

No, I was really bad at it. She’s

Tal Weber (05:06):

Just conducting the, the situation. That’s it managing? Managing the situation?

Cathy Roberson (05:10):

No, I was always told, just get the ball and give it to someone else.

Scott Luton (05:14):

I

Scott Luton (05:14):

Learned something new about Kathy today. I tell you when to go, uh, hoop it up later on today. There

Cathy Roberson (05:18):

You go. That sounds fun. All right.

Scott Luton (05:20):

So one final question for you too out, before get down to business, and Cathy’s gonna take the time in second favorite movie or book.

Tal Weber (05:27):

So I thought about it. I was trying to explain to Katie that I’m trying to really understand what is my favorite movie. And I try to remember, and I would surprise you. My favorite movie of all times, was it by Steven Spielberg.

Cathy Roberson (05:38):

I love that movie.

Tal Weber (05:39):

I would say that this was the first choice for, for someone that comes from a distance place to understand that you can actually communicate with anybody you want be creative, find a way to be loyal, friendly, and committed to anything and just do whatever is needed for success. And each was driving me all the way up till today.

Scott Luton (06:00):

I love that. You know, TA surprised me. He’s got et socks on. I don’t know if the camera can pick that up. We’ll have to be the shot of that.

Cathy Roberson (06:08):

Okay. Let me say it. I

Cathy Roberson (06:09):

See.

Cathy Roberson (06:11):

I love ’em love them. Those are great.

Scott Luton (06:16):

I love it. Right. So it’s the simple things in life. I’ll tell you. It’s a simple things in life. Okay. So Kathy, where are we going next with tell?

Cathy Roberson (06:22):

Okay, so I’m looking at the list of questions. Scott gave me here. So what was a key Eureka moment last year?

Tal Weber (06:33):

So we were all surprised by this Corona. We never addicted to have this Corona in life. I think that, uh, last time I was in the us, uh, before Corona was February 20, 20, people were start, start wiping their tables and, uh, washing hands and walking with all these gloves. And 2021, we really understood that Corona is here and Corona is staying. And we see that we are, we are living, uh, yes, there’s a lot of casualties. There’s a lot of people there dying around us, but still the world is going forward. Yeah, for us, it was something to actually to develop something new, to develop the way of people working and how to continue living and especially understanding that online and returns and logistics is a key chain possibilities in our life. I would say that the end of 2021, and we’ll go back to my size after we actually raised 12 million, uh, from wall street investors. Congratulations because people trusted my size looking to the future and understanding that we are here to stay. We’re here to do things for everybody. And the idea is that trusting relationship between retailers buying and returns is in the one place. So theca was like, you know, life is here. Life is still going. Yeah. Yeah. We will be strong. We will pass. It. We’ll stay safe as much as possible, but life goes on, right.

Scott Luton (07:57):

Life does go on. And you know what found I found out just how joined us here. Amanda is a, my size customer really. And she was raving about my size and I was completely oblivious. So we’re gonna have to, uh, learn a lot more look

Cathy Roberson (08:10):

At that. Okay. Well then tell us a little bit more about my size.

Tal Weber (08:14):

So my size is, uh, a public company it’s traded both on the NASDAQ and on the Tel stock exchange. We, the headquarters is based in Israel. We are about 50 people today with most of the people are on the global countries with offices in the north American countries in, uh, Europe and the forest. We are separated by three different divisions mainly. And the idea is, first of all, is the apparel. Yeah, the logistics and the D why? Okay. The thing is to understand is that we developed an algorithm that actually take measurements, accurate measurement using a mobile phone. It can be a regular use utilized mobile phone, like any Android or iOS, mobile phone, or any kind of a rag device using by the logistic companies and actually use its sensors to measure accurately and deliver the measurements into any kind of management system, any kind of warehouse management or delivery, or any kind of dashboard in a way that everybody sent information from different places into one and understanding how to optimize the process.

Cathy Roberson (09:18):

And that in itself helps reduce returns from the get go.

Tal Weber (09:21):

Correct. The idea is that this kind of an idea that you can actually buy 10 shirts and return nine of them is not about how to hurt the retailer, but it’s actually how to actually make the, the, your profile more accurate. So the idea is in a period that you can actually take the phone and use four different or five different measurements to actually measure your lengths of the arms and your hips and your chest and your legs and everything enable for you not to hurt your privacy and understand that you don’t have to use the camera when you want to buy lingerie or swim suit or kids wear and actually find the right profile for you and customize it into any kind of size chart. Yeah. Yeah. The idea is also about measurement for logistics. Not everything is a one size package. Not every warehouse have a big scanning machine.

Scott Luton (10:11):

It’d be a lot easier if it was yeah.

Cathy Roberson (10:13):

Yes.

Tal Weber (10:13):

For pallets, for bags, for any kind of, for the customer at home, for the driver, for optimizing the, the weight to optimize the delivery, to how to build the best container, how to actually make everything in a more optimized way. So we are actually coming to say, let’s optimize and let’s measure in matter of seconds, a very accurate way to get DM weights, to get dual, to get everything starting from the customer, through the professional employees, all the way to the warehouse and deliveries. And of course for the DIY as well.

Scott Luton (10:46):

How about the DIY? Do it yourself that

Tal Weber (10:48):

Do it yourself. Yeah. Just how about that, that you are sitting at home. There is a Corona and you want to paint a wall. How many pulse of paint do you need to measure a wall, measure your wall and understand it, measure a wall and understand which fair part of furniture from the catalog of Ike is fitting to this wall. So you can do everything by actually starting from a measurement by the mobile phone, and then connecting to any kind of a catalog outside of any kind of company. I mean, interesting.

Cathy Roberson (11:18):

That is

Scott Luton (11:19):

So cool. It is cool. I love your point about it will help drive less returns, right?

Cathy Roberson (11:24):

Exactly. You wanna prevent, I mean, really you wanna try to prevent returns from ever happening, right. That’s kind of part

Scott Luton (11:33):

And the bandaid. I wanna go to root calls. Yeah.

Cathy Roberson (11:35):

Figure out what the problem is. And that is one of the

Tal Weber (11:37):

Biggest, so when you are managing the return already, the customer not always returning the package as it was originally. Yep. And when you want to save on the returns on save on the logistics, it’s not always, what is the weight of the package, but what is the size of the package, right? Yes. Because do you need a big box to measure in the truck or you need a small box for something that weighed long. So when a retailer is getting, getting the return, he’s suffering a lot of expenses. He wants to less about it. He wants to prefer the sustainability. He wants to be more green. He needs to measure and get the dimension in the right place. You able to do it better?

Cathy Roberson (12:14):

Oh my gosh. Yeah, because those, the di sizes di weights, di sizes. I mean the UPSs, the FedExes, they charge based on the size of the boxes and the weight. So,

Tal Weber (12:24):

Correct. It’s not all, it’s not anymore. Only the distance and the weight, but also the size of the package. Yeah.

Scott Luton (12:30):

Yeah. Okay. So let’s talk about, so now we have a good on understanding what ma size does and a raving fan over there. Amanda Luton, what do you do with ma massage? What’s your

Cathy Roberson (12:39):

She’s like, I don’t hear you.

Tal Weber (12:41):

So I, I always believe that, uh, the biggest gross engine of our companies are partners and it can be, uh, three PL companies. It can be system integrations, it can be WMS systems delivery terms. I am actually developing the partnerships globally. I’m working, uh, global, uh, countries, uh, working with different companies of research, integration, consulting, working with the, with the WMS companies that actually offer their customers to use their measurement systems and actually developing the idea inside. Okay. So for me, business development is the right way to do

Scott Luton (13:17):

Okay. I love how you started with that, where company’s growth starts with its partners. Seems like you’re very real passionate. Yeah.

Tal Weber (13:26):

Yeah. As you, as before about working world logistics, the working with the people creating together is for me the biggest part. Mm.

Scott Luton (13:34):

I love that. I love that. Um, you know, I heard said the other day, Monica tri with N four was on the livestream with us. And she said that, uh, and I’m, I’m gonna loosely quote, her people have been the salvation of global supply chain throughout the pandemic, not technology. And that’s such a wonderful point. Cause that’s my favorite part. People you across global supply chains, working together to get the customer exactly what they want when they want it. And at the price at the price that they’re, uh, wanting to pay for. Um, okay. So Cathy, before we’re gonna change gears with, uh, TA in a second, but how cool is this my size story? And, and I appreciate you, you know, as we got together appreci show, we’re like, we gotta, we gotta get towel on and talk about, oh

Cathy Roberson (14:16):

My gosh, cuz when I heard that my size was coming, yeah, here I am doing a quick search on the company is fascinating. What you’re doing is fascinating and it’s one of these, well, duh, why hasn’t anyone done this sooner? I mean, it, it makes sense. Whereas there’s so many other companies you’re scratching, head going, what, but it really is. It’s needed. It’s a cool

Scott Luton (14:40):

Story.

Cathy Roberson (14:41):

It, it really is a very cool story

Scott Luton (14:42):

And congrats owned a successful raise last year. That’s

Cathy Roberson (14:45):

Wonderful. Definitely.

Scott Luton (14:46):

Okay. So I wanna broaden out our conversation, right? Yes. This is the center of the universe when it comes to returns and reverse logistics. I love your con. I love, I think our listeners and consumers in general have gotta know, we’ve gotta get these returns down. We gotta, yeah, we, um, it’s awesome that all these retailers,

Cathy Roberson (15:06):

It’s sorry that microphone just yeah. And I have little, little ears, so I’m sorry. No,

Scott Luton (15:12):

All good. All good. Hollywood’s not gonna call us because our mics working.

Cathy Roberson (15:18):

I think so. Is that good? I think so. All right.

Scott Luton (15:20):

So to our listeners, we’re just making sure this is the first interview. All good. This first interview, I think nine or 10, 10, uh, shows we have here in Vegas, which again, the center of returns and reverse logistics. But I wanna broaden down the conversation cuz there’s a ton of things going on global business, global supply chain. What’s, what’s an item or two that’s really on your radar right now. When, when we talk more about global business.

Tal Weber (15:44):

So there is two main things that are happening now, 2022, and looking into the future, one is customer centric. How do you involve the customer in all the process? It’s not just coming and taking a package. It’s how to actually involve the customer from listening to the customer, from sending an instant up to the customer at home and say, just measure your package one time, you don’t have to download anything, just measure easy,

Scott Luton (16:08):

Simple, easy,

Tal Weber (16:08):

Make it easy, five seconds. You just send the measurement and then we will send to pick it up. Any kind of price proposal, if needed to do any kind of information of how to actually make the return, to be an exchange and not to be just a loss for the retailers itself. And the idea is how to actually develop an Omni channel because the idea is when you come and you create your own profile and when you return, you can actually return exchange for something else. So the idea is to develop the omnichannel. There is not, there is a lot of solutions, but there is nothing that is doing measurement. Yeah. There is nothing that takes like online and in store in the same position, it doesn’t have to be only like a PO a package in logistic. It can be that you want to return a shirt. You will come to a shop, you will actually scan your, your, uh, profile. And then you will get a recommendation based on your history of what you want to do. Based on this, you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the shop today. So the system will already give you all the opportunities based on your profile, on what you’re doing

Scott Luton (17:07):

And what we want to do, what the options and the channels that we

Tal Weber (17:10):

We want. And how do you want spend it? I, I think, and then the, it doesn’t have to be that you return everything, but you have to, you can actually come to a shop and return something and take something, exchange or measure it and then deliver it in a different place. Because if they have like the lockers that you can deliver in a different way, how do I know how your package can fit into which, or one of the lockers? How do I actually optimize? Because you as the customer, you want to receive a better service, right? So you also need to help us when you return the package and able to get the better service. Okay. So one of the things is the customer centric solution. The second part is developing the omnichannel solution or, or more parts of logistics.

Scott Luton (17:52):

All right. So clearly Omni omnichannels on his mind. Right? Camping. What else did you hear there?

Cathy Roberson (17:57):

Well, I mean, omnichannel, that’s huge. And I think with the pandemic, it just kick started something that was slowly happening. It really wasn’t going very quickly. And then all of a sudden, whoops, we need to, uh, invest heavily in the whole omnichannel strategies. Right. And I’m seeing a lot of cool stuff out there agreed in that a lot of investments,

Tal Weber (18:22):

As Scott always said before personalization

Cathy Roberson (18:25):

Person. Yeah, it is. It is. How

Tal Weber (18:26):

Do you actually personalize this delivery? How your personalized, the return, right? Exactly. It’s all synergy. One another

Cathy Roberson (18:33):

Personalization options. I know that’s something I’ve been beating a drum over is custom consumers want options from, you know yep. All kind of options.

Scott Luton (18:44):

You know, like you just said, they don’t just what consumers don’t just want to know. Just don’t want options and how to purchase. They want options on how to return. Right? So let’s also, I, I wanted you to break out your crystal ball here today. We’re gonna talk about a big, bold prediction towel that you might have for 20, 22. What, what, what can our listeners expect, uh, for the rest of the year? What’s one thing, uh,

Tal Weber (19:11):

I maybe doesn’t sound so optimistic, but Corona is staying here. Ah, Medicine is growing. Biotech is growing. We are going to stay safe. We’re going to be protected.

Scott Luton (19:27):

Learn to live with it.

Tal Weber (19:27):

Yes. Learn to live with this. And again, developer it, I am predicting that all this energy we said before personalization and Omni channel is going to grow. We’re going to go back to sports. We’re gonna go back to the theaters. We’re gonna go back to see the movies. We’re gonna go back, spending time together. We’re gonna be protected in a way, but also, you know, traveling, I’m traveling worldwide and I see that I’m healthy. I’m good. Yep. I’m acting according to the rules, right? And according to this, you can go and buy and you can return. You can do things for your own. You can do things for the retailer. You can do things for the world. You can optimize deliveries, you can optimize the, the transportation. You can be more on sustainability. You can be or green. The idea for us is for customers to be more involved in the process and for the retailer and to logistic companies to be more open to customer needs.

Scott Luton (20:21):

Customer-centric yeah. Customer-centric name of the game. 2022, for sure. Um, alright, so I wanna talk Kathy, about our, wait a minute.

Cathy Roberson (20:31):

My crystal love. Oh,

Scott Luton (20:32):

Oh, please go right ahead. Yeah.

Cathy Roberson (20:35):

So returns, returns. It really is gonna be, this is the year of the returns,

Scott Luton (20:40):

The year of the returns year. Felicia PRS, bah. How about that? A year of the returns. Felicia’s us here, uh, in Vegas center of the universe. That’s right. So you have the returns. What? Um,

Cathy Roberson (20:52):

Well, yeah, I mean, look around here. We’ve got a record crowd. Yep.

Scott Luton (20:56):

Okay. Over 600 people. I think

Cathy Roberson (20:57):

Show, I know our membership is the highest it’s been. So a lot of interest and reverse logistics return are climbing higher and higher investment investment investment. Yeah. So really the focus for a lot of retailers, a lot of manufacturers, a lot of businesses is gonna be on returns, right? How are we going to reduce those costs? And you know, and

Scott Luton (21:24):

We gotta solve the problem. Right. A,

Cathy Roberson (21:26):

A huge problem. And it’s always been swept underneath that carpet. Right. That is right. The redheaded stepchild

Scott Luton (21:32):

That, and as Tony likes to say the dark side, the dark side right. Of global supply chain.

Cathy Roberson (21:36):

Exactly.

Scott Luton (21:37):

All right. So thank you. I’m I am so glad you had a chance. That’s good stuff with town. No, for sure. For sure. I mean, Cathy’s a repeat guest for big reasons here. I love it. And by the way, if you’re not following Cathy on Twitter, across social, but certainly on Twitter, you’re missed out. Uh, I love your analyst calls. That’s the best information. It’s like the, the solid goal of supply chain. Uh, what is your, by the way, what’s your Twitter

Cathy Roberson (22:01):

Handle cm. Roberton zero six

Scott Luton (22:05):

Cm. And we’re gonna have that on the show notes. So it was one click away. Right? Little, uh, sidebar there. Let’s get back to towel. So TA let’s make sure I, well, you know what, we’re gonna give folks chance to connect with you, but, but I got one line, one final billion dollar question for you. When is et the sequel coming out, any, any big, bold guesses there, right.

Tal Weber (22:27):

I think only Cathy research can answer this.

Cathy Roberson (22:31):

I’ll get back back to Y

Tal Weber (22:33):

Awesome. We’re looking for ATM back to the future. Number six, seven. Awesome.

Scott Luton (22:37):

Yeah.

Scott Luton (22:39):

All right. So how can folks connect with you and my size talk?

Tal Weber (22:44):

So best ideas to go to our, uh, website, which is my size com my size id.com. Uh, you can, uh, look up any kind of URL, my size box size, all on the Google, everything. We have a lot of movies on YouTube. You can see movies about box size. You can see movies about my size. You can see anything that all information needed. And of course, uh, tile Webber, T L w E B E R. You can look me up in, uh, LinkedIn, always happy to make new connections. And I’m sure that in any place we can actually make something happening for any entity and for anybody on this te logistics, any good manner of doing business globally.

Scott Luton (23:26):

I love it. I love it. My size id.com, right? Correct. Okay. Okay, Kathy, I wanna make sure folks when I connect with you, but let’s talk about this survey. Have you checked out this survey that, that Kathy and RLA put out once a quarter? Of course you checked out yet to yes. Okay. Tell us.

Cathy Roberson (23:41):

No, you haven’t

Scott Luton (23:43):

Sot

Cathy Roberson (23:44):

Will that

Tal Weber (23:44):

She just kicks me now.

Cathy Roberson (23:46):

Yeah. But he

Scott Luton (23:47):

Will. So

Tal Weber (23:48):

Right away right now.

Scott Luton (23:52):

So we, we need more input, right. Because it it’s a, it’s a fairly new survey tell, well, tell us

Cathy Roberson (23:57):

About it. Okay. So the RLA, uh, does a quarterly survey on returns. So we’re measuring the cost of returns and the volume of returns. Okay. And we’re asking folks what it looks like today. What do they expect it to be the next quarter? Yep. So with this data, we’re establishing an index, an index to measure, and the commentary, a loan from these surveys is phenomenal. It’s been so helpful. So appreciative of everyone that has been answering these surveys, it’s just four little questions. That’s all.

Scott Luton (24:36):

I love simple surveys. Oh,

Cathy Roberson (24:37):

I do too. And you know, we’re on our second one. We just finished the second one. I haven’t written up the results yet, but I can tell you right off the bat, the problem is transportation cost, duh. Okay. Yep.

Tal Weber (24:51):

But I want, I want to tell you some, one, one detail for your research.

Cathy Roberson (24:54):

Okay. Please do

Tal Weber (24:56):

Companies, for example, like Levi’s yeah. Has reduced returns by almost 50%. Wow. By using my size platform, really. And when it’s coming to deem weight in coming to every understanding how to optimize your deliveries, you, you are solving a lot of the transportation costs and deliveries, because you can lower the number of transportations and the sustainability and donate to the world by less pollution with this transportation and bring everybody happy in this direction.

Cathy Roberson (25:27):

See, that’s why you need to be paying attention to the surface so we can have valuable commentary like that analysis and stuff. That’s fantastic. Sure. Is it’s a good point.

Scott Luton (25:37):

Agreed. Sharing these best practices, sharing these observations, these data points, you know, beyond, out in industry.

Cathy Roberson (25:43):

Yeah. I mean, that’s the beauty of the RLA right? Is that it is bird driven, right?

Scott Luton (25:49):

Customer centric.

Cathy Roberson (25:49):

Yes. Very. That’s what I love about it.

Scott Luton (25:52):

I do too. Uh, and they got great people, Cathy and Tony and Felicia and many

Cathy Roberson (25:55):

Others, others. Gosh. Yeah. It’s a great group.

Scott Luton (25:57):

It is. All right. So TA we know how folks can connect with TA and again, my size id.com. Cathy, how can folks connect with you?

Cathy Roberson (26:05):

Well, Twitter. Okay. And on LinkedIn, just look me up Kathy Morrow, Robertson, or my company, which is logistics trends and insights. Yep. Have a company page. Website’s still not there.

Scott Luton (26:20):

It’s

Cathy Roberson (26:21):

Coming. It’s coming one of these days. I haven’t had time, but anyway, that’s really the best way. Or you could always email me Cathy rla.org.

Scott Luton (26:31):

Just that easy. Yeah. Yeah. And you, you put out, uh, I don’t know if it’s, I think it’s once a week on SubT stack.

Cathy Roberson (26:37):

Yes, I, I do. Yeah.

Scott Luton (26:38):

So they can check that out. I email you.

Cathy Roberson (26:40):

Yeah. Except I missed last week, but that’s okay.

Scott Luton (26:43):

That’s okay. That’s all right. There’s a time for

Cathy Roberson (26:45):

Everybody, but yeah, I do write a long, uh, an extended blog post. Yes. On SubT

Scott Luton (26:49):

Stack. Good stuff. Good stuff. Okay. Big, thanks to our new best friend to Weber and the, my size team, which is on the move for sure.

Cathy Roberson (26:58):

Definitely

Scott Luton (26:59):

Big. Thanks to one of our favorites, uh, friend, big friend, the show, Kathy Moore of Robertson. Make sure y’all connect with Kathy and Al and folks stay tuned for more coverage here at the center of the universe. For all things returns, reverse logistics, you name it, uh, right here at the 18th annual conference and expo, right? It’s an expo. Is there like a circus expo rollercoaster or something

Cathy Roberson (27:21):

Somewhere? No, but I, I think it’s just a lot of people exhibiting,

Scott Luton (27:27):

Hey, thanks everybody. We’ll see you next time on supply chain. Now, Scott, Luton’s signing off for now. Challenging you do good gift forward and be the change. Have a great day, everybody.

Intro/Outro (27:37):

Thanks for being a part of our supply chain. Now community check out all of our programming at supply chain. Now al.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

Tal Weber – From Investment Banking to Cyber, From Communications Networks through Adtech, eCommerce and Technology, Tal Weber has developed emerging technologies onto developed markets. With 25 years of experience, Tal Weber, has successfully launched numerous successful startups and technologies that have shaped life on earth. His recent joining to MySize Inc comes to vision the future of customer-centric and personalized solutions to the Logistics segment and to the AI-Measurement markets. Connect with Tal on LinkedIn.

Cathy Morrow-Roberson began her career as a librarian working in libraries in North & South Carolina and in Georgia. However, during the first wave of e-commerce startups, Cathy accepted a position at an e-commerce consulting startup working on such projects as the first internet bank and providing strategic analysis on other projects. After a couple of years, Cathy moved on to UPS where she was part of the team that created UPS Supply Chain Solutions. Cathy was responsible for logistics research and analysis including competitive and market analysis and more. With eleven years of UPS experience, Cathy returned to the consulting world, first working with a British-based firm and then launching her own business in 2015, Logistics Trends & Insights LLC, a supply chain market research and consulting firm.

Hosts

Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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Adrian Purtill

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Adrian Purtill serves as Business Development Manager at Vector Global Logistics, where he consults with importers and exporters in various industries to match their specific shipping requirements with the most effective supply chain solutions. Vector Global Logistics is an asset-free, multi-modal logistics company that provides exceptional sea freight, air freight, truck, rail, general logistic services and consulting for our clients. Our highly trained and professional team is committed to providing creative and effective solutions, always exceeding our customer’s expectations and fostering long-term relationships. With more than 20+ years of experience in both strategy consulting and logistics, Vector Global Logistics is your best choice to proactively minimize costs while having an exceptional service level.

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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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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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Allison Giddens

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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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Greg White

Principal, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain Now and TECHquila Sunrise

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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Karin Bursa

Host of TEKTOK

If there’s one Supply Chain ‘Pro to Know,’ it’s Karin. She’s earned the title for three years and counting – culminating in her designation as the “2020 Supply Chain Pro to Know of the Year.” Karin is also an award-winning digital supply chain, business strategy and technology marketing executive. A sought-after speaker at industry conferences, you will find her quoted in a variety of supply chain publications – and active in forums like ASCM/APICS and CSCMP.

With more than 25 years of supply chain experience, Karin spearheaded strategy and marketing for Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader and IDC MarketScape Leader, Logility. Karin has the heart of a teacher and has helped nearly 1,000 customers transform their businesses and tell their success stories. Today, she is a sought-after advisor helping high-growth B2B technology companies with everything from defining their unique value propositions to introducing new products and capturing customer success. No matter their goals, she makes sure her clients have actionable marketing strategies that help grow global revenue, market share and profitability.

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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 Cisco, Microsoft, Citrix and IBM.  Books include “Click to Transform” (Leaders Press, 2020), “Architecting Cloud Computing Solutions” (Packt, 2018), and “Practical Cloud Security: A Cross Industry View” (Taylor & Francis, 2016). He also delivers online training through Tulane University, O’Reilly Media, LinkedIn Learning, and Pluralsight.  Mr. Jackson retired from the U.S. Navy in 1994, earning specialties in Space Systems Engineering, Carrier Onboard Delivery Logistics and carrier-based Airborne Early Warning and Control. While active, he also served with the National Reconnaissance Office, Operational Support Office, providing tactical support to Navy and Marine Corps forces worldwide.

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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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Jeff Miller

Host

Jeff Miller is the host of Supply Chain Now’s Supply Chain is the Business.  Jeff is a digital business transformation and supply chain advisor with deep expertise in Industry 4.0, ERP, PLM, SCM, IoT, AR and related technologies. Through more than 25 years of industry and consulting experience, he has worked with many of the world’s leading product and service companies to achieve their strategic business and supply chain goals, creating durable business value for organizations at the forefront of technology and business practices. Jeff is the managing director for North America at Transition Technologies PSC, a global solution integrator, and the founder and managing principal of BTV Advisors, a firm that helps companies secure business transformation value from digital supply chain technologies and their breakthrough capabilities.

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Amanda Luton

Chief Marketing Officer

Amanda is a marketing veteran and entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience across a variety of industries and organizations including Von Maur, Anthropologie, AmericasMart Atlanta, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. In 2016, Amanda founded and grew the Magnolia Marketing Group into a successful digital media firm, and now she develops modern marketing strategies, social campaigns, innovative operational processes, and implements creative content initiatives for Supply Chain Now. But that’s just the beginning of her supply chain impact. Amanda also served as the VP of Information Systems and Webmaster on the Board of Directors for APICS Savannah for several years, and is the face behind the scenes welcoming you to every Supply Chain Now livestream! She was also recently selected as one of the Top 100 Women in Supply Chain by Supply Chain Digest and IBM.  When she’s not leading the Supply Chain Now marketing team, you can find Amanda with her and her husband Scott’s three kids, in the kitchen cooking, or reading.

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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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Billy Taylor

Host of Dial P for Procurement

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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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

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

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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Ben Harris

Host

Ben Harris is the Director of Supply Chain Ecosystem Expansion for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Ben comes to the Metro Atlanta Chamber after serving as Senior Manager, Market Development for Manhattan Associates. There, Ben was responsible for developing Manhattan’s sales pipeline and overall Americas supply chain marketing strategy. Ben oversaw market positioning, messaging and campaign execution to build awareness and drive new pipeline growth. Prior to joining Manhattan, Ben spent four years with the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Center of Innovation for Logistics where he played a key role in establishing the Center as a go-to industry resource for information, support, partnership building, and investment development. Additionally, he became a key SME for all logistics and supply chain-focused projects. Ben began his career at Page International, Inc. where he drove continuous improvement in complex global supply chain operations for a wide variety of businesses and Fortune 500 companies. An APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), Ben holds an Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration (EMBA) and bachelor’s degree in International Business (BBA) from the Terry College at the University of Georgia.

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Page Siplon

Host, The Freight Insider

Prior to joining TeamOne Logistics, Page Siplon served as the Executive Director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics, the State’s leading consulting resource for fueling logistics industry growth and global competitiveness. For over a decade, he directly assisted hundreds of companies to overcome challenges and capitalize on opportunities related to the movement of freight. During this time, Siplon was also appointed to concurrently serve the State of Georgia as Director of the larger Centers of Innovation Program, in which he provided executive leadership and vision for all six strategic industry-focused Centers. As a frequently requested keynote speaker, Siplon is called upon to address a range of audiences on unique aspects of technology, workforce, and logistics. This often includes topics of global and domestic logistics trends, supply chain visibility, collaboration, and strategic planning. He has also been quoted as an industry expert in publications such as Forbes, Journal of Commerce, Fortune, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, American Express, DC Velocity, Area Development Magazine, Site Selection Magazine, Inbound Logistics, Modern Material Handling, and is frequently a live special guest on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Radio Show. Siplon is an active industry participant, recognized by DC Velocity Magazine as a “2012 Logistics Rainmaker” which annually identifies the top-ten logistics professionals in the Nation; and named a “Pro to Know” by Supply & Demand Executive Magazine in 2014. Siplon was also selected by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential Georgians” for 2013, 2014, and 2015. He also serves various industry leadership roles at both the State and Federal level. Governor Nathan Deal nominated Siplon to represent Georgia on a National Supply Chain Competitiveness Advisory Committee, where he was appointed to a two-year term by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and was then appointed to serve as its vice-chairman. At the State level, he was selected by then-Governor Sonny Perdue to serve as lead consultant on the Commission for New Georgia’s Freight and Logistics Task Force. In this effort, Siplon led a Private Sector Advisory Committee with invited executives from a range of private sector stakeholders including UPS, Coca-Cola, The Home Depot, Delta Airlines, Georgia Pacific, CSX, and Norfolk Southern. Siplon honorably served a combined 12 years in the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force. During this time, he led the integration of encryption techniques and deployed cryptographic devices for tactically secure voice and data platforms in critical ground-to-air communication systems. This service included support for all branches of the Department of Defense, multiple federal security agencies, and aiding NASA with multiple Space Shuttle launches. Originally from New York, Siplon received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering with a focus on digital signal processing from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He earned an associate’s degree in advanced electronic systems from the Air Force College and completed multiple military leadership academies in both the Marines and Air Force. Siplon currently lives in Cumming, Georgia (north of Atlanta), with his wife Jan, and two children Thomas (19) and Lily (15).

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Kristi Porter

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Kristi Porter is VP of Sales and Marketing at Vector Global Logistics, a company that is changing the world through supply chain. In her role, she oversees all marketing efforts and supports the sales team in doing what they do best. In addition to this role, she is the Chief Do-Gooder at Signify, which assists nonprofits and social impact companies through copywriting and marketing strategy consulting. She has almost 20 years of professional experience, and loves every opportunity to help people do more good.

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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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Sofia Rivas Herrera

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

Sofia Rivas Herrera is a Mexican Industrial Engineer from Tecnologico de Monterrey class 2019. Upon graduation, she earned a scholarship to study MIT’s Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management and graduated as one of the Top 3 performers of her class in 2020. She also has a multicultural background due to her international academic experiences at Singapore Management University and Kühne Logistics University in Hamburg. Sofia self-identifies as a Supply Chain enthusiast & ambassador sharing her passion for the field in her daily life.

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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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Demo Perez

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

Demo Perez started his career in 1997 in the industry by chance when a relative asked him for help for two just weeks putting together an operation for FedEx Express at the Colon Free Zone, an area where he was never been but accepted the challenge. Worked in all roles possible from a truck driver to currier to a sales representative, helped the brand introduction, market share growth and recognition in the Colon Free Zone, at the end of 1999 had the chance to meet and have a chat with Fred Smith ( FedEx CEO), joined another company in 2018 who took over the FedEx operations as Operations and sales manager, in 2004 accepted the challenge from his company to leave the FedEx operations and business to take over the operation and business of DHL Express, his major competitor and rival so couldn’t say no, by changing completely its operation model in the Free Zone. In 2005 started his first entrepreneurial journey by quitting his job and joining two friends to start a Freight Forwarding company. After 8 months was recruited back by his company LSP with the General Manager role with the challenge of growing the company and make it fully capable warehousing 3PL. By 2009 joined CSCMP and WERC and started his journey of learning and growing his international network and high-level learning. In 2012 for the first time joined a local association ( the Panama Maritime Chamber) and worked in the country’s first Logistics Strategy plan, joined and lead other associations ending as president of the Panama Logistics Council in 2017. By finishing his professional mission at LSP with a company that was 8 times the size it was when accepted the role as GM with so many jobs generated and several young professionals coached, having great financial results, took the decision to move forward and start his own business from scratch by the end of 2019. with a friend and colleague co-founded IPL Group a company that started as a boutique 3PL and now is gearing up for the post-Covid era by moving to the big leagues.

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Kim Winter

Host, Supply Chain Now

The founder of Logistics Executive Group, Kim Winter delivers 40 years of executive leadership experience spanning Executive Search & Recruitment, Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, Corporate Advisory, Motivational Speaking, Trade Facilitation and across the Supply Chain, Logistics, 3PL, E-commerce, Life Science, Cold Chain, FMCG, Retail, Maritime, Defence, Aviation, Resources, and Industrial sectors. Operating from the company’s global offices, he is a regular contributor of thought leadership to industry and media, is a professional Master of Ceremonies, and is frequently invited to chair international events.

He is a Board member of over a dozen companies throughout APAC, India, and the Middle East, a New Zealand citizen, he holds formal resident status in Australia and the UAE, and is the Australia & New Zealand representative for the UAE Government-owned Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), the Middle East’s largest Economic Free Zone.

A triathlete and ex-professional rugby player, Kim is a qualified (IECL Sydney) executive coach and the Founder / Chairman of the successful not for profit humanitarian organization, Oasis Africa (www. oasisafrica.org.au), which has provided freedom from poverty through education to over 8000 mainly orphaned children in East Africa’s slums. Kim holds an MBA and BA from Massey & Victoria Universities (NZ).

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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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Alex Bramley

Sales Support Intern

Alex is pursuing a Marketing degree and a Certificate in Legal Studies at the University of Georgia. As a dual citizen of both the US and UK; Alex has studied abroad at University College London and is passionate about travel and international business. Through her coursework at the Terry College of Business, Alex has gained valuable skills in digital marketing, analytics, and professional selling. She joined Supply Chain Now as a Sales Support Intern where she assists the team by prospecting and qualifying new business partners.

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