Digital Transformers
Episode 30

No one raindrop ever felt responsible for the flood, but the reality is, coming together as one, coming together to make a bigger move, actually doesn't create a wave. It creates a tsunami of hope going all out across the world. So it could be that you need to start asking questions about where you buy your clothes from, or your groceries, the different products that you use in your home, because I guarantee you there are products that you use in your home that will have been made by people who are held in some form of modern-day slavery.

-Tim Nelson

Episode Summary

On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived at the 1861 Customs House in Galveston, TX as part of his tour to command troops sent to enforce the emancipation of enslaved peoples in the United States. Now, that same courthouse is set to continue the charge toward freedom for all. In this episode, join Kevin L. Jackson and Scott Luton as they discuss plans for the new June Nineteenth Museum, dedicated to honoring this important moment in history and ending modern slavery and human trafficking, with former Galveston City Manager Douglas Matthews and Hope4Justice CEO Tim Nelson.

Episode Transcript

Intro/Outro (00:01):

Welcome to digital transformers. The show that connects you with what you need to build, manage, and operate your digital supply chain. Join your host in a timely discussion on new and future business models. With industry leading executives, the show will reveal global customer expectations, real world deployment challenges, and the value of advanced business technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and robotic process engineering. And now we bring you digital transformers.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:39):

Hello everyone. This is Kevin L. Jackson here for digital transformers. And today is really special. This is a live on location show in Galveston, Texas. It’s really special for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that I’m here with my mentor and great friend, Scott Luden. Scott, are you ready for this? How are

Scott Luton (01:06):

Things going? I am so excited to be here. Uh, we’ve already taken a tour of this incredible historic site. We’ve met one of your new best friends. <laugh> really enjoyed that conversation. And, uh, Hey, I’m as I’m as ready to go as possible. So are you ready?

Kevin L. Jackson (01:21):

Oh, well, you know, I’ve been, I’ve been born ready, man. I’m born

Scott Luton (01:25):

Ready. No true words have ever been spoken. That’s true.

Kevin L. Jackson (01:29):

But what, the second reason that this is so special and why we’re here in Galveston is that we’re celebrating Juneteenth on Thursday, June 17th, 2021 last year, us president Joe Biden, signed into law, a bill establishing Juneteenth. The date that marks the end of slavery in the United States as a federal holiday, that declaration marked the first federal holiday since Martin Luther king day in 1983. Galveston is in fact the birthplace of Juneteenth.

Scott Luton (02:10):

Yeah, it’s really remarkable. Uh, so on June 19th, 1865 major general Gordon Grainger arrived here on Galveston island to command troops sent to enforce the emancipation of the slaves. Yeah. Now Grainger’s men marched to the streets, reading general order, number three first at union army headquarters at the Oman Oman. You know me, I gotta practice my pronunciation. <laugh> the Oman building in downtown historic district. Next. They marched to the 1861 customs house and courthouse, which is the building that we’re in right now. And I gotta tell ya, Kevin toured me earlier. It is fascinating, especially me being a big history nerd. So downtown at the building and then here at the customs house, and then after greeting there or here rather, they finally marched to a certain church on Broadway named what is now known as a Reid chapel AME church. And if you don’t know, general order number three, uh, declared the slave’s freedom. And then of course, celebrations ensued, which, uh, really formed the original beginnings of the Juneteenth holiday. Now I hope I got all that, right. Cause we’ve got expert that’s coming. That’s gonna be, we’re gonna be interviewing here in a minute, but with all that important background shared, you know, Kevin, you are part of a team that I I’m over to moon with what you’re doing here. You’re doing something really special with this formerly federal built and tell us about it.

Kevin L. Jackson (03:37):

Yeah, absolutely. So, uh, last year, a friend of mine, uh, mark Judson was talking with his brother actually. And uh, his brother was a senior executive with a DSW homes that had this building as their corporate headquarters man. And they were getting ready to move and they were just, you know, having a burger or something <laugh> and, and, uh, Paul, Justin was the brother’s name and said, Hey, did you know that this building was the birthplace of Juneteenth? And they just made it a federal holiday. And did you know, well, no, I really didn’t. I knew about Juneteenth, but I hadn’t associated with Galveston. Right. And mark said, wow, that would, that would make a great museum <laugh>. And so he started, uh, an effort to actually create the Juneteenth museum here in, in this building. Now, unfortunately, uh, mark, uh, passed the cancer earlier this year, but his wife wanted to continue. His family wanted to continue. So we are on June 19th, 2022. We are Chris and Christing the building christened, the building as the home of the Galveston 1861 courthouse Juneteenth museum. And over the next year, we will be renovating this facility. It was a great celebration. It included the Galveston mayor, Dr. Craig brown. We had the Galveston district one council member, Sharon, the Lewis that came actress and long time cohost of Showtime at the Apollo Kiki shepherd.

Scott Luton (05:25):

We talked about,

Kevin L. Jackson (05:26):

Yes, you did a video presentation, uh, at, at the event and Gil bellows, who is a star of the new Jay-Z produced film woman of the movement. This is a sixth episode, ABC mini series. It’s set in 1955 and it centers on the life of Mami till Mobley. She risked her life to find justice after her son, Emmett was brutally burned in, in the Jim, Phil south.

Scott Luton (05:59):

Now, Kevin, I understand that Mr. Bellows, who you mentioned yeah. Plays Gerald Chatham, which is a, uh, who was a Southern born district attorney who fought to bring Emmett Till’s killers to justice. Now, as we have talked about that trial of course changed Mississippi forever and it profoundly impacted deep south as well.

Kevin L. Jackson (06:17):

Yes, AB absolutely.

Scott Luton (06:20):

Okay. So Kevin, at that event, uh, that special event you were just, uh, talking through, you had a special guest there then that we also have now with us here today. It’s Mr. Juneteenth, at least here in Galveston. Uh, let’s welcome in Mr. Douglas Matthews. Thank you. How you doing

Douglas Matthews (06:36):

Real good. Thank you. I’ll tell

Kevin L. Jackson (06:39):

You. Yeah, Doug really appreciate you coming here to join us here. Uh, please introduce yourself to the audience and, uh, tell ’em about you.

Douglas Matthews (06:49):

Well, I’ve, let’s see, um, uh, excuse me. Uh, well, how would I say I was city manager for the city of Galveston 11 years. I was assistant city manager seven years before that, and I’ve been audited the university of Texas medical branch for the last 25 years as assistant vice president for government relations.

Kevin L. Jackson (07:13):

So, uh, that, that’s pretty impressive.

Scott Luton (07:17):

Well, I, you know, when you, when you got here earlier today, Doug, I think you had mentioned 43 years. You’ve been involved in the Galveston community, but also as part of

Douglas Matthews (07:28):

The 43 years that I’ve been assisting, uh, with the Juneteenth celebrations. Mm uh, one of the historic, uh, buildings on Broadway, the Ashton Villa, uh, that’s where we’ve had, uh, state representative Al Edwards. He started the Juneteenth celebration. He made the first state holiday for African Americans. And 43 years ago

Scott Luton (07:59):

Was, was Texas. Then the first state? Yes. Recognized Juneteenth. Yeah.

Kevin L. Jackson (08:04):

Okay. You were very, um, instrumental in a lot of first year in Galveston. You actually, you, you took me earlier to the very first, uh, Nero high school here in Texas.

Douglas Matthews (08:19):

Yes. Uh, central high school was the first African American high school in the state of Texas. I was the first black city manager, uh, in the state of Texas in 1985. And so Galveston has been known for quite a many first. And then we also the home of the heavyweight champion.

Kevin L. Jackson (08:42):

Yeah. Jack Johnson.

Douglas Matthews (08:43):

Yes. Yeah, yeah.

Kevin L. Jackson (08:43):

There’s a statue right next to the, uh,

Douglas Matthews (08:46):

Hospital. Isn’t it? Yes. We have a park dedicated to him that in collaboration with the city of Dallas,

Scott Luton (08:53):

Well, as city manager, did you have to, you know, some of those days have to pull off a Jack Johnson act, you know?

Kevin L. Jackson (09:00):

Well, I,

Scott Luton (09:02):

We, you can’t tell me those stories. <laugh>

Kevin L. Jackson (09:06):

Thank you. Something, you gotta something you gotta keep. Well, uh, thank you. Thank you very much. Uh, Doug and, uh, Scott and Doug is also another organization that we, we really need to give props to in honor of Juneteenth. Uh, that would be hope for justice, right? This is a nonprofit that we’ve showcased during this year’s supply chain and procurement award. That’s right. Uh, they were also featured doing the Christy,

Scott Luton (09:38):

You know, special organization. Uh, hope for justice is an international nonprofit working to bring it in to modern slavery and human trafficking. And unfortunately, Kevin, as we’ve talking with Tim and many others to organization, slavery and trafficking is actually on the rise globally, but hope for justice. The good news here is they’ve got an effective and proven model that is replicable. I tried to practice that word about 18 times, replicable, scalable, and it’s widely admired. So it goes without saying our collective vision is certainly a world without slavery. It’s, it’s sad that we’re here again here in 2022. Yeah. With the backdrop of this historic site. And we’re talking about slavery on the rise, but hope for Justice’s global work across five continents is helping to eradicate it. That’s their singular mission. So on Juneteenth, which is very exciting. Kevin, I tell you and your team, and of course with Doug’s help on the move, creating such a remarkable venue. That’s gonna teach and make folks more aware of how we can better battle and combat some of the forces that, that unfortunately leads to slavery and human trafficking. But on Juneteenth, they announced hope for justice, a very special strategic relationship with the Juneteenth museum. Yes. Now, even though hope for justices and, and Tim and, and the whole H FJ families based in Manchester, uh, UK, while Tim was here in Houston,

Kevin L. Jackson (11:08):

He was here at a, at a, uh, event where, um, he took time off to actually come to Galveston.

Scott Luton (11:15):

And we’re talking about Tim Nelson, CEO of hope for justice. And y’all had a chance to chat, I think, on the steps of the courthouse, right?

Kevin L. Jackson (11:22):

One, your stuff’s here at the Fort house.

Scott Luton (11:24):

And I think we’re gonna hear from Tim now.

Kevin L. Jackson (11:26):

Yes. Hello everyone. My name is Kevin L. Jackson, the host of digital transformers. I guess you’re wondering why I’m not in my studio today. I’m outside live at Galveston at the Juneteenth museum. And guess what? I’m here with Tim Nelson of hope for justice. Hey Tim. So good to see. <laugh> so good to be here. So it must have been a long swim, huh?

Tim Nelson (11:54):

<laugh> definitely, if I had to swim that you’d be waiting a long time, a long

Kevin L. Jackson (12:00):

Time. So how do we get you here in Texas?

Tim Nelson (12:03):

Well, I’m overdoing a conference in Houston. Mm-hmm <affirmative> and, and with us connecting and hearing about what, what the museum is doing. I said, if I’m in Houston, I’m making my way to Galveston and it’s so good that we could be able to meet together today.

Kevin L. Jackson (12:17):

No, no, absolutely. So, I mean, some people live under a rock, so they may not have heard of hope for justice. So what is hope for justice? And you know, why are you here in the United States that accent doesn’t sound

Tim Nelson (12:32):

Texan? No, it it’s not. And I’m not gonna do anything to, to give anyone the impression I could do a Texan accent either. <laugh> that would only be disingenuous to every single person who speaks with a Texan accent. <laugh> but you could probably tell I come from Northern Ireland. Okay. I was born and brought up there and moved to England to university. And, um, whilst I was in England, I got invited to sit on a business in the us. And I found myself in Los Angeles. Okay. Went out for dinner, LA LA land. Yeah. Yeah. Something like that. Like so far away from what I grew up with and a friend of mine invited me out for dinner mm-hmm <affirmative>. And whilst I was out for dinner, a person who was with him told me about the issues of human trafficking and modern day slavery.

Tim Nelson (13:15):

And I was amazed. I’d never heard anything about this at all. And he was on the phone to come to Lisa Rice, who was working for the Bush administration at the time. And he was talking about the dying greeting of India on the human trafficking register. And he’d seen girls in cages being shipped all over India. And I was like, that seems like something back to the transatlantic slave trade. What are you talking about? And he told me about how many people were being held in slaved all over the world. And no one was talking about it. So for me, I came back to the UK and there was a group of people who were gathering about looking to put on an event. And I joined my strength in and were a big group of about 10 of us that got together to form our first event. We got 5,884 people to launch hope for justice. And that was the start of the movement. And we’ve had seven other organizations merge into us and three in the us that have given us real scope and scale to make a bigger impact here in the us as well as internationally. But we now operate in eight countries and we look to prevent rescue restore and reform issues of human trafficking and modern day delivery all over the

Kevin L. Jackson (14:20):

World. Well, okay. I, I did my head around this. We are here in Galveston at the, the birthplace, the origin of the Juneteenth holiday. And that’s where in America, general Granger came and read general order three, which freed the last enslaved people here in, in the United States at the end of the civil war. So, you know, wasn’t that the end of slavery?

Tim Nelson (14:52):

Well, in, in its basis, the, the transatlantic slave trade ended in 18 86, 18 83, but 1885 was pretty much where we celebrate what happened here at Juneteenth mm-hmm <affirmative>. But the sad reality of it is though the legislation changed the reality for so many individuals across the world to this day, is that actually way, way, way more enslaved people are enslaved today than they were then. So even in the us today, whether it’s in sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, labor trafficking, what we see in other countries to do with organ harvesting or forced marriage, the issues of human trafficking, the issues of modern day slavery still exist and they exist and have amplified across the world. And it’s, it’s almost like a crime that’s hidden in plain sight. So although we, we do declare and we, we celebrate June teams, we celebrate what has happened. We celebrate the lives that we’re tragically lost or impacted through this.

Tim Nelson (15:47):

We realize actually the mission to bring freedom still goes on, and that freedom needs to not just be a wave of freedom. It needs to be a tsunami of freedom that goes all over the world. So I take everything from the Juneteenth to say that we need to take that spirit that was formed around Juneteenth that was formed around the abolition of the slave trade mm-hmm <affirmative> and we need to amplify it. And this place seems to be the best place for us to amplify it even louder in the United States and even louder across the world, that people who are being enslaved will not be tolerated. Those individuals who think it’s right to buy men, women, and children that will not be tolerated. We want declare freedom to all people all across the world. And we won’t stop until we see an engine.

Kevin L. Jackson (16:32):

So you’re here in Galveston to, to do that. What, what are your plans? Why Galveston?

Tim Nelson (16:38):

Well, in partnering with Juneteenth museum, and what we want to be able to do is people will come here because maybe they underst they’ve, they’ve heard about this through, through education or through the public holiday has raised consciousness as to what’s going on. There might be people who historically want to come and visit places where things have been spoken or said, right. That’s useful. But what we want to be able to do is educate people because education is the first stage into action. Because if you know something, then you can’t turn away from it. William Wilberforce is someone who celebrated the United Kingdom as being someone who, who, who led the mission of the abolition of the slave trade. When he was sent a letter from lady Middleton, he said that he could positively not deny what is happening. Neither. He heard what the issue was. And I suppose what I want to be able to say to so many people using every forum we possibly can is once you know that people are still held against their will, what will you do about it? Will you turn away, turn a blind eye to what’s happening, or will you want to make a bigger impact to see the last, the least and the lost set free?

Kevin L. Jackson (17:47):

So education is important, but what I’m hearing is that it’s just not enough. You have to take action on what you’re seeing or what you’re feeling or, or what you’re experiencing. So, and we have an audience out here that that’s listening to you, what, what can they actually do to, to help what, you know, help things change?

Tim Nelson (18:11):

Yeah, well, I, I think I’ve heard it said to me that people don’t need to cry about this issue. Okay? It’s horrendous, you know, young children that are being taken against their will brutally abused, thrown into slavery. They don’t, it it’s horrendous, but if you cry about it, you could be in a state of paralysis. It can stop you doing anything. We need people to take action. So when people are watching today, I wanna say to people that, you know, you’ve been given time, you’ve been given a talent, you’ve been given treasure. You might not be able to do everything, but we can all do something to try and help bring that movement forward. You know, no one raindrop ever felt responsible for the flood, but the reality is coming together as one coming together to make a bigger move, actually doesn’t create a wave.

Tim Nelson (19:01):

It creates a tsunami of hope going all out across the world. So it could be that you need to start asking questions about where you buy your clothes from, or your groceries, uh, the different products that you use in your home, because I guarantee you that there are products that you use in your home that will have been made by people who are held in some form of modern day slavery. Because the reality is this issue of modern day slavery is endemic across the world. Wow. We’re seeing children who are being held, not given an opportunity in life because they are locked in slavery. Like it was at the transatlantic slave trade where they didn’t have rights. Weren’t given the opportunities. We see that all over the world and we want to bring freedom. So it may be today. You’re listening. And maybe, uh, let’s just say, maybe you just won the lottery and you’re fight you.

Tim Nelson (19:51):

You feel an urge to give, I told you not to fight that urge. Now this, the reality of it is that this hasn’t been this movement that we’ve been a part of. And for the last 14 years have been on a mission on isn’t something that’s been funded by the millionaires, as great as that would be. It’s funded by average, everyday people, moms, dads, teenagers, 20 something, 30 something thinking that actually we can play a part, giving a small amount of what they have sacrificing what they have today to help others tomorrow. So I’d encourage you go to hope for justice.org, hope for justice.org, check us out, be able to go to our social spaces, whether that’s Instagram, whether that’s Twitter, whether you, you, you go to Facebook or I donunno, if my space is still running or anything like that. But, but the reality is there’s something that you’ve got that each one of us have been told, have been given a unique fingerprint and a unique voice.

Tim Nelson (20:46):

And I think that’s for a reason because each one of us gets to decide what we will speak up for and what will we put our hands to because it will leave an impact and it will leave a legacy. So I encourage you as you’re listening to what we’re talking about today, not to just allow to wash over you or to, to put, um, kind of your hands over your ears, because now, you know, what’s happening. You can’t positively deny that this is an issue and that you don’t just need to do something about it. You need to take this as a mission because the reality is they are someone’s son and daughter. And maybe just maybe if they were your son and daughter, you would do something about this more. And I want to take that spirit and cause you to actually turn it around, to get to a point where you’re driven from anger, um, to a point where you’re driven into action and not to allow apathy, to set in, not to allow yourself to just be inoculated to this issue, but to start to understand the power that you have to change society as a whole.

Tim Nelson (21:45):

So I encourage you today to make a bigger difference and bring freedom wherever you are,

Kevin L. Jackson (21:50):

Really, it’s an emotion I, and I see it’s just coming outta you and it, so the audience need to understand that they take action, not just quiet about it, like you said. So we at Juneteenth museum here in Galveston custom house look forward to working with and partnering with hope for justice so that everyone can work together to eliminate this, this curse of, of human travel. So thank you. Thank you so much. You look forward to working with you.

Tim Nelson (22:24):

I appreciate that. Thank you so much. And thank you everybody for listening today to

Kevin L. Jackson (22:27):

Us and thank you very much. And everyone out there hope for justice.org and work together to eliminate this, this awful thing that we we have in our society today. You know, that was a real honor for me. I really look forward to working with Tim and the entire hope for justice, uh, team. Uh, on that note, we have actually kind of run out time. So, so that how could people learn more about Galveston and N June team?

Douglas Matthews (23:03):

They need to go to visit galveston.com,

Kevin L. Jackson (23:07):

Okay. Visit Galveston, do com and,

Scott Luton (23:10):

And we’re gonna visit again, as we’re talking about, and we’re gonna get with Doug and go to, uh, guide notes.

Douglas Matthews (23:17):

That’s right.

Kevin L. Jackson (23:17):

Visit over and over and over again. <laugh> so Scott, what’s happening with supply chain now?

Scott Luton (23:25):

Well, Hey, I love this question. I’ll try not make any ears bleed new shows, new host, new programs, a lot more growth, but all with the same commitment, right. Content with purpose, right. Content that does good gives forward and is the change that we need to see. Right? And if you wanna be part of journey, if you wanna be part of the supply chain now, family, right. A global family, Hey, connect with me on LinkedIn or any other social. And of course you can also check out supply chain now, wherever you get your podcast from. So thank you, Kevin, for what you do. And again, Doug, uh, Mr. Matthews, an honor to sit down with you here today.

Kevin L. Jackson (23:59):

No. So thank, thank you both for being part of this very special location, digital transformers. If anyone is interested in learning more about the Galveston museum, please visit their website@junenineteenmuseum.com. And thank you for spending your precious time with us in closing, I would also like to invite everyone to check out a wide variety of industry, thought leadership@supplychainnow.com. You can find digital transformers and supply chain. Now, wherever you get your podcasts. So be sure to subscribe. So on behalf of Doug Scott and the entire team here at supply chain. Now this is Kevin L. Jackson wishing all of our listeners, a bright and transformational future. We will see you next time on digital transformers.

Intro/Outro (25:01):

Thank you for supporting digital transformers and for being a part of our global supply chain. Now community, please check out all of our programming@supplychainnow.com. Make sure you subscribe to digital transformers anywhere you listen to or view the show and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. See you next time on digital transformers.

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Featured Guests

Doug Matthews was born in 1951 in Galveston and was raised in the Westend community. While he experienced the segregation of public venues, Matthews’ parents encouraged him to control his own future by working twice as hard. Matthews attended Central High, the first African-American High School in Texas for three years, and spent his senior year at the integrated Ball High. Matthews served as the Galveston City Manager, where he worked to bridge the gap between the city government’s middle class perception of neighborhood improvement and the unmet basic needs of the African-American community, helped to cultivate its tourist industry, helped to resurrect Mardi Gras celebrations on the island, played a role in the maintenance of Juneteenth celebrations, and more. Matthews also served as an Assistant Vice President of Government Relations for UTMB, and as a deacon for the first African-American Catholic Church, Holy Rosary. Matthews is now serving on the Board of Advisors for the June 19th Museum in Galveston.

Tim Nelson is the co-founder and CEO of Hope for Justice and Slave-Free Alliance. Hope for Justice is an international charity working to bring an end to modern slavery and human trafficking and offers an effective and proven model that is replicable, scalable, and award-winning. The charity’s vision is to live in a world free from slavery and its work across five continents and in 8 countries is focused on preventing exploitation, rescuing victims, restoring lives, and reforming society. It does this through community engagement and outreach; investigation and rescue; survivor support and advocacy; community prevention and anti-trafficking education; residential and non-residential aftercare and transitional care; family reintegration; training; campaigning and policy work; and business engagement via our Slave-Free Alliance division. Tim created and launched Slave-Free Alliance, which works with more than 80 organizations including 8 FTSE 100 companies to protect their supply chains against modern slavery. Tim has a background in Finance and Technology. The countries HFJ work in are: UK, USA, Cambodia, Norway, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Australia. Connect with Tim on LinkedIn.

Hosts

Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

Kevin L. Jackson

Host, Digital Transformers

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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, 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Greg White

Principal & CMO, 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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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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