“The question became one of who owned the streets. Today we think of streets as a place for cars. Back then, however, ownership was in transition at best – if anything – the streets belonged to pedestrians.”
– Kelly Barner, Dial P for Procurement
In this edition of This Week in Business History, Kelly Barner remembers key innovations, inventions, and firsts that took place between August 2nd and the 6th. In our main story, we learn about the installation of the first electric traffic light and how the road went from being the domain of pedestrians to a throughway for cars. We’ll also learn about the release of the TRS-80 personal computer by Radio Shack and the establishment of the first Federal income tax.
More Podcast Episodes
reverse logistics
Podcast
October 13, 2025
From Afterthought to Advantage: Reverse Logistics at Enterprise Scale
In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton sits down with two leaders shaping the future of reverse logistics from the floor to the classroom: Troy Campbell, Director of Reverse Logistics Centers at The Home Depot, and Dr. Glenn Richey, Jr., Harbert Eminent Scholar in Supply Chain Management at Auburn University. Troy opens the doors to Home Depot’s four Reverse Logistics Centers: Phoenix, Pittston (PA), McDonough (GA), and Indianapolis, showing why a people-first culture remains the operating system for returns at scale. He gets real about “automation when the box isn’t a box,” how rethinking inbound flows through 3PLs reduces touches and transportation cost, and why simple vendor conversations (like consolidating daily pallets into a single weekly load) can unlock outsized impact. His north star: make associates’ days easier, and the entire reverse network improves. Glenn zooms out to the macro shifts: the move from minimizing returns to maximizing returns within a circular economy, generative AI for scenario planning and real-time decision support, and reverse logistics as the operational backbone of sustainability. He maps the skills the next workforce will need, calls for clearer industry coding to separate reverse data from forward logistics, and outlines how universities can build…
EV
Podcast
January 26, 2024
The Supply Chain Buzz for January 22nd with Scott W. Luton and Greg White
The Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12 noon ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience! In this week’s episode of The Buzz, hosts Scott Luton and Greg White discuss some of the top news stories and trends in supply chain and industry today. Listen in and learn more about: The top concerns for US and Global CEOs as we go into 2024 The extra-spicy experiential food & beverage trends for 2024 What consumer product shortages will shoppers notice on (empty) shelves? EV news from Ford, and if they’re meeting their ambitious sales expectations