Faith, Family, and Fastenal
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supply chain leadership
Podcast
September 24, 2025
Supply Chain Leadership in the Never Normal: A Power Panel of Women Rewriting the Rules
In this episode of Supply Chain Now, host Karin Bursa welcomes a powerhouse panel of women supply chain leaders who are rewriting the rules in today’s “never normal” world. Joining the discussion are Stephanie Beal, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Hasbro; Tamera Fenske, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Kimberly-Clark; Eliza Simeonova, Vice President of Global Supply for Mars Pet Nutrition; Whitney Shlesinger, Vice President of Global Planning and Logistics at McCormick; and Sylvia Wilks, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Lamb Weston. Together, they share defining moments that shaped their careers, from early plant leadership to global transformation initiatives. They explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping supply chain performance: driving operational discipline, improving demand planning, enhancing knowledge management, and freeing teams to focus on creative, strategic work. The panel also reflects on the importance of clean data, talent development, and building integrated value chains that deliver measurable business results. Looking back, each leader offers advice to their younger selves, highlighting the power of mentorship, confidence, and learning from failure while encouraging the next generation to own their careers and pay it forward. This episode is hosted by Karin Bursa, and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. …
supply chain
Podcast
September 10, 2025
Toys, Tech & TMS: How A & A Global Plays to Win
In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton talks with Brett Johnson, IT Director at A&A Global, and Shannon Vaillancourt, President and Founder of RateLinx, about A&A Global’s journey to transform their shipping operations. Brett details how they addressed inefficiencies in their old TMS, implementing RateLinx’s flexible toolkit to streamline processes, reduce costs, and scale operations without adding staff. The conversation explores how A&A Global overcame challenges like manual data entry, slow carrier onboarding, and inaccurate rate quoting through powerful integrations like ScanForce, Cubiscan, and mobile printing. Brett and Shannon also highlight the role of Lean Six Sigma practices in driving continuous improvement and achieving significant cost savings, faster shipping, and enhanced efficiency. This episode is hosted by Scott Luton, and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. Additional Links & Resources Check out all the great resources and information mentioned during the show: Learn more about A&A Global Connect with Shannon Vaillancourt INSIGHT 2025 Conference Learn more about RateLinx Learn more about our hosts Want more Supply Chain Now? We know you can’t get enough Supply Chain Now! Don’t miss a single episode, livestream, or webinar: Watch and listen to more Supply Chain Now…