Supply Chain Now Radio
Episode 179

Episode Summary

In partnership with The Effective Syndicate, Scott and Greg welcomed Beau Groover for Part 1 of the Coach’s Corner in the Leadership Matters Series.

Episode Transcript

[00:00:05] It’s time for Supply Chain Now Radio. Broadcasting live from the Supply chain capital of the country, Atlanta, Georgia. Supply Chain Now Radio spotlights the best in all things supply chain the people, the technology’s the best practices and the critical issues of the day. And now here are your hosts.

 

 

[00:00:29] Hey, good afternoon. Scott Luton here with you, Live on Supply Chain Now Radio. Welcome back to the show. Today’s show is our latest installment in the hashtag Leadership Matters series, which is, of course, sponsored by our friends over at the Effective syndicate. But here’s the deal. We have a twist on the old routine. This is the coach’s corner edition of Leadership Matters. We asked for your questions in the last few days. And now our panel is going to stand and deliver. So stay tuned. Quick programming note. Like all of our series and Supply Chain Now Radio, you can find our replays on a variety of channels, Apple, podcasts, SoundCloud, YouTube, wherever you get your podcasts from, as always. We’d love to have you subscribe. So don’t miss anything. OK. So let’s welcome in our featured esteemed guests. Today we have Bo Groover, founder and president of the Effective syndicate Bo. How you doing? If I were any better, I’d be twins. No. And secondly, we have Greg White cohosts serial code here at Supply Chain Now Radio. Serial Supply chain tech entrepreneur and trusted advisor Greg Heda. I’m doing great. It’s been a big day. Shoegaze yeah show big production day, but great conversations from a remote podcast this morning talking about the latest and greatest in the Logistics Tech. And Our Friends E.M.T. To the show we just wrapped up with Tony Shroder and the reverse Logistics SCAC. Yeah too. Now we’re talking while things culture continues improvement. Leadership. Teamwork. Yeah, a lot of things here at the coach’s corner. So, Bill, I got to ask, what coach did you have in mind when you coined this corner as the coaches don’t know that one specific coach.

 

[00:02:12] Remember the webinar we did building a team? And it occurred to me as I was doing all of that coaching research is probably a lot of people who have questions, but maybe they don’t have the person in their network. So, you know, asking your spouse is probably hit or miss. It’s a little bit tough to ask people that you work with because you don’t know are they going to tell somebody or, you know, are they just trustworthy? Do they had this kind of information? So we figured a degree removed from the actual situation to say, look, in general, what are some of the questions that you’d like to ask a coach? And we get tremendous response. So I’m pretty excited about the first one. And hopefully this becomes a series depending on what kind of feedback and traction it gets agreed on with you. I had a coach. Amanda, did you ever coach a man? Not.

 

[00:02:59] Not, though I’ve had some had some good coaches, but I mean, probably the best life coach sports coach ever has to be John Wooden. Mm hmm. You know, I would I was introduced. I was introduced to John Wooden at a really young age. I was born on the very day that Texas Western. Now the UTEP field that the Firhill steppers. Right. Hill Topper. No, I don’t. I don’t know. I don’t know what they were when they were Texas Western. But but on the date that I was born. My mother lived to tell the story that she was he my father was late getting to the hospital because Texas Western was fielding the first all-black starting five in in the NCW finals against UCLA. My father was Big John Wooden fan, but also was a huge fan of seeing this historic event occur. And you know, so that that started my love for basketball. And of course, you know, the introduction to John Wooden and he almost.

 

[00:04:01] Mr. Arrival, he did did almost nice. Yes. The manners. My mother loves to remind him to manners. There you go.

 

[00:04:10] And so one last thing for Gates, our thanks question, because the first question will be about culture. And when I think of as a as a longtime Clemson fan, not we had a lot of good, great coaches, Danny Ford, a great coach, Tom, about and was a good man.

 

[00:04:26] Dabo Sweeney, Dabo Sweeney is an outstanding person, coach, leader, and he has done things at Clemson that that you would think as a fan would not be accomplishable, if that’s a word. And in it, he is from day one. He’s been about culture from day one before. All the stuff that he’s done, the wins. And really, you can relate this, Bo, because as a fan, I can feel it. And I bet as a player you can really feel it is you feel like, you know, to get into the game and win. Yeah. I mean, gosh, for decades as a Clemson fan, we’d go to the games. There was always that dread. Right. Right. Ask not not the case. A more so. That’s right. When I saw the you’d coined it this edition new series, Coach’s Corner. Of course, that’s that in pro Bobby Cox best Daryl story. OK, so let’s talk about let’s take our first question. And Greg, I think you’re going to share that with us, right?

 

[00:05:24] Yes, I am. So this is sort of an amalgamation of questions. Nice, nice word. You want to pick that word. So because we got so many on this topic. So I’m going to read this because it’s kind of long in a blended together. So it is a lot of supply chain leaders that I speak to are talking culture, especially a culture that attracts top talent and especially a culture that empowers the team to succeed. It unleashes a team to go out and win. So what South did? Did he just read this question? So that’s what goes into that kind of culture. And how do you go about creating it? So that’s what folks in the network generally are talking about. Sure. So you got to take it.

 

[00:06:06] I want to start it. You know, I think that’s a great question. And it’s probably one we could do the whole show on that question. Right. We’re not going to in the interest of time. But I think a lot goes into it. Right. So a lot of organizations, in my experience, don’t spend enough time assessing where they are. And also, my experience shows that the further removed from the day to day grind, if you will, the less aware the leaders are of the culture. So I’ll talk with a C-level executive and he’ll tell me about this. Can do spirit get it done, entrepreneurial team of people that are just setting the world on fire. And then I start talking to the people and they think, you know, they tell me, you know, we’re successful in spite of that guy. So there’s the first part in my mind is truly assessing where you are current state. And the second step would be determining where you want to go. And that’s not you know, that’s not an individual sitting in his office and pointing out a bunch of buzz words, but that’s sitting around with the team of people that work in that building and say, our guys and gals, what culture do we want to have here at this place? And let’s get really, really clear. Let’s let’s wrestle about it. Let’s fuss and cuss with each other and let’s hammer it out. Right. It can’t be a list of 74 buzz words. It’s got to be five to 10 core behaviors, core values that people will buy into. And then you go about implementing it. And, you know, I think we can talk a lot about implementing it. But from my perspective, that is the starting point of no one determining where you are. Number two, determine where you want to go.

 

[00:07:39] Mm hmm. You know, I think it’s that all of that’s true. And I think in addition to it, it it is about this empowerment word. But it’s a little bit different than saying you’re empowered. Right. First of all, I firmly believe I’m 100 percent convinced and we’ll never be convinced otherwise that culture in a company comes from the top. Usually one person at the top and usually that person is at the very top. And that culture is developed whether that culture is intentional or accidental. So you have to as a leader, you have to be very intentional about the. Culture that you create, otherwise you get the culture that you enable. And and that may be a reflection of some of your personal processes, your personal strengths and weaknesses, and you may not want your organization to have those weaknesses or biases or whatever those things are. So you have to be very, very intentional about what those things are. And I think the you know, the other thing to think about from it, he started the timer on me, which threw me another.

 

[00:08:46] I think the other thing the other thing that you that you have to think about from a from a culture standpoint is that empowering people is about uncovering their greatness. I think, you know, one of the terms that coaches use a lot is getting the best out of my team or getting the best out of my players or whatever. But when you take that literally, it’s it can be easily misinterpreted. It’s not getting the best. It is uncovering their gifts and enabling those gifts to help them grow and help the team perform. And, you know, again, that’s something I learned from John Wooden, is he was about personal responsibility, about understanding your role and understanding your personal gifts and then using those. So another great coach can’t believe I’m going to say this because I hate the Pittsburgh Steelers. We just lost all the podcast charts in the state of Pennsylvania. Gregg, go, chiefs. Chuck know what his philosophy was to get great athletes and build his offense around, build his offense, particularly around those great athletes. And that’s almost always a successful culture. Sure. Right. So so not only do you define the culture, but you somewhat adapt the culture to the people that you have as well. Again, being intentional, but it has to be flexible as well. All right. Or go get the people that you need. Right.

 

[00:10:16] So, yeah, you try to build around what you have. But at the end of the day, if I need a quarterback and I don’t have one, I’m not going to try to take a defensive lineman and say I need a quarterback. So you’re it. Right. So we’re we’re back to the ducks.

 

[00:10:26] Yeah. I think we talk about empowerment. One of the easiest things to understand about empowerment, least to me is is allowing folks to make decisions and take gambles. I think we’ve all worked in organizations. I certainly have where the culture has been very empowering. They push decisions down. You know, they they encourage folks to try new things. And of course, if you fail, you’ve got to if you’re not failing, you’re standing still. Yeah, you’re standing still. Right. And you know, you want to fail and fail fast. But you’ve got it. You’ve got experiment. You’ve got it. And you’ve got to. I believe the type of culture that that pulls people to you, it is a type of cold culture where the leaders are constantly letting others make decisions. I think winning cultures and cultures that attracts people are cultures that don’t aren’t have don’t have a punitive structure. Right. They’re not concerned looking for ways to daqui that here or punish it. Here, take this back or take that back. But rather, they provide lots of incentives for going above and beyond. I think of, you know, heck, we’re doing this right here. Vector Global Logistics. Right. And the third point when I think of cultures that pull people to them is, is those cultures, those organizations that give back. And this is an outstanding testimony to a culture that’s dedicated to giving back.

 

[00:11:46] Now, one last thing that’s kind of related to each of these in some ways is a culture that allows people wherever, whatever position are in wherever they rank, so to speak, or whether, you know, whether you’re a CEO, whether you’re an analyst or whether you’re a part manager or whatever, you know, a culture that allows all these folks to understand the mission and where they play in the big picture.

 

[00:12:07] I think that is so important. And, you know, I’ve been a part of organizations where they don’t they don’t want to give you this much information. I need to know basis. Yes. And that is not a culture that is built to win. In my book.

 

[00:12:20] Well, and, you know, to further that point. People want to be valuable to an organization, to the purpose. Whatever, you know, whatever is driving a particular company. But they also want to be valued. If you can accomplish those two things, helping people feel valuable and be valuable and feel valued. You’re halfway there. That’s a huge part of culture, right? I mean, the biggest reason that people leave jobs is not because of pay. It’s because they either didn’t or both didn’t feel valued or feel valuable. Right. Right.

 

[00:12:53] And the other part, you know, you talk about the empowerment thing. Right.

 

[00:12:56] So as a human being, I can’t I can’t empower another human being. Right.

 

[00:13:02] I can’t I don’t have any conveyance or control over another human being. What I can do as a leader is create an environment or empowerment. And I can engage people in and challenge them and encourage them to walk through. But at some point, and here’s the power of this culture, I think it allows you to drive harder. So a lot of the executives say, well, you know, you if you care that much about your people, can you really push? And I would argue if the more you care, the harder you can push. Because now I’ve got an agreement. I’ve created an environment. Greg, if you worked here. Right. I need you to do these things. I need you to take these risks. I need you to be willing to, you know, try something new. And after the third or fourth time, I say that and I don’t see activity on your side. Now, the conversation is going to be a little bit different. Greg, here’s the culture that we want to build here. Are you sure you want to be a part of it? So it becomes this agreement that says, look, you know, I here’s the expectations of working here. We want a dynamic workplace. We want to have empowered people. We want to be willing to take risks and try new things. And it’s not punitive. What are we gonna do? How are we gonna do it? You know, let’s let’s go get after it. But at the end of the day, the expectation falls to the people who work there to say, all right. I know the culture I’m in because it’s been explained me 79 times. I understand it. It’s on me now.

 

[00:14:20] I think you I think you also find that if if you truly allow people to be empowered or create an environment of empowered, you don’t have to push as much. Oh, yeah, right. So lutely you will get more out of people. I mean, I just recently exited a company where there were just a handful of us at the start. And, you know, we were very intentional, intentional about identifying our core values and identifying our culture and living our culture. It was easy to do because we were in a room not much bigger than you can see on camera here. But. And by the way, that was really productive environment to be that close to one another at that stage of the company. But in addition to that, we all knew what our.

 

[00:15:06] Higher purpose was right.

 

[00:15:08] The purpose of the company and and, you know, we had the ability to say, hey, we need to accomplish this, not do this. We need to accomplish this goal, you know, and everyone knows the boundaries. So we need to accomplish this goal. And because we need to accomplish this goal.

 

[00:15:28] You know, Peter or or Mike or whoever. Go out and do it. And, you know, and make it happen. And they knew where they stood. They knew what they were able to do. And they felt the power to actually accomplish it in their way. Right. Right. And that honestly, that was a that was a growth point for me. I’ve not always been that kind of manager. So I’ve experienced that firsthand and very recently and to success as well.

 

[00:15:56] So let’s as you said, that first question was. And you call it an amalgamation. Thank you very much.

 

[00:16:05] So some of the folks that that some of the folks that that went into that question, I think that I thought about, you know, Mike, was that Tosca, Brian Greene, HMTX Industries, Christian Forecki convoy boy, they came here, certainly Enrique Alvarez here, Vector, Vivian Greentree Foster thing about giving back and and mission and duty in the big picture. I mean, these are really cultures that as you sit here and talk with leaders that describe it, you can almost see it in their eyes. And you want to follow it through a brick wall. And that’s what I mean, when I when they tried to make this thing about culture, which, of course, this is is cliche. Everyone likes talking about culture. But making it real tangible is when the leaders of these organizations, of these right cultures come and speak to the room and that room is Ryder to follow him into battle. All right. Yeah. OK. Well, I think that’s the cowboy principle, right? If you want to know if you’re a good leader, turn around or watch wild.

 

[00:17:02] See if the herd following it is true.

 

[00:17:06] I mean, you’re not a leader. Right. Because you have whatever exceptional gifts or because you commanded you are a leader because people follow you. And that’s when that’s the only validation that you get. That’s right.

 

[00:17:17] And it’s a gift, right? If people are willing to follow you, then recognize that you’ve been given a gift and cherish it. Yeah. So next next question. That was that was a great warm up question. I think you’re a great amalgamation of the topic. Yes, maybe. So the second question, big shout out to Allison Giddens, and I hope I’m pronouncing that name correctly. And she asked, are there certain common qualities you’ve noticed the best candidates have when someone is new to the industry and looking to get a job in the supply chain areas, Logistics, manufacturing, etc. And so I read that. I think she’s asking if certain common qualities you’ve noticed for the best candidates have when someone is new to getting into the supply chain industry or the supply chain area of of a job.

 

[00:18:04] So what are those Istar qualities? Are you kind of consider how you want to know what you want, share up? I believe we talked about this.

 

[00:18:13] Seems like every show here lately in the military, there is a sense there is an esprit de corps. There is a sense of mission. There is a.. I’ve got your back. There’s a kindred spirit. That is for me. It is very difficult to replicate that on the private sector side. However, when I think about my time in manufacturing, there is a lot of those elements, you know, get good parts out own time and working across functional areas, folks that are strong bias for action, that get a sense of purpose and want to work with others, that some of that some of the qualities that that strike me when I saw this question, you know, in the Supply chain arena and Logistics in manufacturing is so much different than so many other professional services, you know? Yeah, I can’t remember the numbers. Maybe Malcolm can hook us up. But if you look at the the lead time associated with some of the professional services services. Right. And how much time they can they can do to get to this and get to that versus stamp and. You know. I mean, it can’t be night and day. So when I when I read this questionis, it’s like the best the better candidates are folks with a strong bias for action that is not about lip service, but it’s about jumping in and working with whomever is on the team to get it out the door or to make it happen.

 

[00:19:36] I think. I think for Supply chain, a lot of like you described, a lot of the qualities that are in any good candidate apply here, but I think particular to Supply chain so we can help. Hopefully I’m helping Alison out a little bit is I think you have to be able to plan for the best plan very strongly considering alternative and possible scenarios and then respond rapidly, ineffectively when those you know, when those plan scenarios never occur. Right. Right. I mean, the first you know, the first thing you learn about project management is the the second thing you do after you create a project plan, you revise it. Right, because it never nothing ever goes to plan. And I think that’s, by the way, why so many military vets are great candidates for Supply chain. They make life and death decisions instantaneously right in with with inadequate information while regularly improvise. And that and that is that’s you know, that’s the nature. That’s the nature of business in a lot of ways. But particular to supply chain. Planning not for the best case scenario, but planning for the expected case scenario is so important because that gives you financial boundaries to be able to operate under and financial expectations which are critical for managing any business.

 

[00:20:59] But then then being able to attack, if you will, when you know, when you get flat outflanked. So I think that’s you know, that’s probably the most important quality, flexibility, adaptability.

 

[00:21:15] Whatever you want to call it, it’s it’s the ability to do undertake those actions.

 

[00:21:20] Yeah. And I think, you know, the people who I’ve seen thrive are the people who don’t expect a routine. So if you if you’re coming into the Supply chain world and you think today’s going to look like yesterday, that’s going to look like the day before. This is probably not you’re gonna be your gig because the reason we call it a chain or all of the individual links that go into it, there is the warehouse and the logistics and the freight and the warehouse and the packaging and the labeling and the customs and the customers and the. Words never do what we want them to know. Darn customers, you know. So it’s that ability to adapt and improvise and overcome.

 

[00:21:56] But the people who like that love the supply chain. Because I guarantee you something’s going to happen.

 

[00:22:03] It’s action packed. It’s action packed. It made you all the job description should start out action packed. Yeah.

 

[00:22:10] Be like a movie movie photo. Then also folks that lean in and are willing to be a problem solver, which takes it takes independent action and it takes folks that are willing to fill critical thinking. Right. Will figure things out on their own and not take it step by step directions because we don’t have that in Supply chain. Right.

 

[00:22:33] And I do in many way and some in some places. But even that doesn’t solve the problem. Good point. Good point.

 

[00:22:41] Well, and I think that the other thing that we we’ve learned about or that we need to it’s a general coaching thing is don’t take it personally. Yeah, it’s work. And if something goes off the rails, it’s not because Joe’s a jerk. It’s because something broke down in the process. So that problem solving is, look, I can sit here, get my feelings hurt and spend a few hours complaining to my colleague about it and, you know, do something else to get my mind off of it. Or I can say, look, I got to acknowledge this and move on. It’s kind of a surfer’s mentality and say it is what it is. I’ve got to move into problem solving. Right. It’s time for that bias, for action. I don’t have time to sit around with my feelings hurt.

 

[00:23:22] I can if I need to. I can sit at home later and feel sorry for myself or whatever or admiring the problem, which I know you’ve talked about. Right. Complementing the problem. They explain real quick what we’re talking about, what you talk about when you say that. Yeah. So one of my coaches who was my lean teacher long, long time ago, I was convinced we had uncovered the world’s most complicated problem and we had it all lined up on the wall and we were all talking about it. John walks up, says, what do you guys do this man? John, look at this. And I went to proceed to explain the problem and how complicated it was. All the intricacies. Hell, yeah. How unbelievably complex this was. He leaves out a square root of nine, wasn’t properly written out. Very long word problem, but really the answer. So he sat there and he nodded and he listened and he looked at the board and nodded, de-list, looked at the board, and he patted me on the back and said, Well, hey, whenever y’all are done admiring the problem, let me know and we’ll fix it. And he walked off, and for a minute I felt myself get get my feelings hurt. Oh, my God. You know, he doesn’t understand or whatever in this. Like, I’ve known this guy for years. He’s exactly right. What do we need to do? And his comment lit a fire under all of us to say, our guys, let’s let’s get started working on this week. We stared at it long enough.

 

[00:24:33] Yeah, I think one of the things you have to do because you get so many opportunities to have problems and issues. Right. So you build a plan. The plan fails or or the conditions never occur to allow the plan to succeed as is. But you’ve got to capture those those conditions that occur repeatedly and build them into the plan. So that ability to sort of reverse engineer things from. From the goal back. That’s another critical point of success or for someone, particularly in Supply chain, because you’ve got to constantly be revising the plan to account for more of those conditions that were previously unexpected but continually occur. Right.

 

[00:25:15] And if they continue to occur, they’re not exceptions anymore. That’s part of the process. Yeah. So let’s summarize for Allison.

 

[00:25:22] We said bias for action. We said the ability to plan and adapt, plan and adapt. Don’t take it personally and prepare to be action packed, action packed and to love that, don’t admire the problem, don’t end right there. We’ll take feedback. Yeah.

 

[00:25:40] That’s another one. And then just to connect. That’s Alison’s great friend. The show she serves as director of operations at Wind Tech, which do other things there. But they also make high precision aerospace components. So they Seife C-1 forty’s see the Hercules. We have C-130’s, Herts, C-130’s Kosh. You should you should take give me some demerits. Don’t say I should be in the Air Force, because that’s that’s also what what Senator Dole said. The longest running military platform has been made for 50, 50 plus years.

 

[00:26:13] Well, those are some of her parts that go into that. And, of course, that they make that. Parts of four that are on the corner. Okay. Thanks for that question, Alisyn.

 

[00:26:22] Ok, third question comes from Karen Cadabby. She asks, With organizations moving more and more to remote worker structures. How do you communicate the vision, the mission vision and maintain a semblance of Three Musketeers, all for one and one for all but nice.

 

[00:26:43] That’s Karen KATV. And a great question. And I think it’s a very poignant one right now. Right. So as we’re talking, we often talk about that generational shift that’s happening right now. The boomers are leaving the millennials and post millennials or are coming in and their expectations are certainly different than the generations in front of them. So I think it’s a tricky one. I mean, I think, again, it’s going to fall on how well or how effective or ineffective you are communicating. So the best organizations that I see when they’re interviewing a candidate before they even make an offer, they say, let’s tell you let us tell you about the culture it is to work here. Here’s our core values. Here’s how we live our lives. Here’s how we measure our expectations of not only performance, but the engagement of the workforce. So, you know, there’s the performance aspect. Did you get the reports done? Did you process the paedos? Did you do all of those kind of tasks? Things. But on the culture side, which we’ve just talked about for a while, is extremely important. Maybe the most important. It’s about the values. How do you interact with other human beings? Do you have a bias for action or are you a problem solver or are you a you know, you’re trying to make a difference. You’re trying to make a point and kind of things. And so I think if you’ve got those core values defined before you even bring somebody onto the team, you ought to start having that conversation and asking questions during your interview process about it. That would be the starting point in my mind.

 

[00:28:10] You know, one thing I’ve seen done to great, great success, because the last two companies I’ve been with are run, have had remote workforces and not always millennials, by the way, some of us in Generation X, the forgotten generation.

 

[00:28:28] But, you know, one of the things that we were very intentional about. You’re going to hear me use that word a lot. But we were very intentional about was reinforcing the values.

 

[00:28:37] I learned this from a from a coach, Eric Perkins, a friend of mine from Michigan. And we were we at least weekly, not only restated a particular value with the entirety of the company in attendance, and that included our staff in India.

 

[00:28:54] Thank you to them, by the way, for doing this in the middle of the night, their time, because it was lunchtime, our time on Fridays with all of our remote workers on on camera. We insisted on on camera and and with the people who were actually working in the office that day. And we not only reinforced the value, no bias for action or whatever it was, we would reinforce that about that value. But we would also give an example of that value every single week because it created the relate ability to say, hey, you know, if you’re looking for customer obsession was one of our values. If you’re looking for an example of customer obsession, that’s Bobby staying up all night to fix this code problem and and make sure that happened. Right. So, you know, there were all of those kind of opportunities and that constant, continual and and in some cases scheduled, though, we would reschedule scheduled reiteration of our very short list, four or five always core values and made sure that, I mean, people could walk around and go, you are obsessing about the customer. Ryder they could go. You are always happy, but never satisfied. You are, you know, whatever. All right. Showing integrity right now. I mean, people understood the values very clearly. They knew what it looked like. Right. They could relate to. It is not just a word hanging on the wall. Yeah, exactly. I mean, they get and they just got constant reinforcement for it. And I think the other thing as. As goes to the, you know, one for all, all for one and one for all things, which also happens to be the motto of my fraternity. Also happens to be your Bryan Adams.

 

[00:30:36] So see Bronagh Adams in concert. Just like a knife. That’s like a knife. Yeah. I don’t want to see that.

 

[00:30:45] But anyway, what the other thing that did that was, was having people get together and and it was fascinating to be standing up there and for the whole company. But then to watch the conversations happen between somebody sitting in the audience in the U.S. and somebody on camera in India or.

 

[00:31:01] Right. You know, or Europe or whatever. And it really did create that camaraderie.

 

[00:31:06] And I often did stupid things inadvertently. And, you know, in front of the team, which gave them a great opportunity to bond. Right. So, you know, again, intentional and and I think in person or as in person as you can be. So that’s an expensive Xoom meeting or whatever that is. But it’s worth every penny to do it. Malcolm shot my note, said you’re going to see Billy, Billy Idol, Idol and the guilt.

 

[00:31:37] Ever get Billy Idol confused of Bryan Adams again? So Malcolm’s all tested. Well, what confused you is DHL had had Bryan Adams at their 50th anniversary celebration. And we we saw that recently, my friend Andrew Mitchell.

 

[00:31:51] Yeah, that and five syllable words just really throws throws me for a loop. Real quick, this is Nate. So Alison Giddens, who, of course, posed that last question, has already responded to our Linked-In post. And she states, thanks for answering my question on air. I like that. Don’t admire the problem that’s so easily get hung up on. Also, like the idea is to find people who expect the unexpected and who are always ready to jump right in. Thanks. Great advice. Thanks. That’s awesome. That is really neat. I love the instantaneous communication cycles feedback she’s got to give her. Get her on one of these coach’s corners. OK. She asks great questions, but she can also give great answer on that.

 

[00:32:28] So, you know, the other part, I think to reinforce what you were talking about, Greg and I really like the example of demonstrating it right. And articulating it and say, all right, this is what this looks like. This is what obsession over the customer looks like. But the other thing, they cannot converse as it is to call people out when they’re not. Oh, yeah. And I honestly think that is a bigger miss. And too many organizations where, you know, if we say teamwork is a core value, but we all know that one brilliant jerk that nobody wants to work with. But he’s a wicked smart engineer. That’s not it. And when those things happen, you know, it doesn’t have to be a public stoning kind of thing, would pull them to the side and say, hey, Joe, you know, in that meeting when this happened, the whole room felt it and you didn’t notice it. And I wanted to make sure you understood when you said that thing that you said it took the air out of the room. And that’s not our core value of teamwork. Can I help you with this? And so to put it on the wall to reinforce the positive is a huge you know, that’s a great start. It’s a good step. But to ignore the things when people are not following it. Even that you’d write them up for not doing the time in attendance, you’d write him up for not showing up for work. But we don’t address it when the behaviors get bad. To me, that is a huge mess and it hurts a lot of cultures.

 

[00:33:46] It has to be so. It has to be so ingrained in to the company that this still happens at Blue Ridge under the new management team. But it has to be so ingrained that you evaluate, you hire. Yes, you evaluate and you fire people based on their adherence to those core values. So we had a system where, again, introduced to us by Perkins, but we had we had a system whereby you got a plus, a plus, minus or minus, and we allowed zero minus as minus. His means does not exhibit that core value. And if you got a minus. You were out. I mean, it has to be you. Your culture is, as so many say, the most important thing in your company. And if it is truly the most important thing in your company, you have to defend it.

 

[00:34:32] So along those lines, one of my favorite episodes, that of all 166 that we have published was Sheila Setzer from Pioneer Birgit. She list serves as director of H.R. International Business and Global Supply chain at Panera Bread, which is doing some incredible things. And you can go back and listen to our that went to Florida to kind of get the backstory there. But the quotable quotes there, their culture to your point about the LS points. And when it comes to hiring is no jerks jerk’s.

 

[00:35:02] Yeah, just use different words. But it was the same same press. So that leadership principle number one, don’t be a and it’s not the word jerk means the same rhymes with Rick.

 

[00:35:13] Yeah. Oh I wasn’t thinking so.

 

[00:35:18] So thanks to Karen. Yes, absolutely. Great question. And I think we’ve got one more we’re gonna tackle is why do I get to ask this one?

 

[00:35:26] Okay, good. You get it. Okay. I’m gonna open this one with with the pre-cursor, because this is from our friend, Mr. Supply chain. Right. And the author of Supply chain for Dummies, Daniel Stanton. This should be fun. Okay. Here’s one for you. We all want to feel safe to express ourselves at work. Right. So how do we strike a balance so that we avoid offending anyone yet don’t create an environment that feels so politically correct that everyone is afraid to say anything?

 

[00:35:58] That’s for again from Daniel Stanton. So that’s a toughie. I’m I’m. Do you need a minute?

 

[00:36:06] No, I don’t need a minute, but I’m probably going to be very safe space. I don’t know. So I think that we’ve lost a lot and somehow we have completely gotten this thing upside down. And so the problem is now we think we’ve got to adapt and morph our culture so that everyone fits in. OK. And I will tell you, I read a book called High Velocity Culture Change. Years ago by Pritchard and Palin, I think. And one of the comments they said was, if everyone fits into your culture is because you don’t have a culture. And so rather than saying, you know, we’ve got to continually morph and modify and twist ourselves into a pretzel. So everybody feels welcome to me as just a bass ackwards way to try to build a culture and a company.

 

[00:36:57] So I’m I’m going I’m focusing on a very specific aspect of of Daniel’s question. And because I’ve had this conversation with him. We had this conversation with he and and Sherry Harnish, Ann and Scott and I. I think where he’s going with that is. Look there. Let’s face it in I mean, my mother worked in the workplace before. It was even remotely civil for females, right? So I’ve heard horror stories since I was a little kid. Right. I’m very, very conscious of that. Plus, I have three daughters. So I think what he’s referring to is real safety, like, you know, sexual harassment and and that sort of thing. Bullying, office bullying and that sort of thing. Those are obvious and egregious examples. But how do you not let that become a you know, I don’t want somebody to have the American flag in their natural in their cubicle or something like that. I. I. If you think about it that way, it goes back to the. Don’t be a pick your word aspect of it and common civility. Right. And and using that as your. And using that as your North star, if you will. And and ruthlessly eliminate bad behavior. Yes. Which is different than eliminating any sort of self-expression. Right. Right. Or eliminating anyone’s ability to to be who they are if they’re not paying an. One of those words, an asshole, so you can flip that later. But I think I think it is a tough it is a tough balance to strike. I heard of a company that in Canada, let’s say, where they have a they have a no scent zone. Okay.

 

[00:38:55] So you’re not allowed to wear. You’re not allowed to wear cologne or perfume in the office.

 

[00:39:03] And the biggest complaint and however, an abuser of the system is a heavy, heavy smoker who comes in smelling like smoke and then complains about anybody who comes in. Right. And, you know, it has per perfumer or cologne on. So you have to be willing to confront those kind of inequities in in your environment in order to do that, because you have to recognize that there are troubled people who will manipulate a scenario like that. And you have to be ruthless about that as well. Well, and I think I agree.

 

[00:39:36] I agree. Right. And so the principle for me is as a respect for people. Right. So you show me respect. I’ll show you respect. And by the way, your rights end where mine begin. And so, you know, if I’ve got the premise of respect for people, the egregious things, the bullying, the sexual harassment, the the, you know, racist jokes kind of things. And I’m not going to negotiate. I’m not going to sit down and lecture you and discuss this with you. I’m going to tell you one time. I want to tell you before I hire you. Here’s what we work towards. Here’s our culture. The first time I hear that, I say, if I ever hear anything like that again, you’re out. It is a ruthless. I’m not going to debate you. I’m not going to try to fix whatever you didn’t get. Coming up from your parents and your teachers and your coaches. I’m just not interested in.

 

[00:40:18] Well, because it it it comes down to judgment. And judgment is very difficult to teach and coaching. And I believe and if in those cases where if you have to take the time to teach judgment in terms of just some common sense stuff. Right.

 

[00:40:35] You know, you don’t have time for that in a workplace. Right. Right. We’re action packed. And I think we’ve got time. We’ve got to go. Well, I think look, I think sometimes people feel really alone in in the decision making around this.

 

[00:40:47] And I feel like I mean, if we want to create a safe space for managers and that’s kind of what Daniel is talking about, don’t make the decision alone. Right. Right. And and often often we kowtow to somebody who is so obnoxious in the workplace that we give them a pass because we don’t want to confront it. And, you know, the theory that I always worked on, you know, at all the companies I’ve ever managed is is it’s either one of us or it’s all of us. Either this one person has to go or they erode the culture for everyone. That’s right. And that’s that’s a matter of whether they are an abuser and maybe asking to feel safe in, you know, on ridiculous subjects or topics like like the whole nonsensical scenario. Right. Right. Or if they are that abuser. Right.

 

[00:41:40] If they are the actual abuser, you know, the actual actor on on another member of the team. You can’t allow it. You just simply cannot allow it to erode the culture. I have allowed it. I have allowed it in the past and I have regretted it significantly. And ultimately, when I you know, when I came to that recognition that it was it’s either one of us or it’s all of us. We are letting this one person drag the entire organization down. And it it sends a terrible signal to everyone else. I mean, just let’s just say there’s just not a good worker. Right. They just refuse to work. You can’t allow that to continue because then other people start looking around and going. Why would I work so hard? That’s right. This is not different than that.

 

[00:42:24] It is not. Well, and to that end, I think, you know, I have worked with a guy who we were having a conversation and he said, well, you know, both agreed he will. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Yeah. And one of my colleagues, who is also a senior person to this one says, yeah. And he’s also the first one who gets replaced. Mm hmm. That ruthlessness of saying, look, we are going to protect our culture because it you cannot build a culture that everybody can fit into that is impossible to do. I mean, it that’s it’s society. Right. So, you know, maybe this isn’t the right place for you. And clearly articulating those things during the interview process, reinforcing those things during conversations with your colleagues, reinforcing those things at whatever annual performance appraisals you do with your organization, the core values have got to be part of that conversation to say, look, we’re building and protecting this culture. And when you see behaviors that don’t match it, you’ve got to address them with a ferocity that says, look, I’m not I’m not playing around, not screwing around with this. You know, and usually my experience is you’ve you address the first couple of times you see that most people recognize it. Oh, OK. We’re going to it’s different.

 

[00:43:34] It really is different. Yeah. Yeah, they mean it. Right. Right. Mm hmm.

 

[00:43:40] Well, I know these are just four of several buckets of questions that were submitted. Right. I think the consensus is, Boab, I believe what you said the other day, we’ve got enough for 17 shows. We’ve got plenty watch. But we don’t we also don’t want to. We’ll be getting back out via social media and probably asking for for, you know, keeping fresh questions is never a bad thing. But we’re gonna get together and plan the next coach’s corner. These were big thanks to Allison and Caring and Daniel for taking the time to to to really pose some very meaningful questions, you know? Right.

 

[00:44:17] And the other folks we’re going to we’ll get to yeah. We’re gonna put together another episode and we will be broadcasting it across our normal channels. And maybe maybe just a general conversation if I can, before you wrap us up, Scott. All of this stuff around culture and. Dynamics and team leadership means someone has to be willing to wade into the nasty, murky deep water of the of the culture, whether that’s behavior, whether that’s addressing people, whether that’s fixing things that have been left to linger for months, years, decades. If you want to have a world class culture that attracts and retains the best and the brightest out there, you’ve got somebody who’s got to be willing to get out there and get muddy because it’s it’s not straightforward. It’s not two plus two equals four. It’s two plus two equals purple divided by the square root of grapefruit.

 

[00:45:07] Repeat that when I go ahead. I was never very good at math. Me either. Obviously, I’ve got fruit involved.

 

[00:45:13] Well, I think I think that is what leadership is, is wading into the murky waters or or eliminating the murkiness of the waters. Right. That is leadership. I mean, you have to have the guts, whatever intestinal fortitude is what one of my coaches always called it. You have to have the intestinal fortitude to to do that. And you do have to be. I’m going to say it again. Guess I’ll have to say intentional. And you have to be ruthless in in regard to to protecting the culture. But leadership is the person who goes headlong into the breach. That’s not because it’s a good idea, right? Not because it’s well-researched, but because it’s necessary. It needs to be done. Yes, exactly. Right. Exactly.

 

[00:46:00] So I know fresh on the heels of the executive roundtable that you spoke at last week. Oh, we’re going to have the next one of those in December, I believe. And between now and then, you’re also speaking up at western Michigan. I believe, right? Yeah. I’m on it. A little bit of a circuit here. I’ve got some wrongs engagement coming up at western Michigan. And then I’m also speaking at the University of Georgia to some operation students, Dr. Troy Montgomery. That’s right. Thank you, Troy. Bringing me in. Yeah. And so if it to our listeners, there’s so many great there’s over 500 supply chain programs now across the country at the collegiate level, tech school level, you name it. But you Gates building a great program, Andy. And to get Vari Khadem, Dr. Montgomery, he will get that at once. And we call called Troy. But he is really I mean, coming from someone that did it and now he’s instilling that into those students and getting them out into plants. You know, he took 40 student probably out to the Caterpillar plant near Athens. That’s that’s some of the secrets also to him. And looking forward to you speaking, interacting with those students. And UJA is also building an amazing football program.

 

[00:47:09] I just want to point that out for you, Scott Soto. That is true. Okay. Now, it has lost all of our viewers down in Florida. Oh, man. Come on now, kid. We live with all of them.

 

[00:47:20] Great conversation. So we’re gonna wrap up on just a couple upcoming events to learn more. First off, to learn more Bo and to get in touch with you and the team working folks go.

 

[00:47:29] Well, I’m glad you keep that up, because I’d forgotten. I want to ask something and I hope this is not stupid. And I hope it didn’t backfire. But if you’re not already. Yeah, here goes. If you’re not already connected with me on LinkedIn, I would ask if you listen to this episode, connect with me on LinkedIn. So this type of information we push out pretty regularly. We’ve got a team of people, we do blogs, post videos, webinars. It’s Bo, b.a.u. Gruver, G.R.. Oh, the E.R. on LinkedIn. I think I’m the only Bo Gruver on LinkedIn and you’re the only one I’m connected to. You can also find us at the effective syndicate dot com and open, hoping to see more of these great conversations continue. Mm hmm. Mm hmm.

 

[00:48:12] There’s a B, there’s a bu griever thing out there.

 

[00:48:15] Not what it is. Yeah. So don’t. Not that. Yeah. Not boo boo boo boo. And being a bean bear.

 

[00:48:22] I’ve been lots of things. I can’t imagine.

 

[00:48:25] Okay. Okay. Grover, great session, Stan. Stay tuned for more women. Do a lot more. The Coach’s Corner.

 

[00:48:32] Appreciate all the interaction. So real quick. All of these events or about to walk through events tab Supply Chain Now Radio to that com. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, if you came for that matter, for some reason you can’t get connected with the effective syndicate. Shoot us a note to connect at Supply Chain Now Radio and we’ll Supply Chain Now Radio dot com will make sure to make that happen for you. Georgia manufacturing alliance. Everyone here at the table will be there. Bow’s leading a panel. I’m leading the panel. Greg is leading several some high-Profile interviews with several members. Our team, our support. Arsu our SWAT team. Yeah, we’re deploying to the Cobb Galleria October 9th all day. It’s a place to be if you love manufacturing keynotes from PMG and Kisha and you can learn more at Georgia manufacturing alliance dot com. Then we’re back in Charleston. October 23rd at the.

 

[00:49:22] Sorry. Back in Charleston.

 

[00:49:23] That’s the tech talk. Yes, right. That’s South Carolina competes tech talk. Sorry, I was still thinking about Georgia manufacturing alliance. Yeah.

 

[00:49:33] Sfl at Logistics Tech Talk. Yeah. Are in partnership, we’re broadcasting there in partnership with the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness and Registration’s Open Air SC Competes dot.

 

[00:49:44] Well, yes, and I’m so glad they shortened it.

 

[00:49:47] All right. And then Austin, Texas. EMT, we’re talking these guys this morning.

 

[00:49:51] Yeah. November 7th and 8th. Yep. So that’s the EMT Logistics CIO forum. That’s a pretty cool session with about 300 C Logistics CEOs. Strangely, Google has a Logistics CIO. Yeah, I saw that. And I didn’t I was not not aware of that. But everybody’s got it.

 

[00:50:11] Now, if you know anything about Supply chain, you know the amount of money coming into investments he made in the Supply chain tech freight tech Logistics tech space. So these are two great opportunities, whether if you’re on the East Coast. Charleston is a place to be inexpensive. A half day you can hear from DHL, Supply chain and others own 10:23. And if you want to go bigger. Austin in November 7th and 8th, share ideas with my colleagues, their absolute great opportunity and then flip the calendar. We’re gonna be we just we’re talking earlier today with Tony Schroeder. Yeah, the reverse Logistics Association. Heck of a man. They’re building something at RLA. They are in a hot, hot space across global supply chain and in the in in Supply chain Corp. Their conference next bow out in Vegas in February 2020. Come out and see WBO at the craps tables.

 

[00:50:59] Might be maybe, maybe, maybe you Tony’s gonna be there. I can tell you that. I usually only go to Vegas during college football season. Really not a craps guy. Let’s go this week. Yeah. Yeah. Hey.

 

[00:51:10] Ok. Sure. He’s got to clean out his basement. Got big plan.

 

[00:51:17] Reverse Logistics Association Conference X, but you can learn more at RLA dot org. And then finally we just secured so moad x 20 21, the largest supply chain trade shows in North America. Thirty five thousand attendees. They’re coming back to Atlanta and it goes pro Matt in Chicago, then Moad X in Atlanta and back and forth in March. Twenty twenty Moto X will be here once again for days, can be broadcast across the four days. And we just secured our keynote for the 2020 Atlanta Supply chain Awards, which is being hosted by by Moto X.

 

[00:51:49] That’s right.

 

[00:51:50] Christian Fisher, president and CEO Georgia-Pacific will be keynoting our second year at Lance Supply chain Awards program. Looking forward to that. Details released just around the corner. We’re currently redesigning the Web site and new logos. Had a lot of experts weighed man doing some great things.

 

[00:52:07] So to really build a bigger spotlight, to put own all the leaders and organizations and really cool things that’s going on across the metro. Atlanta supply chain.

 

[00:52:17] Yeah. So if you’re in Atlanta and you think you’re doing some cool and supply chain, you better let us know.

 

[00:52:21] That’s right. Reach out. Sign up for Madox free. It’s free mode x show dot com. Okay. I don’t think we missed anything. And if we did, we’ll just stick around for one more show this afternoon. Maybe. I really have enjoyed this. This format is a departure from a lot of our shows. And of course, what makes it possible is the input we’ve gotten right in the feedback we’ve gotten from. From. Yeah. Thanks for that. Yeah. This is critical. I mean, I could sit and listen to all talk. I’m very partial everyday to talk all day. Yeah, but making this interactive, no doubt. And hopefully we continue to get more questions for four, four ways that we can in a short 10 minute per question type scenario. You know, you got a bowl the ocean and solve Millie’s piece in 10 minutes. But hopefully it’s just perspective and ideas. Right. That hopefully make a difference.

 

[00:53:16] And we’ll be posting more questions very soon. That’s right. You know, if you if you want to help out, you’ve got a question. Something’s keeping you awake at night. Those are the kind of things we want to wade into with you and every point.

 

[00:53:26] It’s a big thanks to our guests today here. Supply Chain Now Radio, the coach’s corner addition of leadership matters. Bo Gruver with the Effective syndicate. You can find him at the Effective syndicate dot com or Linked-In course Greg White. Great to have you back once again. My pleasure to be here. We look forward to our next few shows, to our to our audience again. Thank you for participating in this. This new format show here, Coach’s Corner. Check out other upcoming events, replays of our interviews, other resources at Supply Chain Now Radio BCom. Of course, you can find SNAP, a podcast, SoundCloud, YouTube, all of the sites where podcasts can be found. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss anything. On behalf of the entire team, the Scott Luton wishing you a wonderful week ahead and we will see you next time on Supply Chain Now Radio next month.

Would you rather watch the show in action?

Watch Scott and Greg as they interview Beau Groover for SCNR Episode 179 at the Supply Chain Now Radio studio at Vector Global Logistics.

Featured Guests

Beau Groover is Founder and President of The Effective Syndicate. He has been working with manufacturing and operations-focused organizations for over 20 years, primarily focused on developing bullet-proof processes and teams that are built to win.  Beau has helped organizations save millions of dollars while also improving those companies’ customer experiences and building high-performing teams that continue to drive the business forward.  He has developed his approach and strategy over years of working with some of the biggest companies in multiple levels within the organizations, including The Coca-Cola Company, Nordson Corporation, and Westrock (formerly RockTenn). Just prior to launching The Effective Syndicate in 2015, Beau served as the Director of Lean Supply Chain at Serta Simmons Bedding, LLC. Connect with Beau Groover on LinkedIn and learn more about The Effective Syndicate here: https://www.theeffectivesyndicate.com/

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Greg White

Principal & Host

Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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Georgia Manufacturing Summit on October 9th

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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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Mary Kate Love

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Mary Kate Love is currently the VP of marketing at Supply Chain Now focused on brand strategy and audience + revenue growth. Mary Kate’s career is a testament to her versatility and innovative spirit: she has experience in start-ups, venture capital, and building innovation initiatives from the ground up: she previously helped lead the build-out of the Supply Chain Innovation Center at Georgia-Pacific and before that, MxD (Manufacturing times Digital): the Department of Defense’s digital manufacturing innovation center. Mary Kate has a passion for taking complicated ideas and turning them into reality: she was one of the first team members at MxD and the first team member at the Supply Chain Innovation Center at Georgia-Pacific.

Mary Kate dedicates her extra time to education and mentorship: she was one of the founding Board Members for Women Influence Chicago and led an initiative for a city-wide job shadow day for young women across Chicago tech companies and was previously on the Board of Directors at St. Laurence High School in Chicago, Young Irish Fellowship Board and the UN Committee for Women. Mary Kate is the founder of National Supply Chain Day and enjoys co-hosting podcasts at Supply Chain Now. Mary Kate is from the south side of Chicago, a mom of two baby boys, and an avid 16-inch softball player. She holds a BS in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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Joshua Miranda

Marketing Specialist

Joshua is a student from Institute of Technology and Higher Education of Monterrey Campus Guadalajara in Communication and Digital Media. His experience ranges from Plug and Play México, DearDoc, and Nissan México creating unique social media marketing campaigns and graphics design. Joshua helps to amplify the voice of supply chain here at Supply Chain Now by assisting in graphic design, content creation, asset logistics, and more.  In his free time he likes to read and write short stories as well as watch movies and television series.

Donna Krache

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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

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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

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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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