Supply Chain Now Radio
Episode 199

Episode Summary

In this episode, Scott Luton and Greg White welcome Corey Mabry and Garry Harris to Supply Chain Now Radio at the SC Logistics Tech Talk.

“If you live or work in a state like South Carolina, there’s such focus and emphasis on manufacturing and on growth and just logistics in general, because supply chain covers a lot of different aspects.”

-Garry Harper, FastFetch Corporation

“Technology and the generational shift have changed to such a degree that you need to be looking for those innovative solutions to see who’s coming with the next Uber. Otherwise, you’re going to miss something.”

-Corey Mabry, Continental Tire

 

Even when there isn’t a formal public/private partnership in place, the state a company is based in or does business in can have a significant impact on their ability to compete and grow. Infrastructure, business friendliness, tax incentives and the presence of universities all contribute to the innovative potential of a company, whether they are established or just getting started.

 

In a conversation recorded live at SC Logistics Tech Talk, made possible in part by the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness, Garry Harper and Corey Mabry discuss:

-The need to increase the efficiency of order fulfillment through a number of means
-Technological advancements such as noise reduction and the elimination of spare tires in passenger cars
-The fact that the reluctance of large, established companies to partner with startups has all but evaporated

Episode Transcript

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

 

[00:00:29] All right. Good morning again. Scott Luton here with you. Leive Liveline Supply Chain Now Radio. Welcome to the show. We’re not broadcasting live in Atlanta like we typically do. We are broadcasting live today from the South Carolina fall. Logistics Logistics Tech talk in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina, at the Gilliard Center. Our broadcast here is conducted in partnership, the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness. And this event, which has been really interesting, we’ve already had it’s on the heels of a big international trade show. And it’s really neat to see this tech talk kind of kicked off here in the next hour or so. This event highlights some of the most innovative companies and leaders are driving the Logistics industry and growth in the state of South Carolina. Like to our listeners, too, like all of our series on Supply Chain Now Radio, you can find our replays on a wide variety of channels Apple podcast, SoundCloud, YouTube, wherever you get your podcasts from. As always, we libet love to have you subscribe siedel missing thing. So want to say good morning to my co-host. That’s join me once again. Greg White serial supply chain tech entrepreneur, trusted adviser and board member. Greg, how you doing? I’m doing great. Thanks, Scott. Great morning.

 

[00:01:38] So far, I had it sound important. And you say it like that.

 

[00:01:41] I really, really appreciate great Maureen and really enjoyed some our earlier interviews. And I think we are in store for one of the highlights of our interview schedule Lu we have here in this next segment.

 

[00:01:56] So that said, let’s welcome in our featured guest for this segment, this episode of Supply Chain Now Radio Gary Harper with Fast Fetch and Innovative, an award winning Supply chain technology firm and core Mabury with Continental tires, which Greg, as you know, opened a new plant in Sumpter, South Carolina in 2013.

 

[00:02:14] And here recently broke ground on what I believe is our second expansion. Right. And April of this year. So, Gary and Corey, how are you doing, gentlemen? Doing Gates. Thanks. Great to have you here. I think our audience part I heard the buzz narine as we came live on this this episode. Yeah. A lot of interesting stories and insights being shared already and we really have not that we get it. Business started for another few minutes here. Okay. So, Gary, let’s start with you and let’s talk about fast fetch.

 

[00:02:41] Tell us more about the company Fast, which is a privately owned company. It was actually founded by two retired Clemson University professors, which is somewhat of an irony for me personally as I’m a former South Carolina Gamecock quarterback. And so I’ve known these guys for probably 10 or 12 years now because I spent quite a bit of time with two I.T. distributors in the Greenville, South Carolina area, Cynic’s and SCAN’s Horse. And so I got to know them as customers and sitting from afar, watching them grow their business and watching their successes, getting to know them personally, you know, was always very impressed with them. And so I started my career back in 81 with IBM, spent twelve years at IBM. And so I’ve always been in technology. So I’ve just been enamored by by seeing some of the things that are out there.

 

[00:03:34] I kind of jokingly tell people I sold a two million dollar IBM 30 90 computer 38 years ago. And my my iPhone now is more power than think. We had a much easier to fit in your pocket. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Or you air conditioning required high water. Right. And so anyway, it got to know these guys and it just you know, from a personal standpoint, it got to a point where they had been talking to me about coming to work for them.

 

[00:04:00] But you know, the risk associated with it, the fears of going with a small private company kind of held me back. But two years ago, two and half years ago, I decided I was going to make the move. And I’ll tell you, it’s the most fun I’ve had in 38 years. There is a lot of excitement. So the company was founded by Jack Peck and Ed Page two retired Klumps university professors. But it started as a deblois a mess company called Foxfire still in business today in Greenville. And so, Jack, as a visionary, solve the whole e-commerce coming forward. And I knew that order fulfillment was probably 70, 75 percent of the activity in a warehouse or distribution center and just had the foresight to pull the order fulfillment piece out of Foxfire. He sold Foxfire in and 05/06 timeframe and started fast fetch. And, you know, since then, again, the. Black and neckers and the snap on tools and by seasons, these companies, you know, started hearing, you know, in the rumor mill out there that there was a company out there that had a wonderful filament system. It’s a pick to light like system, but it’s not picked a light, so to speak, because it’s very innovative and so fast that it is all about innovation and so much so that recently, as you guys are aware, we engaged in a an awards process with CSC and in Anaheim with SNAP on tools, and that is a shipping cost optimization solution, which we’ll talk about later. But you know, just with the increase in shipping costs, we found a way to help customers, you know, reduce the amount of air that they’re shipping.

 

[00:05:50] Yeah. So and shipping costs continue to rise. And we just to conduct the session with a great firm out of Atlanta that helps companies manage and mitigate shipping costs. Yeah. FedEx announced their increases. U.P.S. is right around the corner. DHL is I mean, this the air we live in.

 

[00:06:07] Yeah. Yeah. Season is now like 11 weeks longer than it was.

 

[00:06:10] Yeah. Righto, surcharges are bigger. And also for our listeners, you probably I’m sure you’ve heard us reference CSC, NPRM previous episodes. But if you’re new to that group, is the Council of Supply chain Management Professionals, a great group based in Chicago, I believe. But with chapters everywhere organizations, we’re gonna be broadcasting live the CSC MPE Atlanta roundtable in January. But they’ve got coming up with an asterisk. But that is a business and that’s one of the moving and shaking organizations that supports that in the end, supply chain industry. So the award you mentioned, you alluded to. I understand. Can I hand through some back channels that there are there are some big names that finished second, third and fourth and fifth following his lead.

 

[00:06:55] Yeah, companies like until have a little larger marketing budget.

 

[00:06:58] Yeah. And thespeech. Yes.

 

[00:07:00] But yeah, I mean last year in 2018 we were a finalist. Right. For the innovation award just based on our cart based picking solution. And you know, that was exciting for us. I mean, out of thousands of applications and submissions, you know, we were one of six. And of course, Intel won it last year, hints at in-fill on our sites. But we felt really good about the innovation of reducing shipping costs with the increase in shipping costs and with the growth of e-commerce. It’s it’s an area that is very high visibility.

 

[00:07:39] So let’s talk about what made your solution that won this innovation award from CSC and what made it stand out. There’s a couple of things that that the judges, the criteria have to.

 

[00:07:50] I really think what stood out the most was not just Fast Fett standing up there presenting a solution and doing a PowerPoint presentation, putting together a case study, I think at the conference itself. What really stood help was you’ve got a representative from SNAP on tools that standing up there talking about 30 person savings and Dunwich, 20 percent savings in the core, getting material five percent, you know, in shipping costs, which when all said and done, you know, probably are like 10 or 15 percent. But, you know, depending on the size of the company and the amount of shipping that you’re doing, I mean, it could be over a million dollars. They get back a year. So it gets a significant impact. And so, you know, I think what stood out was the use of artificial intelligence. You know, the fact that the end customer was actually standing up there, you know, singing the praises. Yes, the praise, but basically just validating the savings that they had incurred.

 

[00:08:52] And, of course, snap owners in their small company. Yes, no doubt. I mean, that’s a big impact for a big company, any company. So, hey, I’m interested in you said you’d kind of separated the the fulfillment aspect of the toolset from W-M s and from traditional you’d mentioned put to like type picking methodologies so you can eat for our listeners. Can you kind of break it down a little bit? When you say fulfillment solution at its core, how does that differ from a traditional w_ mass or picking type solution?

 

[00:09:24] I mean, just about every manufacturer or distributor. I mean, they’ve got some form of warehouse management system. Right. And so, you know, one of the key components of that, obviously, is order fulfillment. It’s the process of receiving orders and getting those orders into the hands of pickers. In today’s world, people like to talk fancy and talk about robotics, but we won’t go there. It has its place, but not necessarily the best, most efficient way within the concept of, you know, picking orders and getting. Out the door as quickly as possible, and it depends a lot on volume.

 

[00:10:02] When you’re talking about robotics, it talks about you have to think about the intricacy of the product and the volume and pace in the operations.

 

[00:10:10] You know, how organizations function. I mean, you talk about the Amazons of the world and you know, there there’s a place for it. Conveyor systems are out there. You know, there’s a lot of ways to pick product and pick it efficiently. But with a warehouse management system, you know, we we take the waving data out of that and basically their orders. And then we put it into our database. And that’s where the magic sauce occurs with our algorithms, which are genetic based algorithms, you know, that are patented by us. And so we’re able to do it differently in terms of the processing of the the orders that come through, get that into the packing stations so they can get the orders in the cards. You know, we can just depending on, you know, if it’s if it’s sheet music, like a book of books, you know, it’s it’s very thin. So you can have a lot of orders. ipse out of Saidto Creek, Logistics, you know, three b.l.. You know, again, they’re they’re shipping little bags with makeup in it to the club participants. And so but didn’t you have snap on tools, for example, you know that much larger. So anyway, we’re able to take all of the dimensions with the able to take the orders themselves in terms of the priority those orders and do all the processing and get those orders that moved as quickly as possible.

 

[00:11:28] Sounds like a very versatile technology platform that can work with all sizes of companies and variety needs in lots of growth. So on that note, I want to segway over to Continental Tire. Corey Mabury then cottonelle tire story is being built and adding chapters since 2013 is a pretty impressive success story beyond this year plan expansion. You’ve also been awarded as as a best place to work in the state of South Carolina. So tell us more before we can’t talk about kind on time. Tell us more about yourself.

 

[00:11:58] Yeah, so. So Corey Mabury, head of Logistics for Continental Tire. So been, you know, in the industry about twenty seven years now. So I actually started coming out of Clemson in Greenville, South Carolina. I actually started in electronics manufacturing. So I was building printed wiring boards, Rod from the old digital plant that evolved into select Tron. And so that’s where I got my start. And then, you know, as the dot com bubble happened in the early 2000s and companies like Nortel and those guys went under, then I was looking for another career. And that’s really where I made the shift into Supply chain. So a transition to work for Frito Lay under the PepsiCo umbrella and so spent 14 years in FMC G with them all in Supply chain and done work here in the U.S. starting out with them. But my last role was a global role, which I worked with a lot of European of our subsidiaries and division Sciarrotta so traveled quite a bit my last four years and worked in a lot of different countries. Got to meet a lot of great people across the Supply chain and then found a great opportunity at Continental. So I’ve been with Continental all about three years now and our Fort Mill U.S. headquarters and. Yeah. So I enjoyed that a lot and it’s a great, great place to work and a great challenge.

 

[00:13:19] It seems like it. But back to Frito-Lay. I know that in the state of Georgia, there’s a there’s a plant in Perry, Georgia. Yeah. Is that where you were based out?

 

[00:13:28] I was not in Perry, Georgia, believe it or not. I was actually located in the heart of Coca-Cola. Okay. So I was in Atlanta. Okay. And I actually built two distribution centers for Frito-Lay while I was there before moving on to the to the headquarters office.

 

[00:13:42] But I still resided in Atlanta while I was working for PepsiCo.

 

[00:13:48] So let’s talk about Continental Tire. I mean, where the news broke and we’re doing a lot of work in the Columbia area. Of course, sometimes it is dark. Twenty five miles away, right? Roughly a Columbia El Station. Shaw Air Force Base in 96 and 97 a long time ago. So tell us more about what what made that site stick out and why you broke ground there, which I’ll see.

 

[00:14:15] Yeah. So, first of all, just the talk about the site itself. So Sumpter is the first greenfield in the U.S. So we had a another manufacturing facility in Mount Vernon, but this was another plant that we took over because we do sell under the Continental in general tire brands. Right. So this was our first greenfield in the U.S.. And so if you look at the competition, right, you’ve got the the port of Charleston that gives you global access as a global company. You know, this was important in terms of a port consideration, but really looking to the state of South Carolina, what it offers in terms of competitiveness is just a really stable business environment, pro-business attitude. Right. A manufacturing base state. So a lot of.

 

[00:14:59] Technical college infrastructure provides that pathway to get manufacturing employees and, you know, great Logistics infrastructure as well, really support from the state itself. And you know, if you look at the I chart earlier today at the International Trade Conference, if you see the diversity of all the different countries, that South Carolina is truly an international location for companies. Yeah.

 

[00:15:28] Which is really important. Really important, especially in this era of global supply chain. You’re working whatever you’re doing, you’re working with a variety of folks at Ryder cultures var. countries of a variety of geographic locales, you name it.

 

[00:15:45] Well, you’re an OEM provider to BMW as well. Correct? Yes, I do. And I’ll also to Mercedes still or.

 

[00:15:52] Yeah. So we do know Mercedes and actually here to South Carolina trade show, if you’ll take a look at the nouse. Volvo is 60, as we did last year. So it has gotten old tires only Trident started. But they had the battery.

 

[00:16:03] Yeah, well we heard that was Suzanne Dickerson parking’s we thought pretty much her car. Yeah. Well, hey, let’s talk about the technology. We’re talking preshow about some of the technologies that are really driving demand for some of your products. In the first one that caught my attention was the noise reduction. Yeah. You know, we drove in from Atlanta and the goodo train Derrion’s, which makes our life a lot easier. First, early stages of our business. We’re sticking everything in a Honda Accord. It didn’t go far. But, you know, you will you drive on a variety of roads. Right. And so, I mean, to tell us more about the technology that was going into that and how that stripped spike in demand.

 

[00:16:45] Yeah. So the different ones is. So we’re bringing Cill Solit, you know, that’s come into the Sempra plant as a manufacturing capability. So, you know, as the automotive industry is trending is really no more no more spare tires. So you you can’t replace that with a seal. Solid evolution in terms of that technology, low rolling resistance, have eco tires on some of our lines that give you a better gas mileage. So those are kind of technologies that are coming in or manufacturer or Sumpter location really important.

 

[00:17:16] And also limiting the blowouts Ryder did that the endurance of these new products are pretty impressive.

 

[00:17:22] I think, you know, in the past, owning a BMW have run flat tires by default. Right. In the past, that’s been a very heavy and stiff sti Rod. Yeah. And now they’re just there’s so much more lie. more they. And I am tired. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I mean I think that’s really meaningful. Absolutely. And people will opt for those now because they do ride so nice.

 

[00:17:46] Well. And the proof is in demand. Yeah. Clearly something’s driving expansion in the continental power plant. Sumpter and probably across the enterprise before we bring Gary back in is willing to get both the auto weigh in here in a second.

 

[00:17:59] But before we do, Corie, speak to the impact that the investment, the kind of tire investment in Sumpter is having on the state and beyond.

 

[00:18:07] Yes. So if we talk about that, we talked when we broke ground a little bit earlier, there’s about a 500 million dollar investment, a million square feet under manufacturing production we’ve gone through now through second phase. But maybe just think about the economic impact of the Sumpter and the and the local area. So that’s about a little over thirteen hundred forty employees, 20 ex-pats that work at the location split between 20, 28 percent female, 73 percent male. So, you know, certainly having raw materials come in the local connections with companies like GMP Trucking and local South Carolina businesses. In fact, we else we had we had Mr. Pickup to our Sumpter plant from Las Vegas. And so we’ve been looking at a way to see is there a way for that technology to work in our warehouse breaks even outside e-commerce. We do have a WME, but to see if there if there’s any player, any way to, you know, increase efficiency. So it’s not that high peak velocity requirement. It’s not that need. But there still a need to go from, you know, maybe a traditional RF or even at the right, the paper-based picking solutions that are out there today. So we’re also looking at these types of technologies. And, you know, we got introduced as a result of the relationship we have with the South Carolina Council and Logistics competitiveness, which is, you know, we’re participants in. And I’m on the board this year. That group so really brings a lot of local South Carolina businesses that come to light that some somehow, you know, you wouldn’t see it. Maybe some of the bigger supply chain shows like Moto X or Pro Mat that come around, kind of those bigger shows and the big show in Europe. So that gives us an opportunity. Also bring business and do business with folks that are also evolving in the state of South Carolina. So we’re always looking for those opportunities to do business within the state.

 

[00:19:56] So what I love is would you talk about the impact? Of course, huge jobs numbers, huge dollars in terms of plant investment were not. But also what I heard you talk about is your involvement. Right. Your involvement in local industry and also your deliberate intent of working with companies based here, whether they’re established companies or companies on the move. Like fast fetches. That’s really admire companies with that in their DNA.

 

[00:20:23] The other thing I, you know, point out as well as we have a great partnership with the University of South Carolina. So I spoke on the panel a bit this morning about that partnership where they have a strong Supply chain program and we work with the university as well and the university system to also take advantage of the the knowledge and academia, but also for recruiting as well.

 

[00:20:43] Name the game. All right.

 

[00:20:45] Finally, South Carolina is mentioned of Gary Harper. That’s right. Former quarterback. Yeah, South Carolina. Oh, he looks like still those touchdown passes. Oh, good. Yeah. All right. Well, one.

 

[00:21:02] So before we talk, Logistics, you know, kind of a growth question for you both. Satmar here. What we have noticed and I think this event that the tech talk event kind of illustrates like this. You know, when I when I first came into the industry 15 years ago, there was a lot more reluctance with the biggest salvage companies to use startups or early, early stage companies or Yanna companies. All that’s changed. And we had we not only here this year, we hear this almost in every episode where we have an entrepreneurial element to the conversation.

 

[00:21:36] And so you get a tech talk. This event here where they’ve got a great mix, you’re going to hear from large Starbucks growing companies and younger startup non startups. But there’s an early career. And now I think that really speaks to how more more companies love to hear your way in are open to finding new solutions regardless if if it’s startup stage or not.

 

[00:21:58] I think there’s more of a willingness. But, you know, it’s Eric choirs, some validity. I mean, you know, yet the evidence, some customers that are installed and have had it spiritually, that it’s a positive thing. But I’ll tell you, you know, with it Magi and with CSC, MPE, with Supply Chain Now Radio, they are radio now in some of these other means of getting the word out. Because when I came on board two years ago, I’m I’ve worked for manufacturers like IBM, distributors, I.T. distributors like senex and SCAN’s Source, a rugged Tallaght manufacturer like Zebra. You know, eBay knows about them. Sure. For us, it’s a it’s an issue of brand awareness. And, you know, we’ve been able over the last two years to get that brand out there and back it up. And so we find ourselves now, you know, just trying to manage the growth. But it’s very positive. I mean, you know, you live in a state work in a state like South Carolina, where there’s such focus and emphasis on manufacturing and on growth and just Logistics in general, because Supply chain covers a lot of different, as does a man. And I’m just I’m proud of the fact that that we as a state with the Council on Competitiveness, you know, they’ve did a study recently looking at fifteen different states, comparing ourselves against them and how we’re doing.

 

[00:23:23] We’re doing very well. When you think about there’s some areas of growth, but, you know, with most of these states, there’s that there’s a red category. We know where they’re really struggling. We’re at least a Greene or a yellow, you know, a positive in every one of those those particular areas. And so, again, getting back to that from an entrepreneurial standpoint, it’s it’s a matter of staying the course, believing. Like I said, this is the most fun I’ve had in 40 years because of the innovation, because of the ability and the experience of having installs that are successful and actually experiencing a very real R-N.Y. Return on that investment. So I see it growing a lot. I mean, there’s just as a sidebar again, you know, there’s organization in a vision where they give out innovation awards. There’s a company out of the Jersey, South Carolina Van Robotics, and they’re in the educational space helping kids to learn through robotics. So, again, that’s coming out of South Carolina. Yeah. So it’s exciting, but a lot of neat stuff here.

 

[00:24:26] And of course, with your big blue background, interesting news with IBM launching the Stirling Supply chain Suite blockchain product. We’ll see how that goes to Cory. If you could weigh in on, you know, I mean, especially in your previous global roles, you know, how do you see these large established companies looking for new solutions regardless of the stage?

 

[00:24:47] Yeah, I think to Gary’s point, it’s certainly opened up to the niche player in the more entrepreneurial because at the end of the day, who thought Uber was going to take off. How disruptive was that to that industry? Who? So now people. Like, who is the next Uber, so. Right. They started this this move, and so I think the consideration technology and the generational shift has changed to such a degree that you need to be looking for those innovative solutions to see who’s coming with the next Luber. Otherwise, you’re gonna miss something in. And there’s a certain you know, as Gary alluded to, there’s a certain safety. If you go with the IBM or the Intels of the world and you go with these established zebra’s, etc., which that’s a fairly, fairly safe bet. But if you’re not also weighing kind of the risk reward on the other side, looking at the entrepreneurs, startups are looking at the new innovation. While you may not be positioned as a larger company to immediately consider and say, oh, I’m gonna go put a million dollars into this thing. Proof is in the pudding. To Gary’s point, you have to be able to prove that from a marketing standpoint and you need to break you need to bring somebody that’s got some experience and says, hey, we can kind of vouch for that. And then that word of mouth really travels and then somehow it’s an easier comfort level to go that path or give somebody a shot to say, okay, well, we’re gonna do a pilot.

 

[00:26:06] We’re at least gonna try, because not only is it probably more cost effective, it’s probably more technology oriented. And you change the role of how the inner user is now where they’re clicking the button. Well, let somebody let something else click the button, find the exception, and then you go train somebody to use a different skill set to then. Okay, how do I go fix that or how do I build a better intelligence? So, you know, even the even the low justiciable role is is really changing to more of. Yeah, I’m running the I’m running the transportation tendering. Well yeah I can I can kind of automate that today. Sure. So then how do I go educate and change their role to be more of what was my rate changing like this. Okay. I need to go do something with purchasing. I need to go and act another action. So it’s, you know, managing the exceptions versus managing the day to day that can somehow be realized either through machine learning or artificial intelligence platforms that are coming online. And then another part that I would point to in transportation, which is fairly exciting, is you now have freight platforms that don’t own a single truck. Right. But they broker a plethora of plethora and and hundreds of millions of dollars.

 

[00:27:20] So then your question is, well, okay, if I plug in this platform, where does my legal come into that, how I’m up, how am I protected if I go put a freight platform and I plug them in? They may have the best A.I. and give me a right back like this. But how do I feel? Confident. Who are they pick? Are gonna meet my codes of conduct so that I can conduct business in a very professional way and dress. I’ll manage. Andrews Yeah, that’s exactly right. Risk manager. So those new technologies popping up on the transportation platform is okay. Oh, how? Freight platforms. And they’re saying, I’ve got to go. I’ve got to get plugged in. Okay. He’s probably still more caution on approaching how your full transportation strategy plays out in that particular arena in Logistics.

 

[00:28:05] Just to piggyback, if I could. I mean, the key, you know, cottonelle tires is a user of all of these technologies and solutions are out there as a provider solution provider. You know, the critical thing is partnering because one company can’t do it all. There’s the IBMs and the zebra’s. These are large companies and I’ve worked for both of them. But they they they’re large companies that they try to do it all. The entrepreneur has the ability to be flexible in the partner. We partner with ship where, you know, out of California, San Diego, because they collaborate, we collaborate. And we are able to get to work in such a way where their strengths are weaknesses. We come together and it’s one. So partnering is key. Yeah, there’s flexibility. I mean, just to be able to go and find out what the real issues, pain points, problems are and, you know, be able to adjust to meet those needs. Larger companies have a difficult time doing that. They’ve got the solution. Here it is. Install it versus let’s understand not just what your problems are, but what are your operations on how you function and fit in within that. So I apologize for that. No, it’s Greene over here.

 

[00:29:15] I think that’s an important viewpoint looked at in this day and age. You are either disrupting or being disruptive. Yes, right. I mean, you can’t do both. And we’ve had extensive conversations with large companies who are very good at what they do. And they have a lot of investment in what they do. Yet to dilute that investment into something they want to do is difficult. And it and it is easier, more cost effective, less risky even to go with a relatively new company in early stage or startup. Look, I might be biased because I work with almost solely startups and early stage companies nowadays. But it it it it’s even if they take the risk and that little company goes out of business, they’ve still only lost a. Million dollars, not a hundred million dollars. They’ve had to put into changing their infrastructure. Right. And those changes come from new companies. Even Sterling Commerce, which is the platform for I-beams, new Supply chain. That was a startup that they bought. I mean, it was a relatively early stage company. I mean, they’d gotten good size, but at some point they they were a startup and they were much, much smaller than IBM. And that I mean, even companies like IBM are doing things like that. Yeah.

 

[00:30:26] So so kind of bringing it back to the 46 counties that make up, say, South Carolina and the Logistics, the business market here. Any other observations with what you’re seeing in landscape related, the growth related to innovation, related to, you know, some of what we find here that’s fueling those things?

 

[00:30:44] I don’t think we have enough time to talk about it. He says that when you think about rail, you think about air, when you think about the ports. When you think about supply chain in general, there is a trend that we see going toward the move from the large distribution centers to much smaller distribution centers that are set regionally. Yeah, and we feel very good about our position within that. But South Carolina is suited perfectly. You know, for the transportation, logistics, for the distribution center warehousing capabilities that we have, the air, the ports. I mean, we’ve got the airports. We’ve got the ports. So it’s exciting. I mean, it’s it’s amazing. I always look at the Council on Competitiveness and what our Department of Commerce is doing and blown away with the fact that a state of this size can be so understanding and focused on such a critical area, because prior to getting into Supply chain Logistics for me, I had no clue you biproduct than it at your door.

 

[00:31:49] Well, and most consumers, even though it’s shifting because what we’re seeing is more and more consumers are better understanding why you can get something two days or two hours in some cases. And so there’s a. Beyond that and beyond all the dollars going into supply chain marketing that folks are making more those connections. And the impact that’s having is it’s impacting the talent pipeline, which is so important. We’re seeing over 500 programs, universities, tech schools, you name it, that offer some sort of curriculum or degree on supply chain management, which is so important. And on that note, I do want to I believe Cotton was involved and if there weren’t, you were different workloads. SC The South Carolina Council on Competitiveness that that we both are. I think we all are big fans up. We’re driving it. The lemonade game that was going in the schools to talk to students about it talked splotchy with students. That is such a powerful. Are you involved in those early efforts?

 

[00:32:46] So not only the early efforts, but I’m going to my first one down in Georgetown and then we’re going to you know, we’re looking to sponsor two programs and Sumpter, as well as the Fort Mill, where we have our local school involvement. So loved. So that’s expanding, you know, within the state, through the council itself.

 

[00:33:02] And that is so important because, you know, some of what you’re just talking about, you know what you know.

 

[00:33:07] Right. But 14 years on a school board in Spartanburg, Gates is critical that we get into the schools. Yeah. Yeah. Well-put.

 

[00:33:13] Yeah. But having done this in Georgia, it’s so interesting to see that the light bulb goes. You can see it in their in their faces, Rya. So sometimes they realize that if they’re folks or parents work in Supply chain or their connect the other dots. And, you know, in our efforts, we’ve always look, we’re very practical. And it’s not like we’re gonna win a student class. 25 folks are going to have 25 folks going supply chain. However, you know how I got through my entire education through college, never having set foot manufacturing and I later spent 15 years. I’m out, although I’ve always been curious if someone had planned that seed upstream, specially in the great school.

 

[00:33:58] What other doors with that open as you kind of walk through those through to your education, career and early career decisions you make. So appreciate what the efforts that that cottonelle thaat are doing to support those critical programs that move the needle.

 

[00:34:15] And so the first one you’re participating in will be that. Georgetown. Georgetown. Yeah.

 

[00:34:20] About two weeks. OK, good deal. It’s a rewarding experience. You’re going to level. I’ll be a lot of fun. Yeah.

 

[00:34:26] Holiday stuff like that. Every time we’ve done one of those, it’s been a blast. Yes. It’s you know, you can’t give these kids enough credit for how rapidly how they pick it up. Intelligent they are to pick it up so quickly.

 

[00:34:42] So really give a big shout out to Suzanne Dickerson for 4. Send that program up here. And of course, the companies get behind it. And for anyone who we’ve spent a lot of time talking about the Council on Competitiveness, you can learn more at SC Competes dot org. They’re doing a lot of great work. Helped fuel business in the state of South Carolina. OK, so we want to make sure our listeners can learn more about both of both of your respective organizations. So, Gary, how can folks learn more about fast fetch?

 

[00:35:11] Well, let me just start by saying. Nobody can pick product faster and get it out the door and put it on a continental tire. Debbie, Debbie, Debbie. That fast fetch that bids it. All right. The word fast. The word fits like a dog fetches a bone fast. Fetch dot B, EIsie, we’ve got a lot of information out there in terms of brochures and videos and that kind of thing. Feel free to e-mail me at Harper HAARP E.R. at fast fetch dot biz. And we’re also you can check out our LinkedIn page and our Facebook page. We’ve got a lot of information out there.

 

[00:35:48] Outstanding. Really appreciate. Congratulations on all the success. We look forward to having you back on and seeing what else is new in the fast Fitch neighborhood. Sounds good. OK. Corey, have it yourself.

 

[00:35:59] Yes. So far for Continental. You can find us on fitt. Find us on our Facebook. So Continental Sumpter oconnell tires, Sumpter plant. If you go on Facebook ing fossil and linked in Siplon great programs just around Continental, not only the tire division, but we’re we’re five divisions, the second largest automotive spa in the world, which a lot of people don’t know. But so it’s across five, five total divisions. So really you’ve got to kind of A-G Google that and find a Southwire if you want to get a good look at a continental tire or go to a BMW dealership near you.

 

[00:36:33] Although Ringo’s wagon. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you.

 

[00:36:38] Tiggy gear. You said it, right. We can’t get to another so much going on. And we’ve tried our best to tackle some of the key developments. But two really fascinating success stories here, kind of from different, you know, totally aspects of the spectrum. But look for thanks again, Corey Corb Maybury with cottonelle tires, Garry Harper with Fast Fetch. Thanks for carbon time out. Sit down with us here on Supply Chain Now Radio. Thank you, Scott. All right. You so, Greg. For Tusa Farra.

 

[00:37:11] It’s pretty good. Yeah. These guys are pretty entertaining. I know a little something about Supply chain, as it turns out.

 

[00:37:18] Oh, wow. No kidding. All right. So to our listeners, stay tuned as we continue our coverage of the 2019 South Carolina fall just tech talk event. And be sure to check us out. Apple podcast, SoundCloud, YouTube, wherever you get your podcasts from. Of course, find us at Supply Chain Now Radio dot com to find us the variety of events. Right. We talked about Moto X here today. We talked about the E.F. T Logistics CIO forum in Austin.

 

[00:37:46] Coming up, got reversal Logistics Association coming up in Vegas.

 

[00:37:49] Vegas of all places. Yeah, yeah. You can find us on the advanced +b Supply Chain Now Radio dot com for Greg White and the entire Supply Chain Now Radio gang. This is Scott Luton. Wish you a wonderful day and we will see you next time on Supply Chain Now Radio. Thanks for writing.

Would you rather watch the show in action?

Watch Scott and Greg as they interview Corey Mabry and Garry Harper for SCNR Episode 199 at the SC Logistics Tech Talk in Charleston, SC.

Featured Guests

Corey Mabry currently serves as Head of Logistics for Continental Tire, The Americas and has been with the company for three years in an executive role. His prior career includes roles with PepsiCo for 14 years at all levels of Supply Chain from Demand Planning Forecasting/S&OP/Warehouse & Transportation Operations to his last role, which had Global Logistics responsibility for Europe for PepisCo across all divisions. Corey started his career after Clemson with Solectron in Greenville SC, where he started as floor operator to put himself through college. Corey was promoted to supervisor/Process Engineer/Projects leader/Shift Operations Manager and Senior process Engineer and worked there for ten years. He studied Engineering at Clemson and Business at University of Phoenix. Go Tigers! Learn more about Continental Tire here: https://www.continentaltire.com/

Garry Harper serves as VP, Sales & Marketing with FastFetch Corporation. A native of Miami, FL, Garry began his career with IBM in Greenville, SC, where he spent 12 years with the organization. He then spent the last 20 years with IT Distributors, reseller and manufacturer. Garry has spent over two years with FastFetch Corporation driving sales, brand awareness and growth. He is a former Quarterback for the University of South Carolina and QB for 1980 Heisman winner, George Rogers for 3 years. Learn more about FastFetch Corporation here: https://www.fastfetch.biz/

Hosts

Greg White

Principal & Host

Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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Click to view other episodes in this program

Additional Links & Resources

Learn more about the SC Council on Competitiveness

FastFetch Wins CSCMP Award

eft Logistics CIO Forum in Austin, TX

SCNR to Broadcast Live at CSCMP Atlanta Roundtable Event

Reverse Logistics Association Conference & Expo

SCNR to Broadcast Live at MODEX 2020

2020 Atlanta Supply Chain Awards

SCNR on YouTube

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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

VP, Marketing

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

Director of Communications and Executive Producer

Donna Krache is a former CNN executive producer who has won several awards in journalism and communication, including three Peabodys.  She has 30 years’ experience in broadcast and digital journalism. She led the first production team at CNN to convert its show to a digital platform. She has authored many articles for CNN and other media outlets. She taught digital journalism at Georgia State University and Arizona State University. Krache holds a bachelor’s degree in government from the College of William and Mary and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of New Orleans. She is a serious sports fan who loves the Braves. She is president of the Dave Krache Foundation. Named in honor of her late husband, this non-profit pays fees for kids who want to play sports but whose parents are facing economic challenges.

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Vicki White

Controller

Vicki has a long history of rising to challenges and keeping things up and running. First, she supported her family’s multi-million dollar business as controller for 12 years, beginning at the age of 17. Then, she worked as an office manager and controller for a wholesale food broker. But her biggest feat? Serving as the chief executive officer of her household, while her entrepreneur husband travelled the world extensively. She fed, nurtured, chaperoned, and chauffeured three daughters all while running a newsletter publishing business and remaining active in her community as a Stephen’s Minister, Sunday school teacher, school volunteer, licensed realtor and POA Board president (a title she holds to this day). A force to be reckoned with in the office, you might think twice before you meet Vicki on the tennis court! When she’s not keeping the books balanced at Supply Chain Now or playing tennis matches, you can find Vicki spending time with her husband Greg, her 4 fur babies, gardening, cleaning (yes, she loves to clean!) and learning new things.

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Katherine Hintz

Creative Director, Producer, Host

Katherine Hintz, MBA is a marketing professional 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 Reuter

Host, The Freight Insider

From humble beginnings working the import docks, representing Fortune 500 giants, Ford, Michelin Tire, and Black & Decker; to Amazon technology patent holder and Nordstrom Change Leader, Kimberly Reuter has designed, implemented, and optimized best-in-class, highly scalable global logistics and retail operations all over the world. Kimberly’s ability to set strategic vision supported by bomb-proof processes, built on decades of hands-on experience, has elevated her to legendary status. Sought after by her peers and executives for her intellectual capital and keen insights, Kimberly is a thought leader in the retail logistics industry.

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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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