“What we generally recommend companies to do in the short term is really to try to identify the key business partners or key suppliers or vendors that might be sitting in local area of the cities being shut down.”
– Mirko Woitzik, MEA Analyst at Resilience360
In this Supply Chain Now Special Report, we welcome two risk intelligence experts from Resilience360, Tim Yu (APAC Analyst) and Mirko Woitzik (MEA Analyst), provide an update on the coronavirus and the implications for global supply chains.
As Tim and Mirko point out to Supply Chain Now Host Scott Luton:
[00:00:13] Hey, good morning, Scott Luton Lu with your life for a special report on Supply chain now. Thanks for joining us here today. On today’s podcast, we’re going to provide an update on the ever evolving coronavirus. The epicenter of the virus, as many of our listeners may know, is Wunan, the capital of central China’s Hubei Province. Wu Hand has a population of over 11 million people, making it the old the seventh most populous Chinese city and one of the largest cities in the world. Froome is a global supply chain standpoint. Lu Hand is a major manufacturing and transportation hub. The Corona virus is already unfortunately killed over 170 people and more than 70 700 cases have been confirmed in mainland China and the virus has been spreading across Asia and really trust the rest of the world. In recent days, our thoughts and prayers are with those families impacted on this special edition of Supply chain. Now we’re going to gain the insights and updates from two global industry experts and analysts with the Resilience 360 team. Many audience members may be familiar with Resilience 360, a powerful platform that enables companies to visualize, track and mitigate risk and their supply chain it, which, you know, can be such a huge advantage germ both the, quote, normal days managing global supply chains and really especially helpful during worldwide crises such as what we’re seeing now.
[00:01:41] You can learn more at resiliant 360 dot com. So it’s welcome in our feature guests here today. First off, we have Tim Yu, a pack risk intelligence analyst with resiliant 360. Tim currently resides in Singapore and leads coverage on international trade, customs and regulatory policies impacting business operations, focusing on the APEC region for multinational clients across a variety of sectors. Good morning. Good morning, Scott. Great to have you with us here. And we’re joined by your colleagues. They Mirco WITSEC manager, your Europe, Middle East and Africa. Awesomer is a mere four risk intelligence at resiliant 360. Mirco currently resides in Belgium and has a wide array of international business experience, speaks five languages and leverages global supply chain risk expertise at Rosy’s 360, mainly focusing on the automotive and pharmaceutical industries. Good morning, Mirco. Good morning, Scott. Tim Moore and Mirco, thank you both for joining us. Especially, you know, during this ever evolving time where business and leaders and consumers worldwide are all looking for the latest updates and insights own the Corona virus. So, Merkur, let’s start with you. What is the current situation in the city of Suzanne, in the Hubei province and other regions in China in terms of Supply chain disruptions due to the virus outbreak?
[00:03:02] Thanks, Scott, for having us. And for asking these questions. I mean, obviously, it’s a it’s a really dramatic event sort of unfolding in front of our eyes, which is which is really getting worse by the day. And if you already introduced one and then sort of the importance of it in the introduction. But really right now, what is happening in one city of 11 million is really a total lockdown so that the whole city, you know, resembles a ghost town. It’s a major hospital. It’s a thriving everyday. But, you know, you don’t see any people on the road. Everything is shut down. There is a sort of police cars on the highway. You can go in and out of the city. The airport is closed. Railway stations are closed. So it’s it’s really in total lockdown. And it’s going to actually be extended to the whole province of Hubei in which one is located. So it’s really very, very difficult to texts information and if you want to get in and out. And so if you if you look at the wider region and sort of wider, so if China area, then you can apply that to different other regions that are also starting to sort of limit travel that are sort of limiting any kind of production any way at the moment, everything is still so shut down won’t because of the Chinese New Year holiday.
[00:04:21] So it’s kind of like a period of holidays that could resemble anything between Christmas and New Year in the U.S. or in Europe. And so really no one’s really working there. And the government really extended an exceptional move just just recently. This this national holiday by three days, which which which is really exceptional and a lot of other regions have taking further steps in, shutting down production and sort of preventing anyone from getting home to their region until February 9th. So for another nine days from now. So it’s really a traumatic situation. And the whole of China, a lot of countries that are neighboring China have started to sort of closed at. Yes. So you can think of Hong Kong in the south, but also in the west there is Kazakhstan and in the north there’s Russia and Mongolia. All of them have started to close their borders to prevent anyone from from getting in and out. And so this is impacting obviously a lot of cross-border movements as well.
[00:05:24] And the latest just the latest development since yesterday has been that most of the major international airlines anywhere in the world, they look, be they in the U.S., in Europe or in Asia. They have started to cancel flights in and out of China for another 10 days just to see what the situation is. And because they didn’t want any travelers being infected with this virus traveling and sort of spreading the virus across the world.
[00:05:49] And of course, with Supply chain now based here in Atlanta, we heard them this morning, how Delta’s certainly one of those airlines scaling flights in China back in while our priority in our focus certainly is on the human humanitarian side of this this crisis. Putting that aside for just a moment, let’s talk about the business implications. So, Tim, how important is Suzanne in terms of logistics and manufacturing operations? And then as a secondary question, if you could elaborate on some of the industries that have a significant presence there that might be particularly affected.
[00:06:27] Yeah. So I’d be happy to kind of elaborate a bit on that. I think first off and we’ve touched on this before, but obviously our thoughts and prayers are with the folks that are affected at the moment. It’s obviously a less than ideal situation. And there’s a lot of folks that are out there in the field that are working hard to get the situation in terms of kind of more of the the business aspect, I think. Of course, over the recent years, that one’s developed into a major manufacturing hub for particularly for high tech industries. So a lot of opto electronics centered semiconductor manufacturers are situated out there. It’s also home to one of the most advanced chip fabrication plants. So they make 3D NAND flash memory that’s used in our smartphones and computers. So that’s on kind of more of the high tech side, but it’s also more traditionally known as China’s equivalent of the Mall of Motor City. So it’s got significant manufacturing presence for domestic and international carmakers, but also major global auto parts suppliers as well. So that’s specifically from a manufacturing standpoint and I think also from a logistics standpoint, it’s situated on the Yangtze River. So it’s it’s located in central China. So it plays a pivotal role in terms of connecting, say, Shanghai or other coastal cities out east to other parts of the country as well.
[00:07:50] So not only from a maritime trading aspect, but also from from rail and also major roadways. A lot of these logistical routes that run through one and that’s where it plays a major role within within China and also for global manufacturers as well. And then also, in addition to Taiwan itself, there’s also a number of neighboring provinces or other provinces in other parts of China that are also being impacted as well. So different regions have different obviously many manufacturing facilities, some in some coastal provinces. There are some that have a number of major electronics suppliers that are situated out there. That’s the case for four Jiangsu province, but also Jurong Province, which is another province that’s situated on the East Coast as well. There’s a number of major Rod Rod ingredients that are used for the global farming industry. That in itself is basically some of the impact. That said, that’s currently happening at the moment has a lot of not just one, but also other regions of China being infected by essentially a bit of a crackdown in terms of the response to the Corona virus.
[00:08:55] So not only huge population center, but in terms of industrial and business capital as well. So, Mirco, back to you. So in a rather rather unusual circumstance for this, you know, technology laden world we live in today, it’s bit difficult to get information and updates, right? In fact, available information, as Tim alluded to, has been further limited due to the Lunar New Year holidays in China. Mirco, how were you able to gather the specific information on impacts on Logistics and production disruptions?
[00:09:30] Yes. Thanks, Scott. I mean, it’s a great question. I mean, everyone is really scrambling for information. I mean, you know, it feels like the whole world is watching China at the moment, but at the same time, sort of China really shuts down doing doing so. Louis Holliday’s I mean, it’s really not an exaggeration to say that. And all the businesses can plan for that. It’s a different time of the year because it’s so according to the moon calendar.
[00:09:55] So changes every year of whether it’s January or February, but sort of all the businesses can can sort of prepare for it. And it’s really, you know, it’s a given and everyone sort of expects it. But at this point, having this major crisis to break out while all of the businesses are shut down and also in terms of the government, I mean, there’s just skeleton staff everywhere because everyone the whole country is busily traveling home to to celebrate with family. It’s really, really difficult to get hold of anyone. And so what we do on the one hand is really reach out to our DHL network. Skeleton’s to. As I just mentioned. And so we have since Monday, actually regular conference calls with the people that are sort of still working, most of them actually from home at this point. So we have local staff in one that we’ve spoken to, but also in Shanghai and in other regions like Hong Kong, all of those major transportation hubs. And so we’ve been able to talk to them on a daily basis to really get the latest information. That always takes a while to trigger into Chinese media to be officially announced by the governments or so. So there we have really like. So we get the information at the source and they have told us about the difficulties of getting in and out of the city of, you know, everyone sort of walking around with masks and so on and maybe to just give like a small anecdote. So one of our colleagues with DHL with the data on that in Shanghai was saying that whereas Shanghai was not really impacted by anything for the first couple of days because it was really concentrated in two one.
[00:11:28] They were basically going on the highway. And since it’s holiday season, you know, there’s really no traffic, which is which is rare. And then two days later, basically, that was on Tuesday, basically, the government installed checkpoints on the major highways and closed some of them. So everyone had to two routes to be arrested and diverted through two major checkpoints, usually on sort of top with us on the highway. And both trucks and passenger traffic, everyone had to go through that through a checkpoint. And everyone had to wait for at least five to six hours to actually just go through this checkpoint, either going out of the city of Shanghai or going into the neighboring province. So with that sort of anecdotal, you can just imagine that Shanghai, which is not the center, as you mentioned, of the outbreak of this disease, is still kind of impacted then that and that you can sort of apply to any of the major cities in China. And then on the other hand, will we do a lot? We have 24 hour operations in terms of our analysts sort of being in the office. Obviously, Tim, you my colleague here is space in Singapore. I I’m based in Europe and we have colleagues in the US. So basically we can watch around the clock. What is going on and what kind of new either government notices or any type of media reports are coming out and usually they first get out in Chinese language and Mandarin or Cantonese. So as we have Chinese speakers in the team, Daryl of the first to jump on them and try to make sense of it and then sort of prepare our customers for this new information and inform them.
[00:12:55] So tell the Chinese government has extended the Lunar New Year holidays to February 2nd, as I think Marco alluded to. What do you expect to happen starting February 3rd and also the sheer extent of the disruption? Speak to that, if you would.
[00:13:12] I think that in the case of the Lunar New Year holidays, what we’re actually seeing right at this moment is actually a number of major cities and also provinces that have have actually even pushed back the date too timid mid mid-February. So actually, in the case of so some major metropolises, of course, Beijing, Shanghai and also Chongqing, which is another major city out west western China, they’ve announced that essentially that they’re pushing back their dates. And this is more or less intended to basically in hopes of basically mitigating further virus outbreaks. So with these particular notices, what we’re seeing is that essentially some particular parts of the country there are perhaps potentially hardest hit by the the outbreak. We’ve seen basically longer periods where essentially governments are ordered companies to not return to work from the Lunar New Year break. What we’ve also seen, though, as well is that essentially that when they’re referring to companies, there’s often exceptions. So things that are essential for for the current situation. So utilities, pharmaceutical companies or suppliers and also medical device or a supplier to companies that are exempted from this, but otherwise other companies may not. So in these fields might be facing different types of disruptions. So when we refer it, when we’re referring to disruptions, these can be things from discouraging workers, from returning to their work sites or factories or warehouses. They can also be additional delays in in when production might actually be able to start. So some companies may not be aware from our operational standpoint what the exact timeline that it might be because these these deadlines might actually be pushed back further depending on the situation. And of course, I think there’s disruptions to to two cargo deliveries and also restrictions to major transport routes. So in the case of them. So as I mentioned earlier as well, I think basically major roadways, seaport routes, also rail, air. These are things that are likely to be disrupted if these basically these notices are extended.
[00:15:22] Further to our listeners, we’re talking with Mirko Wouldtake. And Tim, you global business experts with RASYID 3/16, we’re talking about the coronavirus and its impact really across the globe, especially as relates to global supply chain. So, Mirco, if you could kind of continue what Tim is alluding to there, because the disruption isn’t just within China. Right. Are we anticipating significant disruption to operations outside of China?
[00:15:51] Yeah. I mean, that’s the that’s the big question that everyone’s asking right now. I mean, obviously, as you as you mentioned earlier, the epicenter is really in China. And I think everyone can see in terms of the the fatal impact that this virus has already had that China is really affected most. But, you know, due to a globalized world nowadays and sort of flights going in and out of the country on a daily basis, I mean, this has been going on for a week now and airlines have only started to, as you mentioned, Delta only start now to sort of scale back their operations. So there have been a lot of travelers from China or going into China, going out of China. In the meantime, so we anticipate really like a big impact as well that are a potentially big impact on overseas operations for for other companies that have, you know, that could be situated either in other countries in Asia, in the US, North America or Europe. And actually, the first case of of sort of disruption in terms of manufacturing has already happened earlier this week, two days ago, actually in Germany, close to Munich, which is which is a major German car manufacturing hub with BMW, for example, being being headquartered there.
[00:17:05] There they’re about 30 minutes from unique. There is a big company that supplies basically roof parts, like convertible parts for convertible roofs, took two cars and it’s one of the biggest in the world. It’s a German with what we call automotive supplier and sort of supply directly to a two manufacturers like FCA or the US or Ford. I mean, do they really supply almost everyone? And there they had a Chinese colleague that was coming from China doing a training just at the headquarters. And basically she was infected and she was sort of infecting without knowing anyone noticing she was infecting a couple of her colleagues doing the training at the company. And basically a couple of data that a couple of days later the company found out these were the first confirmed cases of of this coronavirus in Germany, which were all really located among the colleagues, which is which is really dramatic and close to Munich. And basically, the whole company has now been shut down. So there are a thousand people working at this company and everyone was sent home. There have been over 80 people under quarantine at the moment. They have to stay at home.
[00:18:15] They’re being monitored for any kind of symptoms. And an operations at the company are basically completely flat for at least five days. So for now, this will be until Sunday. And so this has been really the first case where overseas this is really start to impact companies and supply chains. Similarly, I think as as maybe a lot of people remember from from another outbreak a couple of years ago, the the SARS outbreak, SARS in 2003, which was really one of the maybe one of the latest biggest outbreaks before what happened, for example, in Singapore, was that there was only one worker at the plant that was making cell phones for Motorola. One worker that was affected, 305 workers being sent home. And the whole company and whole plant was being disinfected just because of that. And so really, if you think about the implications are now easy, it can be actually to transmit this virus from one person to another. I think everyone should really have contingency contingency plans in place to prepare for such an event at their site speed in North America or anywhere else.
[00:19:21] So it is a scary time for a lot of folks, and that’s not lost on us. You know, again, that the impact on the global population. Workforce. And from a humanitarian standpoint, it’s front and center. But as we continue to kind of put this in business perspective. Tim Mirco kind of alluded to some previous outbreaks, if you could continue there. How does this virus compare to previous breaks of the diseases in terms of supply chain disruptions from more of a macro level perspective?
[00:19:49] So we’re in the city that’s become infected essentially previously had been forecast for a growth rate of seven point eight percent GDP this year. And now that forecast is being reduced to only 6 percent this year. So I think that that in itself is quite a drastic predicament to draw a comparison to the SARS epidemic. What we saw was that if you did draw a specific comparison to that is that China and Hong Kong suffered an estimated 1.1 and 1.2 straight 2.6 percent drop in GDP respectively. So in terms of the economic impact, I think that there’s a there’s potential carrot, comparable kind of comparisons that we can draw with one with both cases. And I think that some from a supply chain or Logistics perspective, I think that particularly if we’re talking about ports in particular, what we saw during this ice epidemic was that’s generally for the most part, there’ll be an increase in disinfection operations. So I think that’s not only just disinfecting operations, but also labor shortages might actually impact productivity and also the reducing the normal honored trade that we might be accustomed to. So those are just kind of some brief points, but I think some disruptions that we might need to be looking up for.
[00:21:09] While staggering numbers are murka, what can let’s shift over to kind of some insights and best practices that both you and Tim can offer companies that are looking to kind of manage the situation as best they can and really mitigate the disruption to their supply chain. So, Mirco, what can companies do?
[00:21:28] It’s really I mean, in the short time we I think we have to separate and then maybe Tim Tim can supplement this to sort of talk a little bit about the long term forecast, the long term sort of preparations that companies can can adhere to, sort of prepare for such an event or other type of, you know, extreme events such as natural disasters or something and that sort of area. So what really companies what we generally recommend companies to do in the short term is really to try to identify the sort of your key business partners or your key suppliers of vendors that might be sitting in the area of being local. Look at it in the area without you knowing and really being affected by that. Did the lockdowns and the whole shutdown in China at this point? So really analyzing where those supplies are located, you know, be there. Winters, as I mentioned, or distributors, Keith distributors, that you’re expecting any type of, you know, goods from or supply and really see are they situated maybe in one or Hubei Province, which is obviously as I met, as we mentioned before, completely shut down? Or are they maybe in other parts that are that are less affected and maybe have less disruption than than the epicenter? And then on a second as a second step, what obviously should then follow is as an analysis of what your inventory is, what your sources, source suppliers and your stock taking sort of in your warehouses may be close to your manufacturing side to sort of see you.
[00:22:56] Okay. How long can you last? And is there if there is a disruption with any of your supplier in this area? Is there any way of securing more supply somewhere else, either from another supply in China or geographically elsewhere, be that in Asia or Europe or North America to really see, you know, what type of stock level you have and sort of what kind of alternative supply you would potentially need. Because one thing is certain, as Tim mentioned before, is that, you know, that this government, this government shutdown and the deadlines there are very unlikely to be shortened, but potentially likely to be extended. So companies would really prepare for prolonged shutdown and really see where they can secure the supply and the parts that they need. And at the third the third point that we usually tell companies to really take into account is really educating your staff. He can you on staff, but also educating maybe the staff with your suppliers, because a lot of this virus outbreak is about is what really taking precautionary measures to be able to sort of rein it in.
[00:24:06] As we talked about the example with the German automotive supplier where busto, it’s really about, you know, making sure that people that are may have symptoms or might have been exposed to someone with the infection that they are, you know, being sent home, that everyone is sort of taking really the precautionary measures that you can, because in the end, the calculation will be, you know, that there might be a number of. He’s a number of employees that are being on sick leave. But but that’s definitely a better situation. And then to find yourself with a with a hole plan, the factory that has to be shut down because the level of infections is just too high and you have to sort of disinfect the whole site. So from a operational standpoint of view, it makes sense. But also, obviously from the humans, then point of view is to really educate your staff and have everyone on the same page that this is really important and and hygiene is important, too.
[00:24:55] So shifting from kind of current scenario, planning to contingency planning, information gathering here in the short term. Tim, to moving towards more of a long term view, how can organizations better prepare for this type event in the bigger picture?
[00:25:11] Yeah, I think that’s in the bigger picture, of course. I think that it’s becoming more imperative to be able to sufficiently monitor disruptive supply chain risks. So I think that’s. And so it’s like the things that we’ve mentioned beforehand. So in terms of which regions or provinces are being subject to government shutdowns or lockdowns, which which Industrial areas might potentially be disrupted, what would be the Patel particular transport routes that might be impacted by the current response from the government to the Corona virus? These are things that actually have a practical impact on the ground level in terms of manufacturing, logistics networks. So that’s that’s one particular points that we often try to raise to our customers. And then in terms of other things as well. I think it’s also being mindful of dual sourcing strategies. So I think that’s what we mean by this, is that reducing the number of suppliers has become more of a norm in order to try to develop more strategic relationships with specific suppliers. But I think that given that the situation is evolving and the greater need and how the nature of supply chain risks are evolving over time, companies actually need to perhaps potentially consider taking in a cost benefit analysis.
[00:26:29] Just ask whether this added cost of sourcing from different regions and locations and alternative suppliers might actually be worthwhile for preventing future shutdowns. And I think that’s. And this is a point that Mirco is also alluded to as well on this podcast, but also trying to test out contingency plans in the event of supplier outages. So in the long term, of course, it’s it’s, of course, good to develop that strong business relationships fits Logistics providers or contract manufacturers that might be able to transport or manufacture similar or similar products in nearby regions or countries. So these are kind of just high level points that we try to raise with our customers and the insights that we try to provide, but as, of course, not only in the immediate term, but also in the long term as the tone of virus crisis evolves. Supply chain risks are becoming increasingly complex and we want to in in our case that resilience 360. We want to help the equiped, our customers side with the best knowledge and analysis that they can have found so that they can act on it.
[00:27:35] And maybe, Scott, just to just touch just that one more point if we have. So I mean, one interesting thing is because I think a lot of companies or a lot of your listeners can probably relate to this. This company, obviously, one of the biggest companies in the U.S., Apple, Apple and I was we were just recently reading about a startup. So if a dual sourcing strategy that Apple has and that, you know, also has been sort of put forward, obviously not with a corona virus, that for these such extreme scenarios, so extreme situations like this Corona virus outbreak. So they have for their major components, like the most important components that go into that product, like like the iPhone. They have a dual sourcing strategy both in terms of suppliers. So they would have to at these two suppliers making these these major products, but also that these suppliers will be sitting in different geographies, which is which is really interesting to see that obviously if there is an outbreak or maybe a natural disaster, that, you know, you you are exposed, but then at the same time, you have a backup. And and so for now, at least, a major media impact to their operations seems seems unlikely, but also that they have sort of developed these these sort of contingency plans for extreme cases.
[00:28:46] Really appreciate that. And really, Tim murka, I really appreciate in short order we have to move faster to gather your insights and the reporting and analysis that you provided.
[00:28:57] And I really appreciate y’all’s take, you know, offering up agnostic best practices and insights for all of our listeners. We’re Zee’s and 360. You know, both of you spoke to the power of information and the power of of kind of looking ahead and then looking at the big picture across these global supply chain that so many companies are involved in. Tim, of course, we’re very careful about that. No one wants to create a commercial here. But just in case for folks especially, we get past this current environment and things settle down a bit and they’re able to kind of do more harm. And then you get more proactive. How can our listeners learn more about Resilience 360?
[00:29:35] Yes. We also, of course, some, as you alluded to at the beginning of this podcast, can also reach a set at our website, of course, that resilience 360 dot com. We also have various social media accounts. We have a lectern page and also a Twitter page as well where we’re accessible. And that’s where we hope to kind of reach out and provide some of our our knowledge, not only on this case, but also different types of supply chain research around the world.
[00:30:01] Terrific. Well, Tim, with you being in Singapore and more, Marco, you being in Belgium, we wish you both all the best UPS and safe travels ahead. I really appreciate your insights here today. And we look forward to having you back home on the show and gather your perspectives as things continue to evolve. Thank you, Scott. Thank you for having us. So to our audience, we’ve been speaking with Tim. You a peak risk intelligence and now analyst and Mirco WITSEC manager of Ameerah Risk Intelligence at Resilience 360. Both Tim and Marko are with Resilience 360 Global Platform that offers a suite of solutions that enable intuitive visualization of supplier networks, tracks shipments across different modes and lanes and permits near Real-Time, monitoring of incidents capable of disrupting supply chains, which is really what we’re going through right now. So really appreciate Tim and Marco’s expert insights here. So to our audience. We’re going to keep our finger on the pulse. We move really quickly thanks to the team at Resilience 360. Put this episode together. Hopefully you found these insights, in some cases staggering and eye popping in terms of where we are both in the current term as well as kind of the historical perspective. So stay tuned. Be sure to check out our other cup coming events, replays for interviews, other resources at Supply Chain Now Radio dot.com funds where we get your podcast from onbehalf. The entire team Scott Luton here wishing you wishing each and every member of our audience all the best in the weeks ahead. Thanks for joining us. Stay tuned. Stay safe.
[00:31:35] Thanks everybody.
Tim Yu currently resides in Singapore and leads the coverage on international trade, customs, and regulatory policies impacting business operations focusing on the APAC region for multinational clients from the tech, energy and chemicals, automotive and aerospace, retail, consumer, and life sciences and healthcare sectors. Tim publishes special reports and articles on key issues affecting global supply chains including the U.S.-China trade war, the impact of Japan-South Korea export controls on the semiconductor industry, and Chinese environmental and industrial safety policies.
Mirko Woitzik currently resides in Belgium and works for Resilience360 as a Risk Intelligence Manager for the EMEA region. He graduated with a Master’s in International Relations from the College of Europe with a scholarship from the German government. Afterwards, Mirko studied and worked as a consultant in regulatory affairs in China for three years. He is fluent in five languages, including Chinese, French, English, Italian and German. At R360, Mirko Leverages his global supply chain risk expertise within the automotive and pharmaceutical industries.
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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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
Host
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.
Host
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.
Host
Tandreia Bellamy retired as the Vice President of Industrial Engineering for UPS Supply Chain Solutions which included the Global Logistics, Global Freight Forwarding and UPS Freight business units. She was responsible for operations strategy and planning, asset management, forecasting, and technology tool development to optimize sustainable efficiency while driving world class service.
Tandreia held similar positions at the business unit level for Global Logistics and Global Freight forwarding. As the leader of the Global Logistics engineering function, she directed all industrial engineering activies related to distribution, service parts logistics (post-sales support), and mail innovations (low cost, light weight shipping partnership with the USPS). Between these roles Tandreia helped to establish the Advanced Technology Group which was formed to research and develop cutting edge solutions focused on reducing reliance on manual labor.
Tandreia began her career in 1986 as a part-time hourly manual package handling employee. She spent the great majority of her career in the small package business unit which is responsible for the pick-up, sort, transport and delivery of packages domestically. She held various positions in Industrial Engineering, Marketing, Inside and On-road operations in Central Florida before transferring to Atlanta for a position in Corporate Product Development and Corporate Industrial Engineering. Tandreia later held IE leadership roles in Nebraska, Minnesota and Chicago. In her final role in small package she was an IE VP responsible for all aspects of IE, technology support and quality for the 25 states on the western half of the country.
Tandreia is currently a Director for the University of Central Florida (UCF) Foundation Board and also serves on their Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Previously Tandreia served on the Executive Advisory Board for Virginia Tech’s IE Department and the Association for Supply Chain Management. She served on the Board of Trustees for ChildServ (a Chicago child and family services non-profit) and also served on the Texas A&M and Tuskegee Engineering Advisory Boards. In 2006 she was named Business Advisor of the Year by INROADS, in 2009 she was recognized as a Technology All-Star at the Women of Color in STEM conference and in 2019 she honored as a UCF Distinguished Aluma by the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems.
Tandreia holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Systems from UCF. Her greatest accomplishment, however, is being the proud mother of two college students, Ruby (24) and Anthony (22).
Host
Marty Parker serves as both the CEO & Founder of Adæpt Advising and an award-winning Senior Lecturer (Teaching Professor) in Supply Chain and Operations Management at the University of Georgia. He has 30 years of experience as a COO, CMO, CSO (Chief Strategy Officer), VP of Operations, VP of Marketing and Process Engineer. He founded and leads UGA’s Supply Chain Advisory Board, serves as the Academic Director of UGA’s Leaders Academy, and serves on multiple company advisory boards including the Trucking Profitability Strategies Conference, Zion Solutions Group and Carlton Creative Company.
Marty enjoys helping people and companies be successful. Through UGA, Marty is passionate about his students, helping them network and find internships and jobs. He does this through several hundred one-on-one zoom meetings each year with his students and former students. Through Adæpt Advising, Marty has organized an excellent team of affiliates that he works with to help companies grow and succeed. He does this by helping c-suite executives improve their skills, develop better leaders, engage their workforce, improve processes, and develop strategic plans with detailed action steps and financial targets. Marty believes that excellence in supply chain management comes from the understanding the intersection of leadership, culture, and technology, working across all parts of the organization to meet customer needs, maximize profit and minimize costs.
Marketing Coordinator
Laura Lopez serves as our Supply Chain Now Marketing Coordinator. She graduated from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente in Mexico with a degree in marketing. Laura loves everything digital because she sees the potential it holds for companies in the marketing industry. Her passion for creativity and thinking outside the box led her to pursue a career in marketing. With experience in fields like accounting, digital marketing, and restaurants, she clearly enjoys taking on challenges. Laura lives the best of both worlds - you'll either catch her hanging out with her friends soaking up the sun in Mexico or flying out to visit her family in California!
Host
An acknowledged industry leader, Jake Barr now serves as CEO for BlueWorld Supply Chain Consulting, providing support to a cross section of Fortune 500 companies such as Cargill, Caterpillar, Colgate, Dow/Dupont, Firmenich, 3M, Merck, Bayer/Monsanto, Newell Brands, Kimberly Clark, Nestle, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Sanofi, Estee Lauder and Coty among others. He's also devoted time to engagements in public health sector work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. At P&G, he managed the breakthrough delivery of an E2E (End to End) Planning Transformation effort, creating control towers which now manage the daily business globally. He is recognized as the architect for P&G’s demand driven supply chain strategy – referenced as a “Consumer Driven Supply Chain” transformation. Jake began his career with P&G in Finance in Risk Analysis and then moved into Operations. He has experience in building supply network capability globally through leadership assignments in Asia, Latin America, North America and the Middle East. He currently serves as a Research Associate for MIT; a member of Supply Chain Industry Advisory Council; Member of Gartner’s Supply Chain Think Tank; Consumer Goods “League of Leaders“; and a recipient of the 2015 - 2021 Supply Chain “Pro’s to Know” Award. He has been recognized as a University of Kentucky Fellow.
Host
Marcia Williams, Managing Partner of USM Supply Chain, has 18 years of experience in Supply Chain, with expertise in optimizing Supply Chain-Finance Planning (S&OP/ IBP) at Large Fast-Growing CPGs for greater profitability and improved cash flows. Marcia has helped mid-sized and large companies including Lindt Chocolates, Hershey, and Coty. She holds an MBA from Michigan State University and a degree in Accounting from Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay (South America). Marcia is also a Forbes Council Contributor based out of New York, and author of the book series Supply Chains with Maria in storytelling style. A recent speaker’s engagement is Marcia TEDx Talk: TEDxMSU - How Supply Chain Impacts You: A Transformational Journey.
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Luisa Garcia is a passionate Marketer from Lagos de Moreno based in Aguascalientes. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes, Mexico. She specializes in brand development at any stage, believing that a brand is more than just a name or image—it’s an unforgettable experience. Her expertise helps brands achieve their dreams and aspirations, making a lasting impact. Currently working at Vector Global Logistics in the Marketing team and as podcast coordinator of Logistics With Purpose®. Luisa believes that purpose-driven decisions will impact results that make a difference in the world.
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Astrid Aubert was born in Guadalajara, she is 39 years old and has had the opportunity to live in many places. She studied communication and her professional career has been in Trade Marketing for global companies such as Pepsico and Mars. She currently works as Marketing Director Mexico for Vector Global Logistics. She is responsible for internal communications and marketing strategy development for the logistics industry. She is a mother of two girls, married and lives in Monterrey. She defines herself as a creative and innovative person, and enjoys traveling and cooking a lot.
Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol
Sofia self-identifies as Supply Chain Ambassador, her mission is to advocate for the field and inspire young generations from diverse backgrounds and cultures to join the industry so that thought diversity is increased and change accelerated. Recognized as Linkedin Top Voice and Linkedin Community Top Voice in Supply Chain Management, as well as Emerging Leader in Supply Chain by CSCMP 2024, Top Women in Supply Chain by Supply & Demand Executive 2023, and Coup de Coeur Global Women Leaders in Supply Chain by B2G Consulting in 2021.
Public speaker at multiple international events from keynotes and panels, to webinars and guest lectures for bachelor's and master's degrees, discussing topics such as sustainability, women in the industry, technology and innovation. Writer at different online magazines on logistics, supply chain and technology. Podcast host and guest on different recognized programs in the industry. Sofia has more than 5 years of experience from academic research and field studies to warehouse operations, demand planning and network design. She has worked in manufacturing, airport operations, e-commerce retail, and technology hardware across Latin America, North America and Europe.
Currently working as Supply Chain Network Design and Optimization Manager at HP within their Global Supply Chain and Logistics team.
Host
Karin Bursa is the 2020 Supply Chain Pro to Know of the Year and the Host of the TEKTOK Digital Supply Chain Podcast powered by Supply Chain Now. With more than 25 years of supply chain and technology expertise (and the scars to prove it), Karin has the heart of a teacher and has helped nearly 1,000 customers transform their businesses and share their success stories. Today, she helps B2B technology companies introduce new products, capture customer success and grow global revenue, market share and profitability. In addition to her recognition as the 2020 Supply Chain Pro to Know of the Year, Karin has also been recognized as a 2019 and 2018 Supply Chain Pro to Know, 2009 Technology Marketing Executive of the Year and a 2008 Women in Technology Finalist.
Host
Vin Vashishta is the author of ‘From Data To Profit’ (Wiley 2023). It’s the playbook for monetizing data and AI. Vin is the Founder of V-Squared and built the business from client 1 to one of the world’s oldest data and AI consulting firms. His background combines nearly 30 years in strategy, leadership, software engineering, and applied machine learning.
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.
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.
Principal & Host
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.
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.
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!
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 Cisco, Microsoft, 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 University, O’Reilly Media, LinkedIn Learning, and Pluralsight. Mr. Jackson retired from the U.S. Navy in 1994, earning specialties in Space Systems Engineering, Carrier 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.
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.
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’.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Director, Customer Experience
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.
Chief of Staff & Host
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.