Supply Chain Now
Episode 344

Episode Summary

“Some organizations rely upon big, thick reports, showing that literacy increased by 10% over five years, etc. We get a lot of stories and pictures of recipients getting the books. We get testimonials from our recipients saying these books really were good and thank you so much.”

 Patrick Plonski, Executive Director of Books for Africa

 

Books for Africa is the world’s largest shipper of books and computers to Africa.  They send high quality books to schools, libraries, universities across the continent. In addition to being an important humanitarian mission, the organization faces significant logistical challenges, such as shipping 20 tons of books to a library in Africa and then coordinating with people on the ground to distribute them to other schools and organizations in the community.

Books for Africa just reached a major milestone, sending their 48 millionth book with the assistance of partner organizations like Vector Logistics.

In this interview, Patrick tells Supply Chain Now Host Scott Luton about:

  • The unique challenges being faced by this large volunteer-driven organization during the pandemic, including a lack of volunteers and donations in the U.S. and closed ports abroad.
  • How he works to ensure that Books for Africa doesn’t just send books, they send the books that local communities want and need most
  • Staying productive and positive in good times and in tough times, and never giving up

Episode Transcript

Amanda Luton (00:05):

It’s time for supply chain. Now broadcasting live from the supply chain capital of the country, Atlanta, Georgia, heard around the world. Supply chain now spotlights the best in all things, supply chain, the people, the technologies, the best practices, and the critical issues of the day. And now here are your hosts.

Scott Luton (00:28):

Hey, good morning, Scott Luton here with you on supply chain. Now welcome back to the show on today’s episode, we’re continuing our logistics with purpose series here, powered by our great friends over at vector global logistics. On this series, we spotlight leaders and organizations that are own a noble mission and they’re changing the world in one way, shape, or form. So stay tuned as we look to increase your supply chain leadership. Our cute on a quick programming note right here. Before we get started, if you enjoyed today’s conversation, be sure to find us and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts from. All right, so I want to welcome in my fearless co-hosts here today. On today’s show, we’ve got the whole gang or most of the whole gang, Enrique Alvarez, managing director of vector global logistics. Enrique, good morning, good mornings. God and great having guy green being here, whether you guys, absolutely. We’ve had a string of outstanding interviews by folks doing really special things in the global business world and I think we’re going to continue that string here today. Um, Enrique, joining us is your colleague Adrian per till business development, uh, and strategic accounts from vector global logistics. Adrian, how are you doing? Good morning Scott. Well, thank you Greg, to be a part of this again. Absolutely. Absolutely. I miss our lunches back at King plow, but we’ll be back there soon enough, right?

Scott Luton (01:55):

I hope so too. Alright, so we’ve got a great feature guest today. As we’ve mentioned earlier. I want to welcome in Dr. Patrick Klonsky, executive director with books for Africa. Good morning Pat.

Patrick Plonski (02:08):

Hey Scott, how are you doing? Glad to be on your show.

Scott Luton (02:11):

Well, I heard we’re doing great. Uh, all things considered. Heard a lot about you and your organization organization from the vector team and looking forward to diving into your story here today.

Patrick Plonski (02:23):

Yeah, thank you. Looking forward to having a good conversation.

Scott Luton (02:27):

Definitely. Well. So before we talk shop, before we talk about all the neat things that books for Africa is up to, let’s get to know you a little better. So tell us about yourself, Patrick, you know, kind of where you’re from, maybe an anecdote or two from your upbringing. You name it.

Patrick Plonski (02:43):

Well, yeah, thank you. I was born on a farm in, uh, outside of the twin cities in Minnesota and still live, uh, and work at books for Africa. Just a, you know, about an hour away from that farm. So I, I love Minnesota. Um, I, I have a lot of fun growing up on that farm, but thing about a farm is you’re, you’re sort of remote and I was always a great student of, of history and, um, world affairs. And so I always wanted to travel and go somewhere. And I remember as a out there on the farm, on some of the hot summer afternoons in the summer, we’d be out holding, uh, weeds out of the bean field. And I’d see these planes flying over and, uh, and I’d be there hoeing and I’d look up and I’d say, you know, I bet those people are going somewhere. I want to go somewhere.

Scott Luton (03:41):

You know, that’s so funny you mentioned that, uh, here, you know, we live in the Atlanta area and so we see planes all the time and I can’t help but think, and when I’m at, uh, uh, one of my kid’s soccer games or baseball games, and you see one of those planes going, you can’t help but wonder where they’re headed to what adventure is next, you know. Um, but I want to ask you, Pat, going back to your Minnesota roots and your love for the state, or are you a big baseball fan? A big twins fan?

Patrick Plonski (04:10):

I am. I, back when they used to have transistor radios out on the farm and the twins were horrible. I would listen religiously and, uh, listen to them, uh, lose. They’ve gotten better now and it’s a lot more fun to, uh, you know, to, uh, to, to watch the twins and actually, you know, get to the stadium’s beautiful stadium. So loved, loved the twins. Great fan. Always have them.

Scott Luton (04:38):

Well, your 1991 twins absolutely broke my Atlanta Braves heart. What a team you had that year led of course by hall of Famer, the late Kirby Puckett. Uh, what a great series that was.

Patrick Plonski (04:51):

Oh yeah, that was awesome. Uh, you know, interestingly, um, one of our supporters at books for Africa is the son of Jackie Robinson. Things ended up traveling to Africa and he now lives in Tanzania as a coffee farmer. Well, we brought him back a few years back and, uh, he threw out the first pitch at a twins game, uh, you know, in, uh, honoring the legacy of, of his father Jackie Robinson.

Scott Luton (05:21):

Incredibly special story and what a great legacy that is. And for his son to be involved in initiatives like books for Africa. Scabby uh, very rewarding. Well, um, before we, we turned over and we bring Adrian and to talk about your professional journey. What else? So, um, what is so special about living in Minnesota these days? Where do you find, when you’re not, you know, doing good and, and leading the organization you lead, where do you spend your free time?

Patrick Plonski (05:52):

Well, um, you know, I, I love to travel and I love to come home and I just love the fact that Minnesota is such a, uh, you know, is an international place. Um, it’s very livable community here. Uh, but, um, I, it’s fun to travel, but I, I, and I look forward to it, but I always look forward to coming home. Uh, you know, just I think, um, you know, the greenery, the trees, the parks, uh, Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, which is actually not accurate because there’s actually some 20,000 lakes in Minnesota. Huh. So, uh, you know, the great American dream is to own your own house. The great Minnesota dream is to own your own cabin. So all Minnesotans, uh, worth their salt either own or get to a cabin, uh, whenever they can. And that’s up in the Northern part of the state. So my family has a cabin now also. And so we, we really enjoy that among, among many other things.

Scott Luton (06:54):

Love that. You know, I think the people are special up there. I’ve been to the twin cities a couple of times in my career and have always really enjoyed, uh, the warmness and, and, and just the conversations you have and, and so much of the culture up there. All right. So, uh, Adrian want to bring you back into the conversation. I know you’re a bit curious about, uh, Pat’s professional background.

Adrian Purtill (07:18):

Yeah. Uh, tell us about your professional journey and how that journey, uh, actually helped to shape your worldview.

Patrick Plonski (07:28):

Yeah, thanks Adrian. We, um, I went to a small liberal arts college in Minnesota, studied history, and I always thought I was gonna, you know, political science and history. I always thought I’d end up at a embassy working for the state department or, um, you know, advise the president of the United States at some point. So I always thought that’s where I be and that’s where I wanted to be. But then what I found out is that for those sorts of jobs, you, you would sort of get sent where they wanted to send you. And I thought, well, you know, I like to travel and, and, but I like to be able to pick the country and, and decide when I’m coming and when I’m going. And so I, I didn’t like the constraints, um, as my wife would say, you don’t like to be told what to do.

Patrick Plonski (08:19):

So I do like to sort of set my own course, but I was looking for something international, but also that would give me more control over my own destiny. And, uh, I sort of started in politics. Uh, I, I thought I would just, uh, that would be a holding pattern. So my first real job was at the Minnesota house of representatives and I thought, well, that’ll hold me and then I’ll go to Washington. And it was such a good job. I stayed there 11 years. I was getting, uh, resumes at our office from people in Washington who wanted my job and they were saying, you know, I want to work for, you know, the Minnesota house of representatives. I’m whatever, an intern in Washington. And I thought, well, gosh, if everybody wants this job, this must be a pretty good job, I should probably keep it. And so I did. And I was working with agriculture, the agriculture committee, and we actually traveled to Washington D C a lot with the agriculture committee. So that was a, I found I was able to live in Minnesota, which I love, but also travel, which I also loved. So I spent a good bit of time meeting with members of Congress, uh, the agriculture committee and, and uh, working on agricultural policy.

Scott Luton (09:34):

Yeah. If I can ask you a quick question, Pat, on that note, um, what is one thing about politicians that the general public may not appreciate? What’s w what’s one thing that you really enjoyed during, during those 11 years?

Patrick Plonski (09:49):

The thing I liked about, uh, politicians is that they are very personable as a rule. They are people, people, people you don’t get elected if you don’t like people. And so politics now was standing, you know, when you sit down and talk with elected officials, they’re very personable. They, they know, they’re very proud of where they come from. So they’ll talk, you know, they, they’ll love a particular, uh, pizzeria or a particular restaurant or their sports team and they’ve got a million stories and they’re, and that’s the thing is they’re really fun people to talk to in their own right. Politics notwithstanding.

Scott Luton (10:33):

Wait, it sounds like early on in, in your earlier career, you had a global element that a lot of folks would love to have. And, and, and did that really shape as Adrian was asking about your worldview and how you look at that business and the economy?

Patrick Plonski (10:52):

Well, when I was working for the legislature, I, uh, you know, the, the Minnesota house of representatives always, uh, I always was trying to get into the international realm. And I was trying and trying and I remember some people sort of scoffing at my efforts and saying, yeah, you keep talking about this path, but you know, you’re, you’re not international. You work here for the Minnesota house of representatives. And I remember what ultimately happened is the job at books for Africa came. I applied for it. I had, I had was actually working at switched to the Minnesota university of Minnesota. I was working again, agricultural education and I managed to travel a bit. I get, you know, um, a foundation funded, um, project or something. And, and so I was, you know, in working on agricultural issues in Europe and in, you know, a little bit in central America.

Patrick Plonski (11:48):

And, uh, and so I applied for books for Africa and lo and behold, they wanted to hire me. And I remember thinking, okay, this is it. You either take this job, Pat or stop talking about it because this is it. And I had, again, a good job at the university of Minnesota, but this was the great leap. And, um, you know, it was a small nonprofit at the time, books for Africa. And there were risks, but in, in crisis, as opera is opportunity as is often said. And so I thought, well, it’s time to take a calculated risk, leave that safe, cushy job and a real, really do the international things that I’ve been talking about and wanting to do for, for decades.

Scott Luton (12:31):

Hmm. Well, let’s, so that, that’s a great segue into talking more about books for Africa. Um, so you made the leap and then you’ve been there for how long Pat?

Patrick Plonski (12:44):

17 and a half years now.

Scott Luton (12:45):

Wow, man. And gosh, so much has changed in the last seven years, much less less 17 years. But let’s make sure our audience knows what the mission is behind books for Africa to tell us more about what the organization does.

Patrick Plonski (13:01):

Well, our mission is very simple. We are the world’s largest shipper of books and computers to Africa. We, so our mission is to send high quality books to schools, libraries, universities across Africa. And, and that’s how we measure success is numbers of books sent. Now that being said, we don’t want to send junk. We want to send good high quality books that people, uh, our recipients in Africa find useful. Uh, and so that’s, that’s the mission, day in and day out. Every single shipment has a story behind it. So in some ways, every one is unique, but in some ways everyone is the same. It’s, it’s sending books to Africa. And so that’s our core mission and it has been our mission since day one. And we’ve grown it such that we are now the world’s largest shipper book, Stanford.

Scott Luton (13:59):

Hmm. So tell us, I love how I love simplicity, number one and a simple mission is so, um, uh, so powerful. Uh, it’s, it can be very unifying and, and just, um, you know, keeping everybody on the same page and, and protecting that alignment. Talk about if you would, the impact, um, you know, I think here in the States we probably take for granted, uh, the books we have at our disposal and the books that our kids have at their disposal and, and, and the impact that has on their development. Speak to the impact that organization that your organizations have. And in sharing that with African children.

Patrick Plonski (14:42):

Yeah. I was once told by a newspaper editor, uh, pictures are good news and I always remember that. And it’s always true. It’s some organizations rely upon big, thick reports, you know, showing that whatever literacy increased by 10% over five years or whatever it is. And I, you know, as a, as a, I have a doctorate in education and I studied all that stuff so I can recognize the benefit of that to that sort of data on a continental level is really hard to come by. It’s very expensive to get. And uh, it’s, it’s hard to confirm. So we, we don’t get a lot of data. What we do get is a lot of stories and we get pictures of recipients getting the books. We get testimonials from, uh, our recipients saying, you know, these books really were good and thank you so much. And they’re very helpful.

Patrick Plonski (15:44):

So it’s a lot of, of testimonials. It’s a lot of stories. It’s pictures, it’s little short videos. And, um, you know, the, the interesting thing about these books is we don’t make anyone take our books. The recipients want these books and they go through a lot of work to get them. And, uh, our friends at vector, uh, can, you know, testify to a lot of the work that has to be done. And sometimes the recipient is a school teacher or something. They, they don’t know international shipping. All they know is they want to get 20 tons of books to their community library and in there and distribute, uh, maybe around 10 or 15 schools and libraries and that community, they not only think about international shipping, uh, and so that’s where we have to make it really simple and, uh, allow them to do what they want to do, which is to just get, get the books, distribute the books. And, uh, you know, we, I always say we wouldn’t be around 31 years if, if there were not a demand for what we’re doing and if we were not on the right track. So someone at USA once told me, uh, Pat never give up. You’re on the right track. Never give up. Uh, she told me that after we had just been denied for funding and I’ve been denied for a lot of fun.

Patrick Plonski (17:13):

And also there were plenty of opportunities over the years to give up. But I remember that there was a big funding person at USA. They told us, you’re not going to get the funding, but you’re on the right track. Never give up. And so we, we don’t,

Scott Luton (17:27):

well then I imagine that that kind of goes to the territory. You’re not gonna, you’re not gonna win every grant, every funding requests. I mean, um, but to your point, you wouldn’t be around 31 years if, if you weren’t fulfilling a great and noble mission. Uh, and I love your, going back to what you shared earlier, the quote you got. Uh, pictures are good news. That is, there’s so much truth in that on a wide variety of levels and, and we all know we need more good news than ever before right now. So love what you’re doing. So Pat, talk about in your role as executive director of the organization, what is your day to day look like? Or week to week, where do you spend your time?

Patrick Plonski (18:09):

It’s an interesting question. I ask myself that sometimes too is I say, well, what did I accomplish today? And you know, it’s nice if you know, like Monday for example, um, I applied for the federal assistance, the PPP grant, and we got a hundred, you know, I applied in the morning and by the afternoon there was $190,000 in our books for Africa account. Okay, well there you go. That’s, that’s something that was accomplished today. Right? But some days you don’t, I’m sending emails and there’s a lot of, it’s a lot of little things. You’re sending an email, you’re talking to a staff person, you’re, you’re checking on a, on a project. And at the end of the day I sometimes say, what now? What did I accomplish? I mean, really what, you know, I sent a bunch of emails, but did I accomplish anything? And so I think I always ask myself that question because at the end of the day, we’re extremely efficient at books for Africa.

Patrick Plonski (19:09):

We have to be as a small nonprofit. So it’s all about making your time count. And you know, that’s what it takes. I think to run a global operation. We are active in every single country in Africa. We’ve shipped every country in Africa. Uh, we just, yesterday we hit the 48 million bookmark. We sent our 48 million book yesterday, uh, to regulations. Yeah, thank you. Where I go container went to Kenya, to Nairobi. So it’s, um, you know, an average day could be anything from applying for and receiving funding. It could be talking to members of Congress or trying to get them to talk to, you could be talking to our friends at vectors saying, you know, can we line up the shipment? Uh, and all the logistics with that, coordinating with staff, making sure we’re all on the right page. Or it might be someone calls a, uh, a 90 year old person who is moving out of their house into an apartment and they want to know if we want their 50 year old encyclopedia set. We get a lot of calls like that. Uh, the short answer is we really don’t, but we appreciate that.

Scott Luton (20:25):

All right. So before I bring Enrique in, who is going to have a few questions around the global environment, um, I’m always really curious, are in challenging times what leaders, uh, some of the core elements of their leadership and, and the best practices that they go that they, um, keep front and center. Uh, yesterday we were talking a member of the med share team and he spoke about the power of focus right? During these challenging times. It’s cause one thing, Pat, that you really relied on for effective and successful leadership, especially in challenging times. What would that be?

Patrick Plonski (21:07):

I hate to say it, but it’s common sense on some level. I think it’s, it’s efficiency and you know what? Everyone brings different things to the table. Um, some people bring, you know, tremendous analytical skills. Some people have great communication skills. Um, for me, what, what, what I like to focus on and, and bring to the table and, or try to bring to the table is we’re all about efficiency. How do we send the most books, uh, most efficiently and effectively for the lowest cost? Because then we can stretch those dollars. Uh, further, um, I think there’s also a sort of, uh, uh, PR benefit or visibility or a charisma element. I was once, um, I remember my wife once, uh, was working on this master’s program in international and nonprofit management and she brought me in as a speaker to the class and I had just been hired at books for Africa.

Patrick Plonski (22:09):

And so I came in to speak to her class on, um, uh, nonprofit management and they were all studying to have a job like I have had. And it dawned on them that I had really no experience in international nonprofit management at all. And they were sort of shocked and appalled that someone without training could run an organization like books for Africa. And I remember the instructor of the class said, you know, training is important, but it’s not everything. Occasionally a charismatic leader will come forward and they will run an organization and they’re able to do it. And so training is important, but there are other elements that can also, uh, bring to, you know, bring themselves forward. So I always like to, based on that, I was, I like that. I always liked to think of myself as the charismatic leader. Hopefully that’s true. I’m sure a lot of others would disagree with that, but for a different competence, I don’t know.

Scott Luton (23:17):

I think you’re getting a vote of confidence from Adrian. Adrian.

Adrian Purtill (23:21):

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. I’ve dealt a hand with, with Pat and, uh, his enthusiasm and uh, and just willingness to get involved as is always front and foremost, if it would have been a vision. Yeah. Well, and I think if I may add a couple of things about, um, just if you don’t judge, uh, Pat’s leadership by what he’s saying, but what kind team that he has.

Enrique Alvarez (23:46):

I mean, they’re amazing. They’re super nice. They’re very professional, very hardworking, all the warehouses, all the people that I have had the opportunity and the pleasure to interact with. They’re just not only like efficient and hardworking and committed, but they’re just good people. They’re fun to hang around, they go and play instruments and it’s fun to go grab a beer with them. And I think you have a really good team, Pat. So I think that actually speaks very clearly to the kind of leader that you are.

Patrick Plonski (24:15):

Yeah, yeah. I’m going to just hop in there. I agree. I always think of it like every year cause we’re going to have this year, our best year ever. We’ll send more books this year and raise more money than ever before. To me that’s like winning the super bowl. When you have a record year, it’s like winning the super bowl. And so to go to a sports metaphor, I always want to keep the team together to, to compete again next year. So yeah, it’s a great team. A lot of the folks on there have been with us a long time and there’s no substitute for, you know, someone who’s a personable that some people who are liked by other people and people who are competent and committed. We have clearly, I’m sorry, go ahead Adrian.

Adrian Purtill (25:02):

No, just saying James and the Atlanta warehouse man. I mean he’s such a, he’s so enthusiastic and he leaves the volunteers there and uh, that’s a minefield of information that, it’s such an introduction. It’s such a fantastic introduction to books for Africa, if that’s a first, uh, uh, first, uh, knowledge of them. And, uh, he is, he is really, he is really contagious, you know,

Scott Luton (25:27):

absolutely. Well clearly to, to, to ship your 48th millionth book, uh, and you know, that that is, that is really doing something. And as much as I love the intangibles that both Enrique and Adrian have shared about you, Pat and your team and your culture, I mean that, that’s, that’s what we call GSD, getting stuff done now that’s so important. Um, alright, so Enrique, um, I think this is a great, uh, segue here. I know you’ve got some, some broader questions for Pat.

Enrique Alvarez (26:01):

Yeah, no, just in general. I mean, we’re clearly facing a very tough challenge as, as a community, as a country, as just citizens of this planet basically. And, and running a, uh, an organization like yours pad in the middle of what’s going on and knowing that this probably the virus is going to be effecting Latin America and Africa. Next, how are you and what kind of information are you kinda like keeping track of how, how do you manage your team now that you’re relying a lot on volunteers? And one of the things that you can possibly do is probably come together and gather a team and inspire them the way that you used to because of all the social distancing rules and what we need to do to keep everyone safe. So how, how’s someone like you and an organization like yours that rely so heavily on inspiring people on the ground and face to face kind of cope with what’s going on and what can you just tell us about, about your team around that?

Patrick Plonski (26:59):

Well, um, yeah, thanks for that. Uh, the challenges with this Corona virus situation, um, you know, are just many and probably they’re multiplied because we’re a global organization and, and you know, things are closed down on a community level, let alone on a global level. So yeah, we in Atlanta, normally we have about 11 to 13,000 volunteers every year helping pack the books. Right now, zero volunteers, no one can come in there because of the social distancing and, and the state home orders. So we don’t have the volunteers books. Normally we have books piled up all over the place. Uh, in our warehouses with the schools closed. The books have been reduced to a trickle. A fundraiser. We’re supposed to have the ambassador from Ghana and I know vector, uh, you just sent a container to Ghana, uh, recently. And no, the ambassador, he was going to come next week for an event.

Patrick Plonski (27:59):

Can’t have that event, can’t have 300 donors in the room at the same time, uh, ports in Africa close down. So even if we can get books out the door, will they be able to be received in, uh, Kenya or to car or, or, uh, Cape town. Um, don’t know. It might change. It may be open today and closed when the books land. Uh, so all of those things are challenges. I think how we deal with it is we, we don’t give up and say, well, I guess we can’t do anything. We’ll just have to wait. No, there are things that we can do. And so we did send yesterday our 48 million book. Uh, you know, we are continuing to sort books, not as much as previously, but we’re re reading shipments, um, for when the ports open up and we can send books, um, that might be June or, or whatever.

Patrick Plonski (28:58):

So, you know, I think we have to just say, well, how do we most effectively use the resource of the time and the staff that we have, uh, to, to maximize our impact given the current situation. So we can’t be, we can’t operate at a hundred percent efficiency, but we can operate at 50% efficiency. And so I’d say, you know, we, we take what we can get. I’ve always been a firm believer in taking what you can get and it, it’s sort of a half flow approach. And, uh, our goal is to send by the end of this year, our 50 million books to Africa, and I think we will probably achieve that. Wow. I love that.

Enrique Alvarez (29:40):

That’s, yeah, that’s incredibly inspirational for, for so many other companies out there and, and organizations like yours.

Patrick Plonski (29:48):

Mmm.

Enrique Alvarez (29:49):

So in terms of all their programs or if you want to use or leverage Scott’s platform and his followers or listeners I guess is probably the better word, um, what, what kind of things can we do, uh, as people that admire what you guys are doing, people that are committed to helping others and making a positive impact in the world? Is there anything that, because it seems that so many things are shot down or, or, or struggling, is there something that you are asking, um, people that follow books for Africa to do right now? Is there something that we can do to help out? And right now,

Patrick Plonski (30:31):

again, I would say in life we take what we can get. So this is a horrible situation. So what’s really difficult to do at this point in time as a nonprofit is to raise funds. It’s not the right time to ask people for large amounts of money. Now we can ask people for small amounts of money. We can talk to our partners. So, but, but that’s kind of out. And so you have to I think, say, well, okay, what can we do? Well, what we can do is tell our story. So last week in Atlanta for example, we got coverage in the Atlanta journal constitution, the largest newspaper in Atlanta talking about books for Africa and our work in sending medical books to Africa. We also got coverage, um, the, uh, TV, uh, in Atlanta, uh, can’t remember the station. Uh, but, uh, you know, uh, also talking about our, our work and, and connected to the Corona virus situation and how we’re continuing to do what we can in spite of Corona virus.

Patrick Plonski (31:36):

So that visibility is very important and that’s something that can be done and it’s an opportunity to tell your story. So I think, um, you know, we did get a large grant from Merck and it’s, it’s an opportunity to talk about that. So the things you can do, there are things you can’t do for us, a lot of our work is preparing shipments in our warehouse so that when the, the Corona virus ends, we’re, we’re ready to go. So I would just encourage listeners to, to look at it from the standpoint of not, well, we what, you know, we can’t do anything. So we’re just gonna have to wait. There are certain things that you can do and you want to do. You don’t want to waste your time, you don’t want to create busy work, but there are things that can and should be done. And so that’s the way we look at it. Okay. Here might be a, it might be a simple minded question. I’m, I’m good at those. Uh, Pat, um, what you were talking

Scott Luton (32:40):

earlier about the books in demand, right? And the demand that’s fueling, you know, soon to be 50 million books by the end of 2020. What types of books, um, do you find move the fastest and are most in demand? So if we, if, if any of our listeners wanted to, you know, send books your way, what types of books would those be?

Patrick Plonski (33:00):

Well, Scott, it is a supply and demand situation. We, there’s demand for almost all kinds of books at some level in Africa, but some books are much more in demand than others. And then some books are much more in supply than others. So for example, there’s huge demand for things like a simple algebra book, but also we have a pretty good supply of that. What we really need, uh, where there’s demand and, and not enough supply is things like university books, especially engineering books, let’s say, or, um, you know, let’s say, uh, medical books or, uh, it’s things that at that university level, uh, in some, uh, specific topics, books that are very expensive in the United States are, are very expensive in Africa also in, in more so less accessible because there’s less money to buy such books. Uh, so I, and everybody’s always, you know, if I had a container load, 20 tons of engineering books, I could have somebody, you know, 10 people would want those. They’re always looking for that kind of book, technical books, business books, uh, and, uh, uh, books about it that are current. Those are the kinds of things that are, are in demand. Um, that said, you know, a lot of demand for children’s books too. We get a lot of them and we, we send a lot of them.

Scott Luton (34:27):

Um, that’s very helpful. Um,

Patrick Plonski (34:30):

what kind of demand, and this is just a, you know, this is something that not necessarily the listeners can provide, but we also provide books in local languages. So we are, um, doing an order, hopefully here in the next couple of weeks to print a bunch of French books. There’ll be printed in Hong Kong and then they will be shipped, we think to Cameroon and a vector will help us with that. Uh, and so that’s, uh, uh, you know, sometimes it’s very specific. It’s about getting people what they want. Uh, one other interesting story and I know vector is going to help us move these is uh, back to Ghana. The former United nations secretary general Kofi Annan, uh, is, has been a longtime friend of books for Africa. He passed away and his, uh, personal library is going to be sent to Cape coast, uh, area of Ghana where Kofi Annan went to high school. And so we’re going to be sending that. So sometimes it’s very, very specific things to, uh, but it’s all about getting people what they want, I think. Agreed.

Scott Luton (35:38):

And, and uh, what I’m hearing you say is a lot of get getting them the information they need to make themselves better and make their communities better, make their businesses better or give them entrepreneurial ideas. Maybe, um, love the good work that you are doing. Um, all right. So Enrique, any before we kind of shift gears and make sure that, um, our listeners know how to get in touch with Pat and books for Africa. Anything else on your end?

Enrique Alvarez (36:08):

The question is to Patrick or just

Scott Luton (36:10):

yes, yes. Yeah. I’m going to circle back cause it goes back to her. Scott got some news on, on some of their projects,

Enrique Alvarez (36:16):

right? No, I mean just one thing that I would add is I’m just thinking Patrick with, we’ve had the pleasure of working with him and his company for many years now. We’ve established a good friendship and this really, um, I’ve said this to him before in person and, and it’s just a pleasure to work with companies like kid, his son organizations like, like what they have, they have books for Africa. I think it’s making our job in logistics a little bit more meaningful because one point we’d go from like just shipping containers to starting to ship any location or home or AR or just happiness sometimes. And I see it in books. It’s very, very clear. We thanks to Patrick and his support, we’re able to donate a container full of books for a party that we um, we helped organize for children in Ghana.

Enrique Alvarez (37:09):

And um, the first thing that this children are like 5,000 children all over and they had a soccer balls and different games and food and music. And when the container arrived with the books, it was just heartbreaking and incredible to see how all this children that otherwise would have done anything else is Ron grabbed the book, sat down and started reading. And honestly I just, it’s just amazing. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to see the picture of Scott. I think I shared them with you. But it’s just amazing. It’s books are still very powerful and children love them. And so what Patrick’s doing is very, uh, very inspirational, so, so thanks for doing it Patrick. And as you mentioned, it never give up. You can’t afford, we can’t afford for you to give up. So keep going.

Scott Luton (37:57):

Yeah.

Patrick Plonski (37:58):

Rica and maybe I’d just as as Enrique say, vector has, uh, they are our premier shipper working with vector over the last, I dunno, five years or whatever it’s been, uh, books for Africa and vector together. We’ve sent millions and millions of books to, to Africa, to, to many countries. We send books to some 30 countries in any given year. And so it’s been a good partnership. It’s been a good relationship. And, uh, we, we, uh, value it and appreciate the philanthropic spirit also, uh, our friends at vector. Absolutely. Thank you for saying that. We appreciate it.

Scott Luton (38:38):

We’ve seen it in our collaboration going back, uh, over a year with the vector team. We’ve seen it firsthand and, and we talk a lot about, uh, our disdain for lip service leadership and, um, there’s none of that here. It seems like on this whole line here, there’s, there’s no lip service leadership all about action and getting stuff done. So. Okay, so Pat, let’s make sure our listeners know how to connect with you as well as, um, learn more about books for Africa. What’s the easiest way for that to happen?

Patrick Plonski (39:10):

The easiest way to be in touch with books for Africa is to go to our website, which is books, www.booksforafrica.org and there’s a lot of information there. You can donate, you can organize a shipment of books to Africa. If you’re in Africa, you can go there and see how to order a container of books from books for Africa. And, and then we start talking about fundraising after that. So the website is sort of the clearing house, uh, as far as social media. I’d also encourage folks to, uh, to go to our Facebook page. We put a lot of the latest and greatest information, success stories from Africa and whatnot. On Facebook. So check us out on the web and um, Facebook

Scott Luton (40:00):

outstanding and will to our listeners. We’ll, we’ll feature as many of those links as possible on the show notes of this episode. So, uh, Patrick, really appreciate you joining us today. Love what you’re doing, love with the team is doing and has done for so many years and we’ll have to head back home later this year and get an update on that. 50 million books.

Patrick Plonski (40:20):

Go absolutely in vector. Uh, get ready guys. You’re going to send that 50 million book and it’s going to Ghana and the ambassador from Ghana will be, um, it’s going to go in a container that, um, is going to be sent to the, uh, in honor of the Ghana’s ambassador to the U S visiting both Atlanta and Minnesota. And so we’re going to put that 50 million the book in a container. It’s going to go to Ghana and uh, uh, vector. Get ready for that. You guys are going to be pending.

Enrique Alvarez (40:53):

Yeah, we’ll look forward to that. And that’ll be, that’ll be definitely a huge milestone. We’ll definitely celebrate when you guys and your achievements. And uh, I know also Patrick, we were going to have to get ready for the partying guy, not this year after hopefully the corner buyers. Uh, we’re after we’re all behind that. Uh, we want to ship another container, so we’ll definitely need your help on that as well. Uh, awesome. December this year.

Patrick Plonski (41:19):

Awesome. Looking forward to that.

Scott Luton (41:21):

Definitely, definitely so much. A lot of brighter days. Lie ahead and look forward to celebrating these goals with, with both of you and your organizations. Okay. So Pat, don’t go anywhere. We appreciate time here today. Really enjoyed your perspective, both personally and professionally and we look forward to reconnecting soon. But here, as we start to wrap up today’s episode, I want to bring Adrian back in with vector. Uh, Adrian vector is involved in the, in a variety of fronts. Um, and, and some of it’s related to to Cobra 19 and our efforts there. Others, you know, vector has been involved in a lot of philanthropic, uh, initiatives for a number of years. Give us a quick update on a project or two that our listeners should know about.

Adrian Purtill (42:05):

Well, uh, in, in, uh, two spirit of, of Victor’s heart and, and giving back and making a difference in the world. And we’ve just talked about that and it’s been mentioned on, on, uh, other shows of yours. Got as well. Um, we started really deep diving into the world of, of uh, bringing in personal protective equipment, uh, into the USA and, and, and, uh, into, into Mexico and even into, into Europe as well from, from China. Uh, many, many weeks ago when we realized how bad this was going to get, uh, rather than sit on the sidelines and watch things happening, uh, Pat said earlier, there are things that can be done now. And so we jumped, uh, first head first into, uh, into this world and, and, and, uh, try to see how we could best make a difference. So we actually started a covert 19 taskforce and, uh, one of my colleagues is responsible for sourcing and procuring the equipment and getting pricing on it.

Adrian Purtill (43:05):

We work closely with our partner K group in China. We’ve got a long standing relationship with them. Um, and, and some of the projects we were doing now with, currently we have a China coming up from China departing on Monday. Um, I personally am working with someone bringing in 2 million masks for, uh, for a hospital in Toronto. Um, and just recently now as from tomorrow, in fact, we will be distributing a hundred thousand mosques, uh, to the homeless and to frontline workers through an organization that we’ve teamed up with, uh, based in Atlanta, love beyond walls. Um, Tim and Terrence list his company. And, uh, so, uh, that will be happening, uh, from, from tomorrow. And, uh, Tim’s list, his organization is in, is incredible. Um, they have been many years now actively involved in bettering the conditions of the homeless and impoverished, impoverished. And, uh, so we, we’ve moved, we’re excited to be a proud to be part of that initiative to help us people. So that is, uh, that is kicking off and those models will be delivered as from tomorrow. So, uh, we’re very much, uh, jumping right into this and, uh, and seeing where we can, we can help. And how we can make a difference to a lot of people.

Scott Luton (44:26):

Great point. I love, love the spirit, uh, that fuels these efforts. Um, and, and again, the Kandoo action focused leadership, so really appreciate what Enrique, Adrian and whole vector global logistics team is up to. But you know, what Assad from all those projects, this series logistics with purpose, uh, has brought so much inspiration. I think, you know, we’re only four or five episodes in and we have a lot more stories to cover. But hearing from people like Pat and books for Africa and, and how they’re finding ways to continue the mission despite the, the, uh, this challenging set of circumstances and air buys and enduring that is, that is good news. Uh, and while we don’t have a picture for right in, in this, in this episode, we will soon enough and I can’t tell each of you how much what you’re doing helps, helps us all. So, uh, on that note, I want to thank Dr. Patrick Klonsky, executive director with books for Africa, not beyond social media. You can learn more@booksforafrica.org. Pat, thanks so much for your time. Thank you, Scott. You bet.

Patrick Plonski (45:33):

Thanks to Enrique and uh, Adrian. Also absolutely great friends of books for Africa, so appreciate talking to you again and we’ll keep talking to you later today as we arrange more exactly, exactly this morning and we’ll be again later.

Scott Luton (45:56):

Thank you standing and big thanks. Of course, Enrique Alvarez and Adrian Patil. Uh, both with vector global logistics, uh, gentlemen, really, really enjoy this mutual project we have here and these stories we’re spotlighting and thanks for all the good work that vector’s doing.

Patrick Plonski (46:16):

Thank you, Patrick. Thanks everyone.

Scott Luton (46:20):

All right, so to your audience, you bet to our audience, be sure to check out a wide variety of industry thought leadership at supply chain now, radio.com find us and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts from. On behalf of the entire team here, Scott Luton, wishing you a successful week ahead, stay safe, but please follow the expert advice precautions that have been distributed. No this at brighter days. Certainly lie ahead on that note, we’ll see you next time here.

Would you rather watch the show in action?

Watch Scott, Enrique, and Adrian as they welcome Patrick Plonski to Supply Chain Now on our YouTube channel.

Featured Guests

Patrick Plonski, Ph.D. has served as the Executive Director of Books for Africa since 2003. He holds a Ph.D. in International Education (2009) and previously served as Executive Director of the Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council at the University of Minnesota (1998-2003), and Committee Administrator for the Minnesota House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture (1987-1998).  Learn more about Books for Africa here: https://www.booksforafrica.org/

Enrique Alvarez 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 a 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 also enjoys traveling, getting to know new people and spending time with his wife and two kids Emma and Enrique. Learn more about Vector Global Logistics here: https://vectorgl.com/

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. Learn more about Vector Global Logistics here: https://vectorgl.com/

Hosts

Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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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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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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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

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

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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Tandreia Bellamy

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).

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Marty Parker

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.

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Laura Lopez

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!

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Jake Barr

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.

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Marcia Williams

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.

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Luisa Garcia

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.

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Astrid Aubert

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.

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Sofia Rivas

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

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Karin Bursa

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. 

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Vin Vashishta

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.

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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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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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Greg White

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.

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Katherine Hintz

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.

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Mary Kate Love

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.

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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

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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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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