“We have to remember every single day and in every single interaction that we have an opportunity to shine our light on people. That is important in everything that we do.”
Kelly Scheib, Vice President of Human Resources at Proterra
As we fight to climb back from the hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a lot of people looking for silver linings. Kelly Scheib, Vice President of Human Resources at Proterra, found hers in the 2008-2009 recession. After weeks of being sent to lay people off, she realized that if she could minimize overtime and negotiate down healthcare benefits, she could keep more people employed. That was her ‘a-ha’ moment.
Fast forward to today, and she’s facing a double human resources challenge: protecting employees while also protecting the business. Fortunately, it has given her an opportunity to do one of her favorite things: learning more about the business. In the case of Proterra, it is the business of designing and manufacturing electric transit busses and charging systems.
In this podcast interview, Kelly tells Supply Chain Now Co-hosts Greg White and Scott Luton about:
· Why human resources professionals can’t be fully effective until they learn as much as possible about the business they work for
· How organizations are redesigning themselves to be as prepared as possible for a completely redesigned future
· What she thinks workforces – and workspaces – are really going to look like in 10, 20 or 30 years
Intro – 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 to today’s show on today’s show. We’re continuing our today in manufacturing series that we do in conjunction with the Georgia manufacturing Alliance. Uh, today we’re talking best practices with a manufacturing leader. That’s doing big things in the automotive and energy stores, storage space, very unique sector. So stay tuned as we look to increase your manufacturing, leadership IQ. Um, real quick, I want to say, uh, thank our sponsor. We’re really appreciative of HLB gross. Collin’s a top 25 Atlanta CPE, a firm specializing in manufacturing, distribution, supply chain operations, and that’s what helps make this series happen. So big, thanks to hob gross Collins and quick programming. If you enjoyed today’s episode, you can find us wherever you get your podcasts from on that note. Let’s welcome. This outstanding panel we have here today. Jason Moss, CEO of the Georgia manufacturing Alliance. Co-host here today. Jason, how you doing, man? A fantastic, I’m excited about to be at the show today. We enjoyed our warmup conversation. Uh, we should have recorded that one too, but we’ll save that for another day. Um, and then Laura Metta juicy also our cohost on this series, principal and leader of the manufacturing, distribution and supply chain practice at HLB gross Collins. Laura, how are you doing?
Laura Madajewski (01:52):
You’re doing great, Scott. It’s a beautiful Wednesday morning.
Scott Luton (01:55):
I like, I like that a painting behind you. I’m going to share that in the warmup conversation. Did you do that?
Laura Madajewski (02:01):
I wish I did. I’d like to say on that skill, so, but it certainly draws my attention when I’m sitting, uh, I’m over here at the kitchen table this morning, having some, having some coffee and conversation.
Scott Luton (02:14):
Well, I love the backdrops and speaking of bad jobs. Let’s welcome in our featured guests today, Kelly, Shab vice president of human resources with Proterra Kelly. Welcome, and we love your backdrop too.
Laura Madajewski (02:26):
Hey, thank you so much for having me today. Um, that’s my background
Scott Luton (02:34):
Sitting in a bus, but a really unique bus and we’re going to learn a lot more about just how unique it is, but um, really appreciate your time as busy as you are. I know your day started early, so we’re going to dive right in and save your time as much as we can. You bet. Alright, so Jason and Laura are really excited about our conversation here with Kelly. Um, let’s start though. Let’s let’s before we get into, let’s kind of learn more about Kelly shops. So Kelly, for starters, tell us, you know, where are you from? Where’d you grow up?
Kelly Scheib (03:06):
Yeah, I’m a, I am a new Yorker, right? So I’m a new Yorker who made her way somehow to South Carolina. So I grew up in, uh, in the Bronx.
Scott Luton (03:14):
Really does that. So you were a big Yankees fan?
Kelly Scheib (03:18):
Absolutely. Absolutely. I grew up not far from Yankee stadium, um, and married a Phillies fan though. So that’s marital strife. Um, and uh, yeah, so I, I’m a new Yorker me my way to Penn state for undergrad and graduate school lived in Philly for a little while and then ultimately somehow made my way to Greenville, South Carolina, so happy I’m here.
Scott Luton (03:46):
Wow. So do you still have a bunch of family in the Northeast?
Kelly Scheib (03:50):
Yeah, my family in New York, New York and Puerto Rico, but yeah, no for, I don’t have anybody here. Me and my husband and our five kids.
Scott Luton (04:01):
Wow. Holy cow. So you’ve got some assembly lines at home, uh, when it comes to lunch and dinner and everything else. Right.
Kelly Scheib (04:09):
Lean process.
Scott Luton (04:12):
So many, so many, many factory jokes there, but uh, good stuff. Well, one last question. So are you able, I know that 2020 certainly, uh, uh, let’s look at 2020 to decide for now, but are you able to kind of get back and see the family and, and take a departure from the heat down here? Every once in a while?
Kelly Scheib (04:30):
Yeah. We’ve been staying away from some grandparents. Um, we have, uh, we have some grandparents in Pennsylvania we’ve been staying away from them right now, but, um, know I, hopefully soon hopefully we’ll be able to reunite too, but a big, time’s an incredible thing. Yes, it is. Um, we have purchased a Facebook portal, which clips to our television for all of our families. So, uh, so we see each other probably more now than we would if we were actually in person. So
Scott Luton (04:59):
That is a, it’s really fascinating how technology has just innovate at the speed of light. Um, you know, zoom, I’m not the, um, brag on them too much, but I’ve really been impressed, uh, as we all find ourselves on zoom calls every day. Right. Well, it’s really been interesting to see how they maintain by and large capacity while innovating the platform. It’s, it’s going to be a case study that we’re all, you know, one of those case studies, we’re all gonna study once we get into this post pandemic.
Kelly Scheib (05:29):
Yeah. There’s many, many hidden blessings in this environment. Right. You can have quiet, you know, slower conversations. You’re not as hurried because nothing’s really going on. So you can sit and have the conversation with your mom and, and, and, and have those conversations and play monopoly and do those things because your weekend plans are in hurry.
Scott Luton (05:50):
Uh, you know, that, that’s a, um, that’s the unique perspective that that’s, that is a, certainly a big part of the lining of what we’re going through right now. That’s right. Um, all right. So one final note before we move more into your professional journey is, um, you know, in talking with your pre show, uh, you’re really dedicated and committed to serving in the foster care arena. So tell us more about that and tell us why.
Kelly Scheib (06:17):
So, um, we’ll disclose your I’m I’m in a bus because one it’s awesome. And two, because if not, you’ll see lots of little kids playing in the background behind my office doors. Um, so my husband and I are licensed foster parents. Um, foster care is something that is near and dear to our hearts and our journey, and just kind of living through this world. We have five children, three biological children into baby girls, sisters that we adopted from foster care last year. Um, and we certainly have a strong passion for this space. In the last few years, we’ve been, um, honored and privileged to raise five children, um, that were not biologically ours. And we continue to help in that community. I also sit on the board of directors for a phenomenal organization called fostering great ideas, which is imperative to assisting in this space. They have programs that keep siblings bonded. They help mothers who have lost their children. It’s just a phenomenal and remarkable organization. I certainly see this as part of my life’s work,
Scott Luton (07:31):
Love that I love to give the give back there. Greg, it’s kind of coined this, this give forward. Uh, and it, it really, it takes a village and it is so important now perhaps more than ever before. Uh, you know, as we feature a lot of nonprofits in our programming that their needs do not go away, unfortunately their support during these challenging as like 2020 can go away. So, um, admire what you do. One more question. I asked Nick one more question there. What, um, what put that on your radar? What, what caused that dedication to, um, you know, helping, uh, and serving as foster parents?
Kelly Scheib (08:11):
Yeah, so that’s a really interesting question and probably way longer than this episode will allow for it, but I’ll give you a brief answer. Adoption was always on my heart. It was always something that I wanted to do growing up. I thought I would always adopt a child. Um, we were blessed with three beautiful, healthy babies. Um, and unfortunately my brother was diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and that really put incredible perspective in our lives and adoption at that point was still very much on my heart, but, uh, we had been, and I had some really intense conversations about it and we realized what work we’re blessed, and we are so less, let’s go do this the hard way. Adoption can be challenging, but there are ways to make it easier. Foster care is never easy, but so worth it. Um, so my husband and I decided, look, we’re going to do this the hard way.
Kelly Scheib (09:11):
If a child needs us to adopt them through foster care, we’ll do that. But until then, we’ll just be the parents for those that need parents for his first season. Um, can we welcomed, we’ve welcomed little humans into our lives and into our homes and they will forever be my babies, um, who have, who have left and been reunited with their families as it’s intended to be. Um, and we were lucky enough to, um, adopt two little girls who were called to be ours and their sisters, which was more of a blessed thing. And we got them in a four weeks in two days. So, um, when was four weeks old in one way with two days old. So, I mean, it couldn’t have worked out better. Um, and I, one of the things about foster care that is interesting is you, you always kind of give the biological parents. Everyone kind of has opinions of the biological parents. I actually have a remarkable relationship with my growth biological parents, um, and that is intentional. And, um, and it was it’s, uh, it’s really a blessing when you can realize that your role is impacting so many lives. And so it’s not just about my daughters, but it’s about their biological mother and father as well. I was chatting with them yesterday to really,
Scott Luton (10:34):
I love that there, there are so many you’re right. We need three or four hours to dive more into that. I feel like there’s so much more good stuff there, but one quick takeaway, and I love your perspective on, Hey, ignore all the noise and negativity that so often goes with the jump. The judgments may be in the assumptions that go with the biological parents. Life’s too short for that. Let’s, let’s have a relationship there. That’s a breath of fresh air Kelly. I really appreciate you sharing that.
Kelly Scheib (11:03):
I mean, when you, um, when you get to know biological parents, they are people and there are people a year standing next to you on the street. There were people a year at Starbucks with their, their people and they deserve just because they had a different path. Doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a degree of grace. And, um, I, you know, I find more than one occasions told the department of social services. I wanted to adopt a few mamas. I didn’t want to just adopt that. I wanted to adopt the mamas, um, you know, your heart, your heart breaks for their journey as well. No one volunteers to be in the position that they’re in.
Scott Luton (11:42):
Thank you so much for sharing what to have you back. And we’ll dive deeper into that.
Kelly Scheib (11:47):
Talk about that all day long.
Scott Luton (11:50):
Well, you know, that that’s the secret sauce of, of these kinds of conversations from where I sit. I mean, the passions and, uh, um, the areas that don’t get enough spotlight and, and the story behind it. I mean, that’s, that’s the rewarding part of this journey that we’re all on. I believe so on a much lighter note, Jason, though, we want to kind of dive more into Kelly’s professional journey as well. Yeah, yeah, no doubt. And Kelly, I’m curious to hear about some of your key roles in the past and, and, and maybe some of the things that in those key roles that have shaped your worldview, what is it that we need to take away? I’m, I’m, I’m a, I’m a, um, avid student of successful leadership. And so I want you to tell me a little bit about some of your path and, um, and what, what you’ve taken away from that.
Kelly Scheib (12:34):
Well, I don’t know about successful leadership from my perspective, but I can tell you that I’m one of the rare breeds of human resources, professionals who chose human resources. So most people actually somehow end up in human resources through a myriad of different ways. I chose this, I went to school for this. I have two degrees, so this is the space I wanted to play in. Um, so I’ve done a myriad of different human resources role, um, starting at, you know, entry-level manufacturing, human resources all the way up to, um, you know, the VP role that I’ve had most recently in my career. So I’ve done specialist roles, um, and I’ve done. Um, now this will be my second VP, um, in HR. Um, this is, I mean, this is where I’m called. I firmly believe that I am as much a business person as I am a people person. So it’s a, it’s a rare, it’s, it’s rare to find both. You either find just business people or you either find just people, people, and I’m, I’m a little bit of a hybrid of both.
Jason Moss (13:46):
Tell me maybe, maybe about a Eureka moment that you’ve had in your career. Something that like, turn, turn the corner. What caused you to, to look at it from that perspective for both the business and the personal side, maybe,
Kelly Scheib (13:57):
You know, I think that that’s a great question. I’ve actually given a couple of speeches on this. So one of the things, so when you come out of school and you’re in HR, you think you’re about the people, right? So you’re there for the people. Well, one of the things that happened early on in my career and I’m aging myself here is I joined the profession. And shortly after I joined the profession, the great recession hit. And I would sit in these meetings with all of these executives at my manufacturing plant at the time. And they would rattle off a bunch of numbers. I didn’t understand. And they would be talking about a lot of operational terms. I didn’t understand. And then they’d look at me and they’d say, go lay off 10 people. And this happened week after week after week after week. Cause it was the recession, right?
Kelly Scheib (14:45):
We weren’t getting orders in. We, there was just, the business was going down as was the case with everyone at that time. Um, so it was, it wasn’t until a couple of weeks in that I realized, wait, wait, wait, wait. Like these are people’s lives. You’re sending me to do the dirty work and go talk to the human, to play the human part and tell them that they’re not going to have a paycheck and they’re not going to have health benefits. And in 2008, similar to the situation that we’re in now, who knew when they were going to new. When that, when that time was going to, I mean, I had grown men in my office, grown men, why being in my office, asking me not to do what I was about to do, which was lay them off. And that, that definitely was a massive aha moment for me.
Kelly Scheib (15:36):
And that’s when I realized very quickly, I got to know these numbers and I’ve realized exactly how to influence them. If that means I’ve got to Institute more cross training. If that means I have to do staggered shifts, if that means I have to make sure OT is lowered. So more people can stay. If that means I have to go and negotiate health benefits. So my premiums are lower, but people get to stay in the building. That’s what I’m going to do. Um, so that was a massive aha moment for me. And it hit me so early on in my career, which, you know, silver lining, we talked about some silver lining blessings. That was a blessing for me.
Jason Moss (16:15):
Yeah. That’s a great foundation. And you know, I mean, you, you build on that, you’re able to impact and hopefully through, through your, um, passing that message along to future generations. So, um, that’s that again, that’s part of the reason that we’re, we’re so focused on doing these, uh, these podcasts is to share best practices and share ideas that can, can go along. Uh, you happen to have that experience live, but I mean, anybody that’s going to be listening to this, if they, if they take that away, that’s the magic. So thank you so much for that insight. You know, I, I gotta tell ya, I’ve rubbed elbows with a ton of human resources leaders in my career through a couple of different roles, a lot of it in, in the manufacturing supply chain, logistics, warehousing space. And I rarely say I never, but I honestly cannot think of the last leader in this, in this profession that just made that point about how it’s not just numbers and metrics and reports.
Scott Luton (17:16):
And, but these are people that have families and, and, and, and now based on these interactions I’m having in my office, painful interactions, we’ve got to figure out how to, how to make it stand out more than just numbers to the executive team and leadership team that you’re part of, um, that’s worth as much more worth than the price of admission for today’s conversation. So thank you for sharing that, Kelly. Um, all right. So, so kind of moving right along, we’re going to now dive into the pro the pro Terra story, and then kind of get the, the story behind Kelly’s background here that you see on the, the video. So Laura, let’s dive right in,
Kelly Scheib (17:59):
Well, I’ve just been sitting here just fascinated with all of this because, um, I think one of the things that I always felt was so important to me was just the whole people factor in throughout it and getting to understand all of that. So extremely impressive Kelly, but as Scott said, um, uh, I’d love for you to share more about pro Terra. What does the company do for our listeners? So we can get an understanding of that beautiful bus that’s sitting behind you and beautiful bus. It’s really cool that I can sit in it on zoom. I mean, kudos for allowing you to be able to sit. One of my, one of our board members actually shared this background with me, cause I was so impressed with her background. I was like, I need to sit on the bus. I want to see it on the bus. That’s not absolutely
Scott Luton (18:44):
How often when’s the last time you used the phrase beautiful bus, right? And we’re using it three or four times on this conversation alone, but it really is.
Kelly Scheib (18:53):
Let me tell you why it’s beautiful. It’s beautiful because we need energy. Right. So you think about, I grew up in New York city, right? So I talked to you guys, you guys hear that I grew up in New York city and we used to have the, um, there was always a bumblebee on the buses. I don’t know why, but that’s just what I remember as a child, there was a bumblebee on the bus and, um, there I’ll remember it, you know, after it snowed in New York city, the snow instantly turned right. You would cause the buses were driving by the car driving by, they were, they were just emitting robustness, right. And just exhaust. And the beautiful light just know that would often cover New York city was gusting in a second. And that’s one of the things about parterre that is so cool. It is, um, a leader in designing and manufacturing zero emission electric vehicles for our industry, right? So we’re in this transit space and our buses are all over all over the country right now. So that’s just wonderful. We’re also, um, we also have a division called pro Terra power, which, um, is, is really an electrification space for heavy duty, heavy duty transit as well. Um, so that’s, it, that’s an important point. We’re not just buses. We are this other division called Proterra powered, which is really it’s electrification is the game.
Scott Luton (20:30):
Hey, real quick, if I can interject, I think one of the neat things as you are sharing that, um, you know, as cool as all the electric automotive companies are and, and, and the potential they have to change, um, some of the challenges we face, right. And this, in this country and elsewhere, I think the cool thing about, and the unique opportunity for Tara has, uh, uh, and not that, uh, not, not put Portiere power aside for a second, but you know, when, when, when, when municipalities are buying fleets and, and the fleets that made the snow black in New York, I mean that they’re able to affect change on a much higher plane. So, uh, kudos to what Proterra is doing. Uh, and, and w a trailblazer when it comes to, um, energy efficient, uh, public transit vehicles, right?
Kelly Scheib (21:21):
Yeah. You’d like just one of the, one of the, again, silver lining with the COBIT, if one can be found is you seen, um, just clear skies in cities like Los Angeles and, you know, all of a sudden people aren’t on the road, right. Because everyone’s kind of at home and the cars aren’t driving, but think about that. If all of a sudden the sky is clearer and it’s because the cars are parked, isn’t there, then that gives you pause as to what we’re breathing in every day. What is it that, um, what is it that we take for granted in terms of clean air? This is just such a, it’s such a cool space. I’ve worked for a lot. I’ve been really lucky. I’ve worked for a lot of really cool companies in my day. Um, this is just the coolest,
Scott Luton (22:18):
That’s a perfect Testament. Um, alright, so, uh, Laura, I know you’ve got one more follow up question or a couple for, for Kelly here. Yeah,
Kelly Scheib (22:27):
Absolutely. Kelly, and by the way, I just have to say that passion that you have for Proterra and it’s just its mission and what it’s doing just kinda just, just jumps right through the screen today. So I hate that we can’t kind of all be with each other right now under the dreaded word COVID, but, um, I mean that alone just speaks volumes for what the company stands for, what it does, and clearly your passion and commitment to it. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Committed to the mission, committed to the people. Absolutely. Um, in kind of segwaying into that. Can you share with us a little bit more about your role and where you spend time, um, and Proterra for our understanding? Just such a funny question. So I’ve only been at pro Terra for seven months. So I started in January. It has been a journey, uh, unfortunately eight, nine weeks into my Proterra journey COVID stroke.
Kelly Scheib (23:27):
And so I got to know people well, and I had to, we sent people home and people are working, are working remotely. So I will say that for me, the majority of my experience at Proterra has been focused on learning. So learning the organization, I actually think that that is one of the things that HR professionals don’t do. They come in and they know HR, so they think they know how to apply it. It doesn’t work that way. You need to know the business. I actually was interviewing someone yesterday for one of our senior engineering roles. I’m the VP I don’t interview. Right. I don’t, that’s not what I do, but I always purposely have few jobs that I am the only recruiter. And I do that because I need to stay in touch with what’s happening. I need to understand. And maybe it’s because I’m nosy or maybe it’s because I’m just, I need to know.
Kelly Scheib (24:28):
But I was interviewed for a very technical role yesterday, extremely technical hole that candidate was talking about things that like, I’m Googling in the background. I’m like, what is going on? We don’t know what that is. And I have, but I had a conversation with the hiring manager shortly after. I was like, can you show me, can I, can I come? And can you show me exactly what’s happening? I actually think that that is one of the tidbits about human resources professionals that we often, we just often, Oh, well, we often overlook learning the business. I want to, I want to know it all. That’s my biggest problem. And my biggest gift at the same time, as I want to know it all. So as a result, I bought myself down in a bunch of details, but I feel like you’ll pick up the little pieces here and there that make you super valuable to the org.
Kelly Scheib (25:17):
Um, I own, I think that’s the only way you support the businesses if you get it right. Get it. Um, but honestly, between that and coded, um, that has been where I’ve spent the majority of the tongue COVID is a game changer. COVID the game changer industry societaly, but inside the building, you know, we’re tasked instantly with protecting our people and protecting our business at the same time. Um, so how do you produce and how do you make sure you’re still sending buses out that are essential, uh, bringing people, bringing nurses to hospitals and bringing people who are serving at our grocery store, people that are serving at our fire farms, they’re bringing them to work. So we’ve got to keep those buses going. How do you do that while keeping the people that are actually manufacturing those buses safe and keeping the people that you sent home engaged?
Kelly Scheib (26:14):
Because we sent them home on one, one random day, there was no work from home class on how we’re going to engage them, figuring it out as we go. Um, so it is, that has certainly been, I tell my team this all the time, especially when we’re having like overwhelmed moments, I’m like, this is, think about the learning, like survive the pandemic, right? Like you think about the learning that is, that is involved in this whole pandemic and you’re reading legislations and you’re reading orders. And you’re trying to make sense of legalees and I have a nominal team behind me, but, um, that’s probably where I’ve spent most of my life,
Scott Luton (27:00):
As you were talking about, the applied learning is really what I think one of the things that makes this a challenging, you know, you’ve got children at home, we’ve got three children in our household and, and we elected to go the, the, uh, digital learning route and kudos to the administrators and the teachers talk about applied learning. They are dealing with the decisions almost same day, maybe same hour and trying to, uh, digest it and then share it with their students and student families and, and educate children and, and using a variety of technology platforms. And, um, it is really, it’s such a huge exercise and applied learning right there in the moment. And one of the cool things about this is, is, is the generation that’s coming along. I mean, my wife is a pair pro she’s a teacher’s assistant in kindergarten. I call her my favorite crayon stacker. She’s not a big fan of that title, but, you know, but, um, but, but think about the kids that are having to learn zoom in kindergarten right now, the training
Kelly Scheib (28:07):
Much better than you can in regard,
Jason Moss (28:13):
It’s just second nature to them. They’re like, okay, well, however you, however you position it. If you position, it’s going to be challenging for these kids or you just, you know, expect that it’s going to be normal, they hop in and say, now trying to keep a mask on a kindergarten or all day. Now that’s a different conversation.
Kelly Scheib (28:29):
No, I, my, my, uh, my children are also virtual. I spoke to the administrator, I told them my son would use the mask as a Slingshot. So there was no way that it was going to stick. Cause he uses it against the sisters of the Slingshot, just like as an aside to teachers and just this crisis in general, like kudos to them and kudos to the administrators. Um, my mom isn’t is a New York city school teacher. Um, so I certainly certainly know the profession from what it looked like for her, but, you know, going back to foster care and what we talked about, there are a lot of kids right now, a lot of kids right now who aren’t in good spaces and teachers don’t have eyes to lay on them. Um, so remember that then when they’re, when they’re trying to teach your kids virtually that one day, they’re also looking to make sure a child looks okay and think about that psychological that’s psychological, very strange place that they must have to go to every single day.
Scott Luton (29:29):
Yeah. Agreed. I think the other thing that comes to mind and write a conversations we’re having here is accessibility. You know, there’s been a digital gap, a desk been too wide for, for too long. And now we’re an environment where, where there’s not a perfect path, but in the cases where we need to be able to, uh, um, teach and educate remotely, some folks aren’t in a great many folks, aren’t in a great spot there either. And that’s, that is disheartening. We need to, we need to change that. So, but, uh, all right. A lot of passion on this panel here today, uh, Laura, um, any, before we move on and kind of go more broadly, any final questions on your end?
Laura Madajewski (30:11):
You know, I mean, I think, uh, it was kind of, not as much of a question, but more, just a comment to, um, you know, say that when you mentioned about having to learn the business in your role, um, I would say that that was probably one of the biggest things that you see, you mentioned this morning outside of all the other wonderful things you’re doing that stood out to me because when I see businesses that are successful, it does come down to how are you working in understanding the people, if you can’t understand them and understand how, how important they are to the culture and how to help them through the various aspects of whatever it is to make them as successful as they can be, then, um, it, then it, you start to see some big gaps in that process. There, even just from my own professional services world, there’s just nothing like getting to know, um, uh, what the business does and how it functions to be able to understand them. The people that make it happen day after day after day. So, um, I appreciated your comment there and your passion because it’s, it’s not as often that I see that, but when I do then part and parcel, you see the, the longterm success that you have set yourself up for.
Scott Luton (31:23):
I want to know it all is the quote that is going to stick between my ears. I love that. Um, all right, so let’s move to more broadly, right? We’ve talked about Kelly’s background, some of her passions there, her journey and, and, and Proterra fascinating company there that that’s grown tremendously. So I can only imagine how much you’ve, you’ve had to learn and seek out, especially in a, in a technology, uh, technical business that Proterra is.
Laura Madajewski (31:50):
I think, I think the important point, though, there is to the, to the quote I want to know at all is I hope I never do that. Sorry.
Scott Luton (32:06):
There’s so many t-shirt isms. That’s going to come out of this conversation. Kelly. We’re gonna party. Oh yeah. Yeah.
Laura Madajewski (32:12):
I mean, I think I just said this on a recent podcast. I think that I came into my career thinking I knew at all only to quickly learn. I knew nothing and I hope I never do. When I interviewed for my job at Proterra, I told the CFO, who’s amazing that CFO in house, um, I told my CFO and I told my COO, like, I hope I sit in a room with you and you talk circles around me. And I don’t understand a darn you’re telling
Kelly Scheib (32:40):
Me. And I was like, that’s what I hope. That’s what I want. Um, because when you’re not in that room anymore, you’re not growing. And I want to be in that room. Like good, golly. They kept true to their promise because I am completely lost most of the time. But, but I hope that that’s always my area.
Scott Luton (33:01):
Yeah. I don’t believe that for a second, but I agree. I agree with you. There’s all. I mean, you always want there to be more because that means that you can get out of your comfort zone and you can go out and, and, and not be the smartest person in the room so that there is always something new to be learned. Skill wise, Mark Wise, information wise. I mean, being in the information age, just, that’s a very savvy way of putting it, Kelly. Um, alright, so let’s, let’s go broadly here. Let, let’s, uh, a wide open question here, Kelly, with this next question. So there’s so much going on. Of course we’ve all spoken to the PennDOT and the COVID-19. That is the dominant, obviously the dominant, uh, theme of just about every conversation we’re having, but maybe, maybe beyond that, what else, if when you look at the global business environment or manufacturing, you name it, what’s a topic or two or challenge or trend or development that you’re tracking more than others. Right.
Kelly Scheib (33:55):
Wow. I can think of a million different things. I think technology and what is going to happen with technology. I’ve listened to Pam LSP quite often of how many jobs are going to exist that don’t currently exist and what the workforce is really going to look like in 10 years or 20 years or 30 years. Um, I, when I think, I think about that, sorry, dog in the background, I apologize for the barking dog. Um, but that’s, that’s what I think about, I think about, um, workforce planning and what that’s really going to look like and technology, and just designing an organization and how do I prepare my company and how do I prepare people? Like, how do you train even like from school age, right? Like what are the kindergarteners learning? They’re learning zoo and kindergarten, what are those? These kids are going to be crazy when they graduated high school. Like, what is that going to look like? Um, and thinking about the job they’re going to want to do and think about the job that we need done and how are we automating them and are they gonna want to do those jobs? And what is that going to look like? And I mean, obviously different podcasts, different day, but it is. I mean, that’s a huge area of, of interest to me is workforce design and
Scott Luton (35:21):
We’ve come so far when I was in kindergarten. Perhaps the biggest memory I have was one of our regular activities was putting a piece of wax paper. I believe it was on a burner and using crayons and they’d melt. And you you’d, it’d be like painting almost that’s probably would be unheard of in today’s environment, but they’ve shifted over. I’m sure there’s plenty of hands on activities, but the, just the sheer amount of technology that your Aleut that you’re speaking to Kelly, that, that has been pushed upstream. I mean, that should, I mean, these kids really are. I think, I think I heard you say that your, your kindergartner is teaching you on some of this technology. I know my kids have coached me on some of them, myself,
Kelly Scheib (36:05):
My eight year old, put her face on my screen, on my phone to unlock it and I can’t unlock it now and I don’t know how to take it off. Um, and it’s just this whole day, every day where I’m looking at my phone and I’m like, this is, she looked like me shouldn’t account.
Scott Luton (36:22):
Alright. Um, so yeah, so much to talk about so much talk about, is there a before we make sure folks know how to connect with you and, and, you know, learn, connect with your podcast, certainly connect with Totara. Um, anything else you want to bring up when we look at the kind of the macro environment right now?
Kelly Scheib (36:40):
Yeah, I think, um, you know, we can talk about a million different things. What will be interesting to see is two years from now what our world looks like, what our work spaces look like, will they, will they look the same? You know, there have been articles that say, everyone’s coming back into an office, there’s been article up and say, no one ever gonna come back to an office. What will work look like? Where will people live? If you don’t have to be in an office, do you have to live in New York city? Right? Um, it is, it will be, it’ll be extremely interesting to see kind of the way things shake out and we will be, we will be reacting in real time.
Scott Luton (37:28):
We’ll see. Who has the most accurate crystal ball for sure. It’s been fascinating to track a variety of futurists on social media, regardless of sector or industry. What have you, there’s so many different takes on where we’re going to be, you know, five years, two years, much less five years in 10 years, but regardless if we’re not addressing some of the challenges, all of us have spoken to, it’s not going to be a better spot. So really admire, uh, folks, you know, leaders like you, Kelly, that I bet you have three or four full plates at Protera, but you find a way to give back with the little bit of free, you know, a little bit of free time or your time, um, you know, along the way. So that that’s so important. So how can folks connect with you, Kelly, uh, and, and what you’re doing and Proterra
Kelly Scheib (38:15):
At Purdy Kara, you can reach out to me at a, just K shive@proterra.com. I don’t know if your podcast has notes that you’ll post, but you’re welcome to link my email there. Um, and you’re welcome to reach out to me. I’m happy to talk to anyone about anything quite frankly. Um, and, um, my podcast, so podcasts, I cohost with my good friend email is survive hr.com. Um, one word survive, hr.com. You can find that any, anywhere you get your podcasts we’re on. And, um, it is, it is, we started the podcast in September. It is quite the relevant title right now. Um, so, so we’re talking about all things we’re talking about, all things, HR, we’re talking about some personal stuff too. We’re talking about, uh, um, our, one of our most recent podcasts was about purpose and it was about my, my brother’s cancer journey.
Kelly Scheib (39:16):
So I think that, and, and how it is that as people, we have to remember every single day and in every single interaction that we have an opportunity to, to kind of shine our light on people that is important in everything that we do. And so, so when you think about globally, do you think about kind of the futurist and what they’re saying? I think my advice to everyone would be to take a step back and stop thinking about what the future holds and think about what today holds in the interactions you’re having today and the conversations and the people you’re meeting and the, the blessing that is in those, those conversations.
Scott Luton (39:53):
I love that. And speaking with, to braise, play the Yankees today, beat the kid. I’m kidding, but well, put, I mean, you know, living in the moment is, is something it’s kind of a cliche phrase, but it’s so important in this day and age where everyone’s got a phone and we’re getting emails and social media, phone calls, texts, and living in the moment with the people that you, that you hold dear is such a great message. Part of what you shared there. And we will have to our listeners, we’re going to have show notes. You’ll be able to, uh, um, very conveniently one click connect with Kelly and learn a lot more. So really appreciate your time. Kelly, Shab, vice-president human resources with Proterra, and don’t go anywhere just yet. We’re going to, uh, we’re going to pick, we’re going to turn the tables a bit and we’re gonna pick Jason and Laura’s brain here.
Scott Luton (40:43):
Uh, so Jason, um, I’ll tell you, usually by this time in August, we’d be gearing up for your big event in September. We will have been you and I have been on 20 plant tours and networking circles and all this stuff, and of course as much different year. So, uh, tell us though, you’ve got some really exciting projects. Um, uh, you never, I’m convinced that you you’re just like the Energizer bunny, two hours of sleep, maybe at night. What are you what’s new in your world? Well, I, you know, that’s a, that’s a loaded question, man. We got tons of stuff and I want to keep this really short cause. Cause I know I want to make sure Laura’s got some opportunity to share some cool stuff going on in her space as well. But, um, uh, we had, we had some major challenges like everybody talked about in February.
Jason Moss (41:30):
We pivoted from doing 120 events a year live events to zero. And, and, and we, we converted and did a lot of, uh, zoom calls and, and we coined the phrase manufacturing news network. So we were doing, I mean, I was doing two a days for the first two weeks. That’d be a daily zoom calls to support the industry for three months, following that. And we brought in a variety of different topics and, um, you know, uh, due to your, your encouragement, your, your guidance, leadership and coaching and priming and kicking, um, you, you showed me that this podcast world actually exists in lots of people listen to it. I wasn’t a podcast. I had never listened to a podcast. And, and, and, and, and again, appreciate your insight. And I’m opening this new world up to me. So, so we launched the podcast manufacturing news network, and the goal for this is really to be able to reach into the manufacturing space.
Jason Moss (42:28):
Our, our goal on the planet is to help support and grow manufacturing in the state of Georgia. And we bring leaders in to, you know, to share best practices. I’ve been doing 120 events a year. We, that’s why we do those. And now using this platform and using this vehicle and the podcast world, I’m super excited about being able to do these interviews and, you know, you have done such a great job on helping us, you know, get, you know, manufacturing today up and running. But, but now, um, you know, kinda, kinda dial in one in specifically your global, you know, I mean, and, and splashing now radio reaches all across the world and, and we’re really gonna focus on the big impacts more locally. You know, it’s very niche, it’s just manufacturing, just kinda in the Southeast. Um, anybody wants to plug in and learn what’s going on.
Scott Luton (43:17):
Um, that’s, that’s a piece that we’re doing so that, that pace, and, um, and we’re finalizing the book when the summit went away. We had a little bit of, a little bit of runway, little, extra runway. We weren’t counting out, but we’ve been working on publishing a book, uh, manufacturing success in Georgia. And, uh, and that’s come along well, we’re 95% done with, uh, um, um, uh, with, with content doing our layouts and stuff. And that’ll be, that’ll be available on bookstores everywhere in bookshelves everywhere soon before the end of the year. So that’s, that’s really, you know, those are the two big, two big buckets that we’ve been working on. So the stories that in, in, in, in our sidebar conversations, the stories in the, in the human victory stories that we’ll be involved in, in that book, it’s gonna be really interesting, but, uh, manufacturing news, network.com, I believe the URL and survive hr.com for Kelly’s podcast. Uh, Laura, let’s circle over to you. I know that as, as we were, uh, before we went live here, you’ve been really busy and, and, and, you know, folks are trying to their, their financial wherewithal, their house in order. So it’s Laura tell us what’s, what’s new in your world, let’s say so. Yeah.
Laura Madajewski (44:32):
I’d like it, like you said, Scott. So I don’t think we’ve been busier in all of my, I guess I’m dating myself now in my 21 years in public accounting than I have been these past months. Um, but, um, we, we’ve seen a lot of, a lot of really good things, some heartache and stuff with companies, but, you know, our capacity is being a helper, especially in this industry and the manufacturing and distribution supply chain space has just been, um, I don’t know, it’s just, it’s what gets us up in the morning. And, um, right now we’re really focusing on, um, digging into, uh, the, the new numbers that companies are having to figure out what’s gonna make them successful for the rest of the year. And part and parcel with all of that is very much from the HR perspective is the, the teams and the personnel and what they’ve been bringing to the table. Uh, we, I do a lot with data analytics and figuring out how to pull from all of the different resources that the manufacturers are utilizing, um, to run operations. So we’re taking that, we’re taking the human capacity part of that, and we’re figuring out how we can pull that information together for, um, uh, uh, strategic decisions. So that’s really kind of what I’m focusing on outside of all the other soup to nuts, usual types of things in the background. And if I hear the letters PPP one more time,
Scott Luton (46:01):
Hey, I can only imagine, but you know, Laura, um, I know you, you’re looking forward to getting back to the day when we can get into plants. And I think all four of us can agree, you know, going to the gemba, going to where that production is made and the wonderful people that are committed to the mission and keeping, um, the manufacturing industry, it really by extension everything moving forward, right. And protecting our psyche, um, you know, whether they’re in the plants, whether they’re in the stores, you know, the folks in our front line at the cash registers for that matter, that are allowing us to purchase goods, you know, during these crazy times, I mean, there’s so many different heroes. So know we all look forward to getting back into plants and, and taking tours and, and, uh, and you’ll find very few accountants that as often as Laura MapReduce get, and especially that enjoys it.
Scott Luton (46:49):
So, um, great episode, I really appreciate everybody’s involvement. You know, Kelly, we, we, we took some right turns and some left turns that, you know, you never, as, as I’m preaching to the choir, you never know exactly where each of these podcasts conversations will go, but I really, um, you know, when folks share and lead with their passion and, and lead with their Frank candor and, and what they view and opportunities and challenges, those are some of our best episodes. So I think, I think our audience hopefully will enjoy this one as much as I know I have. So you bet on that note to our audience, again, you’ll have links in the show notes for each of our three guests here. And, uh, of course you can find us at supply chain, radio.com, find, subscribe, wherever you get your podcasts from. Hey, you know, um, I want to challenge our audience, just like we challenge ourselves every day, you know, kind of piggybacking on what you heard here from Kelly and Jason and Laura is, Hey, do good give forward, but be the change that’s needed. And on that note, we’ll see, next time here.
Kelly Scheib leads the Human Resources department at Proterra. Scheib has over 15 years of progressive Human Resources experience, most recently serving as the Vice President of Human Resources for Tindall Corporation. Prior, she worked for Hubbell Lighting in positions including HR Management, Organizational Development and Organizational Effectiveness. She holds certifications including the Senior Professional in Human Resources certification (SPHR) awarded by the HR Certification Institute and the Senior Certified Professional certification awarded by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP) and was recently named as the South Carolina Human Resources Professional of the Year by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. Kelly graduated from Penn State University with a Master of Science, Industrial Relations and Human Resources, as well as a Bachelor of Science, Labor and Industrial Relations. Kelly is also the co-host of the SurviveHR podcast and a very active community member, focusing her efforts on the foster care community.
Laura Madajewski, CPA, MBA is a Principal in the Audit and Advisory department of HLB Gross Collins, P.C. She leads the firm’s Manufacturing and Distribution Practice, as well as the ERISA Practice of the firm. She has extensive experience helping clients improve controls, strengthen management, enhance governance roles and oversight and streamline operations through diligence to facilitate positive changes and growth for her clients’ operations. As a trusted advisor, she gets to know each client in order to provide a customized approach to their assurance and accounting needs. In her spare time, Laura enjoys charitable and volunteer roles throughout the Atlanta and North Fulton communities supporting various initiatives. She also is an avid barbeque fan and enjoys judging contests as a Kansas City Certified BBQ judge. Learn more about HLB Gross Collins here: https://hlbgrosscollins.com/
Jason Moss is Founder and CEO of the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance (GMA). The organization is the fastest growing community of industry professionals in the state. Since 2008, GMA has provided the premier platform for manufacturing leaders to form strategic alliances, share best business practices, and make profitable business connections. GMA now has six chapters across the state that are facilitated by volunteer chapter directors. The organization’s staff and Chapter Directors work together to identify quality manufacturers, coordinate plant tours, and provide educational workshops in their regions. Each month GMA provides at least 5 plant tours where others can learn best business practices from their peers. Learn more about the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance here: https://www.georgiamanufacturingalliance.com/
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |
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, 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.