Supply Chain Now
Episode 455

Episode Summary

“I decided in 2010 to start Cambridge Capital,  and our premise was Number 1- invest in which you know, which is supply chain. Number 2- focus on people. First, we look for great entrepreneurs that we could back, who we thought were winners. Number 3- businesses, where there was strong growth, because we’re growth investors. We’re not making money based on piling massive amounts of debt on companies. It’s really investing in great people and supporting their growth.”

-Benjamin Gordon, Managing Partner, Cambridge Capital

 

The ‘TECHquila Sunrise’ Series on Supply Chain Now shares the latest investments, acquisitions, innovations, and glorious implosions in Supply Chain Tech every week. If you are looking for a podcast about ‘so-and-so signed a contract with such and such,’ or ‘they just released version 20 of that same technology you didn’t buy last year,’ this is the wrong podcast for you. But if you are looking for real news and innovation, welcome to the Sunrise.

This episode of TECHquila Sunrise features Benjamin Gordon with Cambridge Capital.

Episode Transcript

Greg White (00:00):

This week tequila, sunrise, we talked to scrappy, underdog turned investment icon, Ben Gordon from Cambridge capital. We learn how Ben works with companies like XPO, DHL, and bring to capitalize in every sense of the word on this amazing supply chain industry. There’s a lot to learn from Ben. So you better listen up.

Speaker 2 (00:31):

[inaudible]

Greg White (00:32):

It’s time to wake up to tequila sunrise we’re unfortunately, without the aid of tequila, we opened your eyes to how venture investing ticks focused on supply chain tech every single week, this unholy hour of the day. If you want a taste of how tech startup growth and investment is done, join me every week for another blinding tequila, sunrise, Greg white here from supply chain. Now I am always happy, never satisfied, willing to acknowledge reality, but refusing to be bound by it. My goal is to inform, enlighten and inspire you in your own supply chain tech journey. Hey, if you are listening on SoundCloud, you should know. You can only subscribe to tequila, sunrise on apps like Apple podcast, Spotify, Google podcasts, or others, and be notified when we pour out another shot, subscribe to tequila sunrise today. So you don’t miss a thing.

Greg White (01:43):

All right. The most important thing going on in supply chain tech this week is our discussion with Ben Gordon. So get ready. We’re going to cut over to that and you’re going to get to move from smooth jazz voice to yelling voice. We’re going to hear from Ben and his perspective on the marketplace. In this two part episode, you better listen up. All right, let’s bring in our guest, Ben Gordon, founder, and managing partner of Cambridge capital and founder of Ben Gordon, strategic advisors and investment banking firm. So let me tell you a little bit about Ben. He’s dedicated his career to building successful supply chain and technology companies. I’d say he’s done. Okay. They’re advised over 1 billion worth of transportation and logistics transactions. He has been invested in several companies in the field, some of which we’ve mentioned on the show bring and lift it.

Greg White (02:43):

And there are some deals pending, which we are contractually bound not to talk about just yet. In 2010, Ben founded Cambridge capital, a private equity firm and the transportation logistics and supply chain tech sector. And in 2002, prior to Ben founded BGSA AF for mentioned. So get a load of the companies that Ben has worked with consulting with at BGSA DHL ups, agility, coulda Noggle nations express, re trans Dixie GENCO. My buddy, Eric Wilhelm at will pack and echo. They’ve all trusted been to help grow strategies and acquisitions. I’m going to let Ben take the rest of the story from that point back in his history and tell it to you. Let’s welcome Ben in Ben. It’s great to have you on tequila, sunrise. Thanks for joining us.

Ben Gordon (03:33):

Thanks Greg. Great to be with you and great to see you again.

Greg White (03:36):

Likewise, it’s always good spending time with you. So I want to figure out what you’ve been up to lately that you can share with us.

Ben Gordon (03:43):

No, I’ve spent the last six months in one place here, and that’s the longest that I think even prior to college, I think it’s really since high school, the longest I’ve been in one place,

Ben Gordon (03:57):

But we’re all, we’re all living through this. The same disruption, the silver lining for me is that we’ve actually gotten three deals, done it in this COVID environment. And we’ve been able to, to discover that we can still find, invest in and help great companies, particularly in logistics, technology, not, not withstanding this, this huge and, and disruptive covert environment. And I think, I think it’s a Testament to the fact that, you know, first of all, life goes on. Second of all, logistics technology companies are actually doing better than ever, uh, because the virus doesn’t stop software and goods and commerce still continues. And so supply chain continues to play a vital role in helping to make it happen. So companies like lift it and bring in others, continue to actually increase their growth amidst these challenging times. And I think that’s been amidst the, all the horrible losses of the last six months. That’s been a silver lining for

Greg White (05:02):

It has, you know, I’ve heard it said many different ways, but essentially this is supply chains time. You know, that we’ve made it been when we don’t have to sit and explain now in your family, it’s different. But in my family, every time you sit down to a meal, you have to explain now, what is supply chain again? When you hear your parents understand it, consumers understand it. And even politicians understanding what supply chain is, you know, that it’s supply chains time.

Ben Gordon (05:30):

It’s funny you say that. I remember 18 years ago when I was on a panel with Joey Karnes, the CEO of Bax global, and somebody asked him, Joey, how do you explain what you do to your family? And he said, Oh, I tell them import and export. And they think I’m a drug dealer. So we’ve come a long way in terms of recognition of what’s right.

Greg White (05:50):

It’s the right kind of recognition for sure. No doubt. Well, all right. So I wanna, I want to make sure our gets to know you a little bit, then I would love to have you share your wisdom with them a little bit about your journey. You know, we’re always trying to inform investors and founders and executives of these supply chain tech companies and some casual and not so casual observers, believe it or not. We’ve got a ton of listeners in our community who aren’t in supply chain tech, but are somehow fascinated by it. I think they see the future coming like we do. It’s a great opportunity for them to hear from you. I’m really excited for them to get your knowledge, but let’s start way back in the beginning. Tell us a little bit about your upbringing, a little bit about childhood and youth and any kind of life shaping or changing moments that jump out at you.

Ben Gordon (06:41):

Yeah. Well, I had a couple of defining moments in my life. I mean, first of all, you know, I grew up, you know, middle-class Philadelphia suburbs of Philadelphia. I didn’t grow up dreaming that I was going to be a supply chain investor. I thought I was going to be a baseball player, thought it would be a pro athlete. And actually, I remember I was shooting baskets in a gym in Philadelphia and Charles Barkley came by and as a kid, you know, you, you look up to these sports heroes and they are larger than life, but all the more so, uh, you know, in that contractually large. Yeah, exactly. He’s six foot six and three, 300 and I’m considerably less on both fronts. So I asked him, I said, mr. Barkley, do you have any advice for me? And he looked at me and I was this scrawny little 14 year old kid. And he said, son, my advice to you is go to law school.

Greg White (07:36):

He did really say that you got advice from the round mound of rebound. That is truly impressive.

Ben Gordon (07:42):

I did. And you know what? I didn’t go to law school, but he was right that my future was not going to be as a professional athlete. And so, you know, I decided that I wanted to learn how to build businesses. And I had a role model. My role model was my grandfather. My grandfather had started a truck leasing company in 1948 and his grandfather had started a horse and buggy business in 1903. I had five generations of, of this crazy transportation Jean and I went into strategy consulting. I worked at a Bain spinoff called CDI. I spent three years in Boston, in Paris doing strategy consulting. I looked for opportunities and transportation. Cause I thought maybe this would be my path because start as a generalist. And then specialize, we worked with a company called extra trailer, leasing, great company, Warren buffet ended up buying the business.

Ben Gordon (08:35):

So trailer leasing company, and we developed a strategy, proposed a strategy for them to go into logistics. I remember we were talking with them about buying hub group or ch Robinson or others in the three PL space. They didn’t do any of those things cause they sold to Berkshire Hathaway. And I remember thinking, you know what, it’s fun to do the work and develop the strategy, but it’s more fun to actually do it than to talk about it. And that’s what I knew that I wanted to go do something entrepreneurial. And so while I was at Harvard business school, I came up with this idea of using technology to help my grandfather’s truck leasing business. So he had all these trucks that were going out full, coming back empty. Remember this is 98. So I said, Hey, there’s this thing called the internet. You may not have heard about it, but I think it’s going to make an impact.

Ben Gordon (09:25):

I might be wrong and we could use the internet to broker the dead hall. So you’re going at full coming back empty, uh, use the internet to match the freight with capacity. And I remember, you know, in true business school geek style, I wrote this 80 page business plan and I showed it to my grandfather. And you could imagine I’m sitting face to face with my grandfather. Who’s a, he was a great entrepreneur, but not somebody that really wanted to sit through an 80 page business plan. And uh, I get to page three and he stops me and he says, I’ve heard enough. I said, well, what do you think? He said, Ben, I think it’s a good plan, but I have a better plan. I said, well, what’s your plan? He said, well, I’m selling my company.

Speaker 4 (10:16):

Well, hell he’s selling it. That’s the only, that’s only a few words that doesn’t take 80 pages.

Ben Gordon (10:20):

No, it doesn’t take 80 pages. And it was not in my plan, but guess what? It wasn’t my company. It didn’t get to be my plan. So he sold his company. It’s now it’s now part of Penske. And I figured if you believe in your idea, you ought to go for it. And so the defining moment for me was the decision to go ahead and start something. And you know, it felt risky and scary. And you know, you you’ve been an entrepreneur yet. The moment when you commit it sometimes seems like a crazy thing to do. But once you decide you shift from, should I do it to, how will I do it please? The moment, right? It’s when everything changes when you stop thinking, should I? And certain thinking, how will I, uh, it all comes together. There’s a professor at Harvard business called Howard Stevenson. And he said, the definition of an entrepreneur is somebody who pursues opportunity without regard for resources. And isn’t that exactly what we do. Right? You have the idea and you say, I’ll figure out how, but first you have the idea and you make the commitment to go for it. And that’s, that’s how it started for me. And so, so I ended up starting threeplex I wrote this business plan. I almost got kicked out of business school for missing too many classes. Um, squeaked by

Speaker 4 (11:36):

You and Fred Smith, right? Did you get an F on yours also?

Ben Gordon (11:39):

Uh, I didn’t get an F I, I gladly would have traded getting an F for a fraction of Fred Smith’s success. But what, what happened for me was we had an idea. We got some traction, the idea to use the internet, to help automate how three PLS operate today. You would call it a SAS TMS, but back then it was an ASP for logistics to automate the transaction process. We landed some three PLCs customers and realized that we had something with a little bit of traction. We ended up raising money. We raised 28 million over three rounds, Goldman Sachs Morgan Stanley bank, Boston ventures, a host of others. And in the end, mayors would acquire the business. So I’m summarizing a lot. There were, the highs were fantastic. The lows were horrible. And, and another thing that I learned was as an entrepreneur, you just have to try to balance that and keep an even keel you as a sailor can appreciate that, that, that, uh, that even keel is really what allows you to keep your wits when everything feels magnified on, on, on the upside and the downside. Right? And so, you know, a lot of lessons learned, but, but in the end, coming out of that, uh, selling the business and then being 29 and realizing that I had a next act and plenty of time to do it, that that was pretty exciting. So that’s really what sent me down this trajectory of logistics.

Greg White (13:04):

It never ceases to fascinate me how many people did not plan to go into supply chain, mostly because when we were coming up, it hadn’t yet even been named supply chain, or it wasn’t universally called supply chain. Sometimes it’s still not, you know, sometimes it was called transportation or logistics or every single aspect, every segment of what we now call supply chain had its own name. You know, I used to joke when I was working, I was working at a supply chain tech back around that time as well. I used to joke with people, how many of you wanted to be an astronaut, right? How many of you want to be a race car driver? How many of you wanted to be dreamed of being in supply chain? You know, same, same deal. Most people didn’t even know what it was until they kind of fell backwards into it. And that transformation from fallback to intentional career is accelerating the progression of supply chain excellence with incredible rapidity, especially right now. And I think we’ll well into the future. It’s interesting to hear so many people that we talk to say that very thing didn’t intend to get into supply chain. You at least came by it genetically somehow, right? From 19, 1903 to 1998. That’s a good history of at least understanding transportation, right? It’s one of those things you probably talked about over the dinner table once or twice. Yeah.

Ben Gordon (14:26):

I’m probably missing a chromosome or two, but

Greg White (14:30):

It might’ve gotten might’ve cost. You have more brain cells than college did since you’re a Philly guy. I got to ask this question. Do you have any particular fandoms or anything like that since you’re affiliate kid,

Ben Gordon (14:43):

I’ll tell ya. In 1980, when the Phillies won the world series and I was seven years old, it was amazing. And, but know, you’re spoiled as a kid. You don’t know what to compare it to. Right? So, uh, in some respects, you appreciate the successes more when you’ve had these long streaks of failure, right? So I moved to Boston in 95 for my first job. And the Boston sports fans are fantastic, partly because given the curse and the 86 year drought from 1918 to 2004, when the red Sox would finally win the red Sox fans appreciated success. I don’t want it. I hope I am not becoming one of those old guys that says in my day.dot dot, but Boston sports fans today, they’re spoiled. They had, they had a string of victories, red Sox, 19, uh, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2018. But the red Sox fans of the nineties, when, when I moved to Boston, you know, they, they knew the Yankees were the evil empire. They knew they were probably going to lose and they had to find some way to deal with the continuous torment of being like Charlie Brown when Lucy pulls the football away every time. So, uh, so I was lucky. I was spoiled to have the Phillies win in 1980.

Greg White (16:07):

It’s funny, I’m a chiefs fan. So I’ve been alive for both chiefs, super bowl victories, barely alive for the first one. I appreciate it. Believe me, I appreciated it. I get that. That’s interesting. That’s an interesting perspective. So I’d love to ask you something because you’re such a talented guy aside from basketball, which fortunately was identified fairly early by a professional. Is there anything you’re not very good at?

Ben Gordon (16:37):

Well, there are lots of things I’m not good at. Uh, in addition to basketball, you know, I remember I always thought of myself as the scrappy underdog. So like my freshman year in high school, I tried out for the cross country team and I finished last in that first race. Okay. But it motivated me. I worked hard. Uh, I think it took me about 30 minutes to complete the 3.1 mile race. And by the end of the year, I’d shaved off about eight minutes and come down to 22 and was the most improved runner, uh, sophomore year, similar story and shaved down from 22 to 19 and junior year continue to shave down and was co-captain by senior year. Look, I was not winning any races. I was not setting any records, but I really, I took a lot of joy in starting, starting badly and then working my ass off to get better. And that’s kind of been my ammo all along. I mean, you know, I don’t think I was ever naturally the best at anything, but, but it was motivation for me to work hard. And so there, there are lots of things today that I’m, I’m also not good at. Um, as, as my wife is a quick to remind me,

Greg White (17:52):

Are you still working hard on them, on those things?

Ben Gordon (17:55):

She doesn’t think I am, but, but I think I look, I think, I think, uh, you know, being a better listener, uh, pausing, not, not jumping in to think you have the answer. I mean, this is, look, this is sort of the entrepreneur’s double edged sword, right? You start a business because you think you can do something better than other people, but you succeed when you realize that you don’t have all the answers. Right? So like the mistakes I made with my first bit with threeplex, they were largely mistakes where I thought I could do it all myself and I couldn’t and I was wrong and I made judgment errors and I made strategic errors and execution errors and people management errors. And I thought I knew everything and it probably made me an asshole. And so knowing what, I didn’t know, it was probably the biggest learning for me in making sure that I got better with my second company better, the third company, better, better with the fourth company. So listening, humility, trying to recognize what, what, I didn’t know, those were all things that, that I worked on and continued to work.

Greg White (18:59):

Would you say that that lack of fear to start and ability to recognize when you’ve screwed up and learn from it, or keep trying to just keep getting better? Would you say that’s your greatest strength or is there something else?

Ben Gordon (19:13):

I mean, I always think of myself as the scrappy underdog, you know, that the ninth grader who went from worst to most improved in cross country or the middle school kid who got picked on by the bully, he was much bigger, but fought back. You know, I, I always thought of myself as that scrappy underdog, that was just going to work harder and wants it more and figure out how to get there. And, you know, like I think, I think rationally anybody that starts a company has to have some of that tenacity and, you know, pugnaciousness even because, because if you don’t then why start it, right? If, if you don’t think you can do it better than it’s being done, if you don’t think you can solve a problem that exists, then, then why do you exist? And what is your business exists? And what is your idea of merit? So for me, uh, I think, I think the scrappy underdog and the willingness to work harder and, and just figure out how to get there. That’s been the most important thing for, it’s also what I look for today as an investor. When I back entrepreneurs, I look for entrepreneurs who are willing to acknowledge that they don’t have the answers, but are also committed to fighting and clawing and doing whatever it takes to figure out how to get the answer and get to the other side. I think that scrappiness is

Greg White (20:31):

That’s really crucial. You forced me to ask a question that I was not planning on asking, but I’ll tell you the backstory about this afterwards. I feel compelled to ask you this, and it’s probably unfair. It’s kind of a introspective question. So if you need a second do it, my is you probably know deep in your soul or maybe off the top of your head, do you love to win or do you hate to lose?

Ben Gordon (20:58):

That’s a great question. I think the obvious answer is both.

Greg White (21:03):

You gotta pick one Ben, come on, man.

Ben Gordon (21:05):

I think one, I hate to lose.

Greg White (21:08):

I would have guessed that.

Ben Gordon (21:10):

And you know, whether it’s in sports or business or, or anything else. Yeah. When my back’s against the wall, that’s, that’s usually when I found that I’ve been able to discover resources that I didn’t know that I had. And I think, I think anybody that doesn’t hate losing, I don’t know what that’s like.

Greg White (21:30):

Right. I can’t even imagine myself. I get it. So I learned that question from an athletic coach. One of my daughters is a college swimmer and her club coach before when she was still in high school, said, I can ask one question and tell you, which of my swimmers are going to be the greats and which are going to be the good there because they’re all very talented athletes. And he said, I asked them this one question. So we were sitting at a bar and having this discussion, which was a great experience. And he said, I always ask them that question. And universally, the grades say hate to lose. And here’s why is because they, one thing winning is the job, right? Winning is not something to celebrate. Winning is like showing up, punching the clock and going home at the end of the day for them, the, the mindset that hate to lose gives you is that drive that, seeing yourself as the underdog, that pugnaciousness, that trying to prove everybody wrong, that doing everything you can to train to better yourself so that you eliminate any possibility that you’re going to lose.

Greg White (22:45):

And when you eliminate any possibility that you’re going to lose you do your job, you win. I just thought that was a really great insight and a great introspect. And I’ve used that to evaluate particularly salespeople over time, 100% correct every single time. So at least for me, um, I was really thankful for that. I mean, that was one of those that was one of those life changing moments for me, but we’re not supposed to be talking about me. We’re supposed to be talking about you. So, but it’s interesting because I would have guessed that you would have said that hate to lose undoubtedly.

Ben Gordon (23:24):

Yeah. Well, I mean, you know, w w w we all find channels for our competitive spirit. I mean, for me, the cross country runner in that kick in that last quarter mile, right. In my mind, I always looked ahead to that final quarter mile and I thought, okay, this is the part of the race where I own it, where I’m going to leave everything the field. I’m not going to let that guy in front of me when I’m going to get, I’m going to get there. And, and, uh, I dunno, I dunno how much of that visualizing success, you know, versus imagining how, how bad it would feel to lose. Um, but, uh, but I think that that finishing kick, you know, for me, that was a great metaphor. It was something that I learned in high school, and it’s something that has stayed with me in business as well. So definitely, definitely an example of that hate to lose

Greg White (24:16):

No doubt. You know, you’re always looking at the next target, right? Whether it’s the finish line or the person in front of you or whatever it is, you’re looking at that next target. And just trying to get to that, that thing really philosophically, have you ever had something or someone that held such a power over you, whether it was real power or just perceived power that you felt like you might not be able to get over it, and, and if you did get over it, how, Oh, sure. Well, middle school,

Ben Gordon (24:46):

Uh, I remember Greg in sixth grade in middle school, it was Halloween and I was on the bus. And I remember I was the scrawny little kid that Charles Barkley with later

Greg White (24:59):

To be a lawyer.

Ben Gordon (25:01):

And, uh, and I had a bag of Halloween candy and there is a kid sitting behind me who is much bigger than me, a year older in my memory. You know, the guy was on steroids in the seventh grade. And, uh, you know, and, and he, he was, he was a thug. I mean, there, he was a gang leader in this, in this, you know, schools, you know, public school in, in, uh, in Philly. And, and, uh, and the kid grabbed, uh, grabbed me and said, and this is your show. So I assume I can, just,

Greg White (25:35):

Whatever you said,

Ben Gordon (25:37):

Give me your fucking candy kid. And, uh, was this really, what am I saying? Yeah, exactly. They wouldn’t do this in Kansas.

Greg White (25:49):

Yeah. Might be amazed.

Ben Gordon (25:51):

I said, I said, no, and I don’t appreciate your talking to me that way. So he takes my head, he bounces it off the window of the bus and says, I said, give me your fucking candy. So I don’t really know what got over me, but, you know, came over me. But I said to him, Hey, Bobby, why don’t you do that again? And let’s see what happens. Okay. Guess what? He did it again. So I got up and, you know, I’m a small, I was a small scrawny kid, but the element of surprise is a great thing. And I just popped him. Right. I hit him twice, you know, once in each eye. And he went down, unfortunately he came back up and, uh, you know, but you know, I, I blocked him as best I could. And eventually, you know, other kids, you know, pulled us apart. Uh, but you know, I stood up to that bully in sixth grade and, and I felt pretty good about that. Yeah. But school, the next Monday, uh, Bobby’s got marks around his eyes and he says, Oh yeah, that, that kid, uh, Benji, Benji poked my eyes. So it didn’t look like pokes. It looked like, you know, uh, you know, rings, right. Yeah.

Greg White (27:02):

Let’s see the knuckle marks couldn’t,

Ben Gordon (27:05):

But, but you know, this, this, you know, thug and his, you know, his, his little gang chased me around the school, sixth grade, seventh grade. It was two years of constantly being afraid that I’d make a, you know, turn around the hallway. And there would be the bully with a couple of his gang members. And, and, uh, you know, there were a couple of times when, you know, when I actually, I was in, I think, five or six fights, you know, six, seventh grade after that, it wasn’t, it wasn’t a great time. Wasn’t a lot of fun. Uh, and yeah, I remember being at a scared kid being, being bullied, isn’t fun and being afraid of physical violence, isn’t fun, but you know what I got through it and, and I felt stronger and tougher. And also they finally pulled me out of that school and put me in another school in eighth grade.

Ben Gordon (27:54):

And that helped, uh, and I guess it helped me with cross country running. So, uh, so there’s a silver lining, but you know, for me, you know, those are, those were two bad years, but what was great about it was I ended up feeling a sense of strength. I felt good about having stood up for myself. I felt good about learning how to protect myself. And I felt good about feeling like I wasn’t a victim, but someone that could try to take control of, of, of my own destiny and, you know, look, it’s, it’s a, it’s not like that for everybody. And certainly not like that for lots of other kids. And I could have made a couple of wrong turns and things could have been a lot worse, but you know what, it feels good to stand up for yourself. And it feels good to know that there’s a way to change what’s around you.

Greg White (28:44):

Yeah. That’s a really good point. I mean, there, there’s an old saying, there are people who are changed by their environment and people who change their environment, even if it didn’t fix everything, I mean, at least made you feel better about it. You did get a couple of good pokes in, so congrats for that. And I mean that, I mean, you can’t let somebody Lord over you like that. That’s fantastic. All right. Let’s fast forward a little bit. So I want to understand a little bit more about Cambridge and BGSA, and of course you told the threeplex story, but tell us a little bit about how, how BGSA and Cambridge, how they came about, and then how, how they play today in the supply chain tech ecosystem. Because it’s rare. I think that somebody has an investment bank and an investment firm, but the bank was first. Is that correct? That’s right. Yeah,

Ben Gordon (29:42):

That’s right. Yeah. It really began with the basic idea. The basic idea was I had a lot of logistics companies coming to me when I was running threeplex and they were all interested in the software, but they were usually more interested in something else they’re interested in figuring out what’s happening in my industry. Where’s my business going, this, this clash between technology and services, this disruption, what does it mean? How’s my world changing and what do I do going forward? Those were the questions that people really wanted far more so than should I buy your software or what are the other transportation technology offerings? And so I thought, you know, as an entrepreneur, what are you supposed to do? You’re supposed to listen to your customer. Okay. Well, the right thing for me to do is PR is meet the perceived need, which is to help CEOs of logistics companies to build and grow by anticipating changes on the technology side and on the consolidation side.

Ben Gordon (30:44):

And so really that led me to decide, I wanted to build an investment bank that would help CEOs of logistics companies. And it would be different from the other banks, remember on the scrappy underdog, right? Why would I do that’s different from what those giants, Goldman Sachs Morgan Stanley, the big banks, great smart lots of resources, but we have something that we don’t think those other firms have, which is an understanding from the bottom up of what’s happening in supply chain. So really the premise back then was let’s give CEOs of logistics companies, the insight that they’re not going to get somewhere else about what’s really happening in the sector. And so I went to some of the three PLS that I’d gotten to know as I was building threeplex. And, you know, people like Sid Brown, who’s building NFI, herb shear, who was building GENCO lose to joy.

Ben Gordon (31:39):

He was building new breed. You know, these are three examples of fantastic entrepreneurs who are building, what would ultimately become major multi hundred or multibillion dollar businesses. But at the time were, were very small. And I had the privilege of getting to work with those and others as clients, and that involved helping them with strategy and then working with them on acquisitions, buy side and sell side. And so we did bring a deals, you know, working with NFI NFI was really our first client. And, and, you know, it was fantastic getting to work with Sid Brown. That was a hundred million dollar trucking company. When I first met Sid Brown. And today it’s a two and a half billion dollar business, by the way, our firm BGSA just helped NFI CAI. Right? Exactly. We helped them by CAI logistics. It was the largest non-asset logistics acquisition in their history.

Ben Gordon (32:33):

Uh, and so, you know, that’s a 20 year plus relationship. And I I’m really, uh, I’m proud of the fact that we’ve been able to build close relationships with great companies and great CEOs like NFI and Sid Brown and from shear GENCO and loose to joy a new breed because those entrepreneurs in turn build great businesses. And, you know, we, we played a small role in, in supportive of their accomplishments. And, you know, in turn a small role in the evolution of this industry, uh, as technologies become more important, as consolidation has become more important. And as convergence of different logistics services become more important. And so BJ say really played a role in all those areas for the 50 plus deals that that BGC has worked on over that timeframe. And so that really is, that was the simple focus of the business.

Greg White (33:25):

So how did that evolve into your own fund then? That’s what Cambridge became is the private equity growth equity and private equity, I think, is your niche correct?

Ben Gordon (33:36):

That’s right. So after about a decade of building the advisory business, it BGSA, I decided that I wanted to be in a position where I could put my money where my mouth was. We’d worked with some great private equity firms. So for example, we worked with Warburg Pincus on the, um, the, the, the majority investment effective acquisition of coyote logistics in Oh seven. So we’re puts in a hundred million, ends up producing a $1.8 billion exit when they would sell to ups eight years later. Fantastic. Right. So we worked with a lot of great companies, a lot of great private equity firms and helped make those clients and partners a lot of money, but there was something missing. It wasn’t just the money. It was also the feeling of accountability, right? I mean much like I like the idea of building, threeplex building a company more than just being a consultant.

Ben Gordon (34:29):

I like the idea that I would put my money where my mouth was, and then have a vested interest in the long term growth and success of these companies, not just a deal where it’s a hit and run. And so, so I decided in 2010 to start Cambridge capital and our premise was number one, invest in which you know, which is supply chain. Number two, focus on people. First, we look for great entrepreneurs that we could back, who we thought were winners. Number three, businesses, where there was a strong growth, uh, because we’re growth investors. We’re, we’re not making money based on piling massive amounts of debt on companies. It’s really investing in great people and supporting their growth. Um,

Greg White (35:15):

So sorry, that’s a really important distinction. I want to share with our audience. And that is that piling debt on a company is the way that many, many private equity firms make their money back. They burden the company with all this debt, and then it leverages, and you can, you can correct me where I’m wrong. Cause I’m getting I’m. I already feel like I’m over my head at this point, but that helps the bank make money. It doesn’t necessarily help the company or the original shareholders of that company make money. Is that a fair estimation?

Ben Gordon (35:50):

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. I mean, look, leverage can be a great thing, you know, and if you look at the leverage buyouts in the 1980s, when Blackstone and KKR and bane, I mean, you could buy a business and use debt for over 90% of the value. Doesn’t take a lot of growth for your 10% sliver to go up enormously. On the other hand, if it goes the wrong way, you can destroy the company. And that happens a lot. And leveraged buyouts created a lot of wealth for the people that were involved in them, but they also imposed a lot of risk on those operating companies. And for me, it’s just more fun to be a part of rapid growth and to be focused on financial engineering. And so RMO has always been focused on growth. And lastly, it’s, it’s a value add. We look for businesses where we can bring something to the table that contributes above and beyond what would otherwise be there. And so, you know, look, it’s good to be. It’s good to be smart. It’s better to be lucky. And we were lucky because, well, in 2010, a guy that a lot of people had never heard of in logistics showed up and his name was Brad Jacobs. And he said, Hey, you probably don’t know me, but I’ve done four roll-ups and other industries. And I’ve decided my next industry is going to be in logistics. And I hear you guys know a lot about logistics. Maybe you can help me.

Greg White (37:14):

Hey, thanks for tuning in to hear Ben this week. And don’t forget to join us next week to hear more wisdom from the master. All right, that’s all you need to know about supply chain tech for this week. Don’t forget to get to supply chain now, radio.com for more supply chain now series interviews and events. And now we have two live streams per week. The most popular live show in supply chain, supply chain buzz every Monday at noon Eastern time with Scott Luton, the master

Ben Gordon (37:50):

Plus

Greg White (37:51):

Our Thursday live stream to be named later where we bring you whatever the hell we want. Like a few weeks ago when we interviewed our producer clay

Ben Gordon (38:04):

Phillips.

Greg White (38:05):

Thanks for spending your valuable time with me and remember acknowledge reality, but never be bound by it.

Would you rather watch the show in action?

Watch as Greg introduces you to TECHquila Sunrise through our YouTube channel.

Featured Guests

Ben Gordon draws on a career spent building supply chain and technology companies. As CEO of BGSA Holdings, Benjamin led the firm’s efforts, advising on over $1 billion worth of supply chain transactions. Benjamin has worked with firms such as UPS, DHL, Kuehne & Nagel, Agility Logistics, NFI Logistics, GENCO, Nations Express, Raytrans, Echo Global, Dixie, Wilpak, and others. Prior to BGSA Holdings, Ben founded 3PLex, the Internet solution enabling third-party logistics companies to automate their business. Benjamin raised $28 million from blue-chip investors including Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, BancBoston Ventures, CNF, and Ionian. 3PLex was then purchased by Maersk. Prior to 3PLex, Benjamin advised transportation and logistics clients at Mercer Management Consulting. Prior to Mercer, Benjamin worked in his family’s transportation business, AMI, where he helped the company expand its logistics operations. Benjamin is an active civic leader who is committed to giving back to the community. As founder and chairman of GesherCity, he boosted young adult volunteerism, expanding the organization to over 100,000 members in twenty locations. Benjamin has also served on the Boards of several non-profit groups, including the Palm Beach United Way, the Palm Beach Federation, the Palm Beach Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), the JDC, the JCCA, the Middle East Forum, and various other community organizations. Benjamin received a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale College.

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Principal & Host

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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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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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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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Kim Winter

Host, Supply Chain Now

The founder of Logistics Executive Group, Kim Winter delivers 40 years of executive leadership experience spanning Executive Search & Recruitment, Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, Corporate Advisory, Motivational Speaking, Trade Facilitation and across the Supply Chain, Logistics, 3PL, E-commerce, Life Science, Cold Chain, FMCG, Retail, Maritime, Defence, Aviation, Resources, and Industrial sectors. Operating from the company’s global offices, he is a regular contributor of thought leadership to industry and media, is a professional Master of Ceremonies, and is frequently invited to chair international events.

He is a Board member of over a dozen companies throughout APAC, India, and the Middle East, a New Zealand citizen, he holds formal resident status in Australia and the UAE, and is the Australia & New Zealand representative for the UAE Government-owned Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), the Middle East’s largest Economic Free Zone.

A triathlete and ex-professional rugby player, Kim is a qualified (IECL Sydney) executive coach and the Founder / Chairman of the successful not for profit humanitarian organization, Oasis Africa (www. oasisafrica.org.au), which has provided freedom from poverty through education to over 8000 mainly orphaned children in East Africa’s slums. Kim holds an MBA and BA from Massey & Victoria Universities (NZ).

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Adrian Purtill

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Adrian Purtill serves as Business Development Manager at Vector Global Logistics, where he consults with importers and exporters in various industries to match their specific shipping requirements with the most effective supply chain solutions. Vector Global Logistics is an asset-free, multi-modal logistics company that provides exceptional sea freight, air freight, truck, rail, general logistic services and consulting for our clients. Our highly trained and professional team is committed to providing creative and effective solutions, always exceeding our customer’s expectations and fostering long-term relationships. With more than 20+ years of experience in both strategy consulting and logistics, Vector Global Logistics is your best choice to proactively minimize costs while having an exceptional service level.

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Kevin Brown

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Kevin Brown is the Director of Business Development for Vector Global Logistics.  He has a dedicated interest in Major Account Management, Enterprise Sales, and Corporate Leadership. He offers 25 years of exceptional experience and superior performance in the sales of Logistics, Supply Chain, and Transportation Management. Kevin is a dynamic, high-impact, sales executive and corporate leader who has consistently exceeded corporate goals. He effectively coordinates multiple resources to solution sell large complex opportunities while focusing on corporate level contacts across the enterprise. His specialties include targeting and securing key accounts by analyzing customer’s current business processes and developing solutions to meet their corporate goals. Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn.

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Jose Miguel Irarrazaval

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Jose Manuel Irarrazaval es parte del equipo de Vector Global Logistics Chile. José Manuel es un gerente experimentado con experiencia en finanzas corporativas, fusiones y adquisiciones, financiamiento y reestructuración, inversión directa y financiera, tanto en Chile como en el exterior. José Manuel tiene su MBA de la Universidad de Pennsylvania- The Wharton School. Conéctese con Jose Manuel en LinkedIn.

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Nick Roemer

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Nick Roemer has had a very diverse and extensive career within design and sales over the last 15 years stretching from China, Dubai, Germany, Holland, UK, and the USA. In the last 5 years, Nick has developed a hawk's eye for sustainable tech and the human-centric marketing and sales procedures that come with it. With his far-reaching and strong network within the logistics industry, Nick has been able to open new avenues and routes to market within major industries in the USA and the UAE. Nick lives by the ethos, “Give more than you take." His professional mission is to make the logistics industry leaner, cleaner and greener.

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Allison Giddens

Host

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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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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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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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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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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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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