Supply Chain Now
Episode 468

Episode Summary

“I got out after 20 years and not really knowing where to go. And in the last six months before that happened, I had already started making revenue on the podcast, so I brought the podcast into my own company. I had guests that paid to come on the show and I had to very quickly learn graphics, and web design, where I was going to do the edits and how I was going to record because my team had all done that previously. I lost my cohost as well. And then I decided that I wanted to shine a light on women in supply chain. And it wasn’t from a female empowerment standpoint. It was really just that I wanted to showcase stories and highlight to other women how you could get into supply chain and what it meant for your career and just, just really talk to them.”

-Sarah Barnes-Humphrey, CEO of SHIPZ

 

 

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.

Sarah shares how she moved from the family business, to supply chain thought-leader, to Freight Tech founder and reveals how work ethic & reality TV help her succeed. Listen UP!

Episode Transcript

Greg White (00:00):

This week on tequila, sunrise, we’re going to spend time with Sarah Barnes Humphrey, and we’re going to hear her story of being a supply chain influencer, starting her own business and surviving the family business. It’s a great story of heart hardship, hard work and hard earned success. So 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 at 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 subscribed to tequila sunrise today. So you don’t miss a thing.

Greg White (01:47):

All right, let’s jump right into it and listen to this fascinating interview with Sarah Barnes Humphrey. All right, let’s bring in our guest, Sarah Barnes, Humphrey CEO of ships. And you might also know her from let’s talk supply chain. You’ve probably heard her voice before. It’s important to understand that Sarah has supply chain in her blood. So she comes from an entrepreneurial family that built a shipping company and logistics was the topic at the dinner table. I can’t imagine how many people can say that. Then Sarah spent 20 years at the family’s company to help build it and work in operations, sales and marketing. Sarah is on the list of top 100 women in supply chain globally and in Canada, a constant thought leader that you can always hear from her, always a positive message and good friend. I’ve known Sarah for over a year now, and I’m working with her and the team at ships as they come out of stealth mode and into the industry. So Sarah, it is great to have you. Thanks for joining us. Wow. What a awesome introduction. Thank you, Greg. I am super

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (03:00):

Happy to be here and congratulations on all the success with the show, because I think it’s very much needed. And there’s so much to talk about right now in supply chain texts.

Greg White (03:10):

Yeah. Thank you. You know, I feel like there’s a light being shined on supply chain. Generally. We need to do the same thing for tech and

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (03:18):

Yeah. Yeah, we absolutely do. I couldn’t agree more.

Greg White (03:21):

All right. Do you have your shot glass? Oh yeah. Great shot glass. Alright, cheers. Reach for the stars. That’s right. We have to, we have to get into the right frame of mind for this.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (03:33):

All right. I love tequila,

Greg White (03:43):

Sarah, when we can do this in person again, I’m thinking of the array of tequilas that I will have in studio. So it’s not whiskey because whiskey makes not your thing, huh? Well, no, it makes me sing really. That’s funny because usually tequila has that effect on people. Alright. So we talked a little bit about in your intro about your family history. I think it’s fascinating. So I would love for you to tell our community a little bit about your family history and how, how that shaped you, where are you from that kind of stuff, too?

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (04:16):

Sure. Yeah. So I grew up, uh, the first bit of my childhood, uh, just outside of Toronto in Mississauga. And then in grade six, I think it was the end of grade six. We ended up moving out to Vancouver and in 1989, my dad had opened up his company and he basically bought, uh, the Livingston freight division. And that’s how he started his company. And, um, so when we moved out to Vancouver in about 92, we had some issues with the Vancouver office. And so we had to go in and take care of the Vancouver office. So the whole family moved out to Vancouver, but I can tell you, I mean, since I was nine years old, my well, my dad’s been in, in logistics his whole entire career from when they left the UK, they went to Iran. Um, and he actually ran the division for left out there.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (05:12):

If anybody can remember lap, like that was a long time ago. And then he moved to Toronto and then we ended up in Vancouver to take over that office. And so for my whole life, it’s really been something that we’ve, we’ve spoken about at the dinner table, because it was what my dad did. And my mom joined him actually in the nineties, um, and started working for the company as well. And so, you know, it was a topic of conversation, right? Like they were talking about work at the dinner table. And so, you know, it was a freight forwarding company initially. And then we expanded into customs, we expanded into warehousing. And so really got a chance to really understand a lot of what happens in a freight forwarding company, air freight, ocean freight, trucking sales, warehousing, customs, you name it. I kind of learned it all.

Greg White (06:00):

Wow. So you, I can’t even fathom being that engaged in, in logistics at that age, but I, of course, right. That would happen. But you know, we were just talking, we talk so frequently with folks who kind of fell backwards into supply chain, or it was something a late career or mid career decision that to get into it. It’s really interesting that you got in at such an early stage.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (06:24):

Yeah. But I started working in the offices when I was 16. So I would do summers in the office, you know, filing and doing different stuff. Um, so, you know, we spoke about it at the dinner table since I was, could remember. And then I ended up starting to work there and really understanding what was happening when I was 16, which is quite young as well.

Greg White (06:46):

So what type of kid were you?

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (06:49):

That’s a good question. Um, I don’t know. I was a little shy. Um, you know, I, wasn’t

Greg White (06:55):

Unbelievable. I find that impossible to believe, but okay. I guess. Okay.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (07:00):

It took, it took me a while to come out of my shell because I was bullied a lot. So I was bullied a lot throughout my childhood and it took a toll.

Greg White (07:09):

So I interviewed, uh, Ben Gordon from Cambridge capital. One of his most memorable moments was having been bullied. That is fascinating. I mean, not that you want it to happen, but sometimes maybe it drives you. I don’t know. Yeah. It’s funny how many times you talk to a great person who has had that kind of experience.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (07:34):

Yeah. And I can say in some respects it really did drive me. Like I can give you an example. Um, I wanted to get out of my shell. So for a long time I was terrified of public speaking. And so I knew I wouldn’t voluntarily sign up for Toastmasters. So I got a casting agent instead. And so I went on auditions and I was, I was, you know, doing these auditions in front of the camera and in front of people. And I bombed, like, I sucked really bad, but it wasn’t my career path. So I would get in the car and I would laugh about it. So it gave me a couple of different, you know, things. It, it really, um, got me in front of the camera. It got me out of my comfort zone to really start trying, you know, to kind of speak in public, I guess. And, um, it led me to some really amazing experiences. I was on the shopping channel and, uh, the morning show with Denise Richards, a couple of

Greg White (08:30):

You actually did a couple of commercials. Right, right, right. I remember, I remember you saying that. I think you posted about that maybe on LinkedIn one time. It was actually wasn’t right. But, but it was like pet something, pet pet food was food. Okay. I didn’t know if it was like men or whatever. Okay, cool. That’s an interesting take to do that. And what, what a great idea. I mean, it’s not your career, so get the experience and who cares if yeah.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (09:06):

I got thrown out of audition rooms.

Greg White (09:09):

Well, I mean, and, and you know, when you speak to, you know, you got me thinking about when you speak to an audience, they at least want you to succeed when you’re casting agent, if you’re not good enough, you’re wasting their time and they’re going to pitch you right out.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (09:26):

Yes. And I, they did a couple of times. I remember it was a, I can’t remember. I can’t remember if it was like a laundry detergent, commercial or something like that. And I totally flubbed my lines. I couldn’t figure out how to talk and throw a sock into the dryer or the washing machine at the same time. And remember my lines and the guy was like, that’s it I’ve seen enough. You need to get out. And I was like, Ooh.

Greg White (09:51):

Wow. Wow. All right. So aside from supply chain, you, what is your favorite topic or area of study or just interest?

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (10:02):

Um, well, I mean, from a sports perspective, you know, I like to play baseball, so I have been a catcher for, Oh my goodness. Like 33 years or something like that. And I still play and I liked throwing the guys out at second base. It’s kind of funny. It’s kind of a challenge. Now, last year I threw out the two fastest guys in the league.

Greg White (10:23):

You got a pretty good gun then.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (10:25):

Yeah. So that was a lot of fun. I mean, at my age, that’s, you know, that’s pretty fun. And I have a lot of people come and watch me play just for some, some tips and some pointers and stuff like that, which is really nice.

Greg White (10:36):

You must have terrible knees if you’ve been a third, if you’ve been a catcher for 33 years.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (10:41):

No. I mean, knock on wood. They’re pretty good. I mean, I have to do a little bit more icing these days. They’re, they’re pretty good. I think the other thing really is, um, mental health. You know, I like I do buddy checks, you know, with let’s talk every Friday and I think it’s just really important to be positive and treat people the way that you want to be treated and check on people. And so that’s something that’s really important to me too.

Greg White (11:11):

So you’re good at supply chain. You’re good at baseball. Um, you’re really good at media. What is it? You’re not good at, there’s a lot of the worst thing. What are you worst than

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (11:25):

When you do a layup? Like my kids laugh at me because I do this layup with this like huge, goofy grin on my face. It’s horrible.

Greg White (11:36):

So another common theme hoops is not your thing. Right?

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (11:40):

Totally not my thing. Totally, totally not my thing and cooking. I am not very good at cooking. I’ve got like my GoTo dishes, but they’re kind of bland.

Greg White (11:51):

So what is that? What’s your go to, um,

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (11:54):

I make a pretty good risotto. Really? Yeah. Yeah. And I make a really good chicken casserole.

Greg White (12:04):

That is awesome for some people, I’m sure I’m not a huge casserole thing.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (12:09):

Well, so this is a chicken and rice one and it’s gluten free. It’s dairy free soy free. Cause I I’m, I’m, I’m, I’m allergic to all of those

Greg White (12:20):

Good. We need to use less soy, you know, we’re so concerned about the rainforest, but soy is the greatest destroyer of the rainforest I learned recently. So yes, because it takes so much land to grow in Brazil. It is the CR particularly it is the greatest reason for destruction of the rainforest. Can you believe that I would have right. Who would have thought that?

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (12:44):

And I’m just glad that I don’t have soy then because of,

Greg White (12:47):

I’m glad that I hate it. Yes. Right? Yeah. I’m, I’m an accidental environmentalist. Right?

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (12:56):

I like that. I’m going to steal that one.

Greg White (12:59):

So I think it’s always good for people to hear about your journey. Yeah. We’re going to share a bit about your company. We’re going to share some insights that I think people will be able to take away, but there’s always something to take away when you learn about somebody’s journey. So can you pinpoint a single or a few experiences or influences that you feel like really shaped you into who you are today?

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (13:24):

Yeah. So I’m, I’m going to start, like we talked about, you know, working summers when I was 16, but after high school, I moved back to Toronto and I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do. And so I ended up going to work for the company and I also got all of my designations and diplomas over 10 years doing it by correspondence while I worked and got hands on experience at the company. So I spent eight years in operations, eight years in sales and then ended up as director of sales and marketing. And there was nothing at the time. I mean, I was looking at my different options to really tell the brand story because you know, there’s always those options to advertise and showcase, I guess what you do, but not really to tell the brand story. And at the time I was listening to a lot of podcasts and I thought, well, Hey, if Lewis house can do it, why can’t I, and that’s what kind of started.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (14:20):

I pitched the idea to my team. Um, I had a guy from my customs department say he wanted to be my cohost. So I was like, sure, why not? And then we called it two babes talk supply chain, which was just like tongue in cheek. You know, it was a guy and a girl and I wanted to also push the boundaries and see what the industry would bear. Right. Because there was a lot of re there was lot out there, but it was very stuffy. It was very professional, very boring and professional is good, but it just wasn’t that yeah. That I was, you know, resonating

Greg White (14:55):

Barnes seems to make boring work. Doesn’t he, I’m not how he does it.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (15:01):

Oh, he does either. So that year I, two things happened. One, I said to my cofounder that I wanted to get into tech and two, I started the podcast and so it all sort of happened kind of simultaneously. And, uh, so we, we ventured on the path to the tech side and I can tell you over the last three years, we’ve definitely pivoted. Um, obviously with a lot of innovation, that’s come out and what’s come out and all of the conversations that we’ve been able to have. So that happened. And then in the fall of 2017, um, my dad ended up closing the doors and I was, can I swear or no,

Greg White (15:43):

I’ve been set on these microphones. So,

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (15:45):

So I was on my ass, I out on my ass after 20 years and not really knowing where to go. And in the last six months before that happened, I had already started making revenue on the podcast. And so I had brought the podcast into my own company. And so I had guests that had paid to come on the show and I had to very quickly learn graphics and web design and where I was going to do the edits and how I was going to record because my team had all done that previously. And I had lost my cohost as well. So, um, so that happened. And then I decided that I wanted to shine a light on women in supply chain. And it wasn’t from a female empowerment standpoint. It was really just that I wanted to showcase stories and highlight to other women how you could get into supply chain and what it meant for your career and just, just really talk to them.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (16:38):

And so in January, 2018, I, I launched the woman in supply chain series. And that was a pivotal moment because that’s when I quickly realized that the name to babes talk supply chain didn’t really work anymore. And so in April, 2018, I rebranded it to let’s talk supply chain and it’s kind of taken off since then. Um, and in, at the same time we were building ships. We had been not in the top 20 of 2000 that were, um, considered for an accelerator program out of Europe. And at that point we didn’t have much all of our,

Greg White (17:17):

Sorry, the Netherlands was that one in the Netherlands. Yeah.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (17:20):

Yeah. And we extended all of, they extended all of our deadlines so that we could come up with a prototype and they had invited us to the final cut. Um, there’s a few reasons why we didn’t go through with it. And, but that’s kind of what was going on on the ship side. And so, you know, we kind of had a valuation just from that experience without, you know, not even having a product. And we were invited to their, um, trade show and pitch event at the end of accelerator program. And so I was able to meet with managing directors of CMA. I was able to talk to shippers and freight forwarders and other innovators that were doing different things in supply chain. And that trip was also a pivotal moment for us on ships because I realized that the path that we were going down needed to be shifted.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (18:08):

Um, and then there was a new group, there was a group that really wasn’t being heard and they weren’t being supported. And that’s when we pivoted to what we’re, what we’re doing now with ships. So what group is that mid-market importers and exporters. So, you know, they’re the ones that are going to three to five different freight forwarders on every single shipment for costing and to, to book their ship, their air and ocean freight shipments. I mean, it was something that I had seen in my sales days and knew was an issue, but I thought our, our original model was the answer. And I really very quickly realized that that group really needed to be supported and they just needed to take what they were doing in email and Excel and move it online. We didn’t want to reinvent the wheel for anybody. We just wanted to make it easier for both

Greg White (19:01):

Easier, more accountable. That’s a great, that’s a great, uh, MVP, right. To be able to just take a process like that and create the repeatability and accountability in it. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Wow. So as you went through this process, so this is always a curiosity for me. So I, as you know, we’ve known each other for awhile. Um, I know a ton of, of women in supply chain or in the corporate world, and I’m always fascinated by the dynamics, arguably the struggles of women working in supply chain or in the business world in general. So it was there, was there any, I assume there were, and if so, what were some of the struggles, or maybe even surprising struggles or issues or whatever you want to call them that stand out to you in your journey?

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (19:59):

Yeah. So when I was first started, I mean, you’ve got to understand I was working for a family business. I mean, that dynamic in itself was extremely difficult and I was growing up in the family business. Right. Because I started when I was 18. So I was really growing up in the business and I had a lot of growing up to do a, when it came to obviously business, but also when it came to me as an adult. And so there was a lot of challenges within that dynamic. Um, there was a couple of times, and, and also, you know, there’s also jealousy, right? There’s, there’s people within the company that, you know, you say something and it gets spread or because the owners thought, right. And so, you know, it was kinda like, who do you trust? You know, what’s this person going to say in a meeting this, um, to put me down, um, you know, I was told that as, as soon as I started having babies, I wouldn’t think about a career, you know, like that in this day and age. Well, no, I mean, that was, that was, that was early two thousands

Greg White (21:05):

Still, it seems, seems a little late for that to have happened to me. I don’t know,

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (21:10):

You know, so just comments like that. Um, you know, and also, you know, even throughout the last couple of years, just, um, you know, having people fall through when it came to ships, you know, what we were doing and what they kind of promised and how that didn’t really pan out when it didn’t pan out, you saw who they were as a person. Um, you’ve got people that are going to block your success because either they’re jealous of you, they don’t want to see you succeed. They don’t think you can. Um, which is so foreign to me because it’s just not even something that crosses my mind, but it happens right. There’s different dynamics. There’s different people out there. And, you know, I guess I’ve kind of experienced most of it, unfortunately in different capacities, in different realms, depending on my journey and where I was at

Greg White (22:02):

Interesting. I mean, was there somebody who was a supporter advocate mentor that you leaned on that kind of helped carry you through that?

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (22:13):

You know, that’s a really interesting question and I usually tend to shy away from that question. Um, just because I don’t really have, you know, anybody specific in mind. I mean, as I was working within my dad’s company, um, you know, my mom was always a shining light. She was head of HR. She was really the only woman on the management team at the time. And, um, you know, so she was always somebody that I looked up to and she was always somebody that sort of helped me think through and talk through, you know, some of the challenges that I was having. Um, and so I, I credit a lot to, to her. Um, I obviously had bosses. I mean, they were good bosses, maybe slightly biased. I don’t know. Um, because I also wasn’t equipped at the time to really understand that and see it, I’m a, I’m a trusted, I trust people by nature and wear my heart on my sleeve as everybody can kind of see from let’s talk supply chain.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (23:14):

And that does get me in trouble sometimes. But, uh, but yeah, and I, and I think, you know, now be doing what we’re doing in media and tech. Um, you know, there’s Claudia Knowlton chick. She is like a shining light from Google. Um, and somebody that I just cherish, the moments that I get when I get, I get to talk to her. Um, and obviously all of the women in my women in supply chain series, like just an inspiration. And honestly, when I started it was, it was so great to hear about their journeys and then think about mine and, you know, you don’t feel alone. It,

Greg White (23:53):

Yeah. I think if anything, whether it’s a mentor or just a support group, if that’s what you want to call it, everybody needs somebody to give them that feeling, particularly in, in tech, you can feel very alone.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (24:09):

Yeah. And I I’d say, I would say recently to my co founder, um, him and I are really close. We can bounce things off. We can have arguments and talk the next day, you know, like we’re, we, we can have very honest and real conversations is, which is what you need in a cofounder. And then I would also say my husband recently, you know, and ever since we’ve kind of known each other, he’s been a really good support to me.

Greg White (24:34):

That’s awesome. I mean, that’s, that’s critical for the success of an organization is to have those people and particularly to have someone who’s around you all the time supporting that.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (24:44):

Yeah. Well, and then on the days that I don’t feel it, he’s my biggest supporter. Right. He’s the one that, you know, knows that I can do it sometimes better than I think I can. And that, you know, that’s huge. Right. Cause some days you’re just like, what is going on? You know, can I do it? Can I not do it? You know, I know I can do it. And then the next minute you’re just like, I don’t know,

Greg White (25:12):

But Alan’s there. Yeah. That’s good. Yeah. Um, so when you think about some of those struggles, right. Was there ever one that just seemed so overwhelming that you were tempted to kind of abandon it all or you felt like it might’ve might crush you and, and how did you, and if so, how did you address how’d you overcome that?

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (25:35):

I have to say the worst day of my life was when we closed the doors. Um, that was, that was a pretty difficult one for me. I couldn’t help it. You know, I cried a lot that day. Um, and I cried a lot in front of people. I had one of the management team go around telling everybody that I should go see a therapist because I was, there’s no reason why I should be so upset, which was horrible.

Greg White (26:01):

Well, that sounds like a really toxic environment to tell you.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (26:07):

Um, so that really didn’t help. And you know, when your full family is involved, you know, it’s very difficult cause you don’t really have too many people that you can turn to, to talk about it because I essentially lost well and I lost my family. Right. Because I had been there for so long. Like I had a lot of people in that company that were like family to me on top of my family. Um, and I remember the day I walked into my dad’s office and it was my birthday and cause they were, they were, um, they had to shut some things down. So they were still in the office and was a couple of people working in the office and stuff like that. And he said, he said, I don’t think you’re, you’re not going to get paid for your last expense. You are not going to get a severance.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (26:54):

You are not going to, like, there was, there was a number of different things that he was like, you’re not going to get paid for this. You’re not going to get paid for that. You’re not going to get paid for this. And I was like, wow, like happy birthday to me. And you know, nobody in the office said, ha, they knew it was my birthday. They didn’t say happy birthday because everybody was kind of pissed at me. Like it was my fault. And so it was, that was a tough couple of weeks, especially, you know, knowing that I had the podcast to keep going. Right. And that I really had to pick myself up pretty quickly.

Greg White (27:26):

So how did you do that? I mean, you know, just buckled down or what

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (27:32):

I just kept, I just kept, I just kept working. I mean, I have always had a therapist anyway, regardless of what that guy says. I think it’s always great to have somebody on the outside to be able to talk to. And so, you know, I had somebody like that through it all. I gratitude journal, but I cried a lot. I cried a lot, but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other every day and just started building on it and started, okay, well, if this is what I’m doing now, you know, what does that look like? What new ideas can I, can I put together? But it was, it was tough, right? Because we went from a two income family to a one income family. And me not really knowing what that future looked like for me. And you know, it was very public.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (28:18):

Like everybody in the industry near me knew what happened and I had to support my parents through it. All right. My dad had a lot of things that he had to go through afterwards that I was supporting him on, um, whether it was driving him to an appointment or, you know, different things like that. My mom had just had a stroke, a minor stroke about what a year and a half before, maybe two years. And so I was worried, you know, with all of the stress and everything that was going on. So, you know, I was, I was trying to be a support for her as well and trying to keep the stress down as much as possible. So yeah, it was just, you know, it was, I think, I don’t know. I really don’t know. I just put one foot in front of the other and took it day by day.

Greg White (29:07):

I think that’s about as good as you can do. Right. You got to keep going somehow, right? Yeah. All right. So this is a question I often ask people get ready. Okay. Okay. Um, I think I’m, I think I might have a guess at this, but I hate to do so. So sometimes you might have a propensity or an attribute as a person that could be considered a dysfunction, but I’ve always felt like th th there are, there are people who somehow use that I’m, I’m obsessive compulsive, for

Greg White (29:42):

Instance, by the way. And I, by the way, I don’t like the term obsessive compulsive disorder to be obsessive compulsiveness is all about order. So it should be called obsessive compulsive order. So that should give you some insights into me. I even rename the conditions.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (29:59):

So I want you to keep that in mind for our first episode that we’re going to be doing shortly, what I’m talking about, you know, what I’m talking about. Alright, cool.

Greg White (30:09):

Uh, but what do you, do you have anything like that? I mean, you know, are you a workaholic or, uh, you know, are obsessive compulsive or nitpicker or anything like that, that you make work to your advantage?

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey (30:23):

Um, yeah, that’s a, that’s a good question. Um, it’s not something that I’ve ever really thought about to be honest. Um, I would probably say that I’m a bit of a workaholic, um, especially since I’ve been working for myself, I’ve been kind of obsessed with, you know, growing this thing and getting it to a point and sort of, you know, figuring that out for myself, kind of, uh, you know, obsessed with, you know, making it work, I guess. Um, so I am a bit of a workaholic that I would say I’m not obsessive compulsive. Um, I think, I think the other one is I like reality TV. So a lot of my, like my downtime, I’m using reality TV to my advantage because I think that it really showcases communication and it really showcases strategy depending on what show you’re watching. And so I can turn that into a bit of advantage when I’m, uh, doing my day to day and figuring out new ideas to

Greg White (31:30):

What is your favorite reality show? So that’s the first half of our interview with Sarah Barnes, Humphrey CEO at ships. And let’s talk supply chain. You are going to have to wait until next week to find out what Sarah’s favorite reality TV show is and how she uses that to develop strategy and techniques for leadership better listen up. 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 and me, plus 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, the DOE Phillips, thanks for spending your valuable with me and remember to 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

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey is a logistician turned supply chain marketer, passionate about bringing stories to life in an industry that has traditionally been about stats and numbers. As the host of the popular Let’s Talk Supply Chain Podcast (LTSC) blog and YouTube Channel called “TheSC, Supply ChainTV”, Barnes-Humphrey helps tell the stories and bring awareness to brands and hot topics in the industry, which includes her infamous Women in Supply Chain series. Recently named Top 100 most influential women leaders in Supply Chain (global) and Top 100 most influential Women in Canadian Supply Chain, Barnes-Humphrey has spent the past 20 years in logistics and supply chain learning everything she can and recently ventured off on her own to grow the LTSC brand where you can learn from real people talking about real supply chain topics. Barnes-Humphrey is also the co-founder and CEO of Shipz Inc., a new technology platform encompassing all of her experience and knowledge in supply chain bringing innovative, collaborative ideas together on her own platform for the supply chain industry.

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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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Joshua Miranda

Marketing Specialist

Joshua is a student from Institute of Technology and Higher Education of Monterrey Campus Guadalajara in Communication and Digital Media. His experience ranges from Plug and Play México, DearDoc, and Nissan México creating unique social media marketing campaigns and graphics design. Joshua helps to amplify the voice of supply chain here at Supply Chain Now by assisting in graphic design, content creation, asset logistics, and more.  In his free time he likes to read and write short stories as well as watch movies and television series.

Donna Krache

Director of Communications and Executive Producer

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

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Vicki White

Controller

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

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Katherine Hintz

Creative Director, Producer, Host

Katherine Hintz, MBA is a marketing professional who strives to unite her love of people with a passion for positive experiences. Having a diverse background, which includes nonprofit work with digital marketing and start-ups, she serves as a leader who helps people live their most creative lives by cultivating community, order, collaboration, and respect. With equal parts creativity and analytics, she brings a unique skill set which fosters refining, problem solving, and connecting organizations with their true vision. In her free time, you can usually find her looking for her cup of coffee, playing with her puppy Charlie, and dreaming of her next road trip.

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Kim Reuter

Host, The Freight Insider

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

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Kristi Porter

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Kristi Porter is VP of Sales and Marketing at Vector Global Logistics, a company that is changing the world through supply chain. In her role, she oversees all marketing efforts and supports the sales team in doing what they do best. In addition to this role, she is the Chief Do-Gooder at Signify, which assists nonprofits and social impact companies through copywriting and marketing strategy consulting. She has almost 20 years of professional experience, and loves every opportunity to help people do more good.

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Sofia Rivas Herrera

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

Sofia Rivas Herrera is a Mexican Industrial Engineer from Tecnologico de Monterrey class 2019. Upon graduation, she earned a scholarship to study MIT’s Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management and graduated as one of the Top 3 performers of her class in 2020. She also has a multicultural background due to her international academic experiences at Singapore Management University and Kühne Logistics University in Hamburg. Sofia self-identifies as a Supply Chain enthusiast & ambassador sharing her passion for the field in her daily life.

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Demo Perez

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

Demo Perez started his career in 1997 in the industry by chance when a relative asked him for help for two just weeks putting together an operation for FedEx Express at the Colon Free Zone, an area where he was never been but accepted the challenge. Worked in all roles possible from a truck driver to currier to a sales representative, helped the brand introduction, market share growth and recognition in the Colon Free Zone, at the end of 1999 had the chance to meet and have a chat with Fred Smith ( FedEx CEO), joined another company in 2018 who took over the FedEx operations as Operations and sales manager, in 2004 accepted the challenge from his company to leave the FedEx operations and business to take over the operation and business of DHL Express, his major competitor and rival so couldn’t say no, by changing completely its operation model in the Free Zone. In 2005 started his first entrepreneurial journey by quitting his job and joining two friends to start a Freight Forwarding company. After 8 months was recruited back by his company LSP with the General Manager role with the challenge of growing the company and make it fully capable warehousing 3PL. By 2009 joined CSCMP and WERC and started his journey of learning and growing his international network and high-level learning. In 2012 for the first time joined a local association ( the Panama Maritime Chamber) and worked in the country’s first Logistics Strategy plan, joined and lead other associations ending as president of the Panama Logistics Council in 2017. By finishing his professional mission at LSP with a company that was 8 times the size it was when accepted the role as GM with so many jobs generated and several young professionals coached, having great financial results, took the decision to move forward and start his own business from scratch by the end of 2019. with a friend and colleague co-founded IPL Group a company that started as a boutique 3PL and now is gearing up for the post-Covid era by moving to the big leagues.

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Mary Kate Love

VP, Marketing

Mary Kate Love is currently the VP of marketing at Supply Chain Now focused on brand strategy and audience + revenue growth. Mary Kate’s career is a testament to her versatility and innovative spirit: she has experience in start-ups, venture capital, and building innovation initiatives from the ground up: she previously helped lead the build-out of the Supply Chain Innovation Center at Georgia-Pacific and before that, MxD (Manufacturing times Digital): the Department of Defense’s digital manufacturing innovation center. Mary Kate has a passion for taking complicated ideas and turning them into reality: she was one of the first team members at MxD and the first team member at the Supply Chain Innovation Center at Georgia-Pacific.

Mary Kate dedicates her extra time to education and mentorship: she was one of the founding Board Members for Women Influence Chicago and led an initiative for a city-wide job shadow day for young women across Chicago tech companies and was previously on the Board of Directors at St. Laurence High School in Chicago, Young Irish Fellowship Board and the UN Committee for Women. Mary Kate is the founder of National Supply Chain Day and enjoys co-hosting podcasts at Supply Chain Now. Mary Kate is from the south side of Chicago, a mom of two baby boys, and an avid 16-inch softball player. She holds a BS in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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Adrian Purtill

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Kevin Brown

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Jose Miguel Irarrazaval

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Nick Roemer

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Allison Giddens

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Allison Krache Giddens has been with Win-Tech, a veteran-owned small business and aerospace precision machine shop, for 15 years, recently buying the company from her mentor and Win-Tech’s Founder, Dennis Winslow. She and her business partner, John Hudson now serve as Co-Presidents, leading the 33-year old company through the pandemic.

She holds undergraduate degrees in psychology and criminal justice from the University of Georgia, a Masters in Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University, a Masters in Manufacturing from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Certificate of Finance from the University of Georgia. She also holds certificates in Google Analytics, event planning, and Cybersecurity Risk Management from Harvard online. Allison founded the Georgia Chapter of Women in Manufacturing and currently serves as Treasurer. She serves on the Chattahoochee Technical College Foundation Board as its Secretary, the liveSAFE Resources Board of Directors as Resource Development Co-Chair, and on the Leadership Cobb Alumni Association Board as Membership Chair and is also a member of Cobb Executive Women. She is on the Board for the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s Northwest Area Councils. Allison runs The Dave Krache Foundation, a non-profit that helps pay sports fees for local kids in need.

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Billy Taylor

Host of Dial P for Procurement

Billy Taylor is a Proven Business Excellence Practitioner and Leadership Guru with over 25 years leading operations for a Fortune 500 company, Goodyear. He is also the CEO of LinkedXL (Excellence), a Business Operating Systems Architecting Firm dedicated to implementing sustainable operating systems that drive sustainable results. Taylor’s achievements in the industry have made him a Next Generational Lean pacesetter with significant contributions.

An American business executive, Taylor has made a name for himself as an innovative and energetic industry professional with an indispensable passion for his craft of operational excellence. His journey started many years ago and has worked with renowned corporations such as The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (GT) leading multi-site operations. With over 3 decades of service leading North America operations, he is experienced in a deeply rooted process driven approach in customer service, process integrity for sustainability.

A disciple of continuous improvement, Taylor’s love for people inspires commitment to helping others achieve their full potential. He is a dynamic speaker and hosts "The Winning Link," a popular podcast centered on business and leadership excellence with the #1 rated Supply Chain Now Network. As a leadership guru, Taylor has earned several invitations to universities, international conferences, global publications, and the U.S. Army to demonstrate how to achieve and sustain effective results through cultural acceptance and employee ownership. Leveraging the wisdom of his business acumen, strong influence as a speaker and podcaster Taylor is set to release "The Winning Link" book under McGraw Hill publishing in 2022. The book is a how-to manual to help readers understand the management of business interactions while teaching them how to Deine, Align, and Execute Winning in Business.

A servant leader, Taylor, was named by The National Diversity Council as one of the Top 100 Diversity Officers in the country in 2021. He features among Oklahoma's Most Admired CEOs and maintains key leadership roles with the Executive Advisory Board for The Shingo Institute "The Nobel Prize of Operations" and The Association of Manufacturing Excellence (AME); two world-leading organizations for operational excellence, business development, and cultural learning.  He is also an Independent Director for the M-D Building Products Board, a proud American manufacturer of quality products since 1920.

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Tandreia Bellamy

Host, Supply Chain Now

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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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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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 & CMO, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain Now and TECHquila Sunrise

When rapid-growth technology companies, venture capital and private equity firms are looking for advisory, they call Greg – a founder, board director, advisor and catalyst of disruptive B2B technology and supply chain. An insightful visionary, Greg guides founders, investors and leadership teams in creating breakthroughs to gain market exposure and momentum – increasing overall company esteem and valuation.

Greg is a founder himself, creating Blue Ridge Solutions, a Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader in cloud-native supply chain applications, and bringing to market Curo, a field service management solution. He has also held leadership roles with Servigistics (PTC) and E3 Corporation (JDA/Blue Yonder). As a principal and host at Supply Chain Now, Greg helps guide the company’s strategic direction, hosts industry leader discussions, community livestreams, and all in addition to executive producing and hosting his original YouTube channel and podcast, TEChquila Sunrise.

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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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Constantine Limberakis

Host

Constantine Limberakis is a thought leader in the area of procurement and supply management. He has over 20 years of international experience, playing strategic roles in a wide spectrum of organizations related to analyst advisory, consulting, product marketing, product development, and market research.Throughout his career, he's been passionate about engaging global business leaders and the broader analyst and technology community with strategic content, speaking engagements, podcasts, research, webinars, and industry articles.Constantine holds a BA in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an MBA in Finance & Marketing / Masters in Public & International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh.

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Amanda Luton

Vice President, Production

Amanda is a production and marketing veteran and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience across a variety of industries and organizations including Von Maur, Anthropologie, AmericasMart Atlanta, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Amanda currently manages, produces, and develops modern digital content for Supply Chain Now and their clients. Amanda has previously served as the VP of Information Systems and Webmaster on the Board of Directors for APICS Savannah, and founded and managed her own successful digital marketing firm, Magnolia Marketing Group. When she’s not leading the Supply Chain Now production team, you can find Amanda in the kitchen, reading, listening to podcasts, or enjoying time with family.

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Clay Phillips

Business Development Manager

Clay is passionate about two things: supply chain and the marketing that goes into it. Recently graduated with a degree in marketing at the University of Georgia, Clay got his start as a journalism major and inaugural member of the Owl’s football team at Kennesaw State University – but quickly saw tremendous opportunity in the Terry College of Business. He’s already putting his education to great use at Supply Chain Now, assisting with everything from sales and brand strategy to media production. Clay has contributed to initiatives such as our leap into video production, the guest blog series, and boosting social media presence, and after nearly two years in Supply Chain Now’s Marketing Department, Clay now heads up partnership and sales initiatives with the help of the rest of the Supply Chain Now sales team.

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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

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

Katherine is a marketing professional and MBA candidate who strives to unite her love of people with a passion for positive experiences. Having a diverse background, which includes nonprofit work with digital marketing and start-ups, she serves as a leader who helps people live their most creative lives by cultivating community, order, collaboration, and respect. With equal parts creativity and analytics, she brings a unique skill set which fosters refining, problem solving, and connecting organizations with their true vision. In her free time, you can usually find her looking for her cup of coffee, playing with her puppy Charlie, and dreaming of her next road trip.

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