Supply Chain Now
Episode 536

Episode Summary

In this episode of the Supply Chain Buzz, Scott and Greg welcomed Rhonda Bompensa-Zimmerman and Demo Perez to the podcast to discuss the top news in Supply Chain this week.

Episode Transcript

Intro/Outro (00:00:05):

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

Scott Luton (00:00:33):

Scott, Lutin Greg white with you here on supply chain. Now welcome to today’s live stream, Greg, how are you doing? Barely made it just in time. Come on. If we learned anything this year, just in time JIT, but Greg, great to have you. We are, as we’ve been talking about internally, we’ve got a jam packed show here on the supply chain bus, where we tackle some of the most important developments across industry and Greg, a lot of folks are taking it easy, moving easily into, into what is Christmas week. We are not, are we well not today for sure. Right? Well, we have got to out, so beyond some of the headlines, we’re going to share with our community and we’re going to say hello to a bunch of folks that are, that are tuning in now, but we’ve got two outstanding guests, two great friends of the show are our community has heard from them already alive live streams.

Scott Luton (00:01:26):

We’ve got them right here in our digital studio. We’ve got Rhonda bumpkins, a Zimmerman PhD joining us here a few minutes. And then the one and only Dennis Dennis Perez, uh, also joining us about 1230 ish or so. So are you excited as I am? I am. And I feel like I know Rhonda, particularly, we already knew demo, but I feel like we know Rhonda from all of the interactions we’ve had with her, just either in these shows or discussions online. So I agree. Yeah, it’ll be good to actually hear her speak. Exactly. And, and, you know, she’s gonna be talking about, uh, some of, uh, top three tips for optimizing your mental wellbeing during these crazy times. And then considering my start to this show, I could really use that little boy and the Mo shockers some of his key takeaways from 2020 and as well as one, one supply chain story, he’s tracking more than others here lately.

Scott Luton (00:02:25):

So full show lined up. We’re going to tackle the headlines in just a moment first though, but before we do, let’s say hello to a few folks as Alayah excited to be here today, uh, tuned in via LinkedIn, great to be, uh, for you to be here with us as well as the layup. Good morning, Kayvon. Great. Uh, great to have you back with us as always, uh, via LinkedIn hope this finds you and your family. Well, Daria Daria, great to have you on a live stream again, and really have enjoyed your commentary on social media. Pre-teach really, uh, same as well. Uh, you had an interesting comment when we’re talking about artificial intelligence and your, your phrase was it is actually the genuine intelligence. Uh, so it loved that commentary prey teak. Great to see you. Uh, let’s see Samson from Nigeria via LinkedIn. Great to have you Samson. Prabakaran probably Koran and I apologize. I’ve missed pronouncing that, but hello, via LinkedIn. Great to have you here. Karthika via LinkedIn. Samaan also via LinkedIn. Sophia. One of our favorites is tuned in

Greg White (00:03:29):

Here. Christmas vibes. Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:03:32):

Uh, summer where she’s at, as Leah says she is currently an MBA grad student at Regent university looking to start her career in supply chain and logistics. If anyone has tips on how to get started, I’d love to connect. Oh

Greg White (00:03:47):

Boy,

Scott Luton (00:03:50):

There are some terrible what you asked for. Agreed. Hey, those are seriously.

Greg White (00:03:55):

There’s a lot of great folks to contribute here, right?

Scott Luton (00:03:58):

And those are some of our favorite questions folks in the stream. So as Leah, hopefully you can make connections, get tips and insights from our community here that bring it every single time on these live streams. So thanks for joining us and we’ll circle back to make sure you’ve got hopefully several pages of notes today, but congrats on your burgeoning career. All right. So Greg, we are going to start with, uh, let’s, let’s stop the headline so we can get both of our featured guests in here today and the jam packed edition of the supply chain buzz. Let’s dive into our first story here today, where you’re going to tell us all about how retail advantages are shifting.

Greg White (00:04:36):

Yeah. So yes, it is advantage to the stores right now, because if you haven’t ordered it by now, chances are good. It’s not going to arrive by Christmas. Right? So, um, yeah, so physical stores are beginning to take over last Saturday was super Saturday. We’re going to talk a little bit about the numbers on that, but even the big e-comm BMS, uh, Amazon and Walmart are touting their last minute in store and online delivery options. So encouraging people as they were encouraging people to order early. Now they’re encouraging people to order as late as Christmas Eve. So don’t know how that’s going to work, but let me throw some numbers at you. This is fascinating. So the NRF, the national retail Federation on Friday said it expected 87 million people to head to physical stores to shop on super Saturday, which is also known as small business Saturday, uh, including online NRF estimated 150 million shoppers on Saturday.

Greg White (00:05:45):

All right, the numbers aren’t in yet, but the volumes appeared pretty high over the weekend. The take over the weekend, not equal. However, the rush continues to evade small business, the difficulty getting and staying open, whether they are e-commerce equipped or not has had a big, uh, has had a big impact on the success of these companies. According to a small business, Saturday survey conducted by survey monkey and CNBC 43% of shoppers plan to spend less this holiday season than they did in 2019 and only 6% plan to shop small meaning planned to spend most of their money on small business Saturday, but every little bit counts. We don’t know what the numbers should be this year, but check this out just over half of the consumers, about 52% expect to finish their holiday shopping online, but that won’t necessarily mean they miss that trip to the store.

Greg White (00:06:46):

Why? Because buy online pickup in store BOPUS 75% from October of 2019 to 2020, so that there are a couple of other things coming into play. The prolific, some might say generous surcharges generous to themselves that the U S PS ups and FedEx have a long with the fact that their Christmas delivery deadlines have already passed, has motivated retailers to use other partners for delivery such as Scott, your favorite Instacart. My favorite bring and shipped, which is part of the target organization, but also provides a last mile delivery to other companies. So if you want it by Christmas, you better get to the store, shop local, grab it, pop it in the trunk and drive home fast.

Scott Luton (00:07:41):

Oh, I love it. I love it. Um, so much, um, just, uh, this is, uh, going to be a contingent trend. Every one of these holidays during this pandemic environment is just such a huge study in business adjustment, roll with the punches on a new ways of serving a consumer in a safe and effective and successful manner. It’s really just as fascinating to see these, these e-commerce or these retail reports.

Greg White (00:08:08):

Yeah. I got to tell you that this article and the adjacent articles that I use to research, this really concerned me for small business. What I think we’ve seen during this time is big business continue to get and grow business because they are identified as, as essential, regardless of what they sell and small retailers who sell exactly the same thing, or maybe segments of what those essential retailers sell are not deemed essential. And that really concerns me. I mean, seriously, I’m thinking about how I can help support them other than shopping. Right? Right. Do we need a significant investment effort because about 75% of these companies say that if they don’t get uplift in the, in the holidays, they’re going to go out of business. Right? So essentially a lot of those companies are going to have to start over and we need to have a significant, uh, an intentional effort to keep and get alive, smaller businesses, less. We’d be stuck with only Amazon Walmart and target. Right.

Scott Luton (00:09:16):

Excellent commentary there. And of course, article Greg’s referring to the, the main one here is this great read from retail DOB by Def, uh, Daphne Howland. So you’ll check that out. Of course, we’re big fans of the, the, the DOB family of programming. They did great reporting as referenced by today’s lead-off story. So I appreciate that Greg. And, you know, there’s a, um, a ton of comments here, tension around the quarantine, some of the changes they’re making and, and you know, our, our, um, you know, best wishes and thoughts and prayers, certainly with each of y’all wherever you hell from. And I know that, uh, from Canada to UK and around the world, they’ve got different, uh, lockdowns going in different directions. So, uh, we hope this finds you and your family’s really safe and sound during this holiday season, we’re going to get through it. We’re going to break through, um, the challenges have just, uh, we have not surpassed all of them, so, but there is good news. If you look for it and we’ll touch on something

Greg White (00:10:13):

10 there a day, you got to remember they’re they are a full day ahead of us in Oz and Singapore, where they’re one day closer to celebrating Christmas. That’s right. They’ve got an even more sense of urgency.

Scott Luton (00:10:27):

That is right. Well, before we take the Chris Berman approach through rock and roll in bumbling and someone through the rest of the supply chain headlines, let’s grab, let’s grab a couple of comments from everybody. So Tom says he got started without me again. You guys are the worst, a Tom. Great to see you here. You’re continued to, yeah,

Greg White (00:10:46):

You can even set your alarm for a minute or two early. We can either give you a call. That’s right.

Scott Luton (00:10:55):

Peter says supporting local small business is a must. They form the backbone of the community. Excellent commentator, Peter, Gary. Great to see it. Gary says support your local small businesses. Um, Flores says with all the lockdowns people have seriously, they’ve got to anticipate their orders charges charged on the 24th will probably be less than previous years. No, uh, Greg, any quick take there,

Greg White (00:11:23):

Um, judge judging by the care, the parcel carriers, generosity to themselves and their bottom line. I’m going to say that the charges are going to be pretty high now, you know, basically, and you guys probably remember this. If you’ve watched this at all, ups basically did the Marie Antoinette, is that right? Let them eat cake statement, charge it through to the consumers. They probably won’t even notice as long as we get our money, we don’t really care. Um, and that seems be pretty universal, uh, with the carriers that are out there. So, uh, I think the strategy, I think this may have backfired a bit, but I think the strategy to use other other delivery services like Instacart and Postmates and bring in others, um, could, could create some actual competition in the marketplace that brings these big carriers to heal, right?

Scott Luton (00:12:18):

Pre-teach over here in India, the government is planning to impose lockdowns, which might really affect last mile delivery. So protect hope that all the best you and your family

Greg White (00:12:28):

Or in the UK as well, they’re closing down non essential businesses, which is everybody, but Tesco or somebody like that. I’m sure.

Scott Luton (00:12:35):

Agreed. And on a much lighter note, Amanda weighs in, I’ve ordered strictly online and BOPUS due to the awful shipping delays. I have preferred BOPUS to wait and packages ordered on black Friday girl. Yes, Amanda wouldn’t let me share. I made a love mean this morning and we’ll see if it pops up later this week, but Hey, we’ll stay no guarantees gang. Hey, if Amanda vetoes it it’s um, it is, those vetoes did not get overwritten, like so in the us Congress, but uh, all right, so let’s keep driving. We’ve got so much to talk about and by the way, hello, uh, Mike aver. Great to have you here with us, uh, enjoyed, uh, what you’re sharing, be a social Larry Klein. Great to have you here. He says local businesses, as long as they know how to treat the customer many around my hometown. Don’t get my business since I built my house.

Scott Luton (00:13:30):

How about that? All right. Um, but Larry, great to have you out there. Doesn’t it? Oh, one special Latiya Thomas. Congratulations on your graduation. Yeah. So, uh, Latiya graduated here recently from Morgan state university and she’s going to be doing, she started doing big things in industry, so y’all make sure you connect with her. And Latiya as Aaliyah Davis is on the live stream. She is, um, going to be starting her career in supply chain logistics, and she’s looking to make connections and get some insights. So y’all two should hook up for sure. All right. So everybody, everybody that’s right. Give

Greg White (00:14:10):

Back, give forward. So

Scott Luton (00:14:13):

Let’s meet,

Greg White (00:14:15):

Uh, first time joining. We have a first time caller Ariana bar. So welcome aboard.

Scott Luton (00:14:24):

Absolutely. I’ll see if I can’t find her in the comments here momentarily. We’ll say hello the proper way. All right. So if you hit lines, Greg, as we keep driving on this Monday, December 21st, so good news. Second vaccine has gained approval here in the States. At least Moderna, uh, 20 million doses out by the end of the month, rural communities and nursing home distributions are going to see a boost in the army Corps of engineers. We’ve referenced here in the States about the role of the military and optimizing distribution, but they’re also working to optimize just sheer production capacity. The army Corps of engineers has been working with Madonna to boost their capacity for vaccine production. All right, I mentioned we’re gonna be moving faster. Freight tech continues to be hot freight tech, logistics, tech, supply chain tech, you name it, Greg, the wizard of Wichita I’m sure has a comment here. Project 44, just raised a hundred million dollars. It comes of course, on the heels of flock, freight load, smart, full truck Alliance. You name it. We’re winners in funding, quick commentary from you, Greg.

Greg White (00:15:28):

I hope they spend it on actual tech. It seems like a lot of these freight texts are logistics companies with dashboards or control towers, which are just reports. So, um, I’m hopeful that we get to some tech that actually optimizes the practice, right? Um, with that kind of money, I would think project 44 would be able to do that.

Scott Luton (00:15:49):

Agreed, Oh, the places you could go with a hundred meter food logistics announced that 17th annual awards that they put out a lot of great content. I’ve always enjoyed several friends that show, wow. It’s list, big show Bob and the Accu speech, mobile team, uh, Cindy bran, Amanda, all our friends over at alloy, blue Ridge global, one of the winners and, and many, many others, but y’all check out the full list. I think we might confine that and drop that in the comments, but we enjoy what food logistics puts out regularly. Keep driving here. So recent study about Oceana has reported that Amazon was responsible for 465 million pounds of plastic packaging waste in 2019 shame, shame, Greg. Now, Amazon of course, refutes the findings and says it’s overblown by 350%. So I didn’t do my math coming home, but it’s still, even if that is true, it’s still a ton and tons, tons. And tons of that is

Greg White (00:16:56):

That is still a hundred million pounds of plastic waste.

Scott Luton (00:17:00):

That is right. Lockheed Martin is, is solidifying and stabilizing its global supply chain in a 4.4 billion B as in Bezos deal, as it acquires Aerojet Rocketdyne holdings 4.4 billion. So again, it’s basically in sourcing one of its biggest global supply chain partners. And finally, I love to see this. I love, you know, I’ve talked a lot about nice practical examples of blockchain, right? Well, we love our wan around these parts. Talk about things that get you through the year, but IBM is using blockchain to track one supply or it’s applying blockchain to wind supply amongst the benefits, you know, in the wine industry, you know, tracing where it’s from and especially, um, French, you know, and in other regions it’s gotta be the grapes have to be from a certain region to be called certain wines, right, right. Champaign in particular. But amongst these benefits ID codes that, that big blues me putting on these bottles in partnership with the myriad of, uh, folks that are involved in one supply chain is going to enable consumers to learn about quote provenance and flavor profiles, Greg provenance,

Greg White (00:18:16):

Mine and Chris Barnes. Favorite word, a provenance [inaudible] yeah. Uh, yeah, I think that’s really important. It’s, you know, there are so many other industries, believe it or not, not to like go right there, but tequila also has to come from the highly-skilled province in, in Mexico. So similar to champagne and there are other, um, types of issues that, I mean, I can see that there is the potential. We’ve always talked about that, right? Olive oil, not from Papa, but the, uh, not olive oil Popeye’s girlfriend, but all of oil from mostly Italy and Spain. Um, and I’m sure it does another places that are about to be listed, but that is a highly, that is a highly counterfeited product. So, um, all of those things are valuable and of course, whenever it helps the consumer, I think that’s fantastic as much as the supply chain, the beginning and the end of the supply chain.

Scott Luton (00:19:20):

Absolutely. And to that point, we recognize a few comments before we bring in our first guests here today, Sophia says, is Amazon only one responsible of that waste or also us for ordering excellent point, Sophia? You know, it, one of my favorite options Amazon’s rolled out is you can pick, you can delay your shipment and put it in fewer boxes that it gives them flexibility. And it gives the consumer a chance to say, well, do I really need that? And two hours or two days,

Greg White (00:19:48):

What is your day? You know what your day is Scott Wednesdays. Oh, maybe it’s everybody’s cause that’s mine also.

Scott Luton (00:19:55):

So I was really bad, um, about ordering kind of, Oh, I’m out of this for that real quick and I’ve tended to start grouping. So if I’m placing an order, I stopped for a second and see, okay, what else, what else is gonna hit my radar? And that’s helped me bundle, uh, what out or coming here, but Sophia great point completely great. Marie counterfeit wine is a huge problem way above my price point. Hey, I agree with him, Maria.

Greg White (00:20:21):

I have a neighbor that I’m sure has that problem. I don’t, I doubt that any of the wine I buy is any risk of being counterfeited. Exactly.

Scott Luton (00:20:31):

And Gary makes a great point because onions point, if especially anyone, anyone in the U S as you’re walking through, you’re picking up onions. You’ll notice that there are sweet Texas onions, which can’t be called Vidalia.

Greg White (00:20:44):

They often are, but here’s the here’s the key aside

Scott Luton (00:20:48):

From, uh, until blockchain is, is, um, the solution then any onion bigger than about three fingers of your fist is not a Vidalia. Vidalia is, are very small onions. If it’s bigger than that, it’s a Texas sweet Texas wheat, which isn’t as good. Trust me, Michael Ava says you had the same problem going back to provenance and the alcohol industry with vodka years ago. And about what constituted VOCAT, that’s interesting. That’s interesting. You think about the origins of vodka. I thought that’s an open and shut case. Listen, tasteless and colorless. It doesn’t really matter where it came from. Oh, I don’t know. I don’t know. Hide it when you’re drinking at work. I just like that. Nice that got a chuckle out of a man that I heard it coming around the corner there, Greg. Nice job. So, but practical applications of blockchains, we continue to, to, uh, adopt this groundbreaking technology and more and more folks kind of buy in to just what it can do. So we’ll keep sharing nice practical use cases that we can hopefully all relate to. All right. So let’s do this as much as, uh, we got a ton of comments, but we’ve got to get, we got two outstanding guests and we want to get y’all’s comment. Yeah. So up first we’re gonna be talking about tips for feeling good about the holiday season. So let’s welcome in our first guest today, Rhonda bum, Pinza Zimmerman PhD, director of fitness and wellness at global trans

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:22:20):

Hey, nice to be here with you.

Scott Luton (00:22:24):

Welcome aboard.

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:22:28):

Take a deep breath. That’s one of those things.

Scott Luton (00:22:31):

Yeah, well, Hey, it is so neat to have a, we really enjoyed your commentary and, uh, some of these past live streams and, and your excellent, uh, and unique social media approach. Um, you know, we don’t get, we don’t hear enough about mental wellness and, and when we do it’s that traditional stigma that’s, that seems to be attached to it. And so I appreciate, uh, all the great things you’ve been preaching from the mountaintop. And we’d love to have you here today, you know, sharing some tips, we should all keep in mind.

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:23:00):

It’s been an interesting year. We are finally seeing more people share their stories about some of the struggles they’re having. We’re hearing some people talk about their struggles, and while we’re hearing everybody’s stories, we’re learning to show more compassion and be more inclined to share our experiences, which, you know, usually mental health, you know, there’s a negative connotation around that. And I kind of look at it as fostering brain health, just like taking care of our body. Our brain also needs nurturement. So there’s some things we can do for that.

Scott Luton (00:23:42):

Excellent, excellent point. And you know what I made mistake and thank

Scott Luton (00:23:46):

You, David, always on time, because you do have hold my beer with some other talented folks and we can’t, we should never shortchange credentials. David, thank you so much for that.

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:23:59):

Thanks Daryl follower. And first of all, how would I ever miss a show called hold my beer? It’s a good time. It’s kind of has that cheer vibe about it. Just a bunch of friends getting together, talking about this and that we each have our own little personalities and perspectives.

Scott Luton (00:24:18):

Uh, Nicole and Trey. And, um, is it TJ or TJ, but yeah, Brandon that’s right. Well, I love the casual approach, all of that and, and having a real conversation. Uh, so we need a lot more of that. So let’s get down to it. It’s tough to, uh, probably tackle these things in, in, you know, 10 minute segments. But if you had to think of, you know, three, three tips, so we also really embrace and keep in mind during the, um, historically challenging holiday season 2020, what, what would the first one be?

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:24:54):

Yeah, cause it’s certainly been very isolating and very lonely for a lot of people. There’s a lot of research that demonstrates how important it is to have positive relationships, just being in the same space with people that have a positive attitude really can do so much for our self-worth our self-esteem that emotional support, we’re social creatures. We crave that. And we see in research how that really does change our brain chemistry. So it helps us deal with anxiety or if we’re feeling a little blue. So I would say the first, most important thing is to do like a self analysis of your relationships. So if you have some toxic people in your life and maybe you cannot eliminate them for whatever reason, and you’re stuck, what do you do? It’s planting seeds and having conversations with them, like explaining how you feel when they’re negative energy, because you feel it right.

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:26:06):

You have a physical response, not only a mental response, just sharing that. Maybe they’re not even aware of that. Um, and then maybe share how they, how you would like to see that relationship move forward, but it’s gotta be give and take, you know, you got to share, and then you also have to listen to what they have to say, because sometimes there’s things we do that makes them feel maybe not so great about us. So I would say that would be first and foremost and do that little inventory. And then when maybe you’re feeling isolated or you need some assistance reach out, you know, we tend to put ourself last, we have to prioritize. If we don’t take care of ourselves, how are we going to help other people, how are we going to be successful in our jobs? So when you’re feeling a little blue, don’t be afraid to reach out.

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:26:58):

So that, that would be the, in the same category I would say. And then, which is what I do exercise. So all about fitness and wellness, it’s amazing just moving and it doesn’t have to be like a CrossFit crazy workout, just something as simple as going out in nature, which has it’s also has its benefits, just walking, moving, stretching, getting the blood flowing. It’s amazing. And it doesn’t have to be long increments. There’s research showing just four to six minutes of movement. I was with someone this morning and we just did sit, stand exercises with some light lightweights. And it’s funny. She actually said that when I was done talking to her, I was like, Rhonda, I feel amazing. There’s a whole bunch of chemistry and stuff going on. Cause we’re made up of energy. We’re as humans meant to move and smile. So why are moving jibber Jabber?

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:27:55):

So you have that social interaction and, and smile, all those little things that we really know, think about and we might take for granted. They really can make us feel good. And the interesting thing with exercise is just a couple of minutes. We have mitochondria, we’ve all heard about that in biology. There are the powerhouse of our cells. We really can double and triple the amount of power and energy the cells have produced, particularly in our brains. So research has really shown the benefits of movement just two to three minutes. Um, so that would be my second one. You guys work out by the way regularly. I’m just kidding

Scott Luton (00:28:36):

Every day, every day. Um, no, we need to get more, but you know, Rhonda, uh, quickly to your point, getting outside nature and wildlife, that’s some of where we get our positive Hobbes around here. Just that, just that quick departure from all things electronic. I write out this one to here. I’ve got several, not to be cheesy hooky, but Hey, we all have different strokes, different boat. I got several bird feeders and there has been a flurry of activity to lately. Maybe that transition to a harder, the hardest, you know, we don’t get hard winter down here in the Atlanta area, but, but that just, just taking a brief, pause out the window, it’s like a deep breath. It kinda reinvigorates you a little bit,

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:29:18):

By the way I used to live in Americus, Georgia

Scott Luton (00:29:21):

For four really America, because it’s even more down there than it is here.

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:29:29):

It’s very humid and that we were blow may S

Scott Luton (00:29:33):

Dixon line in that line. Yeah. Well, Hey, quick comment. So to your point, my exercise, because there’s a ton of gadgets that help us to manage that better. And Tom talks about how he’s become very OCD about closing those rings on the fitness app on his phone. And that’s been something that we’ve, um, uh, we’ve been, uh, uh, trying to get these steps in right at that simple little measurement that helps you keep going a little bit extra for you.

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:29:57):

Yeah. I will say this, my husband, he, um, he struggles sometimes with, um, he’s one of those people that likes to be by himself all the time. So I get him outside with that even for 10 months. Yeah. So I, I bought him one of these fitness watches. Um, he was giving me a hard time about mine and I was really bugging him, like, let’s do something that’s moved. And all of a sudden he started following my watch and seeing what I was doing. So for Christmas, I got him one because he’s he’s into it now. So there’s really, and that’s about that accountability too. So it helps show, you know, show what you’ve done and you feel a sense of accomplishment. So it’s kind of like a positive relationship with our little apps kind of sorta. I like to think of it that way.

Scott Luton (00:30:48):

Well, um, I know that we, you’ve got a tight schedule today and I want to protect your time, uh, as we w w what’s your third tip for really optimizing mental wellness.

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:30:58):

I think mindfulness, whether it’s through meditation or practicing kindness, which again, we’ve seen so much this year that really does wonder for our brain health, um, whether it’s, you know, listening to music and just being fully present with the song, poetry, reading, journaling, what have you, it’s all about checking in with ourselves to see where our thoughts are, because our thoughts lead to emotional reactions. So doing like a little self-checkout, and if you feel, you know, you need a little boost or whatever, you know, just take time to just be thankful, sit with it and then take an actionable steps to change your brain chemistry. It really does. It really is amazing.

Scott Luton (00:31:44):

Excellent. Uh, Rhonda, uh, I really appreciate, um, you sharing these three quick tips and practical tips, two tips that anyone can take action on, right, Greg?

Greg White (00:31:55):

Yeah, I agree. And I think anything, I mean, one of the main concerns I had is lockdowns occurred and continued is just the tendency of people. Hopefully jokingly talk about alcohol, right? I mean, I’m in a place probably to kind of cut loose with that, but I think there’s so much more healthy things you can do just by creating some internal awareness, getting some of that energy out. Yeah. Pet your dog, right.

Scott Luton (00:32:30):

No, get dogs. And we’ve known some folks who’ve been doing that. I mean, it

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:32:34):

Really fast it off the roof. Yeah. It’s

Scott Luton (00:32:37):

Rhonda and that’s, that’s a great thing to see. I, uh, I saw some areas. I can’t remember where I read this, but there were no more dogs to adopt that this chain for a dog adopting dogs and run a dry with. So, but, um, Rhonda, let’s make sure we’ll get that back on and have a fuller conversation, but where can folks connect with you and learn more about your thought leadership as was global global trends?

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:33:01):

Sure. Well, I’m very active as you know, Scott and try to join in as much as I can on the show on LinkedIn. Um, but you can reach me through LinkedIn or just Google global trans and just give me a shout out all my information’s there. And you know, I just thank you for your time and I wish everybody health and happiness in the new year. Awesome. Thanks so much.

Greg White (00:33:23):

Hold my beer. No joke.

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:33:26):

Well, that’s on YouTube. YouTube. Okay. So we’re off this Thursday, but we’ll be back next week.

Scott Luton (00:33:32):

Uh, Amanda and clay, let’s see if we can’t drop, uh, Ronda’s LinkedIn profile on the comments as well as a link to a hold my beer from YouTube, not B-to-B ease, making things easier. It really is

Greg White (00:33:43):

Thirsty Thursday. After all of my discussion around alcohol, we drop it tequila, sunrise on Thursday and hold my beer on Thursday. And here we are telling people not to drink. I have water. Honestly. It’s just the concept. It’s just,

Rhonda Bompensa Zimmerman (00:34:03):

There’s a little drinking, maybe a little wine, maybe a little beer, but it’s in a healthy fashion,

Scott Luton (00:34:10):

Alan, sit with exercise and, and eating right. And that kind of stuff. But you got to make time to splurge. So, um, you gotta have some fun that’s right for Rhonda. Thank you so much for doing this here today. Rhonda bum, Pinza Zimmerman, P H D uh, always a pleasure to reconnect with you. And we look forward to having you back with us in the new year. Thanks so much, Ron. All right, guys. Have a great day. You too. Merry Christmas.

Greg White (00:34:34):

Yeah,

Scott Luton (00:34:40):

But that was a, yeah, it was right on Tommy. That was a, uh, last minute. Good. We had to go through Ronda’s agents and PNM. I’m kidding. But, um, I, I wanted to balance, you know, especially this week as, as you know, we find folks dress not are gifts and packages and all the, all the, uh, what I, what I call just my opinion, all the negative stuff associated with the season, right. That’s why I love Thanksgiving is food and family and gratefulness. And we don’t have to worry about tracking packages, but I love Rhonda I’ve re I’ve been a big fan of what Ron has shared via social media to balance and, and keep things in perspective. And, and I’m glad we were able to get 10 minutes with her here to,

Greg White (00:35:21):

Yeah, I agree. I think that it’s always helpful to talk about mental health right at this time. I mean, it’s inevitable that you have to, there are a lot of people who aren’t getting what they want out of the holiday season and it’s the end of the year is up. So a lot of people reflecting, so always good to have that kind of positive reinforcement. Agreed. Agreed. Okay. He’s a doctor. So

Scott Luton (00:35:47):

Yeah. Listen to science. You to listen. All right. So we, but w we have a double, a double feature here today on the supply chain buzz and love all the comments and that we’re trying to balance the guest input with, um, with some of the comments, but, uh, keep it coming. Love to see those conversations in the comments we’re going to bring in today. Our second featured guests, I wouldn’t welcome in devastate is Perez chief commercial officer and co-founder of RPL group DMO. Good afternoon. Hey guys, how are you doing fantastic, Greg? You know, we’ve talked about and, and shame on us because we were, we’ve been wanting to get demo own, uh, make an appearance live stream for months now. And we had to go through, I think he’s got an army of agents and PR group, and we had to get in line, uh, Oprah one to see him first and then Wolf Blitzer. But finally, we got him here on the supply chain bus. So David Blitzer, that’s pretty good. We’re moving up.

Demo Perez (00:36:52):

No, I was so happy and thrilled to be here, guys. Um, you know, I’m, I’m a big fan of that show. So being here, it’s a great, it’s a great, I think for me. Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:37:03):

Thank you so much. So, Greg, where are we starting with demo here today?

Greg White (00:37:07):

Yeah, that’s a good question, Scott. Uh, so let me get back. I was, I was so locked in on, on, um, on Rhonda, but since we know all about Rhonda demo, tell us a little bit about, about you, where you are and, um, you know, kind of what you got your eyes on right now. So you’re, you’re tackling supply chain for central America. So your eyes and ears down there.

Demo Perez (00:37:32):

Yeah, yeah. Uh, well, uh, I’m today I’m, uh, broadcasting from the colon free trade zone in Panama, which is the, uh, the biggest, um, free trade zone in Western hemisphere where, uh, our office is located. Um, I asked you, you mentioned I am the co-founder and chief commercial officer of five-year group. Uh, we are, uh, trivial warehousing repeal focusing on, um, uh, order management, inventory management, uh, fulfillment services for global companies that uses Panama as their regional distribution center for Latin America. Um, mainly central America, as you mentioned, the Caribbean islands and the North part of, um, Southern America, meaning, you know, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela. So those are our main markets, um, Panama. So, uh, I have been, uh, on this industry for over 20 years now. Um, and I’m on, I’m an ops guy that now, uh, more focusing on, uh, you know, uh, building, uh, global relations and, uh, and focusing on, on helping our customers to simplify, uh, a very complex, um, operations, which are distributing for this big number of countries. Uh, so this is what I’m focusing on right now.

Greg White (00:38:58):

Got it. That’s fantastic. So You all kind of help people get through. And part of what you do is help people get through the canal, right? Not to talk all business, but demo. I’m looking for a sailboat. And I understand that after people spend 12, $1,300 to get through all the locks and had it with sailing by then. So if you can get an eye on any good boats while you’re down there, let me know.

Demo Perez (00:39:26):

I will, I will,

Greg White (00:39:28):

Other than important things like people’s sailboats, what, what, what all really has your attention right now in supply chain? I mean, it doesn’t have to be holiday oriented, but what’s really going on that we need to know about that our community needs to hear

Demo Perez (00:39:42):

Well right now, uh, one of our biggest concerns is the container church, um, a very, uh, tough situation. Uh, actually this morning coming from to the, to the warehouse, I was seeing a lot of, uh, non operating research, uh, uh, reefer containers on the warehouses, because those are the equipments that are being used to, to bring goods from China, because there are not other, you know, uh, regular, uh, dry containers. So you see a big line all over the streets of, uh, reefers, you know, uh, turn off, uh, and, and based on what I heard last week from, from a good friend from mercy, uh, this situation won’t be better, uh, for the next six months, um, will be better, want to be better because, uh, there are a couple of huge situations that are coming. First of all, the vaccine, uh, means you will use reefer containers. And also the biggest, uh, CSUN from exports, from fruits and vegetables out of Southern America, it’s coming. So they, they need the, they need the reapers and we can’t get the dry container. Depots are stuck in the U S or Europe. So, um, something very interesting it’s coming. Okay.

Greg White (00:41:11):

Yeah. Well, and not to mention that the, uh, the vaccines right, that are shipping also need at least refrigeration, if not Sub-Zero so yeah.

Scott Luton (00:41:20):

Yes. Hey, let me share these two factoids from our friend and our mutual friend, Enrique Alvarez and the vector global logistics team. Uh, first off 60%, 60% of global goods move back. And according to the UN trade data, there are close to 180 million containers worldwide. However, check this out. Average container turnaround times have ballooned to a hundred days up from 60 days, 40 additional days to turn around time. That is no wonder, right?

Demo Perez (00:41:53):

It’s crazy. And the other thing is, is the worst part is the cost of the shipping. Uh, you know, the, the rates, um, at this time last year I container from China were costing around $2,000. Now it’s $6,000 and it’s growing as long as we know. So the cost of goods will be expensive. And, and, and, and, and, you know, that means that a lot of challenges coming

Scott Luton (00:42:20):

That’s right. Well, let’s move, uh, from that huge problem that you’re tracking, uh, that, that everyone industry is tracking here lately. And, and hopefully we get some good news in the, in the weeks and months ahead, but let’s, let’s turn to the bigger picture in here 2020. So, you know, one of our favorite, um, uh, questions that Greg and I really enjoy hearing people address is those Eureka moments. And, um, you know, we’ve really had some, some really intriguing, compelling moments in our, in our interviews from that one very simple question. I remember learning about Eureka moments in third grade with Ms. Wells and mom, uh, soar class. Um, so it was like a, a student’s own active research is what it stood for. It was a creative kind of programming for, for folks who did their homework, maybe so, but Ms. Jackie Wells was, uh, did a great job, uh, teaching us about various things that you typically don’t learn about elementary school. So when you think of your Eureka moments and your key business observations from 2020 DMO, what, what does that make you think of?

Demo Perez (00:43:30):

Well, first of all, we, we have to learn to do business through zoom and, you know, um, it’s for me, you, you don’t have all the time. I’ve been very close to the operations of the warehouse. So here hear the beep of the forklift, you know, and, and we have customers and, and, and you go on forensics, so you gotta be present now, um, using the computer, you need to learn how to interpret what is going on the side with the person you’d have a coffee or a beer in the hand with this person just to, you know, to, to, to make the relationship, uh, you know, closer. And it’s very hard. Um, w we have many experiences all over the year trying to do businesses, uh, over, over the spring. So some of them were really good. Others took longer. Um, you know, uh, typically you have, as I said, a coffee or a beer one time with person, and then you, you have a time, but now you have to have three, four, five minutes in the zoom just to have understand what the other person is looking for, especially if it’s in the other side of the world or, or, you know, uh, it’s, it’s pretty depressing.

Demo Perez (00:44:50):

Uh, but we made, we made it. So this is for me, one of the biggest things, uh, we used to be always, uh, you know, present, uh, going to meetings every day, especially for me, I was, uh, coming from Panama city to close to call operations, and then moving back, it was like a crazy, uh, scale, but now you can do everything from your desk, right. In shorts and slippers. So, you know, uh, it’s, it’s something we learned this year,

Scott Luton (00:45:22):

But you know, it is, um, I know you’re a big relationship, uh, pro DMO and, and I liked the SA I am as well. And I think one of the things missing things are more challenging things. And, and Greg, I think of content, we creating content. I think of some of those really, you know, when you get in a room and you get around a table, or you’re at a trade show, and to your point, DMO, you get a chance for a diet Coke or a Budweiser. And you’re just kind of talking about everything about work, right. You’re building some rapport and getting to know people, and then you get into business. Or then Greg, you get into the interview and with zoom while you can still afford time for that, it seems to be, well, it definitely is much different in terms of, you know, kind of warming up and building that rapport to get into business. It’s just a little bit different here, digitally.

Demo Perez (00:46:11):

Yes, it is. And, and you’re in different environments and, and, and, you know, uh, they, they, the, the phone is ringing or, you know, uh, the people would smoke. It started in my case with the dogs, closing, marking, whatever. Uh, so this is a total different, uh, um, procedure let’s say, do, do visits to have meetings. So it’s something we just learn and we need to do, I think we need to get accustomed with that and, and move forward in doing that

Scott Luton (00:46:45):

Agreed before we

Greg White (00:46:46):

A lot of good in it, frankly, in some cases, because we, we were expected to show up or right. And that’s why we did. And now I think we’ve established the ability to develop relationships, to develop rapport, to do some of that water cooler discussion, Scott that you’re alluding to on these kind of, um, meetings. I mean, because look, let’s face it, zoom, didn’t invent the video call. In fact, they were one of the latest to the party of all right. There are still dozens out there that have been around for decades. So the, the difference, the thing that has changed is societal expectation and acceptance of this kind of interaction. Mostly because we didn’t have any choice now that we do. I think it will, it will make those kinds of interactions much, much more economical, and frankly, much more effective. I can tell you that I’ve literally flown to Singapore for a two hour meeting before, right. That’s 24 hours of travel for a two hour meeting one way. So, and I knew when I was doing it, it made absolutely no sense except for the money that we made by

Scott Luton (00:47:57):

Boat. I was about to ask you is

Greg White (00:47:58):

Proposing a deal, but yes. Um, but essentially it was, you know, a two-hour meeting dinner, drinks, get on a plane, fly the fly back around the other side of the world and, and get home. And I don’t know how we function in those situations sometimes, frankly, it’s mostly adrenaline, but now that we have this as an option, there is, um, you know, I think that people will start to use it more effectively. We don’t care about people’s barking dogs or screaming children, or, and thankfully we don’t know what they’re wearing below camera level. Cool. That’s a great idea. That’s right.

Scott Luton (00:48:38):

Well, Hey, really quick before you, uh, demo shear any anymore, your key observations with us, I want to recognize a few folks from the audience here. So going back to containers, David says that he’s read most container manufacturers are already sold out at capacity for most of 2021. Uh, let’s see. My aver says during shutdown, a lot of shippers reduced capacity to help pricing prices have come back after being down from 2017, 2019, Gary says, was that sore or sore? That was, uh, the former S O a R students own active research. And along

Greg White (00:49:15):

That sword,

Scott Luton (00:49:17):

I was not a fencer in high class. Uh, let’s see here, AA says with container shortages and transportation price hikes, uh, we’re coming closer to the break even point where ensuring in near shoring mates sense, excellent point AA. And by the way, Greg, we’ll see if clay and Amanda can drop it into the comments. I loved your profile of AA from, I think it was last week, right on LinkedIn. Yep. Yeah. Love it. Amanda.

Greg White (00:49:47):

His incredible support of us, obviously his incredible support of Wichita state, the fact that he is a professor there. And if you look at the comments, he’s clearly making an impact on people’s lives. And he made the mistake of letting me know what one of his AEs stood for.

Scott Luton (00:50:05):

I love it. I love it here, capital of the world Hinsley, uh, named by the 1929 aeronautical society of the U F w I’ve just dropped that in. And yes, it was coined by an aeronautical chamber in 1929. I got to look it up, but Hey, let’s see if we can drop that LinkedIn profile in the comments. Yeah. Um, a couple of quick comments before we continue with demo here, Kayvon says, uh, prices have been highly effected by disruption, especially the pandemic. We have not examined such relationship between price and resilience, how to remain responsible concurrent with gaining profits in a disruption scenario. And you know, where that takes my mind, Greg, how to be, how to find opportunities without being opportunistic as our dear friend, Kevin Bell dropped off.

Greg White (00:50:54):

Yeah, that’s right. And, and how, some of the most obvious cases of being opportunistic really great me a bit, but everyone does. So even today,

Scott Luton (00:51:10):

That’s all right. Uh, David, who says, hello DEMA, by the way, he says, we all found out just how many meetings could have been emails. I completely agree. All right. So

Greg White (00:51:23):

Although I got to tell you, I still miss those water cooler conversations. I can tell you that I have, I have, and I know lots of people that have solved real big problems by walking by somebody in the hallway and having a completely unrelated conversation that ignites that thing that only, I thought only happened in cop shows, right. When they make them take the two days off and, and they see something in the park and they go, Oh, that’s how I’m going to solve the crime. That stuff really happens. But I, for me, it often has to be in a physical environment.

Scott Luton (00:51:57):

Yeah. Excellent point, Greg. You know, I completely agree. I think that that, that does work. Um, I can remember, especially when I was in manufacturing, dealing with some very complex challenges to, to now as an entrepreneur and, you know, there’s no shortage of challenges there and sometimes you just gotta shut down for the day and then come and revisit it the next morning. After, after our new, you know, a nice night asleep and 17 cups of coffee, you can uncover some of these Eureka moments for sure. All right. So demo, uh, and really enjoy your sentiment. Clearly folks in the, in, in the comments do as well. What else really sticks out when you, when you look back at proverbial question 20 or so now you looking back at the year that was in 2020, what else sticks out as a big lesson learned?

Demo Perez (00:52:42):

Uh, you need to take into consideration that, uh, at the beginning of this year, I quit my job as a corporate thicker this, and, uh, I became an entrepreneur just before the pandemic. Um, so opening up opening a company, uh, we were a partner. We, you know, we, we, we started with all these energies and then the, the epidemic came out. So, um, projects that we have in line will drop their holes. And so we need to rethink the complete project. So, uh, one of the things that we learned, uh, I personally learned this year is you, you need to always be, uh, curious on opportunities and, and able to change plans and, but always moving forward, but on many things coming, all this, uh, despite the, uh, the human tragedy of this pandemic, there’s a lot of opportunities to do things. And, and I, I think that, uh, we need to look at the good part of this, uh, prejudice. Right?

Scott Luton (00:53:43):

Agreed. I love that sentiment.

Greg White (00:53:46):

Always be curious. That is brilliant. Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:53:52):

So, uh, for the sake of time, I want to make sure our audience knows how to connect with you. DEMA also want to give you, uh, give them a heads up. We take a deeper dive with the one and only Bemo Perez in an upcoming episode of our, one of our newest series supply chain. Now in a spaniel that’s led by Enrique Alvarez. So we look forward to releasing that maybe, maybe the second version demo in a month. Cool.

Greg White (00:54:17):

We should have done this in Spanish,

Demo Perez (00:54:22):

In Spanish.

Scott Luton (00:54:24):

I love your, uh, Greg. I don’t know about you. I’ve always picked up while DMO and I haven’t spent a bunch of time in person. Uh, you can tell when they’re positive people that always bring a breath of fresh air to conversations on top of their expertise and leadership and everything else. It’s that disposition that really Deimos strikes me, that he has, Greg

Greg White (00:54:46):

Entrepreneurs are always like that. You have to believe, right. You have to be dumb enough to believe that you can actually change the world. And sometimes you’re actually good enough to do it. And that is amazing. So I love that spirit, right? I mean, it takes guts and it takes, um, it takes being optimistic and it takes a little bit of, um, what do I want to say? So self, uh, self confidence obviously, right? I mean, you really have to believe that you can change the world. And I think, I mean, I think you’re, you have displayed here that you can have enormous impact on a demo. So I really,

Scott Luton (00:55:29):

I do too. Hey, really quick before we find out from demo where folks can connect with him, we’re, we’re finding some Eureka moments in the comments here. Uh, Mike says his best thinking comes in. The shower is responding to Tom and Dave and says for that very reason, he has a white board in his shower. David, I am impressed. And I’m going to steal that idea from you. How does that even work?

Demo Perez (00:55:53):

You know what? I have heard the thump referee podcast in the, in the, in the shower many times.

Scott Luton (00:56:02):

Oh, that is a waterproof ear headphones.

Demo Perez (00:56:07):

No, no, you’re in stereo. Yeah. I saw the one that was released this morning. I get it on the other shower. So,

Scott Luton (00:56:19):

And, uh, Wanda has already challenged us the next one in Portuguese. Yes. So

Scott Luton (00:56:24):

Stay tuned. We’re going to tackle our first. Yeah, that’s right. I only know how to say Portuguese and Portuguese, wait, DEMA. Let’s make sure folks can connect with you and, uh, IPL groups. So what, what’s the easiest way?

Demo Perez (00:56:41):

Well, um, you can find those on our website. I, um, trippy L panama.com. It’s very easy. Okay.

Scott Luton (00:56:49):

You can drop that in the comments. I think one of, uh, Daniel might have dropped that in the comments,

Demo Perez (00:56:55):

Ah, pull. Yeah. Yeah. Th th Danny probably put it. Yeah. It’s, uh, the, the easy way to find what we do here and, uh, while we can do for, for businesses. And I’m always, uh, I try to be as, uh, as much as the gallon goes, LinkedIn time is always a huge resource, but, um, I try to be at least once a day just to connect with all the, all the people there. So,

Scott Luton (00:57:20):

Excellent. Well, it’s a shame. It took us this long, but we’re going to have you back soon in 2021. And I look forward to promoting your thought leadership and a deeper dive interview with Enrique Alvarez, uh, DMO as a fellow entrepreneur. I’m so excited about what 2021 is going to mean for your company. Uh, we’re in it together for sure. And we look forward to reconnecting soon, happy holidays, Merry Christmas, you and your family. Yeah.

Demo Perez (00:57:46):

For you two guys, I’m very happy to be here and always supporting what you do. And, uh, hopefully, uh, the aspire version works really well.

Scott Luton (00:57:54):

Awesome. Thanks so much. There’s a lot of demand. Thanks. Take care.

Demo Perez (00:58:00):

Bye-bye

Scott Luton (00:58:03):

Oh man. There’s the spirit to him that, um, it just feels different somehow. There’s a spirit to you here too. I think everybody is, is in it now, you know? And it feels good. Yeah. Agreed. Agreed. That that is a special thing about the, one of my favorite things about holiday season is, is folks are a little bit more patient they’re a little more empathetic, um, unless they’re waiting for packages or whatever, or in a parking lot parking lots. Right? Well, Hey everyone, we, we dropped the Moe’s, uh, in a LinkedIn profile in the show notes. So you can definitely connect with him that way. I was, um, uh, over it was my oversight. I did not include, uh, Dr. Ben Pinza, Zimmerman’s, uh, LinkedIn in the PR in the show notes, but I believe clay and Amanda dropped that in the comments. I love the conversations that were going on.

Scott Luton (00:59:02):

We couldn’t get to all of them, but we want to wrap up on a couple of final notes. Greg. There’s no shortage of things going on. All right. Speaking of inspiring stories. So this is a quote from Mary Barra. I got to know better over the weekend. She says, quote, when we have to make tough decisions, giving direction and the strategies for the products of general motors, there should be constructive tension. We should have vigorous debates, but Greg, as you like saying, after the tensions been experienced, after the vigorous debates have been, had you make a decision and you move forward as a team, right, right. Disagree and commit, disagree and commit t-shirt, uh, disagree

Greg White (00:59:47):

Claim origin for that. But yeah, that’s, it’s, it’s critical to do that, right. As a management team, even if you disagree, you’ve got to at least commit

Scott Luton (00:59:55):

Excellent point. And let’s see. So Mary Barra has she started working at general motors at 18. She spent a lifetime there thus far was named CEO and then chairman and CEO two years later, and really about all by most accounts, she has done a remarkable job navigating through some major crises, especially right after she was named CEO. And we got to know her story a little bit better in 15 minutes time on this week in business history. So check that out, wherever you podcasts from and give us feedback, including a surprising connection between Mary Barra and one of the world’s most famous companies. So you have to check that out. All right, Greg, one other comment that struck me, I think this morning, I think this was in the wall street logistics report this morning. Ryan Yost says COVID, COVID accelerated the role of technology for supply chains. What we thought was on the horizon for 2025, the horizon will be implemented in 2021. Greg. I know you’re chomping at the bit to comment on that. Yeah.

Greg White (01:00:58):

Uh, you know, I have been saying now for 10 months, right? If you were, if you’ve been using manual processes and I just know that and spreadsheets and old, uh, old legacy technology, and, and then as I say, if you have built your house on sand and you have survived this catastrophic flood, don’t be foolish to do it again, build your house on stone. And that stone is the technology,

Scott Luton (01:01:25):

The future that’s right. Don’t use straw or sticks to build your house either, make it be bricks. Lesson learned also hearkens back to the latest episode of this week in business history. All right. So, uh, Hey, if you appreciate all of our audience and community showing up today and sharing so many great comments and questions, including a couple of, of, uh, first time supply chain buzz, um, uh, uh, community members keep it coming. We, we wish all of course, one of holiday season, you can learn more about us@supplychainnow.com where again, our mission is to serve as the voice of supply chain, Greg. Uh, this is going to be the last time we, we speak with our listeners lob this week. We’ve got no shortage of content otherwise, but what if you, uh, had a couple of wishes of share, uh, with our community members? What would that be?

Greg White (01:02:16):

Yeah. If any, if I missed any of you that I wished happy Hanukkah to, or that I should’ve wished happy Hanukkah to which ended yesterday, uh, hopefully you had a happy Hanukkah. If you are a Christmas celebrator, have a beautiful, wonderful Christmas Phillies, nada. And, um, look, we look forward to, we’re going to drop some classic episodes. Of course, what would we do at the end of the year besides that? Uh, but we’re going to have some, some special stuff for you for, uh, I think we’re doing one more buzz this year, correct? Before reading

Scott Luton (01:02:52):

And you know what, um, not only so, so Chris, I think it’s Chris rezone. I think I might be saying his last name incorrect, but I saw Chris tweet something out and it really challenged me because as you just mentioned there, Greg, most podcasts, your year end do a lot of recycling, which is nothing wrong with we, we love our classic conversations that folks may have missed the first go round, but he kind of inspired us to keep creating new content, uh, and, and really, uh, get takes from each of our hosts. Uh, so we’ve got some great conversations teed up there. Uh, we dropped speaking of classic content. Uh, one thing that we didn’t mention, but we’ve got a link in the show. Notes is, uh, Norman. Um, gosh, gosh, what was that?

Scott Luton (01:03:46):

So Amanda is chatting to me from, uh, the marketing office. So the godfather lean Norman Bodak unfortunately passed away just a couple a week or so ago. About 10 days ago, I believe and talk about an iconic business legend and in so many different ways and shapes and forms. And, and, um, our dear friend, Chris Barnes sat down with the godfather of lean back in October, 2019, and we stitched together what was a, a three installment interview. And we released that in our main channel Sunday morning. And man, you know, some, some folks aren’t always as advertised Norman was chocked full. I think it’s about an hour and a half interview. And Chris does a great job getting, you know, picking, picking, uh, uh, Norman’s brain. And it just it’s, it’s intriguing, uh, stuff. So there is a good reason to have classic content, but we’re accepting the challenge. And then we’re going to keep turning out new content

Greg White (01:04:45):

Over the next couple of weeks. Yeah. So we’re going to turn the tables on our hosts, right. And make them explain themselves. Yes. Agreed and interview you Scott.

Scott Luton (01:04:56):

Oh, not I stay on this side. I stay on this side.

Greg White (01:04:59):

Is that how that works? Are you sure? I’m pretty sure.

Scott Luton (01:05:05):

Well, Hey, I’m not quite six Sigma. Sure. But I’m pretty sure. Um, but Hey, this, this is a great conversation. I really appreciate, uh, Rhonda and DMO taking time out of their busy schedule, especially this week to join us and share some really helpful insights with our audience. Thanks so much the community. It kept it coming as always, uh, best wishes to each of you and your families, wherever you’re from. Um, and we’re looking for, we’ll be with you before the year turns over, and then we’re all ready to flip that calendar. But, uh, Greg, it’s been a pleasure to, to, uh, jump on this with you each Monday this year. And of course, clay and Amanda and the whole team behind the scenes that make this happen. But Hey, Mary

Intro/Outro (01:05:47):

Happy Hanukkah, happy holidays, happy new year from our whole team here. And on that note, do good. Give Ford be the changes needed. And we’ll see you next time here on supply chain. Now things are buddy.

Would you rather watch the show in action?

Watch as Scott and Greg welcome Demo Perez and Rhonda Bompensa-Zimmerman to Supply Chain Now through our YouTube channel.

Featured Guests

Rhonda Bompensa-Zimmerman is an educator that is passionate about sharing behavioral strategies to help others find their way to living a more joyful and meaningful life. With decades serving as a Director of Fitness and Wellness at the collegiate level, she is excited to find her home now working in the transportation technology world at GlobalTranz. She is enjoying the opportunity to help her team, and other professionals in the industry, by sharing mind, body, and spirit positive health practices to aid them in their journey of personal and professional success.

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.

Hosts

Greg White

Principal & Host

Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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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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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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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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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, 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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