Supply Chain Now
Episode 545

Episode Summary

“I feel like I’ve been baptized in the First Church of Freight by Brother Nurfad today.”

-Scott Luton, Host, Supply Chain Now

 

In this episode of the Supply Chain Buzz on Supply Chain Now, Scott and Greg welcome Nurfad Nadarevic to the show as they discuss the top news in supply chain for the 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 (00:00:39):

Hey, good morning. Good afternoon. Scott Luton, Greg white with you here on the supply chain buzz and supply chain. Now welcome to today’s live stream, Greg. Good afternoon. How are you? Happy new years doing well. How are you? Hey, can you, can you do the whole show? Just like that, just like that. I don’t know. It probably offend people in New York or Philly or whatever accent that actually is whatever exit that was. That’s funny. Well, Hey, happy new year, everybody. We’re thankfully we’re finally in the 2021, hopefully your holiday season and your, your new year’s weekend went well, uh, better than some at least. And the boat got a great show line up here today. We’ve got, uh, uh, the spot chain buzz where we tackle, you know, some of the headlines not to be missed across global supply chain where we’re tackling some of the leading stories.

Scott Luton (00:01:27):

And Greg, it is the Showtime at the Apollo edition of the buzz, right? Yes, it is the man of the hour, the tower of power, too. Sweet to be sour, but didn’t see that coming and gray. You got warn me on those things. Hey, came to me. We have got near Fahd, not, uh, [inaudible] of itch with us here today, who is VP of sales with my trucker.com. Hey, if you’ve been watching our live streams, you know, he always brings it and he always brings a great sense of humor. So stay tuned for a great appearance here in about 25 minutes or so looking forward to that, Greg. Oh yeah. And I mean, if you’re on LinkedIn, you can always hear about all kinds of things, especially some of the, uh, comic irony of, of dealing with day to day basis. I just love the way he presents.

Scott Luton (00:02:23):

Well, it was funny and we’re going to say hello to a few folks here momentarily, but it was funny, right? As we were about to go live, I asked him if he brought his routine today and he said, yeah, absolutely. Don’t worry though. It’s all family friendly soon. Find out that’s right. All right. Let’s say loads of you folks. We’ve got some of our favorite friends tuned in with us here. Sophia is with us happy new year happy first, Monday of 2021. Wow. I hadn’t really thought about it that way, but I guess so. Right, because new year’s day was Friday. Yeah. Jeffrey Miller. Good afternoon. Happy new year to you and your family. Jeff Mervyn. Hope this you. Well, I think he is in Ireland, right? Greg

Greg White (00:03:02):

Ireland. Yep.

Scott Luton (00:03:04):

Uh, Daria Patel. Great to see you as always upwards and onwards in 2021. I’m with you there. Daria. Great to have you here. Mike Avra. Hope this finds you. Well, I am missing my weekly wall street journal or, uh, industry, uh, news from you, Mike. So I’ll be looking for that today. Uh, let’s see here

Greg White (00:03:24):

Urging him to put that out and his analysis on, on LinkedIn. I agree. I don’t know. Maybe, you know, you can’t always see all the people in your feed, man. His analysis on that is fantastic.

Scott Luton (00:03:35):

Spot on. He’ll have to join him for an appearance on the buzz. Peter, let’s kick off. Let’s kick it off 2021. Here we come. Cheers. All the best success for the coming year and Peter, uh, I appreciate the message via LinkedIn. Appreciate your, um, being a part of our community here at supply chain now and, and your, your nice feedback there. So welcome today. Course can’t have laughed stream at David, right?

Greg White (00:04:01):

It’s live now.

Scott Luton (00:04:03):

It is live, uh, Alejandra. Great to have you here with us. Uh, you Dell. Good, good afternoon. You Dell love to know where you are tuned in from their own LinkedIn Ronaldo. Uh, hello, Chrissa. Hello, Brennan Davis. Good morning. Great to have

Greg White (00:04:22):

So the boss is keeping an eye on Nerf. That’s good. We’ll make sure he stays in line Brendan. That’s right. Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:04:29):

Gary Smith. Hello Gary. Good morning to you. Great to have you here as always. All right. So I know we didn’t get, didn’t get everybody we’re going to try to make sure you’re represented throughout live streams. Y’all keep the comments coming, especially on these stories that we are going to be tackling. And of course our guest, um, her Fahd, which will be joining us live about 1230 or so. All right, Greg, you bet you’re ready to get to work.

Greg White (00:04:52):

Let’s do this. Alright. So

Scott Luton (00:04:54):

Up first, uh, Greg, you’re gonna give us an update on the noble mission as the vaccine distribution

Greg White (00:05:00):

10 years, right? Just a ton of fascinating numbers on this thing. Um, first of all, I don’t know if everyone else feels as relieved by this Monday. Now that Sophia has pointed it out, it feels as relieved by this Monday, but this somehow feels like a better Monday than maybe the last 52 Mondays we’ve gotten through. Uh, so yeah, let’s do talk about, uh, some of the numbers, not, not solely coronavirus, but just for perspective. Let me start with their 7.8 billion. That’s the number of people in the world? 15.6 billion is the number of doses required to inoculate the globe with two dose vaccines. Now it’s not certain that all vaccines will be to dose, but, um, a lot of them are right now that the most prominent ones, at least in the States are. So 1 million is the number of vaccines that a Boeing 77 200 can carry, which means it is 16 flights required to deliver all necessary vaccines.

Greg White (00:06:02):

Assuming that they do come by air, not all will in the States, in some States where they’re being, uh, are some countries where they’re being produced inside the country. That’s not going to be necessary, but that’s an interesting number. And 24,000 pounds, this will get the true, at least in the state 24,000 pounds per day of dry eyes being produced to keep vaccines. Cool. Wow. 30 countries so far have administered doses, 12.3 doses globally have been administered. Um, and this is interesting. And so I looked at some other statistics here and, uh, there’s a Bloomberg article two, which I will, or just the drop in the chat. Um, finally, Scott, someone besides the U S can be considered to have done something ridiculously over the top or blatantly and perhaps brilliantly opportunistic. The UK and Canada have both reserved around three times. The number of doses of vaccine that’s required to inoculate their entire population.

Greg White (00:07:11):

Plus Canada has reserved even more through a Kovacs, uh, consortium. So they’re probably setting themselves up to be a distributor to the world that I’m sure fair pricing. Um, Australia and New Zealand both have over 220%. Um, they’ve reserved way more than they need as well. So we’ll soon find out how those, how noble those countries, respective missions are interesting strategy there. Um, I mean, there are a lot of reasons for that. Very few of them are non opportunistic. Uh, let’s talk a little bit about the U S there are 13 million doses that have been distributed 4.3 million people in the U S have received their first dose. Um, and, um, China has the capacity to, uh, to build or to, to produce 1.4 billion doses and they’ve re reserved enough, uh, to cover 77% of their population. So some countries are choosing to produce in-country. Some are solely reliant on, on this ANCOVA consortium, like Kovacs or other imports of, of vaccines.

Greg White (00:08:26):

Um, there’s a map in the article that I linked to that shows you where kind of where everyone stands, even considering all that capacity, China, which has a population of, that’s almost 2 billion, maybe it’s a little bit over, right. Um, has, has administered 4.5 billion or million doses to date and get this the number of doses, the number of people that need to be inoculated each day to cover the globe by the end of 21, which is what all of the government agencies are saying. 43 million people need to be inoculated each day in order to cover the globe by the end of 2021. Wow. So just to give some perspective on, I mean, I’m not sure that there’s really anything to take away there other than there are some countries that are apparently positioning to be the hubs for distribution. Um, the U S does have a little bit more than it needs, um, between reserves and production, but that’s also because so many of the, of the, uh, companies are that are producing. It are based here in the States, right?

Scott Luton (00:09:34):

Fascinating. Uh, and the Bloomberg Bloomberg article is a great one of course, this one here that we’ve got, uh, from supply chain dives is a great one, especially if you like the facts and factoids.

Greg White (00:09:44):

Great. Just kind of look at the numbers and then hear the, the quick, uh, spiel about what those numbers represent. Right. Agreed. Agreed.

Scott Luton (00:09:53):

So let’s get a couple of comments here, Greg own on that. Uh, let’s see here. First one, um, Mike Avis says vaccines and at home deliveries of fresh food has dry eyes as at a premium right now. It’s a great point. That certainly is part of the market for that. Uh, let’s see here, they’ve been says $1 million a dose for you, Greg white. That sounds low, David. It sounded really low, Tom Raftery. Good morning. Yeah. You know, we’ve had a challenge with my wired ethernet here today, so, um, I hope to be back the next buzz, uh, in full HD, uh, 5,000 PI pixels. So Tom hope this finds you well, you’re fine. I’m here to watch today’s guest heard. He talks too much, not at all eight in your file. Looking forward to your comments here momentarily, AAS back with us. Uh, they’re in the air capital,

Greg White (00:10:51):

The world, Greg. Yeah. Happy new year.

Scott Luton (00:10:55):

Mike Ava says purchasing strategy might be to move them up on the list as well so that their countries are guaranteed to have enough vaccines. I think Greg, he was talking about your country by country,

Greg White (00:11:07):

Right? Yeah. Yeah. And it, it is, and it is true. I didn’t go into that great depth, but the wealthiest countries are of course at the top of the list. Yeah. Agreed. Agreed.

Scott Luton (00:11:18):

Um, let’s see here. Uh, Chrissa says as supply chain experts slash nerds, and I like that aggressor you’re gonna fit right in here. How do you all think we could improve the distribution and administration of the vaccine in the U S now, Greg, that’s a great question. And I’d love for the community to weigh in, but is there one thing Greg, that comes to mind on your own from your end?

Greg White (00:11:41):

Yeah. The one thing that comes to mind is that, um, Pfizer and BioNTech instead of, instead of trying to create their own distribution network could have used the existing debt network through all the distributors in the U S but for some reason they don’t want to do that. Right. It could be a security concern and, you know, a lot, a lot, Chris, uh, depends on what you mean by improve because it, it could have been a security concern in that. Um, that’s why they chose to do it that way from a pure volume standpoint, obviously using the existing distributors, um, in the, in the us would have been the best way to go. Yeah,

Scott Luton (00:12:20):

Well put, and, and, you know, just like we see an e-commerce that final mile can bite you. And if I’ve got any concern thus far early on is

Greg White (00:12:30):

That, you know, all the

Scott Luton (00:12:32):

States and locales are going to have different approaches there and because there’s not one single sole strategy. So yeah. It would be really interesting to see how that plays out.

Greg White (00:12:40):

But yeah, I mean, you know, that is that that’s a really good point, Scott, because I think again, I want to remind people around the world that the United States is United States. It’s basically 50 countries with an army and a bank over the top of it. Right. Um, much of the governance of, of the U S is left to the individual States and that’s a very rare commodity and in the world. So it does create its challenges like you had, you just suggested Scott,

Scott Luton (00:13:11):

Great point, great point. Um, let’s see here. Sophia says the last will be the first vaccinate, hashtag vaccination hope,

Greg White (00:13:20):

Great point there. I think at least in the States, it’s, it’s happening that way. To some extent, obviously they’re getting essential workers, but also people who are in, um, you know, who are in, um, hold folks, homes, whatever you want to call it, care facilities, right? Yes. So, uh, it’s funny because I’m frequently asked the question, will you take the vaccine? I’m like, I got a long time to decide that. Yeah, probably of course. Right. But I’m not, it’s not, it’s not even going to be offered. Right. And feel probably last quarter of this year at best. Right.

Scott Luton (00:13:53):

Yeah. Good point. Uh, I think this is Rhonda, uh, and, and clay and Amanda I’ll double check me here, but, uh, she says, thanks for vaccines. Update some issue with cold storage here in Arizona. And that probably is probably not going to be, um, we’re gonna probably get to see a good bit of that, uh, in the months to come yeah.

Greg White (00:14:12):

Here for the wrong state to have issues with coal storage. That’s right.

Scott Luton (00:14:17):

Fatina says happy new year. Everyone hope this year supply chain will flourish. Uh, I like, I like that word flourish, uh, for a variety of reasons, Greg, but for Tema, well said

Greg White (00:14:27):

And hopeless, if you will. Um,

Scott Luton (00:14:30):

And then one final David says, put the vaccine and distribute through pharmacies. Everyone can give it to themselves.

Greg White (00:14:37):

I like it if we just distributed to doctors, it’s, it’s not, it’s not that the network doesn’t exist out there. The issue is getting the States in the middle of it. Again, I think that goes to having the States, um, run distribution goes to fairness, right. It goes to security, um, and you know, obviously control. Right. Um, but yeah, I think the existing, the exist, I mean, look, we distribute the flu vaccine, which by the way, we haven’t had a single case of him States apparently, but we issue the flu vaccine, um, every year in mass to millions, tens and hundreds of millions of people every year in the States. And, and it hasn’t required this ever. Right? So, um, the, the infrastructure exists, I think people need to understand and they need to understand this globally, right. Government will get involved and mock up the works to some extent, but as long as their purpose is security and fairness, I think it’s, it’s a worthwhile cause

Scott Luton (00:15:44):

I’m with you. And I like Tom’s idea because it kind of goes back to your point. You’re making Greg, I mean, we do this already. This is just, this vaccine happens to be for, you know, the pandemic COVID-19, let’s tap into this extra capacity because it’s not no offense to any of our healthcare professionals and experts, but it’s not like putting folks on the moon is giving us, it’s given a shot. Right. And just making sure we protect it. And, uh, and it’s, uh, at the right temperature and some of those concerns, but Tom, I like your point here allow vets to also give vaccinations. They vaccinate multiple animals.

Greg White (00:16:15):

We’re not going to overrun the capacity of, of healthcare professionals. Right. And you can see that by the numbers already. I mean, the us has only vaccinated about 4.3 million people so far that’s um, so that’s, that’s not the issue. There’s not the ability to administer the vaccine. The issue is getting it to people, so it can be back, uh, administered. Goodbye.

Scott Luton (00:16:38):

Good point. Uh, so I’m looking out my window here, so it I’ve got several bird feeders and I got a couple new ones, uh, over the holidays. Yeah.

Greg White (00:16:47):

I got one right. Cam cam that we could just have running all the time, bird,

Scott Luton (00:16:53):

Bird cam on the bus,

Greg White (00:16:55):

But that would sack even more bandwidth from you.

Scott Luton (00:16:57):

I know what can we do? Um, but I’ve got one now, a new one right on the window. Right. So I can get some up close shots and I’ve been watching the squirrels trying to figure this out all morning and they will inevitably, but it’s been a simple things in life. Right. Um, I want to point out one of the person before we get to the second story here, uh, Bob is with us and, uh, Bob, I think your last name’s pronounced, uh, AKI, RK, I believe. And please let me know if I’m butchering that, but I’m going to, uh, point Bob out and hopefully I’m catching up with him on Wednesday afternoon, but he is a us Navy vet and a supply chain practitioner as well. And he’s looking for his next opportunity and I would love, you know, if you’re hiring out there in our community, uh, I think he’s in the Pennsylvania area and you’re looking for talent. Uh, and especially if you know, and appreciate what veterans bring to the table, Hey, out to Bob, he’s good people and, uh, Bob happy new year. And I know your, your next opportunity is right around the corner. So we’ll talk to you on Wednesday. All right. So Greg let’s, um, let’s move into the next story here and I might surprise myself cause I’m not sure exactly what we’re talking about, which one?

Greg White (00:18:08):

Which one are you put second?

Scott Luton (00:18:11):

All right. So we’re getting closer and closer and talk about some freedoms and capacity on a number of different levels. Now, before we talk about this, let’s make sure look, drone delivery has already been taking place, right? Uh, ups and Amazon has been, um, uh, experimenting for quite some time there, they’re making medical deliveries in North Carolina, uh, that we’re aware of, but we’re getting closer and closer to more widespread mass adoption, which is going to be really exciting. So we all knew Greg and we had to have plenty of regulation, right? Whether we like it or not for mass drone delivery to happen. Because if you think about it, just like we’ve got this, uh, built up aviation infrastructure, you know, from flight controllers down to the airports and air, all this triangulation has got to take place. Well, we’ve got to build the drone, uh, the mass drone operation into that, uh, that infrastructure existing infrastructure.

Scott Luton (00:19:06):

Uh, so the FAA, the federal aviation administration here in the States issued new rules last week that addresses drone operation for what they call any unmanned aircraft that weighs more than 0.5, five pounds. So a lot of, most of them, especially Indians, every drone. Yeah. Right. If it delivers packages, this regulation more likely, we’re just going to impact you. But new new regulations address things such as automated identification requirements, do a new system called remote ID, which I believe correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe he’s going to is, um, us federal government run safety issues such as anti-collision lighting, of course, but no exposed rotating parts as part of the regulation, which

Greg White (00:19:49):

Unlike, unlike this one in the picture,

Scott Luton (00:19:54):

That’s a good call out Greg, but that was then, and this is by the way, everybody, this comes to us via an article, uh, on CNET. And, uh, let’s see licensing for the operators, think about all the operators. So the licensing requirements. So that’s good news. We’re getting closer and closer. We knew we had to have this, this regulation. And so there’s a plan that is going to be the standard. But Greg, I, I think, you know, whatever it takes to get this thing off the ground, no pun intended, because I mean, think about all the different ways this is going to free up capacity, uh, healthcare, uh, e-commerce you name it, right?

Greg White (00:20:31):

I think so. I mean, um, honestly everybody thinks I’m a futurist or whatever, but I really struggle to see, um, the future with drones and how you create scalability there. Because I imagine, you know, I think about just my neighborhood, there’s only 50 houses or so in my neighborhood. And, um, you know, the number of stops that occur every day between the post office and ups and FedEx and DHL and whomever else, um, door dash now delivers for Walmart, right? So I think about all of that and, and how you’re going to coordinate that so that there aren’t just drones, buzzing all over your neighborhood all the time. I just imagine that, you know, it’s just one of those things that I’m struggling to get my head around, but I think if ultimately it becomes economically feasible and it, it becomes, um, you know, environmentally sustainable, um, I’m of course all for it, right. Except for the fact that I just somehow, uh, this is, this is the thing I have trouble getting over. One of those things dropping out of the sky or them crashing into one another over you. Right. Can’t get that vision out of my mind, but I’m with you. Um, I love, I love that the regulation is coming finally. So we don’t have these idiots, um, buzzing aircraft as they’re taking off and landing. Right.

Scott Luton (00:21:59):

Uh, Brenda agrees with you as well. Air travel and space for Jones is going to be nuts. Uh, Brenda agreed, especially when you really, you know, um, um, go full bore once, you know, all the regulations are done, everybody’s clear and got the licenses. Right, right. Um, and I was going to ask, uh, so BKC via YouTube. If it falls on my house, I’m keeping it. That would be interesting.

Greg White (00:22:26):

It’d be hard if it’s registered me.

Scott Luton (00:22:30):

So, uh, let’s see here. Uh, this may be Rhonda, uh, clay and Amanda y’all confirmed

Greg White (00:22:36):

Confirm Bob sits

Scott Luton (00:22:40):

There. I’ll I’ll share that one first. Yeah. Bob, great point. That’s what’s coming. Maybe I hope not. Um, let’s see. It’s too expensive to have every company managing their own fleet of drones. It may be a great service as in DAS drones as a service.

Greg White (00:22:55):

Well, we should, you know, we should add asking her thought about that because, you know, I mean, it’s another one of those things that could be brokered or freight forwarded or whatever. Right. It’s just another vehicle. If you think about it, it’s really small trailer. Right.

Scott Luton (00:23:11):

So we got to move to the next door, but I got shared Tom’s comment here and we already addressed why Greg has a big chain over his last show. That’s my supply chain. Oh boy. The squirrels are added again. All right. So let’s, um,

Greg White (00:23:29):

I’m taking it down. Nobody gets it. Um, I’m almost embarrassed about what people probably think about it.

Scott Luton (00:23:37):

Chris Barnes is with us here today and hopefully he doesn’t mind. We pick on him a little bit. Uh, so Chris had a green screen on one of our, our team. And for some reason, all we can see is the ring around his shirt and looked like he was wearing a choker. And it was so funny. We had such a good time, uh, with that he’s a good sport. So yeah,

Greg White (00:23:57):

Green screens and whatnot in this age are funny. It’s funny to watch people kind of disappear into them and out of them and agreed. Agreed. Um, yeah.

Scott Luton (00:24:07):

So Peter, thank you. That, that last comment was on dos was Tim Bushway. So Tim, I apologize. Uh, sometimes when LinkedIn users, uh, comment, we don’t, we’re, aren’t able to connect them with a profile. So, uh, Tim great point and Peter appreciate the correction. All right. So let’s keep driving the here, let’s see here we have got up next. We’re going to be talking about what I find to be a pretty interesting story in automotive, big changes in the works, uh, in Japan to last week. So of course automotive goes without saying it’s huge in Japan. The country has been in the top three for automotive manufacturing since the sixties home to companies, of course, hon Honda Toyota Nissan Subaru is a Japanese company. I did not realize that I’m I’m, uh, I’m embarrassed to say, I thought Subaru was connected, uh, to New Zealand or Australia might have been some of the marketing, but Subaru, uh, home to Japan as well.

Scott Luton (00:25:04):

The Japanese government led by prime minister. Suga has announced plans to eliminate gas powered vehicles. And next 15 years, the prime minister who came into office in September, 2020 has made green investment and growth a top priority, which is pretty neat. Japan is looking on to also ramp up its efforts at eliminating carbon emissions. As part of this, of course, it’s also created Gregg at 2 trillion in fund that will be used to encourage corporate investment in green technology to treat, I meant to convert that before we went live. So I’m not sure how, what that conversion rate is, but it’s probably a bunch safe to say. Um, and then finally, on the little personal note, I love getting the backstory on some of these leaders and these big initiatives. So prime minister Suga was born to strawberry farmers, uh, and he, he has got manufacturing experience. He worked in a cardboard factory in Tokyo part of the time to pay his college tuition. So I think that that’s all the making for a very successful politician leader. We’ll see.

Greg White (00:26:10):

Yeah. Well, I think it’s interesting that we finally have one that knows anything about, about supply chain, right? Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:26:22):

Uh, Sylvia going back to Subaru is super common here. My second car was a black two-door Subaru awesome cars built in Indiana. Uh, Jacob says Subaru’s Japanese had the full history for anyone who wants to know. Thanks, Jacob. We might take you up on that. Mervyn says Toyota is going over and beyond with too. Uh, let’s see, here. Is it the Murrah? Is that a model, maybe a Toyota model and other variants are good examples. Uh, let’s see here, Tom says many countries have set an aim of 2030, including Ireland. So Mervin have check check-in check out that to outlaw the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles. So maybe Japan is just getting kind of getting with the movement maybe as Thompson,

Greg White (00:27:08):

But are they trying to eliminate, uh, maybe I, I am over reading too much into that. I thought they meant like eliminate them. Yep. Yeah. Do you know if they meant to be rid of them completely in their country? Okay.

Scott Luton (00:27:23):

In Japan. Yeah. That that’s that’s then how the news broke. Um, so that would be very, really interesting there. Let’s see here, Mike, right. Mike says ocean vessels are square in the sites for carbon reduction as well as they account worldwide for a significant portion of carbon emissions. Great point. Yeah.

Greg White (00:27:42):

I talked to a company and I think I’m talking to them again in the next few weeks that has a really cool solution for diesel and whatever you call that sludge that ocean vessels run on that. I mean, it could be really, really impactful there. Right. So

Scott Luton (00:27:58):

Bunker, right. I’m not mistaken.

Greg White (00:28:02):

I’ve been corrected before, but I didn’t internalize it. So I’m sure someone out there knows. Yes.

Scott Luton (00:28:08):

Um, I am sure we’re going to get corrected here in just a second here. Uh, let’s give a shout out to Avinash. He wants to work out, uh, and let’s see a purchase supply chain department role is from India. So if anyone can help him, Hey, give, um, a Nash, a connection and, um, reach out to them if you’re hiring. Okay. So one more point here from Tom. No, the rules are about stopping the sale of new vehicles, not eliminating old internal combustion emissions of vehicles. That’s a great, great point, Tom. I apologize,

Greg White (00:28:40):

Greg is what he’s saying. Yes.

Scott Luton (00:28:45):

And DMO. Good morning. BMO. Yes. Bunker. Okay. I thought so. Um, but the Mo this finds you well, all right. So let’s, uh, let’s move right along to our next story here, Greg. This is a really interesting one for us that really hit home for me, at least. So, uh, and, and folks, we’re going to be bringing a near fog in the stream here just momentarily. So looking forward to that, stay with us here. So, final story, we’re talking about the sheet session, as some folks are referring to it. So AB news, ABC news radio recently reported on how the pandemic lockdowns has created an especially challenging situation for women, uh, especially working moms. In fact, some economic and analysts have been referring to the situation as the Xi sessions set a recession. So according to the report regularly, get a load of these numbers here in November 20, 20 alone, 10,000 women ages 20 over have left the labor force that that figure is on top of 2 million women who have left the labor force since February of 2020.

Scott Luton (00:29:50):

In fact, 54% of overall net job losses since February have hit women, according to figures from the national women’s law center, some export, um, some experts point out that many of the jobs lost, or, uh, the, as part of the great recession, you know, 10 let’s see, I guess the great recession now has been about 12, 13 years ago. Um, many experts point out that a lot of those jobs came back, right, but many are worried that lost jobs as part of this lockdown recession may be permanent losses. Uh, and this article goes deep, uh, and y’all should check it out. But one more point here, we can’t do it. Justice roles and responsibilities and households as research. And as article pointed out, play a factor as well. Many of the new tasks that are part of the pandemic environment, such as homeschooling have been led by women and mothers makes a lot of sense, and we can certainly relate to here in Luton household.

Scott Luton (00:30:46):

Um, I’m very thankful that Amanda and with our three kids here at home that have been out of school, um, since the summer last summer she’s led all that. And as y’all might, if you, maybe you can empathize with me if you are going through it as well, but different teachers, different technology platforms, different subjects, I mean, uh, the, the, the typical challenges of, uh, distance learning anyway, um, not, and then social interaction, all that stuff, right. And sh and she’s tackled it. So this really hit home for us. So according to the Urus, uh, the us Bureau of labor statistics from February to November, 2020 men with children saw their employment rate fall by 3.1% women with children, employment rate built by almost double that 5.8%. So, uh, very telling, uh, challenging set of circumstances. So we’re hoping at least locally, and we’re seeing other places, thankfully here in the States, at least kids are getting back into school, which is a welcome, um, you know, on a variety of levels, welcome, uh, development. We hope that it sticks, but Greg, um, you know, it’s been a challenging time for everybody, but this really, uh, this opened my eyes up to some, uh, some national trends that we’re obviously experiencing.

Greg White (00:32:04):

Yeah. And again, again, Tom ref Raftery, I did not read the article, but it does just say that they have left the workforce. So have their jobs been eliminated or did some of them choose to leave the workforce? And I thought, yeah. Okay. Yep. So at least not all of this is, is not by choice and that that’s something, um, you know, that’s something good. Right. And, and, you know, we’ve been talking also that, um, baby boomers have been leaving the workforce at a record rate, even considering their record rate as well. So, and it is really

Scott Luton (00:32:40):

Only, um, women over 20. So that could include some boomers as well. So maybe not, I dunno, I don’t know if it’s an indicator or not, but I have a feeling, I mean, just anecdotally, I think there are a lot of people leaving the workforce by choice because they’re like, what, you know, they’re kind of re-examining their life’s goals, right? So it might be that there’s, there’s some of that, you know, it could be something to worry about. It may not be, I hope it’s not. Um, but look, as the economy comes back, we know that women are going to be over half the workforce. Right. And that’s a great point, uh, cause article I couldn’t get to it all today, but as Amanda points out, article finished up with some good news. So Amanda says homeschooling since homeschooling, since March, um, that’s how much I’ve out of it.

Scott Luton (00:33:29):

It just since the summer, it was since of course last March, you hoping to go back in person this week, not holding her breath. Uh, she, I mean is overwhelmingly grateful that she’s been able to work from home. And that’s, you know, there was four pieces of good news that article wrapped with. One of them is how the remote work is, is evidently here to stay, which is a great development for a variety of reasons. One other piece of the good news. And I wish it had a statistic in it, but it didn’t is that to your point, Greg, um, the last few years I’ve really opened up the eyes from a diversity, diversity standpoint, a hiring standpoint, um, you know, enabling opportunities for all. And we still have plenty of work to do, but we’ve seen some good th the needle truly get moved there. So to your point, Greg women are going to be a huge part of the solution. Uh, on the other side of this thing is companies, um, rehire. Yep. Um, all right. Very interesting numbers there. So women in my family have remained employed.

Scott Luton (00:34:25):

Let’s let’s work towards that for everybody. Right? Amen. Amen. And Sophia. Great, great call out there. She’s dropping in the McKinsey study on diversity inclusion, especially women in the workplace. So you’ll check that out. Um, Hey, I appreciate this comment here. Uh, ramen heap, my first supply chain out live session, ever impressed with the depth of knowledge and speakers have the sheer glad to start in a year with you folks. And that makes my day board. Yeah. Thank you. Thanks so much for joining us here via LinkedIn Romany. All right, so let’s do this. We’ve got a great guest here today. I want to bring in [inaudible] and the dear Vich, uh, VP of sales with my trucker.com. Hey, how are you guys? Very good. Your first time on this side of the switch. So welcome.

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:35:15):

Yeah. And I thank you very much for having me and just want to start off by, um, it’s not really a joke. It’s more of a serious, uh, thought, but, um, there was a kid and, uh, he was in Ohio, right. And his parents said, you know, we’re going to go out on a date. Um, the restrictions have been lifted. And so we were wondering, you know, who would you like to babysit you? And kid said, well, I’d really like the Clemson tigers football club will babysit me. And they asked, well, why, why would you want that? And they said, because they don’t beat anybody. So they’re fine. I knew you were going there.

Scott Luton (00:35:53):

Car is broken and, and you’re just pouring salt in the wound, but Hey, yeah. And said, folks, we’re big Clemson fans around these parts. And, and of course the Clemson, Ohio state game did not break in our favor at all. Uh, and we’re talking about that. Pre-show so thank you. They’re font that you started just about where we thought you would, but man, it is great to have you here with us. We really enjoyed, um, kind of your, your involvement in the community as it were maybe, uh, your sense of humor you bring, but also your, the knowledge that you drop very regularly. And, um, thank you, Dave. Thanks, man. I appreciate you, Dave. And you got my back. Uh, but [inaudible] uh, and Greg we’re, you know, we’re so much to talk about what in a fog, but we’re working.

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:36:37):

Should we start you there? Well, I mean, I think if there’s anybody who doesn’t already know, tell us, tell them a little bit about yourself. Uh, yeah, so, uh, my name is [inaudible]. Um, I live in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Uh, I won’t be giving out my house address though. Um, and, um, yeah, I I’ve been here now for about 13 years. I’ve lived here. Um, I moved to Canada when I was just a little, little boy, six and a half years old from Bosnia originally. So, um, shout out to my mother and old country and, um, yeah. And, uh, you know, I’ve, I’ve grew up pretty much here in Canada, pretty much my, my whole life, 25 years I’ve spent here. And, um, I originally got into transportation and logistics side of the supply chain in 2011, right up right out of the university. Um, I went to the university of Windsor for biology.

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:37:34):

So then logically the next step is trucking and transportation after you get a degree in biology. I mean, everybody knows that. So, um, yeah, so I opened up my, uh, my own trucking company with my dad and, uh, he was the first truck driver that I hired. And, uh, he’s been, how did you pick him? He just showed up at my, uh, my door and said, um, I’d, I’d like to be a part of your team. And I said, uh, no problem. And so he, he is the, he w at that time he was the president and truck driver of the company. So it was an interesting take. And, uh, he’s, he’s, uh, I mean, he’s, he’s done so much for me in my life. And, uh, and I have a lot of admiration and love and respect for my dad. So, you know, for him to be my first driver, it was more of an honor for me than anything else. So,

Scott Luton (00:38:30):

Um, we’d love to bring your dad on and share his experiences. So let’s make a mental note

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:38:36):

For making them happen, but sort of, uh, what else? Uh, yeah, so I w you know, I, uh, we we’ve, we’ve had a good run at it. Um, you know, 2020 brought a lot of downfall for us, uh, because we’re a smaller trucking company and we don’t have the, you know, the huge, massive contracts with anybody. So, so our things are very relationship-based. Um, so coronavirus brought us down a bit in terms of the trucking side of things, but we are still hanging in there and, and, you know, things are still firing and on all, all cylinders, but, um, it’s, it’s not as it was prior to the pandemic starting. Um, in addition to that, um, about seven months ago, or so, I got, uh, an invitation from a gentleman named Brennan Davis, uh, who was, uh, who was the founder of my trucker. And, uh, he’s, we were just having a casual conversation about logistics, transportation in general, and, uh, he wanted to make a splash.

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:39:36):

And, um, in, uh, in Canada, particularly, uh, to change the way logistics, freight transportation works in Canada, uh, he wanted to give more control to drivers, to smaller trucking companies. Um, he wanted a more, um, transparent transaction between shippers and carriers directly, instead of going through third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh parties. And so he wanted, uh, he wanted to change that the way it works, because he came also from the logistics industry, transportation industry in Canada, um, just like myself. And so, uh, we shared that together and he said, Hey, well, why don’t you join the team? And, uh, so I joined and we have had a tremendous seven months of building, um, a platform. That’s definitely gonna be something that that’ll be efficient, um, in the way transportation works up here, you know, North of the border. And eventually of course, aspirations to, to come down there to the South side, um, to the USA.

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:40:36):

Um, we’re, we’re going to be bringing technology to automate and reduce, uh, time spent booking loads. Um, it’s, it’s going to empower shippers with control and transparency. It’s going to bring access to more carriers for these shippers to choose to select from. And we’re also working on of course, route optimization, uh, into our own networks. So, you know, as, as things stand right now in Canada, one out of every four trucks drives empty either after delivery or before delivery, and a lot of fuel wasted. I mean, that’s, we’re talking 25%, 25% of the trucks that you see on the road empty that’s that’s on the low side of things. That’s on the that’s on the low side of things. Now, when you look at it on a, on a North American perspective, that’s probably 40% time spent driving empty. And so we have the idea to change that we have the platform that we’re building to change that.

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:41:31):

Now it’s now a matter of time, uh, to, to get to these shippers, to explain to them what we have going on, how we can implement that into their supply chain and how they could save money, um, from January to December, and not just during one part of the one part of the one season or something like that. Right? So that’s, that’s really what we’re trying to do, uh, what we’re trying to resolve, and also give more power to the trucking companies, you know, get, give them, give them a little bit, uh, a chance to, to book they’re afraid of not having to, uh, have huge Salesforce in the back office to get them these, these shipments, um, optimize their empty trucks, make sure that their capacity is filled. So they’re actually driving with something in the back of their trailer instead of emptying and Toronto coming back to Windsor at 220 miles empty, because guess what? There’s nothing to pick up in Toronto.

Greg White (00:42:27):

That’s a particular problem for these smaller carriers, right? Because it’s harder for them to get access to the markets.

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:42:35):

I see it firsthand. I mean, the, the struggle that you go through to get customers at a smaller guy, um, excluding brokers, direct customers, I’m talking like going to a shipper directly, getting them to pay attention to you because you’re the small gun and this, this kind of digital free platform, or, you know, this is something that’s gonna be of benefit for, for trucking companies that are the, the, the 90% of trucking companies in North America, you know, small mom and pop guys and the guys with, you know, five trucks, one truck, 12 trucks, you know, and that’s, that’s what we’re trying to focus on. And in addition to that, you know, I, I don’t want to take too much of your time, but, uh, uh, in addition to that, we’re also looking to change the, the biggest inefficiency is the time from, uh, quotes to time of dispatch that time right now.

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:43:28):

I mean, it’s anywhere from two hours to four hours to get that process completed, where our platform is bringing that down to two to five minutes instead of two to five hours. And so that’s, that’s really what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to make it more streamlined, more efficient. And it’s, I mean, it’s, it’s going to be a heck of a year for all of us. I mean, we’re, we’re working hard. It’s, it’s a dedicated team of people that actually believes truly that we can make a difference, that we can actually make a difference in this industry. And honestly is actually the best policy and we’re going about it that way. So,

Greg White (00:44:05):

So I’m curious how you see, uh, because of what I see your solution as is kind of an, uh, disruption, maybe not a complete disruption, but it’s going to be at least somewhat disruptive to the forwarder and, and broker market. Right. So how do you, how do you see the future of brokers, particularly? How do you see that evolving?

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:44:29):

They’re gonna, they’re gonna have to evolve a very relationship based business. They’re gonna have to actually be directly involved in implementing, um, uh, technology in that relationship with their, their particular customers. Otherwise, those customers are gonna, it’s going to be word on the street. So those, those customers, those shippers are going to be jumping ship if they don’t implement technology to speed up, uh, every transaction that happens, whether it’s a dedicated transaction where it’s volume based, or it’s just a one-off transaction, you know, sporadic, sporadic movement of freight from a warehouse to a production facility or vice versa,

Greg White (00:45:10):

Would you say this is a broker enabler or a broker replacement, or maybe a, maybe both in some cases, right?

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:45:20):

I’m going to have to be very honest with you that I think it’s a bit of both. I think it definitely is a bit of both main. The main reason is brokers that brokers that are going to be in the logistics side of the business there, they’re going to have to particularly adept. They’re going to have to adapt. They’re going to have to invest money that they have made throughout their careers and in their business is going to have to invest that money back into the business to be able to compete, um, because the margins that any broker that might have currently, I mean, you’re talking, especially in 20, 20 minutes, 20, 30, 38%, 36%. I mean, that’s added cost for the shipper. Um, the shippers, those paying the same, the same rate, no matter what, but when you, when you allow, um, digital freight marketplaces that come in and they can work on small margins to be able to connect carriers directly with shippers, that’s gonna definitely, I don’t want to say eliminate, there’s always gonna be a need for a service, but there’s definitely gonna be a hindrance.

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:46:28):

And, and, and, and the mindset of a shipper, you know, they’re gonna want to go down the route and say, okay, well, look at this digital freight platform has a 9.9, 9% fee to book freight, or I can go with this broker that I don’t really know what the true cost of that truck was because of transparency issues. And yeah, those are things that really, that really are going to be something that that’s going to be neat, need to be considered by brokers if they want to be sticking in the game and staying in the game for the long run. Um, and you know, it’s not an easy fix. I mean, this, this stuff takes time, everything.

Greg White (00:47:08):

So you’re going to get some pushback from the industry, but sorry, go ahead. Scott sway runs a trucking company. He’s got a great question. Kind of a follow-up question to Greg’s earlier. One, would you consider mop trucker to be a digital freight brokerage or a marketplace?

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:47:24):

It’s it’s a marketplace because our, our objective, our goal is not to sit in a round table, um, away from all their shippers and all our carriers, and to have a plan where we’re going to be making 20, 30% profit margins. We’re not doing that. We’re, we’re, we’re simply saying, Hey, this is a marketplace. You, as the shipper, come here you say, Hey, I got a load from Atlanta, Georgia. It’s going to Ohio state university, and we need this delivered ASAP. What is the best option that we have? And you’re going to have something that’s going to show you, Hey, we have an option here that can that’s earliest pickup time, best price, best price, later, pickup time. It’s going to be organized. And it’s a marketplace. Just like when you go Facebook there’s there’s no, there’s nobody there. That’s, that’s, uh, there’s a price that’s listed there, and you can either you take it or leave it. There’s no hidden fees that you later on attach and send to the buyer say, Hey, you know, w where this actually, the rate is, you know, 1600 and not 1200 on the item that you bought. You know,

Scott Luton (00:48:33):

He loved that visibility, uh, loved that you got that information upfront, and you don’t find some Johnny come lately fees that are hidden in the fine details. We need a lot more of that across industry, for sure. Uh, and Brennan also addressed. Jose has away as question in the comments. So thanks for that, uh, Brennan. Um, so a lot of you got a lot of fans, as we already know, under five, uh, Peter mentioned, uh, he agrees on how you laid out being part of the process and the solution with your customers. Uh, let’s see Sylvia, uh, awesome there FOD. See, she’s seen a lot of project cargo inquiries for over the road in Canada, also with the port congestion on the West coast. I see curious, leaning towards Vancouver, which is an interesting observation there. And then I was reading as I was getting ready, uh, figuring out what we’re going to talk about here today, uh, with the U S MCA, despite, you know, some of the other challenges, unforeseen challenges, beginning of the year, Mexico, there’s going to be a lot more cross border trade. They’re requiring a lot more freight and, and carriers and whatnot. Uh, the article I was reading, um, pointed out automotive industry in particular as really loading up and doubling down on Mexico. So all that’s great news, but it, and it presents bigger problems than I know we’re really happy to solve. Right. And they’re fun.

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:49:52):

Yeah. Yeah. One, 100% agree with you. And just to just double down on the Celia’s comment just quickly, um, she’s right. It, Vancouver has seen an influx in freight because us is completely backed up on the West coast. In addition to that, you won’t believe this, but people are sending their freight all the way up to like, I’m like, well, that’s not Alaska, but right on the border with Alaska. And, uh, and a town called, um, uh, uh, Prince Rupert. And I’m up there, people are sending you, they’re afraid and there’s new developments that are expanding their port up there. The congestion is crazy everywhere, but people are finding creative ways to get their freight on into the U S and even if it takes to, to get that container from Alaska and then, you know, inbound transit down to the us, people are people that are trying any way possible to get it on time to their customer, or as close to on time as humanly possible. I, I saw it throughout this whole holiday break as well. And in addition to that, uh, to the new agreement that the three countries signed, um, it’s correct. I mean, I’ve already seen an influx in Mexican freight to Canada. Um, as, as soon as that paper was, was, you know, legal and, and, uh, green and ready to go, um, there was already an influx of that. So that is also true love that,

Scott Luton (00:51:13):

Um, David says, uh, enjoys your answer to some of these questions. And by the way, folks Davan turned 40 over the holiday season. So happy birthday to, uh, one of our, uh, favorite community members here. And David always brings it

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:51:28):

Never, he literally looked 25

Scott Luton (00:51:31):

And that’s a compliment, uh, David

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:51:33):

He’s also he’s, he’s got a long time to go

Scott Luton (00:51:37):

Kayvon and Kayvon hope this finds you well. Uh, I appreciate your Facebook message. Not too long ago, uh, was fortunate to listen to the insights about freight transportation issues shared by the one and only near Fahd Nadeer Vich. Um, let’s see, Mike Abrams says Mexico and central America is next huge supply chain hub investment hub investment firms are scrambling to try and buy rail. And over the road carriers in those areas, David says, he’s, he has a maturity of an 11 year.

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:52:09):

Good. Keep that rolling older, but not, uh, that’s right.

Scott Luton (00:52:13):

Uh, you know, we were going to talk about a couple of other news issues, but given the time here, I’m gonna, uh, pose for Tina’s question to you, uh, near Fahd, but Tema asks. So what all shippers and truckers need to be, uh, digital to become part of your platform? Or may it be an open business system? Any comments there in your phone?

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:52:31):

Yeah, so, I mean, essentially, we’re, we’re offering a place where you go, you open a browser, you type in, I’m trying to be as simple as possible. You, you go, you type in my trucker.com, you register, you post your freight, and there’s something I want to mention. It’s it’s, uh, moving forward in this decade. Yes. Digital freight platforms, freight technology. It’s going to be a big deal. It’s going to change the way things work, but there’s three key points that you, that all people involved in the transaction have to be aware of. There’s reliable reliability of the data that’s collected. There’s the automation part, automating things will, will be a part of, um, uh, implementing, um, a more streamlined, more lean supply chain. We keep going back to lean. Um, in addition to that, the simplicity of the algorithm that governs the data and the automation that happens is what’s going to make or break free tech in the next decade.

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:53:29):

And I think that, that, that, so there’s something up here in Canada. I’ve noticed is people that work in the shipping offices and the decision makers that are involved in these processes have an older school mentality and the way they process information. So there’s always this thing where it’s, well, we’ve always done it this way. You know, the people that are afraid of the unknown people don’t know what beauty lies behind that door. So they don’t know they’re afraid to open that door cause they might think, Oh, you know, if I opened this door, maybe there’s a monster. That’s going to be in a sense, right? So they’re, they’re afraid to take that step forward into that new decade, that new generation of freight transportation and shippers and carriers, they have to adapt just like brokers have to adapt and we adapt along with them. But that open channel of communication between all parties involved is the most important part. So everything, everything is open, everything is open, you know, how much the shippers being, you know, how much the carriers getting paid, you know, what our fee is to move what our transactional fee is. There is no hidden costs. You know, us from the, from day one that you would move a load with us today, 7,522 new notes. So I’m sorry,

Greg White (00:54:44):

A lot more jokes than preaching their fault, but no, I think it’s good because look, we’re talking about something that is not often talked about openly, but it is inevitable to happen. It is inevitable that as I say, efficiency will come to the, to the marketplace and that efficiency is enabled by the transparency that you’re talking about. And it’s, it is, it’s one of those, um, sometimes unspoken, sometimes only spoken, uh, under your breath, but it’s one of those things that at least the shippers want, they want to know what the trucker is getting paid. They want to see some transparency, right, as to what the fees are and who’s getting paid. What, and that will solve a lot of problems. A lot of the things that you talk about, a lot of the things that you post about with people, you know, having ridiculous requests about where they’re afraid is, and whether they know where it is and when it’s going to be where that starts with the transaction, that they don’t trust, they don’t trust the transaction because they know that there are things that are being hidden from them.

Greg White (00:55:50):

And that is trust translates into not just this trust of the price, but this trust of the process. And ultimately, I mean, I, I think we’ve all experienced it if we’ve ever bought anything on Alibaba or, you know, or something like that, where you’re like, I don’t know where this is coming from. I don’t know how you’re shipping it. Right. I don’t, I don’t even know if it’s gonna make it and that, that whatever you want to call it, that that discomfort causes a lot more discomfort through the, um, through the entirety of the process. Yeah. So I

Scott Luton (00:56:24):

Feel like I’ve been baptized in the first church of freight by a brother and her fight here today. And I love it. They’re like, you know, getting aside, you bring a lot of passion and expertise in this and, and I love how you demonstrate that here today. It’s one of the reasons we want to have you on, besides, besides our, our love for you, uh, monitor your Buckeye jokes. But, uh, there fought a lot, a lot of good stuff here today. So much more to talk about. Let’s make sure folks know

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:56:48):

Connect with you. So what’s that? Yeah. So, uh, on LinkedIn, you can find me at, of course, you know, just search and they’re fun to Derrick. I think I’m the only and Derek and all of LinkedIn. Um, I think I accidentally created an account long time ago that I never ended up using. Um, so that one, you’ll see, there’s no picture there. The other one has a picture. It’s a bald guy that looks like uncle fester, but a younger, younger version of uncle fester. So from the status family. So that would be me. So you can, you can definitely connect to me anytime I reply to every single message that comes in. I even joke around with the Bitcoin guys when they send me messages and the trade-offs for guys. So I do reply to all messages. So if you have any questions for me, concerns, comments, um, you know, threats, whatever.

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:57:36):

You’d like, you know, feel free to contact me anytime. And I’ll, uh, I’ll reply, you know, as soon as possible, I try my best to be very, very, very attentive to my LinkedIn messages. Um, in addition to that, um, you can also find me, um, by just emailing me. I don’t, I don’t know how you guys want me to give my email out or not, but it’s up to you. I’m a friend. You can, you can email me anytime at, uh, Nerf and you are F at my trucker and that’s M Y T R U C K r.com. Um, you know, any, any kind of questions you’d like, or if you want to talk freight, whatever the case may be, uh, feel free to give me a shout. I’m open to anything and everything that’s legal and, and transparent. So,

Scott Luton (00:58:27):

Uh, you see plays quick. You don’t miss anything. He’s like Greg and Amanda, uh, he’s got your email in the banner down there. Claudia wants to know if you’re open to Bosnian beef recipe,

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:58:40):

This thing in the world. It’s just a matter of finding the right beef. That’s all.

Scott Luton (00:58:44):

Well also to, to our listeners, uh, if you love talking basketball, uh, [inaudible] your guy. He, I think we were, we didn’t have enough time on the front end. I think he’s got a deep appreciation for the history of the game professionally in college. And, and he’s, your guy wants to have you back as we launch our, uh, supply chain nerds talk sports series or Fatah is coming soon. Thank you. Right. You bet, uh, with that, thank you. And Greg, I really enjoyed [inaudible], uh, your interaction, uh, kind of in, in the cheap seats as Jamen puts it, uh, the comments. And it’s great to have you here and connect with you at least in a digital personal way,

Nurfad Nadarevic (00:59:25):

Right? Yes, you guys, as well. It’s, it’s been a joy and, uh, two things I just want to mention before I, before you guys, you know, boot me out and kicked me and never see me again. Um, I want to just, uh, mention two words for people to look up actually, while it’s, I mean, truck platooning, um, it might be a new thing in this decade that we might see. Um, they’ve already started here at the university of Windsor, essentially. It’s the control of more than one shock in a convoy and, um, moving freight in that sense. So truck platooning check it out. It’s, it’s, there’s a lot of, lot of money being invested in it. And it’s a lot of interesting stuff moving forward, how they’re doing the research on, on that. So, you know, um, just a heads up on that and also, uh, the whole ups, uh, e-bike stuff. It worked well in Hamburg, Germany. So they’re trying to make it happen in the U S I know Pittsburgh’s doing, and I know Portland’s doing it. I know Seattle is putting it in their infrastructure to have e-bike lanes for the delivery where congestion congestion is big in cities where there’s limited parking space, um, in essence to limit pollution and, and help us breathe more cleaner air. And you know, that, that have more things, more negative ions than less. So, which is a good thing. So that’s me. That’s all I got. That’s all I pay

Scott Luton (01:00:44):

Pleasure to connect with you. Thank you so much to FOD and the dear Vich, uh, VP of sales with my trucker.com.

Nurfad Nadarevic (01:00:50):

Thanks so much. Cheers guys. Thank you very much. Bye bye guys. All right, man. A lot of good stuff there with your father, Greg, it was like watching an act. I was afraid if I said anything, I might be considered a heckler. And I know, I know he could thrash me verbally. So you’re going to look at what they’re doing at my trucker. And, um, I’ve talked to Brennan and Nerf about it, and I love the principle of it. Um, you know, there is a lot of inefficiency and lack of transparency in the marketplace, and we need to bring that to me. It’s well, well past its time and right, and I’m a firm believer that it is because there is so much pushback, mostly for self serving reasons to these sorts of technologies and in this sort of market transition, but it’s inevitable. And as, as Nerf and the next generation as millennials and gen, as they get more and more into the industry, they’re just not going to tolerate the weight. They’re not going to tolerate the doubt. They’re not going to tolerate the inefficiency in the marketplace and it’s going to have ease, buckle up.

Scott Luton (01:02:02):

All right. A couple of comments here for Tema says private blockchain can enable privacy of participants, but its implication is at infancy stage.

Nurfad Nadarevic (01:02:11):

It could be as, as, uh, it could be expensive as well, but yeah,

Scott Luton (01:02:15):

Use of real-time information to reduce costs will be a big achievement. Excellent point there. Let’s see, Tom says platooning is like drafting and cycling. That’s a great analogy there. It’s got great potential. Um, let’s see here. Sophia says truck platooning, Nearpod, elevating our IQ. Uh, let’s see, uh, Sophia also dropped in. Oh, it looks like some information about platooning in the comments. Thank you for that. Tom says electric trucks are the next big thing after platooning and before autonomous trucks. And I have one more comment I was going to share. Let’s see, AA says, uh, how has your mini me with the same hairstyle? Bring him in? I think, I think AA is referring to [inaudible]. I think he’s about eight or nine months old. Um, I’m not sure if it’s a son or daughter, but he had a March addition to the family. So a good point there AA. Alright, so Greg,

Greg White (01:03:16):

On top of it, man, I feel like he knows a little bit of everything about all of us, doesn’t it.

Scott Luton (01:03:21):

He might be the mayor of the community there in Wichita, Kansas. Um, Greg, we let’s see here, uh, a couple of quick, uh, programming notes as we wrap up here. I think we’re going to replay your live stream, you and Kerryn and Enrique and Kevin L. Jackson, uh, we’ll be replaying that very entertaining and uplifting live stream this Thursday on tequila sunrise, right?

Greg White (01:03:47):

Yeah. Uh, you know, we talked a lot about, it was the last, it was new year’s Eve. So we may or may not have cracked open a bottle of tequila and we may or may not have gotten Kerryn to actually take a shot. And if the FCC is watching, then we definitely did not. Um, so, but, but yeah, it was a blast and we talked a lot about how people, you know, in this time people are thinking a lot about giving and we wanted to give people some good rules of the road and an easy way to get off the dime and just make giving a really simple and easy thing to do every single day. So if you’re in a giving mood, uh, it’ll be a great, a great show for you to listen to, or probably watching will be even more entertaining because I owed Kevin L. Jackson a drink and he collected twice. Great.

Scott Luton (01:04:43):

Uh, you know, you can get to kill a sunrise spelled T E C H Keela sunrise, wherever you podcast from, uh, one a clearing repository, which you can certainly find information and then subscribe as a supply chain now.com where we’re working really hard to serve as the voice of supply chain. Um, also let’s see here today, we published a really neat episode on this week in business history about Katherine Gibbs and, uh, Fred Gregory. Uh, Katherine Gibbs back in the early 20th century, found a ball, a school for secretaries. That role was really transforming female entrepreneur in early 20th century, right? Fought through barriers there. And it became one of the biggest schools in the country for the secretarial role. And then Fred Gregory, Greg Gregory, Greg,

Greg White (01:05:33):

You can probably Greg or Gregory.

Scott Luton (01:05:37):

He was the first African-American to command a spacecraft, a pilot, a spacecraft, and then command a spacecraft. And he also was a flight controller, uh, during, on the day of the challenge disaster. So fascinating, uh, full air force career, full NASA career, um, and groundbreaking and, and, and he comes from a family that has given so much, uh, including, I think his uncle is Dr. Charles drew who’s has saved arguably millions of lives with his work during world war II with a blood transfusion and blood storage in particular. So a lot of good stuff there. Of course you can go to supply chain now.com to find those episodes and a whole lot more. But Greg, before we sign off here and Gary, I appreciate that, uh, really enjoyed your episode on this week in business history. And we’ll have to have you back, uh, if you had a great new year’s, um, Greg, before we sign off here, what’s a, as we start the first Monday at 2021, what is on your mind in terms of, you know, from a leadership standpoint, from an entrepreneurial standpoint, from a supply chain standpoint, you know, something you heard here today, what’s one thing that folks should really pay attention to.

Greg White (01:06:50):

Uh, I think they should pay attention to the fact that this year though, I think we’re still gonna have the anchor of lockdowns and things like that this year, people are thinking about moving forward. They’re not thinking about standing still. I find if I’ve ever seen a trend, I’ve never seen a transition more rapid than the transition from that year. I will never mention again to 2021, um, where people are now they’re leaning in, they are definitely leaning in and looking forward to things to come be. They better be, they worse. They’re just leaning in and, and, um, looking to attack the future. And that is really, really encouraging to me.

Scott Luton (01:07:29):

Outstanding, well put, uh, and enjoyed your live stream last Thursday, all, all that perspective shared, uh, 20, 21. It needs to be the biggest year giving yet. And maybe, uh, maybe we’ll see that happen. I believe we had a first timer here today. Maybe a couple

Greg White (01:07:42):

Of them, but yeah, so

Scott Luton (01:07:45):

Barna, I believe is who this is here. So first day here. Welcome. Thanks so much for joining us via LinkedIn and looking forward to your contributions in the weeks ahead, um, to everybody loved all the comments, really appreciate the comments and the questions and, and, um, uh, [inaudible] POV for sure, Greg, very entertaining episode and, and, uh, insights that he shared, uh, but to our audience, Hey, uh, piggybacking on what Greg just talked about and certainly on the last room conversation from last Thursday, Hey, find a way to do good, give forward and be the change that is forever going to be needed. And on that note, we’ll see next time here on supply chain. Now

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Featured Guests

Nurfad Nadarevic went to the University of Windsor with the notion that a degree in biology would get him to medical school and that he would live happily ever after. In 2011 shortly after the completion of his studies, he started a trucking company with his dad. He has been in the transportation industry for the past decade and has fallen in love with the Logistics and transportation industry and the mechanics of any and all supply chains as a whole. Currently, he is the VP of Sales for MyTruckr, a revolutionary digital freight technology company in Canada changing the way freight moves by taking it digital and giving the freedom to the smaller trucking companies to service various supply chains across various sectors in the Canadian economy. He is also a podcaster who is going to work on having more episodes in 2021 to respectfully shares insights and knowledge in the logistics world, the podcast is called ” the In transit podcast” and when he’s not changing diapers this year, he’ll be releasing episodes for people to listen up.

Hosts

Greg White

Principal & Host

Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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Kristi Porter

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Kim Reuter

Host

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

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Sofia Rivas Herrera

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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Demo Perez

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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Kim Winter

Host, Supply Chain Now

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

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

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

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Adrian Purtill

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Kevin Brown

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Jose Miguel Irarrazaval

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Nick Roemer

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Allison Giddens

Host

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

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

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Billy Taylor

Host

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

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

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

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

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Tandreia Bellamy

Host

Tandreia Bellamy retired as the Vice President of Industrial Engineering for UPS Supply Chain Solutions which included the Global Logistics, Global Freight Forwarding and UPS Freight business units. She was responsible for operations strategy and planning, asset management, forecasting, and technology tool development to optimize sustainable efficiency while driving world class service.

Tandreia held similar positions at the business unit level for Global Logistics and Global Freight forwarding. As the leader of the Global Logistics engineering function, she directed all industrial engineering activies related to distribution, service parts logistics (post-sales support), and mail innovations (low cost, light weight shipping partnership with the USPS). Between these roles Tandreia helped to establish the Advanced Technology Group which was formed to research and develop cutting edge solutions focused on reducing reliance on manual labor.

Tandreia began her career in 1986 as a part-time hourly manual package handling employee. She spent the great majority of her career in the small package business unit which is responsible for the pick-up, sort, transport and delivery of packages domestically. She held various positions in Industrial Engineering, Marketing, Inside and On-road operations in Central Florida before transferring to Atlanta for a position in Corporate Product Development and Corporate Industrial Engineering. Tandreia later held IE leadership roles in Nebraska, Minnesota and Chicago. In her final role in small package she was an IE VP responsible for all aspects of IE, technology support and quality for the 25 states on the western half of the country.
Tandreia is currently a Director for the University of Central Florida (UCF) Foundation Board and also serves on their Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Previously Tandreia served on the Executive Advisory Board for Virginia Tech’s IE Department and the Association for Supply Chain Management. She served on the Board of Trustees for ChildServ (a Chicago child and family services non-profit) and also served on the Texas A&M and Tuskegee Engineering Advisory Boards. In 2006 she was named Business Advisor of the Year by INROADS, in 2009 she was recognized as a Technology All-Star at the Women of Color in STEM conference and in 2019 she honored as a UCF Distinguished Aluma by the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems.

Tandreia holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Systems from UCF. Her greatest accomplishment, however, is being the proud mother of two college students, Ruby (24) and Anthony (22).

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Marty Parker

Host

Marty Parker serves as both the CEO & Founder of Adæpt Advising and an award-winning Senior Lecturer (Teaching Professor) in Supply Chain and Operations Management at the University of Georgia. He has 30 years of experience as a COO, CMO, CSO (Chief Strategy Officer), VP of Operations, VP of Marketing and Process Engineer. He founded and leads UGA’s Supply Chain Advisory Board, serves as the Academic Director of UGA’s Leaders Academy, and serves on multiple company advisory boards including the Trucking Profitability Strategies Conference, Zion Solutions Group and Carlton Creative Company.

Marty enjoys helping people and companies be successful. Through UGA, Marty is passionate about his students, helping them network and find internships and jobs. He does this through several hundred one-on-one zoom meetings each year with his students and former students. Through Adæpt Advising, Marty has organized an excellent team of affiliates that he works with to help companies grow and succeed. He does this by helping c-suite executives improve their skills, develop better leaders, engage their workforce, improve processes, and develop strategic plans with detailed action steps and financial targets. Marty believes that excellence in supply chain management comes from the understanding the intersection of leadership, culture, and technology, working across all parts of the organization to meet customer needs, maximize profit and minimize costs.

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Laura Lopez

Marketing Coordinator

Laura Lopez serves as our Supply Chain Now Marketing Coordinator. She graduated from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente in Mexico with a degree in marketing. Laura loves everything digital because she sees the potential it holds for companies in the marketing industry. Her passion for creativity and thinking outside the box led her to pursue a career in marketing. With experience in fields like accounting, digital marketing, and restaurants, she clearly enjoys taking on challenges. Laura lives the best of both worlds - you'll either catch her hanging out with her friends soaking up the sun in Mexico or flying out to visit her family in California!

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Jake Barr

Host

An acknowledged industry leader, Jake Barr now serves as CEO for BlueWorld Supply Chain Consulting, providing support to a cross section of Fortune 500 companies such as Cargill, Caterpillar, Colgate, Dow/Dupont, Firmenich, 3M, Merck, Bayer/Monsanto, Newell Brands, Kimberly Clark, Nestle, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Sanofi, Estee Lauder and Coty among others. He's also devoted time to engagements in public health sector work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. At P&G, he managed the breakthrough delivery of an E2E (End to End) Planning Transformation effort, creating control towers which now manage the daily business globally. He is recognized as the architect for P&G’s demand driven supply chain strategy – referenced as a “Consumer Driven Supply Chain” transformation. Jake began his career with P&G in Finance in Risk Analysis and then moved into Operations. He has experience in building supply network capability globally through leadership assignments in Asia, Latin America, North America and the Middle East. He currently serves as a Research Associate for MIT; a member of Supply Chain Industry Advisory Council; Member of Gartner’s Supply Chain Think Tank; Consumer Goods “League of Leaders“; and a recipient of the 2015 - 2021 Supply Chain “Pro’s to Know” Award. He has been recognized as a University of Kentucky Fellow.

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Marcia Williams

Host

Marcia Williams, Managing Partner of USM Supply Chain, has 18 years of experience in Supply Chain, with expertise in optimizing Supply Chain-Finance Planning (S&OP/ IBP) at Large Fast-Growing CPGs for greater profitability and improved cash flows. Marcia has helped mid-sized and large companies including Lindt Chocolates, Hershey, and Coty. She holds an MBA from Michigan State University and a degree in Accounting from Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay (South America). Marcia is also a Forbes Council Contributor based out of New York, and author of the book series Supply Chains with Maria in storytelling style. A recent speaker’s engagement is Marcia TEDx Talk: TEDxMSU - How Supply Chain Impacts You: A Transformational Journey.

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Luisa Garcia

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Luisa Garcia is a passionate Marketer from Lagos de Moreno based in Aguascalientes. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes, Mexico. She specializes in brand development at any stage, believing that a brand is more than just a name or image—it’s an unforgettable experience. Her expertise helps brands achieve their dreams and aspirations, making a lasting impact. Currently working at Vector Global Logistics in the Marketing team and as podcast coordinator of Logistics With Purpose®. Luisa believes that purpose-driven decisions will impact results that make a difference in the world.

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Astrid Aubert

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Astrid Aubert was born in Guadalajara, she is 39 years old and has had the opportunity to live in many places. She studied communication and her professional career has been in Trade Marketing for global companies such as Pepsico and Mars. She currently works as Marketing Director Mexico for Vector Global Logistics. She is responsible for internal communications and marketing strategy development for the logistics industry. She is a mother of two girls, married and lives in Monterrey. She defines herself as a creative and innovative person, and enjoys traveling and cooking a lot.

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Sofia Rivas

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

Sofia self-identifies as Supply Chain Ambassador, her mission is to advocate for the field and inspire young generations from diverse backgrounds and cultures to join the industry so that thought diversity is increased and change accelerated. Recognized as Linkedin Top Voice and Linkedin Community Top Voice in Supply Chain Management, as well as Emerging Leader in Supply Chain by CSCMP 2024, Top Women in Supply Chain by Supply & Demand Executive 2023, and Coup de Coeur Global Women Leaders in Supply Chain by B2G Consulting in 2021

Public speaker at multiple international events from keynotes and panels, to webinars and guest lectures for bachelor's and master's degrees, discussing topics such as sustainability, women in the industry, technology and innovation. Writer at different online magazines on logistics, supply chain and technology. Podcast host and guest on different recognized programs in the industry. Sofia has more than 5 years of experience from academic research and field studies to warehouse operations, demand planning and network design. She has worked in manufacturing, airport operations, e-commerce retail, and technology hardware across Latin America, North America and Europe

Currently working as Supply Chain Network Design and Optimization Manager at HP within their Global Supply Chain and Logistics team

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Karin Bursa

Host

Karin Bursa is the 2020 Supply Chain Pro to Know of the Year and the Host of the TEKTOK Digital Supply Chain Podcast powered by Supply Chain Now. With more than 25 years of supply chain and technology expertise (and the scars to prove it), Karin has the heart of a teacher and has helped nearly 1,000 customers transform their businesses and share their success stories. Today, she helps B2B technology companies introduce new products, capture customer success and grow global revenue, market share and profitability. In addition to her recognition as the 2020 Supply Chain Pro to Know of the Year, Karin has also been recognized as a 2019 and 2018 Supply Chain Pro to Know, 2009 Technology Marketing Executive of the Year and a 2008 Women in Technology Finalist. 

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Vin Vashishta

Host

Vin Vashishta is the author of ‘From Data To Profit’ (Wiley 2023). It’s the playbook for monetizing data and AI. Vin is the Founder of V-Squared and built the business from client 1 to one of the world’s oldest data and AI consulting firms. His background combines nearly 30 years in strategy, leadership, software engineering, and applied machine learning.

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Amanda Luton

Vice President, Production

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

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Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

As the founder and CEO of Supply Chain Now, you might say Scott is the voice of supply chain – but he’s too much of a team player to ever claim such a title. One thing’s for sure: he’s a tried and true supply chain expert. With over 15 years of experience in the end-to-end supply chain, Scott’s insights have appeared in major publications including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and CNN. He has also been named a top industry influencer by Thinkers360, ISCEA and more.

From 2009-2011, Scott was president of APICS Atlanta, and he continues to lead initiatives that support both the local business community and global industry. A United States Air Force Veteran, Scott has also regularly led efforts to give back to his fellow veteran community since his departure from active duty in 2002.

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Greg White

Principal & Host

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

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

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Chris Barnes

Principal, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain is Boring

Talk about world-class: Chris is one of the few professionals in the world to hold CPIM-F, CLTD-F and CSCP-F designations from ASCM/APICS. He’s also the APICS coach – and our resident Supply Chain Doctor. When he’s not hosting programs with Supply Chain Now, he’s sharing supply chain knowledge on the APICS Coach Youtube channel or serving as a professional education instructor for the Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistic Institute’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) program and University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Center for Professional Education courses.

Chris earned a BS in Industrial Engineering from Bradley University, an MBA with emphasis in Industrial Psychology from the University of West Florida, and is a Doctoral in Supply Chain Management candidate.

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Tyler Ward

Director of Sales

Tyler Ward serves as Supply Chain Now's Director of Sales. Born and raised in Mid-Atlantic, Tyler is a proud graduate of Shippensburg University where he earned his degree in Communications. After college, he made his way to the beautiful state of Oregon, where he now lives with his wife and daughter.

With over a decade of experience in sales, Tyler has a proven track record of exceeding targets and leading high-performing teams. He credits his success to his ability to communicate effectively with customers and team members alike, as well as his strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.

When he's not closing deals, you can find Tyler on the links or cheering on his favorite football and basketball teams. He also enjoys spending time with his family, playing pick-up basketball, and traveling back to Ocean City, Maryland, his favorite place!

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Kevin L. Jackson

Host of Digital Transformers

Kevin L. Jackson is a globally recognized Thought Leader, Industry Influencer and Founder/Author of the award winning “Cloud Musings” blog.  He has also been recognized as a “Top 5G Influencer” (Onalytica 2019, Radar 2020), a “Top 50 Global Digital Transformation Thought Leader” (Thinkers 360 2019) and provides strategic consulting and integrated social media services to AT&T, Intel, Broadcom, Ericsson and other leading companies. Mr. Jackson’s commercial experience includes Vice President J.P. Morgan Chase, Worldwide Sales Executive for IBM and SAIC (Engility) Director Cloud Solutions. He has served on teams that have supported digital transformation projects for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the US Intelligence Community.  Kevin’s formal education includes a MS Computer Engineering from Naval Postgraduate School; MA National Security & Strategic Studies from Naval War College; and a BS Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy. Internationally recognizable firms that have sponsored articles authored by him include CiscoMicrosoft, Citrix and IBM.  Books include “Click to Transform” (Leaders Press, 2020), “Architecting Cloud Computing Solutions” (Packt, 2018), and “Practical Cloud Security: A Cross Industry View” (Taylor & Francis, 2016). He also delivers online training through Tulane UniversityO’Reilly MediaLinkedIn Learning, and Pluralsight.  Mr. Jackson retired from the U.S. Navy in 1994, earning specialties in Space Systems EngineeringCarrier Onboard Delivery Logistics and carrier-based Airborne Early Warning and Control. While active, he also served with the National Reconnaissance Office, Operational Support Office, providing tactical support to Navy and Marine Corps forces worldwide.

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Enrique Alvarez

Host of Logistics with Purpose and Supply Chain Now en Español

Enrique serves as Managing Director at Vector Global Logistics and believes we all have a personal responsibility to change the world. He is hard working, relationship minded and pro-active. Enrique trusts that the key to logistics is having a good and responsible team that truly partners with the clients and does whatever is necessary to see them succeed. He is a proud sponsor of Vector’s unique results-based work environment and before venturing into logistics he worked for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). During his time at BCG, he worked in different industries such as Telecommunications, Energy, Industrial Goods, Building Materials, and Private Banking. His main focus was always on the operations, sales, and supply chain processes, with case focus on, logistics, growth strategy, and cost reduction. Prior to joining BCG, Enrique worked for Grupo Vitro, a Mexican glass manufacturer, for five years holding different positions from sales and logistics manager to supply chain project leader in charge of five warehouses in Colombia.

He has an MBA from The Wharton School of Business and a BS, in Mechanical Engineer from the Technologico de Monterrey in Mexico. Enrique’s passions are soccer and the ocean, and he also enjoys traveling, getting to know new people, and spending time with his wife and two kids, Emma and Enrique.

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Kelly Barner

Host of Dial P for Procurement

Kelly is the Owner and Managing Director of Buyers Meeting Point and MyPurchasingCenter. She has been in procurement since 2003, starting as a practitioner and then as the Associate Director of Consulting at Emptoris. She has covered procurement news, events, publications, solutions, trends, and relevant economics at Buyers Meeting Point since 2009. Kelly is also the General Manager at Art of Procurement and Business Survey Chair for the ISM-New York Report on Business. Kelly has her MBA from Babson College as well as an MS in Library and Information Science from Simmons College and she has co-authored three books: ‘Supply Market Intelligence for Procurement Professionals’, ‘Procurement at a Crossroads’, and ‘Finance Unleashed’.

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Mary Kate Soliva

Host, Veteran Voices

Mary Kate Soliva is a veteran of the US Army and cofounder of the Guam Human Rights Initiative. She is currently in the Doctor of Criminal Justice program at Saint Leo University. She is passionate about combating human trafficking and has spent the last decade conducting training for military personnel and the local community.

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Constantine Limberakis

Host

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

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Clay Phillips

Business Development Manager

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

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Trisha Cordes

Administrative Assistant

Trisha is new to the supply chain industry – but not to podcasting. She’s an experienced podcast manager and virtual assistant who also happens to have 20 years of experience as an elementary school teacher. It’s safe to say, she’s passionate about helping people, and she lives out that passion every day with the Supply Chain Now team, contributing to scheduling and podcast production.

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Chantel King

Social Media Manager

My name is Chantel King and I am the Social Media Specialist at Supply Chain Now. My job is to make sure our audience is engaged and educated on the abundant amount of information the supply chain industry has to offer.

Social Media and Communications has been my niche ever since I graduated from college at The Academy of Art University in San Francisco. No, I am not a West Coast girl. I was born and raised in New Jersey, but my travel experience goes way beyond the garden state. My true passion is in creating editorial and graphic content that influences others to be great in whatever industry they are in. I’ve done this by working with lifestyle, financial, and editorial companies by providing resources to enhance their businesses.

Another passion of mine is trying new things. Whether it’s food, an activity, or a sport. I would like to say that I am an adventurous Taurus that never shies away from a new quest or challenge.

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Lori Sofian

Marketing Coordinator

Lori is currently completing a degree in marketing with an emphasis in digital marketing at the University of Georgia. When she’s not supporting the marketing efforts at Supply Chain Now, you can find her at music festivals – or working toward her dream goal of a fashion career. Lori is involved in many extracurricular activities and appreciates all the learning experiences UGA has brought her.

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Katherine Hintz

Director, Customer Experience

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

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Mary Kate Love

Chief of Staff & Host

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

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

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Joshua Miranda

Marketing Specialist

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

Donna Krache

Director of Communications and Executive Producer

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

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Vicki White

Controller

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

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Katherine Hintz

Creative Director, Producer, Host

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

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