Supply Chain Now
Episode 630

Episode Summary

“When you view supply chain at a more granular level, at the operational level, that’s when you realize how the supply chain works as the backbone of a particular organization and how it serves to build competitive advantage for that organization.”

– Dhairya Patel, Inquizity

 

Today’s supply chains are increasingly global, and – accordingly – so is the reach of any supply chain professional’s network. From Atlanta, Georgia to Vadodara, Gujarat, India, we can all learn from each other and benefit from combining our individual experiences into shared knowledge and understanding.

In that context, Supply Chain Now welcomes Dhairya Patel, a Supply Chain Analyst Intern at Inquizity, to the show. He discovered the field of supply chain operations during his undergraduate studies and didn’t experience the full execution side of the role until he was in industry.

In this episode, Dhairya tells Host Scott Luton:

· What he has learned about supply chain planning over the last year, and what we can all do to improve the practice of planning in general

· The opportunity to improve the customer experience by streamlining the reverse logistics process

· Why supply chains can’t become more resilient until companies do a better job of making their suppliers a more integral part of the planning and management proces

Episode Transcript

Intro/Outro (00:03):

Welcome to supply chain. Now the voice of global supply chain supply chain now focuses on the best in the business for our worldwide audience, the people, the technologies, the best practices, and today’s critical issues. The challenges and opportunities stay tuned to hear from those making global business happen right here on supply chain now.

Scott Luton (00:33):

Hey, good morning, Scott Luton right here with you on supply chain. Now, welcome to today’s episode. Hey, on today’s episode, special conversation to that, we’re gonna be talking with a self-described supply chain evangelist. How about that? An individual that has a strong passion for learning and exploring new things. Our guests we’ve had a lot of experience and a lot of fun with on our live streams and across social. Our guest is amongst the newest members of the global supply chain workforce and is working towards a quote realization of a smarter autonomous and hyper-connected supply chain. So with that said, let’s welcome in Dhairya Patel, a supply chain planning analyst intern with inquisitive Dhairya. How are you doing

Dhairya Patel (01:17):

Hi, Scott, great to be on the show. Thanks for inviting.

Scott Luton (01:22):

Well, it’s overdue. You’ve been on our shortlist of folks. We really enjoyed that the POV you’ve dropped in our, our live streams and, and our social interactions. And, and clearly, you know, it’s amazing how much you can pick up just from, from digital interactions these days, but your passion for supply chain comes screaming through. So it was great to sit down with you for a few minutes here today. So Dhairya, let’s start from the top before we get into the heavy lifting. Let’s learn more about you. So tell us, where did you grow up and, and give us a few stories about your approach.

Dhairya Patel (01:56):

Yes. So basically I do work in the Northwestern part of India, all which are, so this particular state, uh, is particularly famous for having hosting the world’s largest stadium in terms of capacity, roughly how many people it’s around 1.5 black people. Wow. Yes.

Scott Luton (02:18):

Guinness book, world record. Holy cow. So, so that’s where you grew up. So tell us more.

Dhairya Patel (02:23):

Yeah. And, uh, one other of my is like we have the votes tallest statue in our state. The statute is even taller than that. You Oxford is Liberty statue of Liberty. So that’s two key milestones that describe from where I come from.

Scott Luton (02:40):

Love that. So, you know, growing up in a, what sounds like a wonderful world city, it’s gotta be pretty special place to come from. And then as you meet people the, to tell, share about your city when you’re abroad, huh? Yes. So tell us about your family. Are you the oldest? Are you the youngest? What your mom and dad do us more about that?

Dhairya Patel (03:00):

So I’m the only child and my father, he works as an electrical manager at a firm or as a private firm. And my mother is a homemaker, basically raised as a single child being loved by my parents and, uh, right from my childhood. I had, I was a bit into the academics as a key learner, apart from academics. I love reading books. I love exploring new places, trying new cuisines. And also I go on track sometimes I’m spending time with nature.

Scott Luton (03:34):

Love that. All right. So I’ve got, I’ve got, uh, an extra question for you. So if you think about the mix of traits you’ve gotten from your father and from your mother, what’s one trait that you track back to your, your father and what’s one trait you definitely got from your mother. What would you, how would you answer that?

Dhairya Patel (03:52):

That’s hard to quantify, but, uh, but I will say that, uh, timeliness is something which I got as a trade from my mother. She’s a very kind individual. And I learned from her to respect and to respect other people’s viewpoint, to extend a helping hand and to give back to the community. And my father is a very pragmatic person. So being pragmatic at all stages of life is something that I can buy from as a key trait from his side,

Scott Luton (04:26):

What a wonderful combination we need. So much of all of those traits in global business. And I appreciate you entertaining that question. All right. So let’s talk about, you know, one of our favorite question is the why, right? Simon Sinek has made that famous. And for good reason, Dhairya, I’d love to ask you what was your why for wanting to work in the global supply chain space?

Dhairya Patel (04:50):

So I was first introduced to the domain of supply chain during my bachelor’s when I took certain courses related to the field of supply chain. But I had a very limited view of supply chain where a supply chain was a city as being operation research, where you model and you did are based on your modeling assumptions. You arrived at an optimal features, but enter into the industry I had, I was fortunate enough to work for the initial us after my bachelor’s in the capital industry, where I became acquainted with the execution part of the supply chain,

Scott Luton (05:26):

Uh, execution, one of our favorite aspects in supply chain. Right. Really making it happen. That’s what supply chain is known for, right? Yes. So it sounds like that execution side that it really cultivate, uh, even a greater love for the industry.

Dhairya Patel (05:41):

Yes. Because when you view supply chain at the more granular level at the operational level, how the vocals and how each and every person who is in the value chain, he works synchronously with each other in order derive value for the entire organization. That’s when you realize that how the supply chain works as a backbone of a particular organization and how it sews to get competitive advantage for a particular organization. So that’s when I realized or found my passion for supply chain.

Scott Luton (06:15):

I love that as you’re describing that the word ecosystem comes to mind, right. And it truly, you know, I know that’s been applied a number of different ways beyond the traditional literal definition, but these days it is a global ecosystem, right? Where everyone’s got something at stake from the consumer all the way upstream to the earliest raw material provider. And that’s, that’s one of my favorite aspects about supply chain, because it’s, it’s, it’s, it’s a true global community and everyone’s got something to stake. So I love that. I love your why Dhairya. It makes so much sense to me. No wonder you are a supply chain evangelist. I can see you at a pulpit now preaching to the preaching supply chain to the masses. I love it. So let’s talk about, you’re going to be in our neck of the woods in the months ahead, right. As you’re going to be venturing to Atlanta and attending Georgia tech just around the corner, tell us more about what you’re gonna be doing there. And why did you choose Georgia tech?

Dhairya Patel (07:11):

So very exciting to be at Georgia tech in the coming months to win Atlanta Georgia today, especially in the us is a very renewed Institute, especially for master’s in industrial engineering. The course that I’m going to be pursuing. It has been consistently ranked as the first, uh, in the us news rankings for the consecutive last 30 years, not just banking wise, but the professors and the community at Georgia tech is so much experience in supply chain. They are in fact, the pioneers in certain domains of supply chain. And that’s where I want to learn as much as possible from my peer community, as well as the professors at Georgia tech and extend or add more to my own profile and grow more in the supply chain. To me,

Scott Luton (08:02):

Love that. And, you know, I would add to that, you know, we’ve rubbed elbows with the fine folks in a number of different ways at Georgia tech over the 15 or so years, I’ve been in the Atlanta area. And not only are they one of the, or the top ranked industrial engineering school, but they’re also the largest industrial engineering school in the States. And the, and at the time this was, uh, my data’s about two years old, perhaps, but I bet it’s around the same. They are more than double the size of the second ranked program, which I think was either Michigan or Michigan state, but regardless fine institution. And it looks like they’re getting another wonderful current and future leader in Dhairya Patel. So now when you come to Atlanta, we’re going to have to break bread together, and we’re going to have to have you into the studio with us. And I want to keep our finger on the pulse of your studies and put POV. So is that a deal?

Dhairya Patel (08:52):

Yes, definitely looking forward to there we are too. Okay.

Scott Luton (08:56):

Okay. So let’s shift gears. I want to talk about inquisitive. Inquisitive is where you work now as a, as a supply chain planning analyst intern. So tell us first about the company.

Dhairya Patel (09:07):

Yes. So inquisitive is basically a supply chain planning business automation solutions provider, where we provide planning solutions to enterprises in various or domains in various industry vibe, right from meditate to my pharmaceuticals, to my tire industry. And because supply chain is, you know, is only present and each and every industry requires planning each and every industry requires management of its resources. And that’s where inquisitive comes into place, where we offer our planning solutions in the form of master production planning, as well as shade, scheduling, demand, forecasting solutions, replenishment planning solutions, and a bunch of more, or if I would rather call an end to end planning solution on a mobile platform known as data savvy. So that’s what it, it is all about. Love it,

Scott Luton (09:59):

True end to end, end to end planning. If we have not learned a thing or a thousand things about planning in the last 18 months, I don’t know if we’ve learned anything right. And planning continues to evolve. You know, uh, we, we, as you might imagine, we talk a lot about planning here and it’s fascinating just how much more data and how much better we can get at proactive planning these days. And we’re going to have to in the months ahead versus where we were even, you know, five, five or six years ago, it truly is, uh, amazing to, to plan and supply chain during the information age in it. All right. So speaking of planning, your let’s talk about your role. So what do you do? And what’s your, perhaps, what’s your favorite aspect of your role?

Dhairya Patel (10:45):

So talking about my role at, and visiting I’m currently at the client facing role, where we go to the client location, interact with the clients, understand their business needs, identify the gaps in their processes, try to resolve those gaps and bridge those gaps and propose the solutions or bridge those gaps with the solutions offered by inquisitive in order to improve their process efficiency, as well as add to their bottom line and the top line,

Scott Luton (11:15):

It’s gotta be pretty rewarding to be in a position to have that kind of practical impact taking a page from your father, right. We, um, I’m a big pragmatic thinker as well. You know, we talk a lot about, we have a bunch of fun around the fact that I once gave my current wife, my, you know, my former, I think we were either we were early in our dating or maybe it was the first Valentine’s day we were married, but she had told me that she didn’t have an umbrella. I dropped her off somewhere and she had, you know, she was in the rain and she was running in. And so naturally for Valentine’s day, the practical person, I am, I, her a number that did not go over very well, but, uh, long story short to be in a position, especially, you know, this early in your career where you can have an impact on not just the top line, but the bottom line and help folks, you know, help organizations better navigate through these incredibly challenging times. That’s gotta be really gratifying. W you know where you are right now.

Dhairya Patel (12:17):

Yes, it’s a lot of learning because every client has a unique challenges that they face. Every industry has unique challenges that they face. So how to implement your solutions customized or tailored to their particular needs and how to really make an impact and drive value for their organization is some of the things that I’m fortunate enough to experience at this particular stage of mind for you.

Scott Luton (12:41):

All right. So before I asked you about some of the ways that the global supply chain profession is evolving, clearly you’re working in a lot of different sectors, or at least you’re exposed to a lot of different sectors across industry. Is there one that is emerging as, as, as you know, a sector that really intrigues you and kind of captures your attention? Is there one sector out there that really strongly interest you?

Dhairya Patel (13:07):

So if I were to pick one sector or one dimension, uh, of the industry that that is cool, that I, that I believe is going to grow in the coming years is something the, uh, returns management is believe, is something that I would, uh, back on because, uh, there is in this rise of e-commerce with over 20% rise year on year, the returns actually form a huge part. They were most account for on 30% of your e-commerce their returns, and therefore managing those returns and establishing or planning for reverse logistics in order to ensure in order to reduce your costs in order to deliver a better customer experience is something that many startups or many companies in the supply chain, a banking that backs on one such, uh, and, uh, started that I come across is the reverse logics with where they are in fact implementing or solutions of cloud-based solutions for, uh, the return management for the reverse logistics of the return. And they are claiming to have a direct impact on twenty-five to 30% improvement in customer experience and a reduction in the cost. So I believe moving forward, this will be a key area where I believe the industry’s going to grow and evolve.

Scott Luton (14:27):

Agreed returns management is a really interesting space. Reverse logistics is a, is a really interesting space. And it seems like in here as e-commerce continues to explode and, you know, and there’s no, there’s no slow down, you know, insight. Uh, we all love the convenience of, of e-commerce across the globe. It seems like many retailers have cracked the code on the returns experience for the consumer or transactionally. But as we both know, one of the biggest challenges out there is how can we in a sustainable manner process these returns and get as much goodness out of what is brought back safely, right? And transparently back into the marketplace so that it can be reused or, or better yet for the products that maybe are returned and they can’t be reused. How can we reinvent? And re-engineer how they’re developed. So they can truly be truly recyclable, basically planning for circularity.

Scott Luton (15:28):

There there’s a phrase. Yes, yes. Uh, and, and how can we bake circularity into product design? I think it’s going to be a big challenge in the years to come, because, you know, you want to, as we both know, you want to balance what the constant, where the consumer sees value in the product itself with how can we design for maximum and optimized circularity? You know, there’s a, there’s a, there’s a constantly evolving middle line there. Uh, you know, the balance. Yes, big trade-off, but the cool thing is it, consumers are more and more valuing all of those efforts. And of course, uh, sustainability, uh, initiatives in a way that has never been seen in the market, in the global marketplace prior to, so if the consumers on your side, you’re going to, you’re going to make progress, right?

Dhairya Patel (16:15):

Yes. Are you seeing that with Unilever and PNG? So they’re backing that insurance, you see the Unilever’s sustainability initiative of achieving carbon positive by 2030. So that’s like a benchmark for all other industrial leaders to follow

Scott Luton (16:34):

Agreed. They’re setting the bar. So speaking of this, as we’ve already referenced the, the S the global supply chain profession, the craft as, as Greg white puts, it is rapidly evolving, you know, global business, the whole landscape is rapidly evolving. If you had to pick just one element, one dynamic out of this rapidly evolving ecosystem to, to steal our earlier phrase. What’s one thing that really captivates you.

Dhairya Patel (17:00):

So, uh, as we have seen that in this, our times of gig economy [inaudible], and your, uh, your, uh, Airbnb’s and Uber’s, and all those are where they offer the subscription as a service supply chain is also evolving to offer your software as a service infrastructure, as a service. And therefore I’ve seen a lot of companies which are betting their stakes on cloud-based platforms that are enabling digital transformation across the organizations and delivering real time, visibility and value for them, which helps them to make quicker and efficient and effective decisions at the point, when they’re encountering certain disruptions, or when they are managing their risks. So better decision-making

Scott Luton (17:50):

Is becoming better and faster decision-making is become more capable, right? Folks have a lot more capability when it comes to making faster and better decisions based on a variety of different factors across global supply chain, some folks still, and Dhairya, I’d love to get your feedback here. Some folks still are not geared towards making decisions. They don’t want to be in the, you know, the one in the room, making the decisions. Tell me about you. You strike me as someone that not only enjoys making decisions today, but you’re going to enjoy making even bigger decisions in the, in, you know, as your, as your career involved or evolve Z, is that accurate?

Dhairya Patel (18:27):

Yes, indeed. Like, I will like to be on the decision-making rules. I would like to be crafting the strategy for an organization, being the room without the points. This goes on the points and then make faster decisions based on facts and data. That’s what I want to be in a few future.

Scott Luton (18:48):

Wonderful. And win and win a lot. Right? Like your cricket team, is that right? Yes. And I’m going to circle back, but we didn’t talk about the cricket on the front end. I’m a circle as we start to close here in a minute, I want to pick your brain about cricket, because I bet there’s a lot of folks like myself that weren’t real familiar about some of the basics of that very popular global game. So beyond all that you’ve shared, and we’ve, we’ve kind of talked about some, some big meaty subjects thus far, but beyond it, is there one thing that we haven’t addressed yet that you’re really paying a lot of tension to, you know, from a global business standpoint, what else would that be?

Dhairya Patel (19:28):

So, if I were to describe that what organizations need to plan for, you’ve seen the recent pandemic and the recent disruptions caused by the pandemic. Also, we came across this study by McKinsey. That saves that of disruption is bound to occur every 3.7 years. And therefore companies need to start investing in resilient supply chains, the need to design the networks in an agile manner, the need to focus on digital collaboration with our suppliers, with their partners and make them equal stakeholders in decision making. And therefore they need to establish supply chain control towers. They need to go for cloud-based platforms that will help them, that will guide them in order to make real efficient decisions. And if I were to say like, there you can, uh, there is a great potential for leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to derive, predict to insights and analytics to predict the destruction before it occurs. And therefore you can have your, uh, responses ready in order to mitigate those unintended consequences that might occur as a result of destruction. And therefore, if companies need to survive in this time of [inaudible], which is the volatility, complexity, and ambiguity word, then they need to start investing in resilient supply chains. That’s what, that’s the one message that I would like to put out in the community.

Scott Luton (20:58):

You shared a lot there. I want to go back to one of your earlier comments in that answer, which is working with your suppliers, uh, as, uh, as equal stakeholders in, in especially big decisions. And I think that’s, you know, when I think about my time earlier in a manufacturing industry, which is quite some time ago, and I think about some of the observations I had when it comes to how us at, at, at, at the time, as a supplier where our seat at the table, or where our seat was, not at the table with some of our, the larger companies that we supplied and how that leverage was used and how, in many of these cases, we were excluded from these big decisions. And in some cases not, I want to, I don’t want to paint too broad a brush, but in some cases you’re pounded down, we need 10% less than pricing.

Scott Luton (21:47):

We got to find a way, and if you could meet it, you rewarded. And if you couldn’t and you stood to lose business or had other consequences, and it really, and this wasn’t every relationship, but a couple of those just, it created, you know, leadership in that manner created a really distrust, right? And it didn’t, it didn’t create much incentive as where does that may sound. It’s been really neat to see how, as we’ve interviewed more and more folks, uh, you know, from, from Sandra McQuillan and, and Quintin Roach with models, international, many others that view their suppliers almost as much, or maybe even on equal terms as they view their consumer and find a supplier. Those are the folks I want to work with, right? Because they’re going to find a way for all organizations, all upstream and downstream, you know, to do good business and, and, and, and serve the consumer. That really that’s one of the things that really gets my juices going about where supply chain is kind of headed. And we see a lot of that today. I think we’ll see a lot more of that in, in the months and years to come. Is that, does that resonate with you? And, and any thoughts about that?

Dhairya Patel (22:50):

Yes, indeed. Like making supplies and equal parties or equal stakeholders in the decision making process is a brave step to move towards sterilization and for resilience supply chain, because you need your suppliers to be ready to accommodate for any demand changes, whenever destruction is occurring. And you can build that trust only when you have the, when we interact with supplier on an equal footing. And I believe that moving forward as the new millennial workforce is going to gradually seep into the supply chain domain, new practices are gonna come in place and the old status quo will be challenged. And that’s where our community died of has to play a big role in where we need to educate individuals or entering into supply chains. To me about how to approach supply chain in these volatile times,

Scott Luton (23:43):

Love that. And, you know, that’s where the gains are going to be. We’ve challenged these, these debt long-held status quo where some of the new health status close, right. That’s where some of the most important change is going to take place. And really frankly, that goes, that could be said outside of supply chain to a societal change and global business change. So we’ll get, we’ve got some big, there’s always big topics to tackle and challenges to tackle in, in global business. But we’ve got some, we’ve got some big ones right now. And, and, and certainly around the corner that are yet to be foreseen, right. That, that, um, that you’ll be leading us through Daria. So I want to look back. So we’ve been kind of, we’ve been kind of focused on the current state and what’s to come. And some of those trends, I won’t look back now because knock on wood. We all hope that we’re, we’re getting firmer and firmer into the post pandemic period. It’s been different parts of the world are in different, different spots. And, but what’s one thing, one big Eureka moment that you’ve had as we have navigated through this global pandemic what’s bit, one being one big lesson learned

Dhairya Patel (24:52):

Like, uh, Winston Churchill has a popular saying that never waste a crisis. If you are in the midst of a crisis, never based a crisis is in fact, a perfect opportunity moment for the organizations to capitalize and to like capitalize and or improve on the shortcomings or any particular gaps that they have in their processes. And this is in continuous improvement process. So I believe that real time of visibility is something that companies should look forward because we seen the light of the recent destruction such as the us Canada blockage crisis. Or we might say because of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the disruption initially occurred in the UConn research, so that around 938 of the fortune, a thousand companies had attire to suppliers in Mohan. And therefore there was this reverberation. So ripple effects felt for the organizations worldwide, where they face the raw material shortages. And therefore it is imperative that you have your real-time visibility on what, uh, where your production is occurring or where our suppliers are. So where are you sourcing form that helps you plan effectively and plan better for any upcoming disruptions?

Scott Luton (26:06):

Well said very well said. So you learned some big lessons from the pandemic, but you know, one of the things you mentioned there is time visibility, and I’ll tell you that’s like Bitcoin, it seems like the value of that just is just taking off every hour with good reason. So a lot of good stuff there, Hey, as we wrap, Oh, one more thing before we talk about cricket, I want to, I want to circle back to it, to your mother and, and some of the traits that she bestowed on you, you know, doing good, helping the community, helping others, being conned, you know, do you see any, any new found lessons in those areas as a result of the pandemic?

Dhairya Patel (26:46):

So I absorbed it as a community. We have in fact, uh, being more supportive and being more kind in these tumultuous times, I’ve seen many organizations and many NGOs, which are working together day and night to be out, to deliver food packages, to deliver, uh, nutritional, uh, milk, uh, to the destitute children, especially in India, where we have a, we had a low down. So there was this particular time when there were many migrant workers who were continuously walking on foot for almost as a 500 to 800 mice. And this, we saw many individuals coming together, coming forward and supplying them of food and other essential. And, uh, at that particular time, I felt that as a community, we have grown much more kind and we have become sensitive to each other’s pain and we have felt and empathize with others. And that is something that, um, has greatly impressed me because it was a particularly a very negative time where the tiny shred of positivity was needed to uplift our moves. And it is great that people are coming forward.

Scott Luton (28:00):

Agreed. It’s, it’s energizing, it’s nourishment for the soul in terms of the levels of empathy and, and folks doing good and giving forward during these challenging times, it really, it helps bolster us to, to, to get through a lot of the bad days that we’ve all experienced. So I appreciate you sharing your perspective there. Now I want to talk about cricket for a minute, cause I bet we’ve got, uh, I’m sure we’ve got some listeners that are like me and have no idea how the game works. They’ve seen it, probably pictures and whatnot. So the Indian premier league is the league is the big, the major leagues of cricket, right? Yes. All right. So it appears that the Royal challengers Bangalore are currently leading the league, right? Yes.

Dhairya Patel (28:48):

Okay.

Scott Luton (28:50):

Yes, there are three and three. How about that? Real-time visibility into cricket league standings now, which one’s your favorite team again?

Dhairya Patel (28:58):

Minus 10 days. Super Kings,

Scott Luton (29:00):

Super Kings. All right. What, what’s their acronym? C a C O C. So they’re number two. Yes. The Chennai super Kings. There they are number two at three, two and one. So they’re nipping on the heels. How many games roughly make up a cricket season? How many games will these teams play?

Dhairya Patel (29:18):

So like, there are some, uh, there are eat teams which are playing in the Indian premier league. So each team will play with each other. There’s a round Robin type of arrangement around 56 matches. And then we have this, uh, finales and bananas, and then we move on to the finance. It’s like a cricket festival right now in India.

Scott Luton (29:37):

Right. I love it. A cricket festival. So about 56 games. And let’s talk about just the mechanics of cricket, because I learned some things on the pre-show for example. So, so much like baseball for our listeners that have seen the baseball game. You’ve got a, a pitcher that you, that, that uses a cricket ball, right? Yes. And they fling that towards the batter. Is that what you call it? The batter in

Dhairya Patel (30:05):

Yes. Much of a baseball bat, but it’s like a flat of flakes off his back rather than alarm, but yeah.

Scott Luton (30:13):

And then behind home and baseball, what would be called home plate behind the batter or are several stumps? Is that right? Yes. And what I didn’t know until Dhairya told me on the front end is if the, if the cricket ball hits a stump, the batter is out.

Dhairya Patel (30:32):

Yes. So you’ve got to protect the stops. Is that right? Yes. You’ve got to protect systems and you going to give the ball at the same time.

Scott Luton (30:41):

Very challenging, very challenging. And that ball, uh, well, just like we see a major league baseball pitchers are throwing at a hundred miles an hour, bringing it home to you cause you’ve played cricket, uh, quite a bit. And I think you told us that you were a much better batter than you were like a fielder, is that right?

Dhairya Patel (30:57):

Yes, indeed. I like to hit the ball out of the boundary for sixes. So is that like a home run in baseball? Yes. So if you hit it in the baseball, it’s opening in cricket, if you hit it, uh, outside the boundary, it’s called the six to the six months for that.

Scott Luton (31:12):

Okay. A six man. I learn something new every day. Well, this is, it’s really, it’s really cool and rewarding to sit down and finally have a face to face in this. As face-to-face, as we get here lately with Daria Patel really have enjoyed, uh, Greg and I and a whole team gotten a kick out of what you shared on our live streams and how we’ve interacted on social, you know, always feel really good, really good about where global business is headed with, with incredible leaders and people like you coming into industry, you already here, but you know what I mean, as you progress from your, your current intern role and, and you progress through the master’s program at one of the greatest institutions in the land to break out and become one of the leaders in industry. So this is gonna be fascinating to, to keep our finger on the pulse of where you go from here.

Dhairya Patel (32:00):

Yes, indeed. Exciting times ahead. And, uh, it’s been a pleasure to be on the show. Okay.

Scott Luton (32:06):

Okay. Well, let’s make sure folks, how can folks connect, you know, if they want to compare notes with you or they want to ask you a question about, you know, this topic or that topic, or, you know, compare notes, what, how can folks connect with you?

Dhairya Patel (32:19):

So I’m pretty active on LinkedIn. So folks can reach me out or message me on LinkedIn. I’m always open for conversation and we can mutually discuss, learn from your POV as well as my POV and move ahead as a community.

Scott Luton (32:34):

Love that. All right. So I’ve, I’ve got, I’ve got to call this out, uh, for folks that may be tuned into the video version of this pod of his podcast, right over your left shoulder. There’s a book that says Paul herbs, I’ve got three, three little pet stared at me, which is a play off, of course, a proverb. So I love that Daria. I think we know that you’ve got a sense of humor. So I appreciate that. It’s a good dad joke and much more importantly, I’ve really enjoyed the last 45 minutes or so spent with you and getting to know you better and sharing your point of view and your perspective with our global community. A lot of inspiration there. And I can’t wait to reconnect with you again really soon. All right. Well, Hey folks, we’ve been talking with Daria Patel, a supply chain planning analyst intern with a company on the move called inquisitive. And Hey, if Daria is there, you know, the organizations on the mood, hopefully you enjoy this conversation as much as I have. It’s been a long time coming and on behalf of our entire team here at supply chain. Now we wish you all the best wherever you are. More importantly, Hey, do good. Give forward. Be the changes need to be like Daria Patel. And on that note, we’ll see you next time here at supply chain now. Thanks, goodbye.

Intro/Outro (33:47):

Thanks for being a part of our supply chain. Now, community check out all of our programming@supplychainnow.com and make sure you subscribe to supply chain. Now anywhere you listen to podcasts and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. See you next time on supply chain. Now

Would you rather watch the show in action?

Evangelizing Global Supply Chain: Dhairya Patel with Inquizity

Featured Guests

Dhairya Patel is a supply chain evangelist with a strong passion to trace a steeper learning curve while exploring newer avenues and opportunities in today’s technology-driven world. As a Gen Z who has just stepped into the workforce, he strives to work towards the realization of a smarter, autonomous, and hyperconnected supply chain. He completed his undergrad in Mechanical Engineering and will be joining Georgia Tech for pursuing his Masters in Industrial Engineering starting August 2021. He is currently working as a Supply Chain Planning Analyst intern at Inquizity, a planning and business automation solutions provider. He has also worked as an Operations Intern with a logistics technology SaaS provider offering real-time track and trace solutions. Connect with Dhairya on LinkedIn.

Hosts

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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