“When you come into an environment that you haven’t been in before, you don’t really understand the culture. You need a sounding board; you need someone to help you grow.”
– Tandreia Bellamy, VP of Industrial Engineering, UPS Global Freight Forwarding
Over the last year, many teams have been forced to shift their meetings and interactions into the virtual realm. Despite how fortunate they were to have the option, very few of those teams would say they took the opportunity to connect via Zoom and used it to build stronger bonds than they could have otherwise. If anyone was going to defy those odds, it would be Tandreia Bellamy.
Tandreia Bellamy has worked her way up through the ranks at UPS, starting as a supervisor while she was in college and eventually becoming the Vice President of Industrial Engineering for UPS Global Freight Forwarding. During the height of the pandemic, her team used their virtual meetings to figure out how they were going to move ventilators through the supply chain. But once that work was done, they realized they were having such a blast that they didn’t want it to end.
In this interview, Tandreia tells Supply Chain Now Radio Co-hosts Scott Luton and Greg White about her team’s year of virtual adventures and bonding:
– The Halloween costumes, cookbook, best virtual background competition, and more
– Her concerns about the shortage of all commercial truck drivers, but especially those qualified to drive fuel tankers, and what it may do to the economy
– Her involvement with the service provider TommyRun now that she has retired from UPS, an entrepreneurial list-mile delivery service focused on construction materials and supplies
Intro/Outro (00:00:03):
[inaudible] 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 [inaudible] Hey, good afternoon, Scott
Scott Luton (00:00:37):
Luton, Greg White with you here on Supply Chain Now welcome to today’s live stream Gregory. How are we doing
Greg White (00:00:44):
Quite well? Scott, we are visiting with an old friend today and I’m pretty darn excited about
Scott Luton (00:00:51):
It. Oh, we’re really excited. And not just no friend, one of our all time. Favorite guests
Greg White (00:00:57):
Later, mentor executives, logistics pros. Um,
Scott Luton (00:01:02):
Yeah, it’s true. It is really true. Uh, and we’re delighted that she’ll be joining us for the first time on a live stream, right? Uh, it’s really the first time, first time on the live stream, you know, she’s been with us probably three or four episodes.
Greg White (00:01:16):
Oh, well, more than that, don’t you think? Maybe never. Swooshed never,
Scott Luton (00:01:21):
Never been squished. So stay tuned. Yes, it is. It’s gonna be a wonderful conversation. You are going to love our guests and love her perspective. And you know, we want to hear from you. We want to hear you weigh in on, on what we talk about today. We’re gonna be talking about leadership. We’re gonna be talking about Eureka moments and it really a long tenure at one of the industry leaders. We’re gonna be talking about new ventures and entrepreneurship and a lot more. So y’all get ready. Get your voice warmed up. Get ready to go. Greg, is your voice warmed up? Ready to go? Me, me, me, me, me. All right. So let’s say hello,
Greg White (00:01:56):
Fox jumped over the lazy dog. Yes. Oh,
Scott Luton (00:01:59):
Okay. That’s a new one. All right. Um, the whole alphabet right there, that
Greg White (00:02:05):
That sentence contains the whole alphabet.
Scott Luton (00:02:07):
Well, let’s, um, let’s say look to a few folks and then we’re going to share a couple of programming notes and then we’re going to bring in our featured guests here today. So up at the top, the first individual Tchernavia is great to have you back. I hope this finds you. Yeah. Hope this finds your family and, uh, your, your community well love to, you know, if you can share anything in comments would love to check in and see how you’re doing. So what we’ll touch on in a second, we’re gonna touch on an initiative that we are, uh, very proud to support. Uh, you know, you give from what you have to get more supplies to our friends in India. So great to see you back. Sure. Nevus Lee is back with us. Once again, Ola from Houston Lee really enjoyed.
Greg White (00:02:50):
It feels like it’s been a while. Welcome back Lee.
Scott Luton (00:02:52):
And he was sharing a lot of thoughts around reverse logistics and retail. One of the last last rooms he joined us. So Lee hope this finds you well, Peter Beaujolais every night and every day, Peter, how are you doing? Oh, I liked that Scott. Um, he says four days of supply chain now in a row. Can it get any better, man, Peter, as a wonderful love that. Okay. I think this is, let’s see here. Uh, Amanda and clay, I think this is Kyle Reeves. So what happened,
Greg White (00:03:25):
Scott? Why is it? We can’t see some people and it’s like urine. Isn’t it?
Scott Luton (00:03:30):
Security settings on their profiles. So, yep. So I think this is Kyle and Kyle. Welcome back. Let’s see here also. Oh, Sylvia. Judy is with us. So greetings from Charleston. Great to see a Sylvia. Mohib from the air capital of shops. Go shocks air capital of the world and Wichita, Kansas LA is back from Sudan, LA. Great to see you look forward to your perspectives. Kayvon via LinkedIn. The doctor is in the house. That’s
Greg White (00:04:03):
Great.
Scott Luton (00:04:06):
Emily’s uh, from Mexico via LinkedIn. Great to have you with us here today. Uh, John Perry’s back, John, with a great sense of humor. So John you’re on the hook that we’ll be looking for some great comments there. Yes. We’re looking for speaking entertainment, seeking entertainment, Jill from, uh, Chicago and what the weather’s like up there this time of year. Great to have you with this deal.
Greg White (00:04:31):
I don’t know, but if it’s as good as the food, I’m all over it. Yeah. Yes. I’m with you there. The
Scott Luton (00:04:38):
Comments are coming in too quick. Um, my fingers are not moving fast enough. Oh, Alabi is back with us from Nigeria. Great to see ya and enjoy our social, uh, exchanges. Gary Smith is back. Great to see a Sheldon big up from Jamaica. Hello, via LinkedIn. Great to have you here. Okay. So for now and hello to everyone else, we’re looking forward to hearing your take on what we talk about here today. Uh, and let’s see here. I want to share what’s a really important project for all of us. And, and, you know, we jumped on this morning, uh, via podcast recorded podcast with an individual that born in India raised in Singapore. Then he was, he was raised, he’s got a lot of family in India and we were kind of before he shared that, Greg, we were kind of, you know, what’s, what’s been a highlight thus far of this week.
Scott Luton (00:05:28):
Right? We were thinking, I mean, frankly, and, and, and maybe our isolated ways, I was thinking baseball, the Braves wind last night, or some of this other stuff that really doesn’t mean anything. And then he mentioned, uh, how, um, how heartwarming it was for him to see the world come together and really jump on getting, and helping and getting supplies to India. They really, I mean, it really was a, uh, an enlightening moment. Um, one that burned that brings you back to reality and takes you from all the things aren’t important. So, Greg, what was your, before we talk about this here, what, what was your thoughts there? Well,
Greg White (00:06:04):
You know, I have to spell the name, but I’ll only spell the first name. Sean was, uh, he is very appreciative, appreciative of, of the experience he got living in Singapore, obviously living in India, both his mother and father and, um, and where he went to college, he was thankful to the opportunity that gave him and the first company that got him into the supply chain space. So it’s really a good story as much as anything in what he’s doing comes from, um, his incredibly, his incredible adeptness at engineering and technology and from the entrepreneurial roots, that is that his, uh, father gave him starting a business at 17 in Singapore, not even in his home country. Crazy. So it’s an interesting story. We’ll give you a chance to hear it in the next, what couple of weeks, right. Scott agreed.
Scott Luton (00:07:00):
Agreed. I think we’re shooting for May 19th, but I’ll check that out. And on the same note, check out these efforts, you know, there’s so many great organizations, right, that are getting, getting assistance to our friends in India. You’ve got two options here. Go ahead, Greg chef
Greg White (00:07:16):
[inaudible] was, uh, on the show, which apparently, I didn’t know, Enrique was embarrassed that he didn’t know he was famous. I was even more embarrassed because I didn’t know that we should know that he was, but you know, obviously doing great things regardless of his fame, um, and you know, and using his fame and a great way to help the people in his home country. And you could see the conviction and the emotion that he feels in the situation that’s going on there and in being able to help and in using us and others as vehicles to help get the words out word out, and we’re glad to do it.
Scott Luton (00:07:58):
Amen. Yeah, that’s right. It’s a part of our mission here as part of our, our DNA here to give forward and, and, and, uh, do good, uh, and, and really take action. Uh, so y’all check this out, you know, beyond other initiatives that are out there, just find one that you believe in that that’s really, you know, the resources are getting to the people, right. And rather than, uh, to the, the overhead, and these are two efforts that we can, we can vouch for here. So yeah,
Greg White (00:08:23):
A hundred percent of the money goes to those in need. That’s right. 100%. That’s really rare.
Scott Luton (00:08:29):
Absolutely. vba.org, B I B H a.org. Or if you’ve got questions or maybe you’ve got some unique ways you can help, uh, you can shoot a note also to india@vectorgl.com and our good friends at vector global logistics are doing great work to, uh, help marshal things over there. Okay. So Greg, I want to share a couple of comments on a much lighter note on share a couple of comments here. We’ll we’ll hang on a sec. Musar says India, stay strong we’re away, but our heart beats for you sending lots of love to India. So Minnesota well said would love to know what part of the world you’re in now. Thanks for joining us here today. Let’s see, David is back with us. David hope this finds you will up in Canada. Great to see ya. Not that
Greg White (00:09:13):
Long beard on just in time for summer day, then
Scott Luton (00:09:16):
That’s right. That’s okay.
Greg White (00:09:18):
That’s only a couple of weeks where he lives. Isn’t it summer?
Scott Luton (00:09:22):
You know, I don’t know, uh, maybe it’s hockey season year round. I believe up there. And lately after the blue Jays took swept the Braves, maybe it’s baseball season up there, although Toronto is playing down here in the warm Florida confines. So Greg, I am so excited to introduce our guests. Anything else you want to share before we bring in our featured guest,
Greg White (00:09:46):
Uh, Zucca is on, Hey, that was a great interview. Zucca and re also really inspiring and a great juxtaposition of how helpful young ladies can be and how rambunctious young boys can be. So we get to watch the playback of that. Just remember guys, um, yeah. Help mom out. What’d
Scott Luton (00:10:09):
You? Well, all you guys, and so mother’s
Greg White (00:10:13):
Day is coming up, so really help her out. Do not miss that.
Scott Luton (00:10:17):
So Greg is referring to a live stream last week. We featured a Zucca and of course our dear friend, Jenny, from the replays coming up soon, you’re not going to want to miss it. We got a ton of feedback. One of the, uh, dozens of, of Juul is that, uh, Zuka dropped on us was, uh, if you always bring, if you always bring value, you’ll always be welcome at the table, you know, kind of creating your own spa. That table ha had just a fascinating hour long conversation. So Zucca great to have you here today. Okay. So let’s bring on our featured guests, gray. This is going to be really neat. So our featured guests today recently retired from ups supply chain solutions as vice-president of industrial engineering. Now she started, I kind of forgot about this a little bit, but this is really cool.
Scott Luton (00:11:01):
She started at ups as a part-time hourly associate unloading trucks. So she has seen it all, and I hope she writes a book about it. So to go from there to basically running half the country for, um, uh, ups, our guests continues to serve on the Dean’s advisory board for the university of central Florida’s college of engineering and computer science. And she served on a wide variety of executive boards up to many lists here. And she’s really sought after I’ve seen it firsthand for insights and perspective. She’s been there. She’s done that. I think I didn’t see in her bio, but I’m pretty sure I saw it in our earlier conversations. She has been inducted in the hall of fame for engineering somewhere. Maybe she can share when she comes home, a recipient of numerous awards and recognitions across the country. Certainly that’s the supply chain industry. I want to welcome in Tandreia Bellamy to show to Andrea, how are you doing
Tandreia Bellamy (00:11:56):
Great. Great, great, great, great to see you again.
Greg White (00:12:00):
It has been always good to have you. Yeah, it has been awhile. How long has it been
Tandreia Bellamy (00:12:06):
Pre COVID? It was pretty cold, but you were correct. Cause we were together in the studio. Yeah, yeah. That’s right. Well, you’ve
Scott Luton (00:12:12):
Been, plus you’ve been busy and who’s counting. It’s only been seven weeks, four days and 27 hours, but Hey, who is counting or you’ve been, you’ve had a, you had some full plates beyond, you know, celebrating your retirement much deserved from ups, your son, which, which if we can talk about entered college and here’s a fascinating story there, we’re gonna have to bring, uh, Anthony on later and you’re jumping into a new venture, which we’re going to talk about later in this show. So certainly a full plate. Right? Absolutely. Keep it moving, keep it moving. All right. So Greg, you’ve got the distinguished honor of leading off our conversation here with Tandreia. So you
Greg White (00:12:50):
Worked at a company, uh, an acronym, maybe some folks aren’t aware of. So I’m going to clue them in a little bit to Andrea, this small company called ups. They deliver things. I think, um, that’s, that’s pretty much it. Um, but as Scott said, you started from relatively humble beginnings, but I think you, you ended as a leader of an entire business organization. So can you tell us a little bit about that, you know, and kind of the high points and challenges and Eureka moments and you know what, Tandreia just tell us whatever you want.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:13:27):
Yes. I started out with a ups when I was in college and at the time, um, minimum wage was three 35 and I was working full time at a retail establishment and saw the flyers on campus, um, for $8 an hour for a part-time job and full benefits. And, you know, being an engineer, understanding a little bit about math, I thought, Hey, that’s a great deal. I went and started out as an unloader, um, because I’m really stubborn. You know, they had clerical jobs and other administrative type positions. I was like, no, I’m going to go and unload trucks because I can. And that was a really good decision because that got me involved with operations and I became a part-time supervisor. And one of my guys, one of the sorters, a gentleman was coming up the stairs and one of my sorters yells, Hey, I ain’t got, she’s getting 90 degree. And within a couple of weeks, I was in the industrial engineering department. Wow. Absolutely. And that’s how it began. So I was a part-time supervisor in the engineering department as I finished, just
Greg White (00:14:38):
To be clear because of a loud mouth sorter. Absolutely.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:14:42):
I didn’t even know they had an industrial engineering department, so well, so lesson number one, treat your people good. And, and they will take care of you. So I, um, I later drove, I went into full-time management. I moved and this was in Orlando. I moved from Orlando to Atlanta, uh, worked in the corporate office for a little while, did a little stint in marketing at the corporate office, went back to industrial engineering and then got pushed back into the field, which was phenomenal because I would much rather be close to the action than in the corporate environment. So I was engineering director and Omaha, and then I, and Omaha, I was responsible for Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Kansas. And then I went to Minnesota and I’m thinking, wait, I’m a native Florida. Yeah. You’re going the wrong way. And I received another promotion and ended up in Chicago. So when you’re talking about Chicago food, yup. Absolutely positively.
Greg White (00:15:50):
Okay. Okay. It’s Tandreia call it. What was your favorite back then?
Tandreia Bellamy (00:15:54):
No, I’ve always been a seafood lover and Hugo’s from bar just had some amazing meals now. I really wasn’t a pizza person. Yeah. That was just pizza galore. Oh yeah. A lot. A lot of great steak houses. I mean, whatever you want, you could find it. Polish food,
Greg White (00:16:15):
Greek food, Hungarian food. I mean Italian everything.
Scott Luton (00:16:21):
Yeah. So, so you’re making this too hungry. Let, let me interject. I’m glad I ate before this. Let me interject something that already, uh, Tandreia. And is it just my monitor or can y’all is the top of that blacked out top? Top of that comment can y’all see it. I got, it must just be a setting on my end. So Lisa says very inspiring work hard and it pays off. Look finds those who work hard. Any, any quoting Tandreia here, treat your people good. I’m tattooing that on my chest. You got a big fan.
Greg White (00:16:54):
Well, why not? If you’re going to get a tattoo, make it a really meaningful
Scott Luton (00:16:56):
Ones. Uh, and the bigger, the better and more painful I’m sure. But Hey, I love that Lee and uh, good morning to you, uh, Dr. Rhonda out there in Arizona. Great to have you back.
Greg White (00:17:06):
Okay. Can I, uh, just one other thing, share with folks your education path too, to Tandreia, because I think that’s, that’s an important part of who you are and, and how you got some of the opportunities you did. I think as well, right?
Tandreia Bellamy (00:17:20):
Yes. My bachelors and my masters are both an industrial engineer. A bachelor’s is from Stanford, which is another story, but grew up in Florida. The very first time I got on an airplane was to go to Stanford. I recall that. And then my master’s is from university of central Florida, which is where I was honored as a distinguished alumni. That’s what,
Scott Luton (00:17:46):
And that, um, hall of fame, distinguished alum, it’s very, very close, but what clearly you’ve made your mark and I think you made your mark on stem, but also engineering. And I think that’s where we initially met because you published an article, touched on some of your journey and touched on some of the challenges we have. I can’t remember what big publication it was, but that’s where we originally met. And had you in person for your first podcast, forever gut feels,
Tandreia Bellamy (00:18:10):
It was forever ago. It
Greg White (00:18:12):
Wasn’t forever ago. It wasn’t that long ago.
Scott Luton (00:18:17):
It’s all up true. That’s true. Yeah. A new
Greg White (00:18:25):
Fellow term these days. Right.
Scott Luton (00:18:29):
So, well, while we’re, while we’re piling on, I’m going to add this demo heap. He says, wow, I didn’t know that Stanford university had industrial engineering firm to do it. Come on. May I be nice to our guests? Now? I want to also add this comment here from Adeet. Yeah. Hey, great to have you with us here. Adeet yeah. Such an important point to be noted that people management is one of the most important aspects in warehouse management have experienced firsthand. It solves half your problems. Wonderful. So Greg let’s keep driving. Yeah.
Greg White (00:19:00):
Well, and you haven’t heard the half of it gang because Tandra is spectacular mentor and well I’ll let her tell you about that. But aside from yourself, Tandreia, tell us a little bit about some of the things you’ve. Some of the people you’ve encountered who have been great leaders and some of the things you learned from them. And then, and then on the back of that, I would like to talk a little bit about your strong belief in mentorship.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:19:27):
Well, and I didn’t didn’t finish out the career journey, but where it ended was as the VP of engineering was supply chain. And you know, we’ve come through this year of being separated from each other as the what supply chain. It is a global business unit. It’s truly global business unit. And we were able to connect via zoom in ways that understood what the impact was going to be. That global team became so much tighter what the pandemic than we were before the pandemic, we would have zoom calls and yes, we would disseminate much needed information. How were we going to move PPE from China to the U S how are we going to move ventilators across the country? We helped Canada moved their PP PPE from China, that Canada. But aside from all of the things that we had to do to get work done, we had such a blast.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:20:25):
There were Halloween costume contest. We had contests on who could come up with the best background, the best virtual background. We would have themes where if we were talking about ocean, because capacity got so tight, everybody would have a different ocean themed background. We had a storage days and, and the boss would call on people to talk about what their backgrounds were. And so much family history came up as, as we did that, we had, you know, show us your favorite vacation and all of these little things that were shared. All of the little things that were talked about made the business relationship so much stronger. One of the greatest offshoots of that was, you know, every year we would have succession planning discussions, but most of the time, the only person who could talk about the people in their area of the world, where the people who worked in that region, what this, we highlighted so many of our young and upcoming superstars.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:21:30):
So many of the mid-level managers that everybody could now talk about what these, what the value was, what did they bring to the table? How did they interact? We had zoom calls where we would have people from around the globe on what customers and the customers would talk about what their needs were. And then we got customer feedback on how different people from around the world engaged with them. It was phenomenal. No, it was phenomenal. And it still blows my mind that all of these people were excited to get on this call. It was held at 8:00 AM Eastern, which means it was 8:00 PM in Asia. It was 5:00 AM in California. And everybody got on this call and participants participated enthusiastically, but I think it was all of the things that we did that weren’t business related that just helped to galvanize those bonds. It was, it was great. It was great.
Greg White (00:22:30):
What’d you dress up for, for Halloween, for the Halloween call. That’s what I want to know.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:22:35):
I was one of the women warriors from black Panther. So on the forever.
Scott Luton (00:22:45):
Ah, I love that. All right. So I got to share a couple of comments cause you’re you’re as, as expected, you’re inspiring and people let’s see here back to Mohit. He’s also an industrial engineer, masters and PhD, ongoing hardcore shocker rocker engineer. I am. Oh, well lobby says that loud. Shout from the sorter. Wasn’t just loud. It speaks volume about building mutually symbiotic relationships at work and off work. Good lesson here. Excellent point.
Greg White (00:23:13):
Yeah. Lots of great points from Olo Albi. No kidding. Oh yeah. I think I disliked it.
Scott Luton (00:23:23):
So Rhonda says, I’d say management of people is the most challenging, but also rewarding experience. I’ve learned so much about people, myself and the wonderful uniqueness of making things happen by tapping into our best skills assembled and they fundamental way together. What man that’s like poetic, excellent, excellent stuff there. Uh, LA says it’s very to have to work while studying well done managing time and stress is vital. And then one of the common here, and we’re going to, we’re going to circle back to a few others, drive determination and humility, what an amazing and inspirational example of a true leader. Wow. All right. We’re gonna get to David and Peter on the next break, but Greg let’s drop.
Greg White (00:24:04):
Um, if we can find it, let’s try to drop a link from one of our earliest interviews with Tandreia. You think this is a great story. I mean, this is a great story, but some of this kind of the w we got to really get into your beginnings in one of the first calls, right. Tandreia or discussion we did. We did. Um, man, it’s just so impressive. Um, your history, you know, we’re big fans,
Scott Luton (00:24:31):
Tattoos, Tandreia Bellamy, just like Lee, but, um, so Greg, you were going to, you were going to pick Tandeia’s brain around mentorship cause it’s certainly one of the things she’s passionate
Greg White (00:24:40):
About. Yeah. Well, I mean, you are a great leader. You’ve worked with some great leaders and you’ve done a lot, really worked hard to help build great leaders. And one of the things we talked about, I think it was right before COVID was mentorship and how important that is. And I think it’d be great if you can just kind of share your view on mentorship and how you’ve made it work and you know how to make it work for both sides and that kind of thing. I think that’s really powerful stuff.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:25:09):
The first thing is you can’t, it can’t be a cookie cutter approach. What people need is different and you have to be really open and the relationship so that you can determine what is needed. Yes. I’ve retired from ups and my mentoring relationships have still continued. Um, I have people they’ll send a text, Hey, when can we talk? And that’s what we do. And it keeps, it allows them to have a sounding board, which is why it’s so important to really get to know the person. It allows you to take a step back and really reflect to them what they’re saying so that they can think about what direction they really need to go in. And for me now, most of my mentees are much younger, so it keeps me relevant. I get to see what is happening in the workplace. I get to tell them, you know what, you’re just going to really need to suck it up and work a little harder.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:26:05):
What’s been asked of you is not unreasonable. Or I get to say that really wasn’t the right approach from that person. I need you to, to express yourself in this manner let’s role play because there’s a lot of things that people just don’t know. When you come into an environment that you haven’t been in before that you don’t really understand the culture. You need a sounding board, you need someone to help you grow. And now what’s being really rewarding is to see some of my mentees that I’ve been with the longest, that are starting to mentor and to watch them and their approach. What are the greatest full circle stories? As one of the gentlemen who I started mentoring him when he was an intern and then is in his twenties. Now he’s in his mid forties and he’s serving as a mentor for my son. So, wow. Yes. I mean, just it’s, it’s phenomenal.
Scott Luton (00:27:00):
So a couple of comments here, first off, you know, Tandreia, you may already know it, but you know, Greg all share that you are both wonderful mentors to have a passion and a great knack for it. So I love to hear both of, y’all kind of talk about it, but Greg will give you a chance to follow up question around mentorship because I won’t Tandreia next, before we move forward. I want to, I want to her to share what her son’s up to, but
Greg White (00:27:23):
I’m glad, I’m glad we’re going there. That’s the gotcha question Tandreia.
Scott Luton (00:27:29):
It’s true.
Greg White (00:27:30):
It is. I mean, so I think, well, look, I don’t remember what episode it was. It’s probably three 12 Peter think dropped it in the comments on LinkedIn, but we talk a lot about that. And I think, you know, one of the keys that you pointed out on that particular show was it’s not just learning for the men tea. It can be, like you said, it’s remaining relevant. It’s gaining knowledge of, of where people are at, but I know there’s lots more that you could say there, but I, I have to ask this question, sorry, if this is a little, you saw a lot of change at ups, right? I know you started when you were three years old because you’re about my age. So if you work there for 37 years, you must be 40 by now.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:28:15):
Right? Right. Absolutely. So when you think about, and I know we didn’t
Greg White (00:28:23):
Really talk about this, but when you think about some of the changes in this moment, what immediately jumps out at you as kind of the changes you’ve seen either in the company or in supply chain or, you know, in leadership or, or whatever over, over that time span.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:28:39):
Well, I guess I’m really going to date us now, but I mean, just everything that’s going on and the everything being digital. Now, when I started as a driver, we were recording on paper, still pieces of paper with carbon paper. And you may have people in the audience that don’t even know what carbon paper is.
Greg White (00:29:03):
You mean with actual carbon in between the sheets? Yes. Okay.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:29:08):
Had to have a copy that remained in your operation and a copy that went to R D I deliberately information loss prevention department, because if someone wanted to file a claim, I needed to know if a package was delivered. People actually had to go into files and find the delivery sheet for that day to pull it out, to say, if the driver delivered it or not now
Greg White (00:29:34):
Pull it out. I mean, when you think about this, the terms we’re using are still used to Tandreia, but when they, when people files, they’re talking about a file folder of a document in their computer, this is somebody going through a file cabinet, right. And actually having to dig for a piece of paper on how did we survive that?
Tandreia Bellamy (00:29:57):
And, and that’s the thing, you know, when you think about all of the things that we have today, and then you think about things that went away. And we always think about technology and reducing jobs. Technology has allowed so many things to grow and bring on more jobs. You know, all of those people who were going through and looking for a piece of paper, we now have them doing things that are much more customer focused, much more value added, but we still aren’t employing more people than we did back then, right. Just everything that has gone on and the digital space. Now we’re starting to get more involved with AI, more predictive analytics, more, more automation, more, more of things that are just keeping ups moving forward and, and, and, and pushing it into the future. You know, for me, I never thought I would see today that we would have a CEO from the quote unquote outside, but to see Carol May come in and the tremendous growth that we’re seeing in the stock price, as based on some of the things that she is doing around value pricing and, and just, I mean, the sky is the limit.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:31:18):
Seeing the role that ups has played both. And like I said earlier, the movement of PPE now, the role that we’re playing and moving a vaccine, we’ve recently had a, a, a driver, well in cancer services where we moved a lot of oxygen to India. So just seeing all of the things that we’re doing, everything that’s going on around sustainability, the amount of autonomous vehicles that we’re having, you know, we’ve got a partnership with two simple, with the growth of flight forward, the whole drone of ups. It is just absolutely amazing. The things that the organization is doing. And again, you’ve just got technology and digitalization, that’s at the, at the forefront of all of it.
Scott Luton (00:32:08):
Yeah. I agree. All right. So changing gears a bit, I want to share a couple of comments, and then we’re going to circle back and, and briefly tell us about what Anthony is up to. Cause I think this is really cool and important for fueling the talent pipeline across global supply chain. But first, going back to what we’re talking about earlier, David says, team building is so important, especially in this new social distancing climate that we’re all living in great point there, it makes it more challenging. David Peter says recognition is as simple as a genuine note, letting them know they are appreciated. Excellent point. Gary says Tandra. I also worked my way through school to Georgia tech. It really makes you appreciate your education. Excellent point, Peter. Hey, thanks for the feedback. He says three former show links. They dropped in. The comments with Tandra search feature is excellent on the new website. And I appreciate that you’re making all of our day, especially Amanda’s let’s see here. Speaking of Amanda, she says she also worked full-time through school even completely paid back. All my student loans, not too long ago, it definitely makes me more appreciative of my education and Sheldon. You must know Sheldon Tandreia. He says creating a great safe space where team members can share doubts is great. Tandreia. I forgot to mention her PhD in business psychology. How about that? Cost her so much. I’m going to wrap up this one here. Myra says,
Greg White (00:33:26):
I think you just got a new degree conferred upon you.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:33:30):
You’re welcome. Hey, I’ll take it only in supply chain. Now
Scott Luton (00:33:34):
We need to confer honorary degrees here at spotlight, Oracle net. Great
Greg White (00:33:38):
Idea. Where would you like that degree to be from? And I’ll start the printing press
Scott Luton (00:33:42):
Triplicate, please. Mama says, uh, worked 39.5 hours. Couldn’t be full-time. As a student employee took 15, 18 credit hours while raising two young boys and completed my degree in three years. Not only did it teach me in appreciation of education and mentorship, but taught it indirectly to my boys. How about that? Now? That’s a perfect segue. So Myra, all of y’all thanks, Mike drop all of y’all. Thanks so much for sharing and Myra, that’s impressive. So speaking of children, I know you’ve, you’ve said here and elsewhere, that two of the biggest things you’re most, most proud of biggest legacy Ruby and Anthony. So Anthony, in particular, we were, when we caught up last week, he’s doing some really, he he’s basically living his passion at the college age, which is such a great thing to be able to do to find it. And then that young,
Greg White (00:34:31):
And especially since his passion, isn’t drinking every single night, that’s right. That’s particularly encouraging. And now Tandreia, he has, he has evolved or elevated from the boy, which you’ll have to tell people what that means to what do we have to call him now?
Tandreia Bellamy (00:34:51):
Well, we’re calling him a very impressive young man, but nevermind, I don’t want to go there. Um, so my son is, um, freshman at middle Tennessee state and he is in their aerospace program getting with a major in professional pilot. He is actually going to be a pilot and is loving it. In fact, I was in Tennessee Tuesday, Wednesday to go and pack him up and bring him home. I thought I was bringing him home, but all I brought home was all of his things. And two, so two suitcases, a dirty clothes,
Greg White (00:35:28):
Laundry. So
Tandreia Bellamy (00:35:30):
He still is going to be able to take, get some more flights in. And he said, oh, really, to fly over the next couple of days while everybody else has finished in their finals. So great program. He actually got in the cockpit this semester. So as a second semester freshmen, he will finish this semester with his private pilot’s license. Wow. The way the program is structured is phenomenal. He, this semester he had aviation weather as a science class. So instead of meteorology, he has aviation weather. He had aviation laws and regulations. So he is getting a full education. Of course still has to take math and English and history and economics and all of the other classes for your general ed. But all of his major classes will be things that are directly taught to be on a pilot and, um, being in that, in that world of aviation. So he will come out what a full pilot’s license, as well as a bachelor’s degree, which is just phenomenal. I love that. And, and what I learned
Scott Luton (00:36:41):
In talking with 10, uh, 10 jury last week, even more importantly, is that within industry, especially within, you know, the pilot industry, the airlines industry, the program at middle Tennessee state, right. Um, is very highly respected. And it’s been a valuable pipeline for quite some time.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:36:57):
Yes. Yes. Our chief pilot, his name is Houston mills. And that was someone that I reached out to. As soon as we found out about the school and his response was they have an excellent reputation for turning out undergraduate pallets. Delta airlines has a program with them called project propel. So Delta, knowing that there’s going to be a lumen pallet shortage is getting in at the collegiate level so that they are, they’re doing some very, very early recruiting, excellent point, Andrea, when we’re not calling him Anthony
Greg White (00:37:28):
Or captain, can we call him the pilot?
Tandreia Bellamy (00:37:33):
He’s graduated from the boy to the pilot. Okay. Yeah.
Scott Luton (00:37:37):
Peter says, and what you shared from Boyd, a very impressive young man. How about that? Let’s see. I think T scored, I believe by Morgan. I think you’re referring to Morgan state university. If I’m not mistaken T squared, he says, Morgan wore him out. Good. And I’m better for it. Excellent. And he also adds work. Study definitely makes you appreciate balance, great point there. And then Kayvon, uh, it’s kind of referring to what you were sharing earlier. There’s a little bit of delay on the comments and live stream, but uh, Kayvon says technology changes jobs. It does not replace them. And he says, hashtag human RA, uh, robot collaboration industry 4.0 industry 5.0, we’re moving fast. I’ll tell you. So, but
Greg White (00:38:18):
Almost every single time it elevates those that it’s job. It takes. I guess when you, when you think about automation or technology, it elevates their performance. It elevates their job satisfaction. It, it elevates their ability to earn. Um, so it, it’s powerful. You know, we talk about this all the time and frankly, to Tandreia, that th that whole conversation around technology and automation taking jobs, that’s our generations and our parents’ generations thing. Right. Cause these new generations, they expect automation. They don’t want to do the boring, mundane, dangerous jobs that automation can do. And they’re right.
Scott Luton (00:39:01):
Excellent points. Okay. So let’s shift gears. So, uh, so Godspeed and best wishes to Anthony, wherever you are right now. Hopefully we have you join us and you can tell us your journey as you’re going to fly home after he’s done, pick up mom and Al off to the beach. So let’s, let’s shift gears. Let’s talk about this cool venture that you, um, are part of now called Tommy run. So tell us more,
Tandreia Bellamy (00:39:28):
Right. It’s funny, Tommy. Ron is the opposite of being automated because it’s, they’re in a space that not a lot of last mile delivery companies want to play in. Um, Tommy run delivers construction materials. It can be anywhere from, we have independent drivers who if you go and want to buy five bags of concrete and really don’t want to put it in your vehicle, you go out to Tommy Ryan and say, I need you to pick up my order and bring it to me. That’s one service that we do. You can go out on Tommy run and actually order supplies from home Depot. Lowe’s, they’ll go and pull it and then deliver it to you. Whether you’re a contractor, it’d be doing home renovations, you’re a DIY hire and you don’t want to pick it up yourself. They do, um, partnerships with Dixie supply where they may be moving construction materials from Dixie supply to home. Depot are brand Vaughn, moving doors and windows from brand Vaughn to actual home construction site. So just about anything that you can think of moving, not the large, large quantities that, you know, require 18 Wheeler, but smaller quantities where you don’t want to move it yourself, or you don’t want to have your contractors, your builders leaving a job site to pick it up because there’s an opportunity cost for that when you don’t want to do it, let Tommy run do it for you.
Scott Luton (00:40:58):
I love that. And folks, you can learn a lot more@tommyrun.com. So check it out. You know, I always love how, when folks depart, uh, a fulfilling, successful corporate career, and then they, they find themselves engaged in and helping out early stage companies and sharing all of this stuff. You’ve accumulated, you know, been there, done that and share it with folks that are, that are building the next big corporation. I think, I think there’s so much value entrepreneurs gain from, from folks like you, Tandreia,
Tandreia Bellamy (00:41:29):
I ain’t done a lot because you know, I’ve been in corporate America, my entire working career. So to see a business being built and a lot of the obstacles that you run into is very unlikely. It’s very enlightened and it gives you a completely new appreciation for small business owners. So I watched what you have done, what you and Greg have done and how this is building and growing. And, and I applaud you for sticking in there because it’s so valuable what you do.
Scott Luton (00:42:01):
Well, I appreciate that. Uh, Tandreia and Greg and I have talked about the earliest of days when we went out, we had a, uh, we didn’t have a truck. We had a hand truck and that was our mobile studio and a Honda accord Honda accord. That’s right.
Greg White (00:42:18):
Let me tell you a little something about logistics, Tandreia, anyone who can fit an entire studio in a Honda accord.
Scott Luton (00:42:27):
That’s true. That is true. And we’ve got pictures. We’ve got some pictures that we have not stashed away. One of those filing cabinets you were talking about earlier, but nevertheless, I appreciate that. And it’s all about growth and, and challenging yourself and having a great team surrounding yourself with, with people that are much smarter than you are, that that are just as passionate, if not more passionate and want to make the mission happen, right? Get the word out, support what we should be supporting, giving back, you know, being the change we want to see and, and really sharing the spotlight. We’ve been building with people just like you, because you’ve got a voice at that our global community really needs to hear. So we’ve enjoyed it, selfishly, you know, uh, uh, you know, in, in this sidebar conversation, that one. So it’s really rewarding and fulfilling to have you join us here, um, across all these social channels. So
Greg White (00:43:16):
Well in this space, Scott, sorry, just this, this space, this lat last mile delivery. What do we talk about more than last mile delivery e-commerce and that’s about it. And last mile delivery is a big part of e-commerce in any case. So this space is really, really coming on. I mean, you know, think about Tommy run companies. We’ve heard of bring part runner and others who are doing this. And in large part it’s because the big carriers have left big openings for some of these things with very high rates. And of course there are hundreds of scenarios that you can’t put in a brown or white and purple truck. Sorry to mention those guys, Tandreia have to give equal time, but you know, you have, have to have some specialized vehicles and you have to have some incredible flexibility to be able to do that, right? You can’t always do that. If you’ve got a route to run sometimes to Trandreia, you have to turn left.
Scott Luton (00:44:16):
So, so much to talk about. So little time Peter loves, let Tommy run do it for you. What a great advertising pitch and jingle, right? It rolls right off the tongues. Uh, Jenny Froome is with us. Jenny was sharing, I guess she just met a young man here in Joburg, who does this? I think referring to a similar platform, she’s going to send him this awesome message. Excellent. Jenny hope this finds you well in South Africa. So David, uh, David and Peter, to your comment, Greg earlier about, you know, automation and jobs and sat in the other, David and Peter were debating the automated checkout lanes. And ultimately, as they went back and forth, see if I can find it here. David said it was better when they had 20 checkouts and only one lane open. Remember those days. But those I’ll tell you these days, you go into you name it. We live right around the corner from one of the largest grocery stores. They’ve got two ends of these automated checkout lanes. Everyone wants those, whether they have a buggy full of groceries or three items, they want those lanes. And there’s a psychology lesson there somewhere, but we’ll save that for a later episode.
Greg White (00:45:22):
I will. It was, uh, I was, I was not a fan of, of self checkout because I thought if I’m going to check myself out, either I should get paid for my labor or I should get to pay less for the groceries. So I resisted for as long as I possibly could. And they were so terribly inefficient in the, in the human operated, they broke me down.
Scott Luton (00:45:43):
You just, it just sounded like my Facebook feed that little, the last little 22nd soundbite you shared there, Craig, I’ve heard that a lot, but that they will eventually break you down. Right? Technology does let let’s read this comment from a D yeah. Technology will enable us to focus more on business and operations excellence. It might have impacted repetitive activities, but that is for good, that will push forward new avenues to be discovered. And then one more comment. And then we’re going to keep driving here. I believe this is Kyle Reeves, Amanda and clay, correct me if I’m wrong. But he had a little endorsement here being in the building construction material industry. I can see Tommy, Ron being such an advantage for contractors in bridging the gap at between the building sites and our retail distribution centers. Excellent point, Kyle,
Greg White (00:46:30):
If you can keep hammering, why would you get in the truck and go pick up a delivery? Right?
Scott Luton (00:46:36):
Right. Okay. So let’s do this. Um, David says, I asked a couple of times for a supervisor to key in my employee discount, Craig white. Oh gosh. Hello.
Greg White (00:46:50):
I know that’s rude, but
Scott Luton (00:46:53):
You gotta maintain a sense of humor during these challenging times. All right. So broadening discussion back out. So again, y’all should check out, uh, Tommy run doc, uh, for more information, let’s go global here. So when you, you know, as you reflect on your career, your transition, what you’re, you know, where you’re spending your time now, what your son’s up to all and all the things we’re we’re fighting through right now, what’s a, um, a trend or an issue. You name it that you’re tracking more than others.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:47:21):
Well, one of the things that is still extremely concerning, and we’ve talked about this a lot and now what this new venture, um, it comes up just as much is this looming truck driver shortage. You know, they’re talking about that. There are going to be gasoline tankers that won’t be able to move the summer. Can you imagine what that could do to gas prices? If the supplies are just so short because they physically can’t move the gasoline because they don’t have drivers to do it. Yeah. And you know, I love what’s going on with middle Tennessee state and how they’re actively building pallets because it doesn’t seem to be as much opportunity from a military standpoint for young man to get all of these hours and, and flying is expensive. So to have a program like that, you can see how it is addressing a need where programs like that for truck drivers.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:48:23):
Why don’t we have industry and involved in setting up some truck drivers schools, you know, we’ve talked before about not everybody is destined to go to college. Truck drivers get paid really well, but they need the CDL licenses. They need to be able to get experience. Then, you know, at ups, we have a progression that we do. You come in, most people enter in the part-time ranks. Thank you can become a part-time driver where, you know, the vehicle size doesn’t require a CDL. And then you move up to a bigger vehicle where you may have a CDL. And then you move into being the long distance driver, what we call theater drivers. So we have an internal progression and we have a broad base of employees to drive from, but that’s not the case with most places. So what is industry, how can industry get collectively involved so that we can create a truck driver pipeline because we need it desperately. That could be one of the things that single handedly drives prices up that could create an inflationary spiral that we don’t need to be in. So just continuing to monitor that space as something that was top of mind and remains top of moment.
Scott Luton (00:49:49):
Excellent point. Uh, yeah, it is very says, um, are we seeing sign-on bonus with truck driving recruiting? What’s the future for recruiting excellent questions that, uh, you know, may go unanswered in many ways, at least effectively, uh, any thoughts there Tandreia or Greg us
Greg White (00:50:05):
Foods is advertising at least in the Atlanta area, uh, $750 signing bonus for drivers. Yeah. So
Scott Luton (00:50:15):
Where’d you see that, that you don’t
Greg White (00:50:17):
Miss that in grad. So I listened to WSB, which is, you know, why do you listen to WSB the weather and the traffic? Right? So, and apparently us foods adverts. So
Scott Luton (00:50:31):
There you go, us foods free, no advertising there. So I think it will
Greg White (00:50:35):
Happen. I also think, look, autonomous automation, whatever you want to call it. It’s inevitable. It’s, you know, my feeling Tandreia is that we can’t, we can’t from a human standpoint, solve the driver shortage because the younger generations, they don’t want to do it. They just don’t want to do it. And you know, I’m still, I’m still staggered by that aspect of it. Again, we talked about, we’ll not talk about education, but I’m still staggered by the aspect that kids will go to school and get a $40,000 job out of school rather than go to a technical school and become a plumber for 90 or $150,000 or a truck driver for 90 or $150,000, or, you know, whatever. Some of these trade jobs that are worth so much money and many of which are in Optima bowl. Is that how you say that? Wow, can’t be automated. However you say that word.
Scott Luton (00:51:32):
I usually make up words around here, Greg you’re you’re talking about job. You’re like, well, so, well, Andrea, that’s so much to talk about. I really appreciate you bringing that issue up. It’s so important, you know, beyond the, uh, truck driver shortage, you know, always reminds me of recognition, new global supply chains, move. Sure. There’s a ton of technology, a ton of automation, a ton of new innovation, but man, people make it happen. People make an album, whether you’re driving trucks, picking products, you name it in retail. You know, we’re, we’re kind of picking on the retail checkout lanes a little bit, but still think of all the people in your, just your local grocery store that, you know, enable that customer experience stuff on the shelves, you know, checkout experiences make it happen. So, so Tandreia got it. We blink and the hour is gone. I hate we’ll have to have you back, but how can folks connect with you and Tommy? Ron
Tandreia Bellamy (00:52:22):
LinkedIn is the easiest way to connect with me. And I’ve actually seen a couple of requests come in to get connected, which I will take care of. As soon as I’m done email T bellamy@tommyrun.com, if you so desire, but a LinkedIn I’m very active on. Wonderful.
Scott Luton (00:52:41):
Wonderful. And I’ll tell you, you will want to compare notes and beyond with Tandreia we’ve we’ve, we’ve been, uh, we’ve been very, um, we’ve benefited from all the knowledge shows, but we we’ve been fortunate to collaborate with Tandreia on some other projects, uh, award shows and, and initiatives, veterans initiatives, you name it, and Tommy runs hiring. So be sure to connect with Tandreia. Okay.
Greg White (00:53:05):
So we mentioned the, can we mention the founders? Tandreia mentioned the founders of Tommy run. Cause I want to point out something in my best Southern I’ve learned it. Ain’t none of them named Tommy
Tandreia Bellamy (00:53:19):
Bernard parks, BJ Kerr and Jimmy Patel.
Greg White (00:53:24):
Okay. Well we got to Jimmy at least. So that’s good.
Scott Luton (00:53:27):
We’re not running in there quite roll off the tongue. Yeah. That’s a whole nother business. Bernard parks, hardcore. Jimmy drives Bernard parks. It’s too much. We’re having too much fun. This is illegal too much fun. Hey, really quick. Mike Roman, uh, saw him interact with us on this live stream via Facebook. He is at, you know, Tandra served on our local apex Atlanta executive advisory board as did Mike has done a lot of veterans support work. He’s one of our favorites. So Mike, if you’re listening best wishes to you and your family. Okay. So Tandra really appreciate your time. Congratulations on this next chapter. It’s so exciting. We hope to have you and Anthony back. We’d love to hear at first, you know, hear in his words, you know, what get, what, why, why is he passionate and, and what his vision for what’s next, uh, is? So we’ll have to have y’all both.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:54:25):
I would love to do that because outweigh, I may find out what his vision
Scott Luton (00:54:29):
Is. Awesome. Well, Tandreia
Greg White (00:54:33):
It’s wide on a clear day. Let me assure you it’s 10 miles plus
Scott Luton (00:54:38):
And miles plus. Well, thank you so much Tandreia and we will have you back really soon, all the best.
Tandreia Bellamy (00:54:43):
Thank you so much. All right, thanks. Bye-bye
Scott Luton (00:54:48):
Okay. There’s so that was as good. At least us maybe, maybe the two of us only ones that were really enjoy. We’re getting a lot of comments, but we knew the three of us getting together, talking shop around, uh, you know, uh, kitchen table as the analogy you use, oftentimes Greg, but, but we love Tandra and love her perspective. So I want to share, we had a couple of follow-up comments, you know, all around truck drivers. Rhonda says, is there a shortage? I keep hearing different perspectives about this topic. Tights tight on changing requirements seems to be another hot topic. So, so in other words, how tough it is to change those requirements, uh, for allowing more people, probably in the pipeline, Charles says drivers shortage is a topic discussed yesterday here in probably north Washington is my guest. Charlie, uh, I’m sorry, Charles, correct us if we’re wrong there, Jenny. So sorry. I was late great reminder to set that reminder. These sessions are so full of amazing information and people. Thank you. Well, Jenny, we agree and you help us bring, you know, you’re the one facilitating Zucca joining us and we look forward to our next series with you and the safe IX team. Okay. So Greg, what was your favorite part of what we heard from the one and only Tandreia Bellamy
Greg White (00:56:02):
Tandra is showing up was my favorite part because, you know, I think we both, first of all, I just admire so much, so much of what she’s done with her career, but man, how often do you get to talk to somebody who has been in such a, had such an incredible rise in their career and has been such an incredible leader who is so personable, just personable, that you could actually joke with them like that. I’m thinking back to our first live stream, Scott, where I might’ve gotten punched in the face because that person was sitting right next to me and literally could have done it and probably wanted to on
Scott Luton (00:56:36):
Our very first stream. But,
Greg White (00:56:38):
You know, just to have somebody be so comfortable with themselves that they are themselves. And we got a lot of what we got before we just got Tandreia, right? And there’s no corporate veneer there. There’s no putting on airs. There’s just comfortable confidence in her excellence. And, and at the same time, a lot of humility and, and mostly the most important thing that you get from Tandreia is that willingness, it’s more than willingness that obsession to share, right. And to help improve other people, help other people improve themselves. And it’s a no BS style too.
Scott Luton (00:57:14):
So I love that excellent point. That’s just a few of the things, just a few 18 items, uh, 17, 17
Greg White (00:57:23):
Pages of notes to Tandreia in the green.
Scott Luton (00:57:28):
Mommy says that was a great session today. I agree with you. Mohebi kinda, we kinda, um, wide ranging, but you know, you get great people. You, you gotta, you gotta go off topic sometimes. Cavon same thing. Appreciate that, Rhonda. I really appreciate your comments. Sylvia says so inspiring. I never worked at ups, uh, supply chain solutions, but was at Fritz companies, uh, love to hear the great culture. I agree. And we are way off here Northwest Arkansas, Charles says, so we were about four or five states off, but Hey, before we wrap all that is a beautiful part of the world. Yes. Before we wrap Charles, if you want to share, uh, your top two or three key takeaways from that driver discussion, we’ll try to share this on the, share that on the tail end of this live stream, Gary says, I appreciate your perspective on this topic.
Scott Luton (00:58:16):
As I am a hundred percent vested into healthcare supply chain, if we can’t get supplies, it affects patient outcomes, serious business, great topics as usual, appreciate that. Gary, you know, we’re looking to, um, I have a lot more discussions around health care supply chain. So Gary May we have to chat, uh, after today’s conversation. Okay. So Greg, we want to remind people once more folks, if you don’t get involved here, find a way that to help give what you have give small integrate as Greg suggests, give big all points in between you name it. But there’s two ways here that we’re supporting, we’re getting the word out. Our friends at vector global logistics are leading and marshaling resources and, and helping to coordinate it. You can
Greg White (00:58:59):
Literally be moving goods. Yeah, that’s right.
Scott Luton (00:59:02):
India@vectorgl.com. And then what Greg was talking about, chef, uh, Vikas Khanna and a team are leading this nonprofit response that they’re, they’re managing dozens of projects, boots on ground in India, and you can support their efforts and learn more@vba.org. So whatever you do, just find a way, just find a way to help out. Lots of folks are suffering. And the third wave is essentially arriving as we chat here. So, David, I appreciate this. Hopefully you can see this Greg, the best conversations and learning from them. Come when you let them evolve. Naturally. Great show David. Excellent point. Completely agree. It reminds me of our, our one-on-one. They haven’t got, gave some great perspective from his time in a production environment and in the manufacturing industry. So David hope this finds you well. Okay, Greg, as much as I’d like to, uh, switch Tandreia back in and knock out another hour.
Scott Luton (00:59:59):
Yeah, we have got to sign off for now. So whatever it takes, folks, whatever it takes, jumping, jumping, the good fi our friends, uh, in India, uh, on behalf of our entire team here, this wraps a very busy week of live streams. I think this is our fourth one this week. Um, say the cleanup hitter for last, uh, in a sense, uh, but don’t worry. You, you haven’t seen the last of Tandreia Bellamy. So, uh, all the best to all of you, wherever you are to our dear friends in India, SRE, nevus and others, a we’re we’re with you. Um, and most importantly though, whatever you do do good, give forward, be the change that is needed. And we’ll see you next time right here on supply chain now. Thanks everybody.
Intro/Outro (01:00:42):
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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). Connect with Tandreia on LinkedIn.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 Cisco, Microsoft, 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 University, O’Reilly Media, LinkedIn Learning, and Pluralsight. Mr. Jackson retired from the U.S. Navy in 1994, earning specialties in Space Systems Engineering, Carrier 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.
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.
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’.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.