Supply Chain Now
Episode 672

Episode Summary

“30, 60, 90 is our normal rhythm right now. My team is looking six months ahead. Six months to say, do you have everything you need, and if you don’t, where are they? When it is coming forward? What can we do to help you utilizing some of our purchasing power?”

-Ingrid Sampson, Director of Program Management Subcontracts for Training and Logistics Solutions, Lockheed Martin

When you think “easy,” you probably don’t think “managing $2B in procurement for an aerospace and defense company during a global pandemic.” But with 26 years at Lockheed Martin, Director of Subcontract Program Management Ingrid Sampson is more than up to the challenge. We sat down with her to discuss her illustrious career, top lessons in leadership, the importance of building diverse supply chain teams, the keys to risk mitigation, impact of new supply chain technologies and more. Don’t miss this fascinating conversation with a true leader in supply chain.

Episode Transcript

Intro/Outro (00:03):

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

Scott Luton (00:31):

Good morning, Scott Luton right here with you on supply chain. At welcome to this episode, we’re really excited about this episode. We’re going to be diving into supply chain, risk management, and a lot more leadership with someone from the aerospace industry. Someone’s been doing it for quite some time. Uh, we’re going to really work hard to raise your business leadership and supply chain accurate right here today. So stay tuned for what’s going to be an intriguing and very informative conversation. A quick programming note. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to find supply chain now and subscribe. So you don’t miss any conversations just like this one here. Um, all right, so we’ll welcome in our guests here today. I’ve really enjoyed our pre-show conversations. Uh, wide ranging. I’m telling you y’all are in store for a lot of learnings here and some very helpful best practices.

Scott Luton (01:18):

Ingrid Sampson director subcontract, program management at Lockheed Martin Ingrid. Good morning, good afternoon, whatever time it is and your negative. Wood’s good to see you. Good to see you also sky. So really enjoyed our, our kind of our pre-interview call. Uh, I’ll tell you, we need about six hours, uh, to, to really get all your perspective out, but we’ve got about an hour today and I’m really excited to learn more about you and share your perspective with our, our global community. So before we get to the heavy lifting, let’s get know Ingrid Samson a little bit better. So tell us, where did you grow up and, and, and give us some anecdotes from your upbringing.

Ingrid Sampson (01:55):

So, um, the cool thing is I grew up in LA and having, um, uh, come from Georgia, uh, and I have to differentiate not lower Alabama, but Los Angeles. And, um, so I was a child in the seventies and was able to roam around freely. My mom gave me all the independence in the world, and so, um, I grew up just exploring, um, and at seven I traveled for the first time and I’ve been traveling ever since, right? So this sense of I can get on my bike and ride anywhere I can get on a plane and go places. Um, at a young age was, um, part of my DNA. And when that, you know, well did well in my career itself and having traveled all over the world for, for Lockheed Martin.

Scott Luton (02:42):

So it sounds like your parents and specifically your mother really encouraged you to get out there and kind of experience things.

Ingrid Sampson (02:49):

Yeah. And it’s interesting. And I mentioned mom, but my dad worked for Lockheed, so I’m a second generation Lockian and, um, he bought like I’m doing now. And, um, and so he encouraged me to start at Lockheed, but to explore different things. So I did leave for a bit and do some cells and, you know, kind of mixed it up a little bit, um, and sold, um, commercial card products related to purchasing and then came back to Lockheed Martin.

Scott Luton (03:16):

Okay. Is that pretty common for, uh, the company to have second and third generation family than the company? Oh my

Ingrid Sampson (03:23):

Gosh. Yes. It’s common to have people with over 25, 30, 40 years just celebrated 40 year anniversary. One of my employees the other day, and he’s not the only one on my team. Um, and to have second and third generations, if it’s very common and then I’ve got, um, people in my team whose children also work awkward right now. Right. You got two generations working at the same time, so yeah. Very common. Yeah. So

Scott Luton (03:48):

We’re going to be talking about some of your, um, positions as part of your journey that helped shape your worldview in just a second. But yeah, I imagine when, when I, when I talk with the organization leaders that have that great advantage, uh, of, of tenure, right within the workforce at these great big companies, that tends to be a double-edged sword, right. Because from a cultural standpoint and a family kind of that family and the values it’s there and continuity and other things. But on the flip side, I would imagine, let me get your take. Does it kind of, um, just a little human level, you know, kind of how we’ve always done it is probably part of what’s between the ears. Can you speak to that for a second? Yeah, no. And

Ingrid Sampson (04:25):

I mean, the reality is changing. Um, the employee, I was talking to yesterday twenty-five years, another one 40 years, and I’ve got 26 years lucky Martin. Um, and I left for seven and it was common to come and stay with the company or stay with the corporation for a long time. The reality is it’s different and we’re feeling it in the workforce right now where I have a pension, those coming behind me right now, aren’t don’t have a pension. So, um, there’s a different frame of mind, right? Where they’re chasing salary, they’re chasing the money because the pension is in there and right there build up themselves. Um, although we’ve got programs that the company does matching it, doesn’t compare to a pension, right. So times have changed. And so you’re not going to see people stay, um, with one company as long now, what we are seeing. And it goes for the just pure size. And the complexity of the products we offer is within Lockheed Martin, people are moving from one business area to the other, right. They’re staying with Lockheed Martin that are going from airplanes to helicopters, to missiles, you know, to trainers, to there’s just this wide array of products that you can stay within the corporation and move around. And that’s really our preference, right. Rather than losing that talent and having to start over. But we also know the lucky Callan is valuable to them. Right.

Scott Luton (05:48):

Especially that well-rounded, uh, uh, element that you’re kind of spoke to earlier. So love that. Um, okay. So let’s talk about, you know, you just, I think you just said 26 years with lucky Martin, you’ve got seven, um, maybe outside the company, is that right? All right. So let’s talk about, um, roles, positions, certain stops in your journey that really helped shape your worldview. Ingrid.

Ingrid Sampson (06:13):

That’s a great question. Um, I think starting at Lockheed at a young age out of college, um, the sheer responsibility we have, um, as a buyer, I was responsible for millions of dollars. And I was part of the team that won YF 22. That was the highlight of my career. That’s the one of the coolest aircraft. I even say second to the F 35. I love two. I grew up on it.

Scott Luton (06:37):

I agree with that. As a, as an air force veteran and a big nerd of military aircraft, I wish we had 2000 or 10,000 F 20 twos. I think it’s a gorgeous and incredibly capable

Ingrid Sampson (06:48):

Aircraft. Yeah. And the performance. And I remember being there on the first flight and haven’t been a buyer and I’m looking at it, you know, my components on that, on air, on that aircraft, I have the transparency. I had all the lights. I had the hydraulics, I had all these pieces, right. This is my plate. And that plane took off that first day. It was like such a proud moments when you talk about highlights of your career, but I’ll never forget the landing gear didn’t come up when the plane went up, but oh my God, what’s wrong. Right. That’s my part. We have it. And I’m looking at the engineers and they’re all going, you know, and they came down safely, of course, but it was just the ownership that comes with the type of roles and responsibilities that we have. Um, I had the pleasure of starting up the P three line P three aircraft. It’s been around for a long time, many generations. And we were extending the life of the aircraft, building new wings, old technology in the midst of new technology. Think about the challenges that went with that. Um, I had the pleasure of working in ethics. I was the ethics, um, director for aeronautics for two years. And you talk about seeing a different side of the business, right. Things people do, how the company reacts, maybe did you risk. It was just, it really rounded up my experience really well.

Scott Luton (08:04):

Can I ask a quick follow-up question really quick, Ingrid. Um, I think perhaps many of our listeners much like I, when I hear the word ethics, I bet we have no sense of what that leadership role, what, what, you know, what you had, what you did to fulfill it. Can you, can you just shed a little more light on what some things you did in the ethics role?

Ingrid Sampson (08:24):

So here we call it ethics and business conduct, um, in our value statement is do what’s right. Respect others, and perform with excellence, eight words, how simple can it go? And so our business conduct is around those eight words. And so we have what we call investigations like any other ethics department, but we also have where we do just counseling someone, wanting to know how to handle situations, you know, or true investigations. And I’ll tell you coming into the role without an ethics background, I was taking ethics courses, getting training, right? There’s certifications that go with it. There’s people that come up through security and investigations and FBI and attorneys, and, you know, it’s a well-rounded, um, area and field people with different backgrounds, but you’re handling and addressing all kinds of situations. It’s not just, you know, performance it’s leader, individual performance is leadership performance.

Ingrid Sampson (09:20):

Did they perform, did they react to situations? It’s leaders being investigated? It’s individual contributors. I’m thinking about it. We do manufacturing and, um, a represented employee, you know, sometimes handles things differently than a salary employee. So the dynamics that go with this, what do you report to the corporation? What does the corporation report to the outside world? When it comes time to the reporting performance? It’s, it’s huge. It’s a really, really interesting world, but one where people are looking for immediate response and everybody knows what they want. Right. We want you to find them guilty. We want them to be terminated and that’s not always the case. Wow.

Scott Luton (10:02):

I’ve got such a big blind spot in, in that, uh, that corporate definition of ethics. So I bet you could write a book on some things you’ve seen. Um, but let’s keep you, you were kind of answering some of those positions that really helped shape your worldview in this journey. And anything else you went bad before? We kind of talk about what you’re up to now.

Ingrid Sampson (10:19):

I mean, growing up in aeronautics, doing airplanes, um, and then coming here to, um, training logistics, sense solutions, TLS it, I never thought about, you know, how are the, well, the war fighters, you know, how are they trained? So building aircraft, you delivering to your customer. And you’re like, okay, great. Well, this side of the world enabled me to be able to understand, well, how are they trained the maintainers, the pilots, you know, and it’s just as simple things as their pilots suits on the a 35, right? The pilot suit and the helmet to each, every single thing into each pilot, getting to that level of detail and recognizing training saves lives, right? You don’t have to train in an aircraft. That’s worth hundreds of millions of dollars you can train in and simulator. And it’s grades of, of, um, training that they’ll go through what we call, um, just at a computer terminal. He’s an I-PASS right. And rating of two, you’re going to a simulator, a whole motion simulator that gives you the full, like you’re sitting in an aircraft, those types of things. I had never thought before coming into this role and how exciting is that? Right. Simulators and futuristic and training and lasers. And it’s just exciting stuff. So I’ve enjoyed it. I agree

Scott Luton (11:37):

With you, man. Um, all right. So let’s see. One of the questions we’ll ask him folks, um, is that your Rica moment? We have, we have plenty of them and these days we might have one a day, I’ll tell you. But what, when you look back at your journey thus far, what’s been a really powerful Eureka moment that you’ve had.

Ingrid Sampson (11:52):

I think it was, I got it, um, became interested in leadership and moving from individual contributor or a buyer into leadership. And it, wasn’t just the, I want to be a leader it’s really about having the support to go into leadership, right? And so you hear people talk about mentors or sponsors and champion the importance of that champion to move along in your career. And one of the aha moments, and you’re going to laugh at this, but it’s a true story. I’m interviewing for a director role. Um, and it was not my best interview. Everybody was laid. Um, you know, just all these things that when you’re all prepared and everything’s supposed to go, correct, everything went wrong and it was not my best interview. And I left there going, oh my God, this is just horrible. There’s no way I’m getting this job. But my champion was also in that room and he knew what I was capable of all the wasn’t the best interview. And so I, I got the job and he gave me feedback as to, you know, what I’d done wrong, which I already knew because it was not the best interview, but it just, um, helped me, you know, as a leader, being a mentor to people, we’ll also be in champions and sponsors individuals, how important it is to the trajectory of your life.

Scott Luton (13:10):

I love that I’m not laughing at all. I think, um, I think sometimes we as leaders and, and as maybe hiring managers or, um, you know, you, you name it across the spectrum. We might let that last interaction have carry way too much weight and not look at the potential that folks bring to the table. So I really appreciate you sharing that also, you know, on your email, you got a great quote because I think about leadership, uh, not waiting for others to do we do. And so you’ve got a great quote here from Barack Obama, president Barack Obama, quote, change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time, we are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek in. Quote, why is that so important to

Ingrid Sampson (13:55):

That’s important to me because in this environment where, um, diversity and inclusion is so important, right? People want to not only be included, but you know, an offer to seat at the table when they’re sitting at the table, they’re what they’re forced to be heard. And so, um, as a leader in making sure that that is truly represented in what I do and say, but also in my team is very important. Um, and there’s, you know, numerous studies out there that are referencing and have proven the power of diversity and the performance of a team. And so to walk the walk and talk, the talk is very important to me. And so if I go back to mentoring champion and sponsoring, you know, and mentoring, championing, and sponsoring of people who look like me, who don’t look like me, or it’s very important, and that my team is representative of the community in which we live is important to me. Wonderful.

Scott Luton (14:52):

And we’re going to talk more about that here momentarily. Uh, appreciate your, your comments there. So let’s, um, for, you know, we’ll have some folks, uh, you know, clearly you and I are know Lockheed Martin very well, and of course [inaudible], and, um, I wish we had a snapshot of when that first F 22 took off as you were describing, cause that I can only imagine the immense pride that you and really the whole team took in that. Um, and, and, and how those, those aircraft are used, um, you know, to protect the country and project force and, and really project freedom, uh, globally not to be too dramatic, but, uh, that’s, that’s what I believe. Um, so let’s, let’s talk about, you know, what do you do at Lakita as a director of subcontract program management, a Lockheed Martin? What do you do?

Ingrid Sampson (15:39):

So I’m in the business of TLS training, logistics solutions, I’m responsible for, for all the procurement we do for all of our products and services. So when you’re talking about a million and a half to $2 million, billion, excuse me, billion spent annually, right. Um, it’s a lot of responsibility that goes with that.

Scott Luton (15:57):

So Ingrid, uh, you’re just, we’re talking about the massive responsibility, have billions of dollars. Goodness gracious in your role at Lockheed Martin, but what is your, um, what’s your favorite aspect to your role? W what’s what’s that favorite part that you you’re, you’re able to do, you know, week in, week out, day in, day out, what have you,

Ingrid Sampson (16:16):

Well, it’s two things. One, it’s the people building this team of just stellar performance. Um, and two, the impact we have on the business, the reality is we purchase about 70% of everything that we sound. And so with that comes a huge responsibility and the thought that, um, I contribute to the profit and loss of that business right of my business, by how we perform is so important to me. And I’ll tell you to my team, they know my number one priority after people is that we perform and that we always perform and meet the customer requirements. And we’re never the reason that something does it, you know, meet a customer’s requirements where it doesn’t deliver doesn’t work. You know, it’s just important, um, that we always perform. And last year on top of COVID a pandemic telecommuting and everybody going home on March 18th, we had seven months of no rights of contractors. So when you talk about performance in the midst of the hardest time of my whole career, we were able to perform because of the things that we do on a daily basis and looking forward, managing risk, understanding, risk, those things. Um, and so the performance and contribution to the business success is super important to you. Um,

Scott Luton (17:36):

I appreciate you sharing and, and, and really when teens perform that’s when we’re able to offer, uh, opportunities above and beyond.

Ingrid Sampson (17:44):

Right. Surely, surely.

Scott Luton (17:47):

Um, all right. So I want to shift nap. Um, let let’s talk. You were talking earlier, you know, diversity and inclusion. Uh, clearly you’ve got a long track record of, of very successfully building diverse teams that do perform alright. And, and clearly, like you just stated people come first and performance is a close second. So I love that. But if you could offer some best practices from your, uh, experience in building truly successful diverse teams, what would you share with our audience here about

Ingrid Sampson (18:17):

That? For me, um, it’s not only diversifying the people and look at skin color, but experience. So a supply chain team to me that’s made of just supply chain, you’re limiting your ability to manage your risks and manage your own problems. So on my team, we’ve got attorneys, we’ve got engineers, we’ve got quality personnel. Um, we’ve got true supply chain degree individuals. My, my degree is in psychology, right? So you can’t tell me someone at a different degree can’t perform in this role, but it enables me to, you know, see things differently and be able to relate to people maybe in ways that other leaders aren’t able to do it. So to me, a truly diverse in experience and background makes us even stronger as a team, um, versus building from and building internally. Right? So billing external is as well as internal talent, um, just helps us perform in total.

Scott Luton (19:16):

If you had to pick one of the, the regular challenges, um, in, in your journey of, of building diverse teams at perform, w w w what, what comes to mind and, and, and can you offer any, cause I bet other folks are the leaders that are tuned in probably experienced that. How, I mean, what’s the biggest, one of the biggest challenges and how, how did you overcome that?

Ingrid Sampson (19:38):

One of the biggest challenges is I think coming into a group where there their philosophy was hiring within and bringing in individuals, bring in friends of theirs, um, bringing in, you know, the kids that they knew growing up, you know, and being very limited in the talent that we were seeking. Um, and so to the team, um, what I did early on was identify what were our challenges, right? Some of them was not contracts aligning with the prime contract. Um, some of them were risks. Um, these things that were hindering our ability to perform and then start filling in with people who had those experiences just made us stronger, but it was first getting people to recognize what the challenges were, you know, they’re my we’re doing great. Right. But when you’ve got mission success, milestones, which means these are reported to the corporate, which are reported to the board, you can’t miss those bite.

Ingrid Sampson (20:38):

It’s gotta be something just exuberant, um, that’s unrecoverable. And so, and picking up what our challenges, filling it with individuals with those experiences. I think it just made us stronger having to buy into that because they’re used to hiring the neighbor and the, you know, other people that they knew and they’ve seen him grow up and friends that were out of jobs, I’m going, no, that doesn’t work. That doesn’t make us stronger. Right. It makes you happier, but it doesn’t make us stronger. Right. Um, and once they bought into it and they saw how well we could perform in that we could manage our risks versus realizing our risks. Um, the buy-in from there has been monumental and I’ve gotten a couple of comments when going through, um, Obama reviews. And they’re like, wow, I never thought about approaching a problem like this. Right. And then partnering with the functions.

Ingrid Sampson (21:29):

Right. Um, that impact our ability to perform because you think about supply chain, it’s a capture, it’s the closing, the capture, it’s the, um, identifying what, um, bill and material or planning goes with that it’s, you know, all these things. And then they say, okay, now go buy it, the technical requirements. And so we’re there at the last of the totem pole, but at this point, all the pressure is on us to perform. And so we started partnering with those functions that were hindering our ability to perform engineering contracts, capture, you know, I’ve got someone on the capture team now. And so those things, um, for any leader, I think understanding what your challenges are and then going about, uh, mitigating the challenge and making it a strength is what has enabled us to perform

Scott Luton (22:20):

And being candid and honest with yourself about that. You know, you were kind of talking earlier about that Frank assessment of the current environment, and you can’t, you can’t wear rose colored glasses that doesn’t help anyone.

Ingrid Sampson (22:33):

I really appreciate it. Customers looking at you like, wait, this doesn’t meet our needs, or this is late. Or, you know, that’s just not good. So,

Scott Luton (22:40):

You know, from where at least my, my opinion here, you know, risk management for years now has, has been, has been added, you know, given a seat at the table. And we see companies hiring, you know, chief risk management officers, chief risk officers and whatnot. And then of course the pandemic has really, uh, there’s been a lot of risk in and the collective blind spots of industry. So there’ll be a lot of doubling and tripling down. How do we effectively, you know, um, put in place our risk management strategy and then, and then actively and successfully manage that. And then I know, you know, from our earlier calls, this is an area of passion and true expertise for you. So if you were to offer a couple of best practices and suggestions around, you know, effective and successful risk, risk management for our listeners here, what would that be?

Ingrid Sampson (23:29):

So, um, I know for us during this two things for us during the capture phase, we identify risks, right? So we’re going after this business, here are the risks associated with, um, taking on its business. And we’ve got to, not, once we identify the risk delve into it further to how do we mitigate that risk versus realizing it in supply chain, there’s all kinds of tools people companies have created. And they’re like, oh, you know, you can use this tool. It’s going to create an algorithm. You know, that’s good to a point because now the rhythm, I can look at, um, companies DNB and see that they’re in financial trouble, right. I can look at weather patterns and see, you know, I’ve got companies in harms way in California, Mr. Fighters. Um, I can see I’ve got suppliers in India in the midst of the pandemic and, you know, I can see those things, but how do I look forward enough to know that if anything do happen in these areas that we can perform.

Ingrid Sampson (24:29):

And so, um, the other part of is, once you understand the risk is how do you mitigate it? And sometime you’ve got to invest in mitigating that risk. It’s just not, you know, I can add two people instead of one, I can go sit at a supplier and just micromanage them. Um, sometimes some investment is necessary and where it’s getting materials ahead of time. Um, it’s investing in a technology that will improve probability of success. There’s things that we’ve got to do to make sure we mitigate the risk. And so, um, my opinion, and it’s very simple. Haven’t been in supply chain for so long. A lot of people say, oh, we look 30 days ahead. I’m like, no, we like 60 and 90 days. That’s what we were doing before the pandemic. And that’s not just calling a supplier, say, Hey, how’s it going?

Ingrid Sampson (25:16):

They’re like, oh, it’s fine. We’re going to deliver, no, I want to know what other bill of material you proceed. What’s still outstanding. When is it coming in? What’s the status of it? You know, you gotta go to that level of detail, but in the midst of the pandemic and the important export and shipping, we’re seeing all kinds of other variables now be introduced. Um, although they were there, they’re heightened now. Um, we’ve got to understand, you know, what are the alternatives to shipping on water? I’ve been in a place on, um, on the F 22 program back in the day in aeronautics, actually on C1, 30 program, or one of our suppliers was on a strike, right? So they were completing Parex literally the day that they needed to be installed. And we have done all the work around. So we can, we’re putting them on a C5 aircraft, flying them in same day.

Ingrid Sampson (26:06):

Right? So those, aren’t the best case scenarios as a thing you don’t want to have to do all the time, but you have to look at work. Can you mitigate that risk? And so 30, 60 90 is our normal rhythm right now. My team is looking six months ahead, six months to say, you know, when do you have everything you need, if you don’t, where are they? When is it coming forward? What can we do to help you were utilizing some of our purchasing power, um, to get things expedited versus Florida, doesn’t have that kind of pull an influence. Um, those are just the basic things versus the tools that are going to give you the algorithms that you can look at. Um, data I’ve created, uh, our team is under me. It’s created a dashboard, so we can go in and we can see rail red, yellow, green performance from schedules to cost, to deliveries, to quality, to, you know, all of these things, um, which enables us to also look ahead where there’s yellow. What do you need to do to make it green? Mm,

Scott Luton (27:05):

I like that. Um, so by extending kind of that forward-looking view from 30, 60, 90 to six months, uh, it seems like you’re really pushing proactive with some conversations that otherwise would have, would, you know, as things come up and give you less time to, um, you know, proactively solve or even react in some cases, is that kinda what you’re seeing?

Ingrid Sampson (27:26):

Yes. For sure. And think about an industry right now. We know that, um, electrical components, right. Electronics is a shortage in certain components. We know chemicals, there’s a shortage going in certain of them. Um, and we know we’re all materials, there’s shortage. So how do you get ahead of that need in that shortage? Um, and sometimes it may mean by a material way in advance the need, just to know that’s where has it on site, right. It’s not a practice you want to use, but it’s there if needed to mitigate the potential risks that exist. Um,

Scott Luton (28:01):

It, it, it, it seems like, uh, curve balls keep coming and new curve balls that we haven’t seen before. And, you know, I’ve heard it said that, uh, risk management is supply chain management and vice versa, and there’s a lot of truth there. I’ve always thought. Um, okay. So I want to, I want to take the conversation broader, but before we do one of the things I haven’t asked you about, uh, our dear friend mutual friend, Shan Cooper is who connected us. I’m so grateful, um, really have enjoyed getting to know you better. And now hearing kind of more of your, your leadership POV in practitioner POV, but I understand y’all work together, uh, at Lockheed Martin. What was, um, what was one of your favorite aspects to how Shane Cooper approached leadership or, um, her role? What was one of your favorite things?

Ingrid Sampson (28:51):

Shannon is an example for so many things. As a leader, she treated everyone the same two treated everyone fairly, regardless of age, color background. She knew names, she knew backgrounds. She just was this very personable individual. And on type of on top of that, she’s always values. Her values are important to her values come out and everything she does and says, and she just became a natural mentor for me. And I’ll tell you, there was a point in time where public speaking was not my forte. And one of, um, our, uh, communication leads, she says, think of two people that you admire and how they speak and, you know, mirror them. And Shan was one of those people. And so she says, you know, develop this stage performance persona of who, you know, you want to be in. One was Janet Jackson and the other was Shane cuber.

Ingrid Sampson (29:48):

Right. And it was like, so my, my name was Shannon Jackson. And when I come on stage, it was like this personality and she hadn’t, she doesn’t want a script. She just wants to be herself. And I find myself I’m more comfortable like that too. Uh, so I’ll never forget when Shannon left the lucky Martin Marietta location. And I mean, people are walking down the hall crying. Um, she got in her car and there was a string of people waiting. The firetruck came out. If you know, when they’re retiring and aircraft, they do the water hose over the aircraft. They did that for Shannon. She was leaving. There was just, just this precession of people going out. And it’s because she’s just genuinely a kind person. And that I admire and have always tried to mirror,

Scott Luton (30:33):

Hey, I’m with ya. Uh, you know, maybe we, we might be second cousins or something. We have a lot of, uh, of, of comradery. And, uh, I I’m the same way. I didn’t, I’d never had a chance to work with, uh, Shane Cooper. I’ve kind of admired from afar as I’ve seen her write interactions or keynotes. And then we had a chance to work together as part of a, um, a supply chain award show just before the world changed. This is March, 2020 and everything you described, you know, she, she was MC but gosh, just genuine. The, uh, you could tell that she, she loved interactions and, and celebrating the good news and, and, and accomplishments of others and yeah. And just a rock and roll star, um, own and off the stage. So, um, so Shane, if you’re listing, uh, two big fans, uh, two members of the Shan Cooper fan club, Atlanta chapter right

Ingrid Sampson (31:24):

Here, right here.

Scott Luton (31:26):

So, okay. So shifting gears, I want to make sure I didn’t forget that. Um, so shifting gears, going back to kinda what, you know, trends, innovations developments in the global business market, we’ve talked about a lot already, but what else is there another item or two that you’re tracking more than others that you’d like to share your POV around? So

Ingrid Sampson (31:46):

The big focus right now obviously is digital transformation, right? How do you, how do we change the way we do business? And I’ve seen so much transformation from when I started as a buyer. I mean, we did POS on carbon, right? And now everything is in the computer and you’re attaching, and you’re doing those types of things, um, and just getting appeal place. But it’s also digital transformation in how do we buy, right? It’s not a traditional, you semi four volumes of bids. Um, and I’m going to go through all of this. It’s now on computer. If you, you submit as, as concise as possible, and we’re seeing our customer do that in OTA. Right. Um, and so they want to be able to contract earlier faster, you know, uh, less bureaucracy and those types of things. So we’re having to adjust and be responsive to the customer.

Ingrid Sampson (32:46):

And then the other side obviously is digital transformation as it relates to, you know, how parts for me and how they’re manufactured and how they’re, they’re used, you know, we’re doing 3d, um, additive manufacturing versus the traditional, you know, milling and machines. And so it’s, the technology has to move with the times in, um, we are responsive to that. And if anyone knows our CEO and president Jim take like, he talks about 5g male, right. We’ve got all these products from like, I, you can see in the picture from ships to aircraft, to helicopters, to, you know, the, um, equipment on, um, that the army uses to train. And so it’s, how do you connect all of these, right? So when you think about digital transformation, our future is connecting these products that enable our customer to utilize them from the air, see in ground. Um, and that’s just exciting stuff, right? It’s I think about where I started to where we’re going, and it’s just truly exciting,

Scott Luton (33:49):

Uh, completely agree. It’s a special time to be in global business and supply chain. And, uh, right now, despite all the, you know, the challenges and, and, and as we’ve talked about extensively and, and getting behind some of the efforts, we’re trying to get the whole world into this post pandemic environment. Right. I think, um, we’re starting to see some better numbers in India, for example, which is great news, man. It’s been heartbreaking some things there, but, um, we’re going to break through, we’re going to break through. And, and, and I think some of the silver linings is how, uh, the world’s gotten smaller in many ways. Uh, thanks partially to technology. You know, you were talking a second ago, um, you know, the empathy we have as colleagues and leaders and managers, and just fellow, uh, fellow humans, you know, who cares if the cat walks in front of your conference call screen these days, you know what I couldn’t believe we got so wound up about that a few years back. Um, but one last question, and then we’ll make sure we know, we’ll let folks know how to connect with you is, um, with all of the technology that’s permeating industry, and certainly, you know, driving digital transformation across supply chain, do you think that will help bring more people and more of the top talent into the industry? Do you think that’s going to be, uh, a nice equalizer?

Ingrid Sampson (35:01):

I hope so. And I think so, um, you know, the, the times of everyone being in the same office in the same spaces, just passe, um, I’ve got people, you know, in California that they were like, how soon should I move? And I was like, you don’t have to move, stay where you are. Right. So it truly enables us to get talent as well as technology across the globe. Um, and we’re excited, you know, what that brings to us, uh, because there are people you’re hearing more, right? I want to be near my parents. I need to beat my wife works here and we need to be here. The kids love the school they’re in, you know, you’re hearing all these things that the flexibility has become more important since the pandemic than any time before in my career. Um, and I’ll tell you, and even having discussions with other companies is like, well, is it virtual? You know, to, you have to be there. You know, it’s, it’s just the sign of the times and wine and hearing in other industries also, it’s not just a and D right. It’s just, how can we be more flexible? There are some jobs that you’re not going to be able to obviously manufacturing, classified environments, those types of things, where are you going to have to be there? Um, but everything else just gives you opens up the bandwidth of talent that you can get around the world. And I’m so excited about that.

Scott Luton (36:24):

Uh I’m with you, I’m with you. I think, um, it, it, uh, uh, expands the industry and into new pools and with new ideas and different takes on, on the problems old, new that we see here today, and more challenges will, will undoubtedly around the corner. So, um, I’m looking forward to continuing for the supply chain industry to fight better and more, more effectively for the top talent across, across the globe. Okay. Well, Ingrid, we’ve really, we’ve covered so much ground, uh, but I know you stay really busy. I appreciate the time you’ve given us here today. Really enjoyed it. Um, let’s make sure that our listeners know how they can, they can reach out and compare notes, or, or who knows you may be doing a keynote or, or you name it more interviews. How can folks connect with

Ingrid Sampson (37:09):

You? I think the easiest way is on LinkedIn. You know, Ingrid Kelly Samson on LinkedIn is the easiest way. I see it constantly between putting things in and people contacting me, um, is the best way. And I look forward to meeting new people as well as learning what technology is out there.

Scott Luton (37:27):

Wonderful, wonderful, well, we’ll make sure we’ll make it really easy for our folks. We’ll put that LinkedIn link in the show notes. A one click away is what we always shoot for, but a pleasure to meet. Uh, we’ve been talking with Ingrid Sampson, director subcontract, program management with Lockheed Martin. Really appreciate your time here, Ingrid.

Ingrid Sampson (37:46):

Thank you, Scott, for the opportunity to speak.

Scott Luton (37:49):

You bet. Okay. So folks, oh, well, hopefully you enjoyed that as much as I did, uh, really enjoyed getting to know and learn from Ingrid and what she’s shared, not just here, but some of that, we really enjoyed the prep call conversations, too. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to venture over to supply chain now.com check out the wide range of interviews we offer. Fondas wherever you get your podcasts from. Hey, subscribe. So you don’t miss a single thing. We don’t wanna miss conversations like this. And Hey, by the way, uh, June is our big push for reviews and subscription. So reviews your reviews will help us reach more people and share, uh, POV like Ingrid’s here today. So, but Hey, most importantly, most importantly, uh, hope this finds you wherever well, wherever you are. Hey, but do good. Give forward. Be the changes need to be just Shan Cooper and all that. And that we’ll see next time right here as a bunch of now. Thanks, sir. Bye.

Intro/Outro (38:41):

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

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How to Launch Leaders into Aerospace: A Conversation with Supply Chain Veteran Ingrid Sampson

Featured Guests

Ingrid Sampson is the Director of Program Management Subcontracts for Training and Logistics Solutions, a line of business within Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems. In this role, Mrs. Sampson is responsible for delivering training, simulators and logistics solutions valued at more than $3 billion. This includes developing and implementing a supply chain strategy to address the entire supply chain life cycle. Her team of more than 100 employees, across multiple locations, manages both domestic and international suppliers. Previously, Mrs. Sampson served as Director of Ethics and Business Conduct for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics responsible for the execution and development of the Ethics strategic plan for more than 24,000 employees. Mrs. Sampson has held other leadership positions within Lockheed Martin on the C-130, P-3, and the F-22 Programs. Mrs. Sampson holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State Long Beach and a master’s degree in project management. Connect with Ingrid on LinkedIn.

Hosts

Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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Demo Perez

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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Mary Kate Love

VP, Marketing

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

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

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Joshua Miranda

Marketing Specialist

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

Donna Krache

Director of Communications and Executive Producer

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

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Vicki White

Controller

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

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Ben Harris

Host

Ben Harris is the Director of Supply Chain Ecosystem Expansion for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Ben comes to the Metro Atlanta Chamber after serving as Senior Manager, Market Development for Manhattan Associates. There, Ben was responsible for developing Manhattan’s sales pipeline and overall Americas supply chain marketing strategy. Ben oversaw market positioning, messaging and campaign execution to build awareness and drive new pipeline growth. Prior to joining Manhattan, Ben spent four years with the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Center of Innovation for Logistics where he played a key role in establishing the Center as a go-to industry resource for information, support, partnership building, and investment development. Additionally, he became a key SME for all logistics and supply chain-focused projects. Ben began his career at Page International, Inc. where he drove continuous improvement in complex global supply chain operations for a wide variety of businesses and Fortune 500 companies. An APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), Ben holds an Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration (EMBA) and bachelor’s degree in International Business (BBA) from the Terry College at the University of Georgia.

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Page Siplon

Host, The Freight Insider

Prior to joining TeamOne Logistics, Page Siplon served as the Executive Director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics, the State’s leading consulting resource for fueling logistics industry growth and global competitiveness. For over a decade, he directly assisted hundreds of companies to overcome challenges and capitalize on opportunities related to the movement of freight. During this time, Siplon was also appointed to concurrently serve the State of Georgia as Director of the larger Centers of Innovation Program, in which he provided executive leadership and vision for all six strategic industry-focused Centers. As a frequently requested keynote speaker, Siplon is called upon to address a range of audiences on unique aspects of technology, workforce, and logistics. This often includes topics of global and domestic logistics trends, supply chain visibility, collaboration, and strategic planning. He has also been quoted as an industry expert in publications such as Forbes, Journal of Commerce, Fortune, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, American Express, DC Velocity, Area Development Magazine, Site Selection Magazine, Inbound Logistics, Modern Material Handling, and is frequently a live special guest on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Radio Show. Siplon is an active industry participant, recognized by DC Velocity Magazine as a “2012 Logistics Rainmaker” which annually identifies the top-ten logistics professionals in the Nation; and named a “Pro to Know” by Supply & Demand Executive Magazine in 2014. Siplon was also selected by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential Georgians” for 2013, 2014, and 2015. He also serves various industry leadership roles at both the State and Federal level. Governor Nathan Deal nominated Siplon to represent Georgia on a National Supply Chain Competitiveness Advisory Committee, where he was appointed to a two-year term by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and was then appointed to serve as its vice-chairman. At the State level, he was selected by then-Governor Sonny Perdue to serve as lead consultant on the Commission for New Georgia’s Freight and Logistics Task Force. In this effort, Siplon led a Private Sector Advisory Committee with invited executives from a range of private sector stakeholders including UPS, Coca-Cola, The Home Depot, Delta Airlines, Georgia Pacific, CSX, and Norfolk Southern. Siplon honorably served a combined 12 years in the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force. During this time, he led the integration of encryption techniques and deployed cryptographic devices for tactically secure voice and data platforms in critical ground-to-air communication systems. This service included support for all branches of the Department of Defense, multiple federal security agencies, and aiding NASA with multiple Space Shuttle launches. Originally from New York, Siplon received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering with a focus on digital signal processing from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He earned an associate’s degree in advanced electronic systems from the Air Force College and completed multiple military leadership academies in both the Marines and Air Force. Siplon currently lives in Cumming, Georgia (north of Atlanta), with his wife Jan, and two children Thomas (19) and Lily (15).

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Kristi Porter

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Sofia Rivas Herrera

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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Katherine Hintz

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

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

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Kim Winter

Host, Supply Chain Now

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

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

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

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Adrian Purtill

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Kevin Brown

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Jose Miguel Irarrazaval

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Nick Roemer

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Allison Giddens

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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

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Billy Taylor

Host of Dial P for Procurement

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

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

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

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

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Lori Sofian

Marketing Coordinator

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

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Chantel King

Social Media Manager

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

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

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

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Trisha Cordes

Administrative Assistant

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

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Clay Phillips

Business Development Manager

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

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Amanda Luton

Vice President, Production

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

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Constantine Limberakis

Host

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

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Mary Kate Soliva

Host, Veteran Voices

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

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Kelly Barner

Host of Dial P for Procurement

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

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Enrique Alvarez

Host of Logistics with Purpose and Supply Chain Now en Español

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

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

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Kevin L. Jackson

Host of Digital Transformers

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

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Tyler Ward

Director of Sales

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

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

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

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Chris Barnes

Principal, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain is Boring

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

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

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Greg White

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

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

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

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Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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

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

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