Supply Chain Now
Episode 830

There's significance in every single person, but most people are not prepared to press into the discomfort that you need to go through to see what significance could look like for them. It requires each one of us to do extra, but we honestly feel privileged that we get to be a team doing this mission.

- Tim Nelson, CEO of Hope for Justice and the Slave-Free Alliance

Episode Summary

There are all kinds of leaders in the world, and many situations crying out for leadership. In the rarest of cases, the ideal leader is drawn to an area of need – sometimes by circumstances beyond their control. When this happens, the opportunity for change is powerful and tangible and creates a momentum that pulls others in.

In this Supply Chain Now interview, co-hosts Scott Luton and Kelly Barner welcome back Tim Nelson, co-founder and CEO of Hope for Justice and Slave-Free Alliance. Tim tried to be a stockbroker and then he tried to be in technology, but he was always drawn back to a place where he could have a scalable human impact. Hope for Justice is the philanthropy partner for the 2022 Supply Chain and Procurement Awards, creating an opportunity for all procurement and supply chain professionals to learn and act in the fight to end human trafficking and modern slavery.

During this conversation they discuss:

  • What has more of an effect on Tim’s thinking – the success stories told by Hope for Justice or the statistics that show just how much more work there is to be done
  • Why organizations from Supply Chain Now to Gartner are turning their focus to the fight against human trafficking and modern slavery
  • The opportunities and qualifications that make procurement and supply chain professionals the best-suited warriors for this particular human rights battle

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 introduc stay tuned to hear from those making global business happen right here on supply chain now,

Scott Luton (00:32):

Hey, good morning, Scott Luton and Kelly Barner with you here on supply chain. Now, welcome to today’s show Kelly, how you doing?

Kelly Barner (00:40):

I’m doing great. Scott, glad to be here.

Scott Luton (00:42):

I am so happy that you’re here and I’m really happy that our guest is here because we we’re we’re let’s face it. We’re head of our heels with the mission they’re on the good work they’re doing, and we’re delighted to partner and collaborate with them. So who am I talking about? Well, we’re talking about hope for justice, right? Who’s on a mission to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking from the face of the planet. Kelly should be a really interesting discussion, right? Based

Kelly Barner (01:08):

On the other conversations with Tim. Absolutely.

Scott Luton (01:10):

<laugh> so who you’re alluding to is our guest the wonder only Tim Nelson, CEO of hope for justice, Tim, how you doing? I’m

Tim Nelson (01:19):

Doing really well, so, so good to see you both and to be with you

Scott Luton (01:23):

Today. Well, we are delighted, uh, and you know, Kelly and I, we we’ve seen you in action a lot since the last time you appeared with us when you blew our socks off, let’s face it, uh, uh, the knowledge that you brought the scope of this immense challenge that we had, this travesty, uh, Travis DS and that Moham an Ali quote that we almost kind of, we, we wrapped with, I’d be surprised if folks weren’t jumping off our livestream and going to do something because of how you were inspiring him, Tim.

Tim Nelson (01:53):

So kind, I really appreciate you saying that. I think the, the goal of everyone who’s in this mission is just to try and make a difference. And, and I really appreciate you saying that. And you know, every, every time I get the privilege to, to say anything about the work that we’re doing, um, it’s a real honor, but, um, the fact that you would be so kind is to, to say that is real, real, real privilege to me. So

Scott Luton (02:14):

Thank you. You bet. Well, Kelly, as, as, uh, we appreciate that and you know, we, we talked for 11, I guess, but as you, we not, you and I both know it’s about D deeds, not words, right? Deeds, not words. So before. Absolutely. So, so speak to that for a quick second, before we get into the Tim Nelson story, cause it’s about taking action, right?

Kelly Barner (02:33):

This is one of the things, and, and actually as part of the, uh, supply chain of procurement awards, we’ve been talking an awful lot about what do we need to know so that we can take the right actions? The, this isn’t just about talking a good game. It’s not just about having the right ideas. It really is about how we take all of that. So that in our personal lives and in the work that we do, especially for supply chain of procurement professionals, we are in fact coming through on those words and following up with our deeds and making a

Scott Luton (03:00):

Difference. Agreed, agreed, well said Kelly Barner. So let’s find out more about Tim Nelson and the live stream that you joined as Tim. We had to kind of based on time and we had to kind of get to the mission at hand and get to the organization and challenges. We didn’t get a good chance to under better understand the Tim Nelson story. So let’s get to know you better. Let’s start with, uh, the question we always love, love to start with where’d you grow up and give us some anecdotes around your upbringing.

Tim Nelson (03:27):

Yeah, no amazing. Um, so you can probably tell for anybody who’s not heard me before. Um, I, I’m not English. Um, I come from Northern Ireland and the, the place I grew up is a little is called inch and it’s in south down. So to give you your geography lesson for today, it’s about 25 miles south of Belfast. Okay. Um, and it is three miles away from the very first church in Ireland, um, in a place called Saul that St. Patrick built, uh, back in the day, the St.

Scott Luton (03:58):

Patrick, is that right?

Tim Nelson (03:59):

Yeah. Cuz you know, St Patrick days coming up in March and a lot of people think about, you know, the, the, the color green shamrocks and, um, I’m certainly Diaz’s teams to taking over a lot of the, the, the nature of what that day is. But, but actually, you know, I find out so much since growing up there that that actually simp Patrick was actually track to Ireland and managed to escape my gosh. And then when he escaped, apparently God called him to, to come back and bring the message of the gospel. And, and in the dark ages that the church was, was only kept alive in Ireland. That then was then exported all over the world. So for me, growing up in that area, you can imagine that there a real sense of culture and history there’s, um, uh, you know, I grew up at a difficult time at the time of the conflict, um, that was going on in Northern Ireland.

Tim Nelson (04:50):

And my dad was a, uh, ran a painter and decorating firm, um, employed a, a significant number of men, painting hospitals and schools. But my mom was principal pride would secretary to the, the, the head of the Northern Irish office, which in legals, because she, she was the assistant to the person who was heading up the country’s response and, and kind of that put us at a place of risk and, and threat. So my mother and father built the house that we’re in, but there was a, a car bomb that was planted just outside our house before the house was built. So, you know, I, I went to school in Belfast, which is a, a 25 mile trip each way for my secondary school and had to walk past, you know, the most bond hotel in Europe and, you know, controlled explosions going off and, and shootings and various things going on and a really, really crazy time, but amazing time were you get to see the worst of humanity, but the best of humanity at the same time. So, but, but I had real privilege and I was the first person in my family, um, to, to go to the school. I did a, a really quite privileged school in, in Belfast, but that was only because, um, my mom and dad had impressed upon me the importance of education. And, um, because my mom was more politically aware. We, we all became more politically aware and I had, um, three siblings. Um, they all ended up going into law, all ended up lawyers, marrying lawyers,

Scott Luton (06:13):

Don’t mess with the Nelson family folks. I’ll

Tim Nelson (06:16):

Tell you that coming for you. No. Um, the, the debates that we would’ve had at home were, were absolutely amazing, but I, I kind of really got my worldview kind of going, I can remember one time and, and kind of, I don’t know how you are with your kids in terms of what you would let them do. I think I, because of my knowledge of what the world is, I’m, I’m probably a little bit more restrictive than some might be, but my parents were quite LA fair about that. And, um, they let me go at the age of 15 to, uh, Malaysia and Australia for six months on my own.

Scott Luton (06:48):

Wow. By

Tim Nelson (06:49):

Yourself. Wow. By myself. And, um, you know, some funny, like I could talk for stories on end on that one, but I was on the full, like to Malaysia and I’d fallen asleep and the chap next to me, they were coming around, you know, chicken or beef because they always have those options for you. And, um, oh, and what would your son like? And he’s like, he’s not my son. And then they’re like, you know, you’re not a lie to actually be on a plane if you’re under 16 on your own. No. Who knew that there would have been asked. So, and I find myself of transiting through Qala lump airport, and they had to put me in first class lunch and have someone chap in me. And I, I, I rang my mom and I’m saying like, I’m in Qala Lumpur, I’m just watching sky news have just made me the boomy breakfast and I’m going for a shower in a bit.

Tim Nelson (07:33):

And my mom was just like, what the heck you do? <laugh> so, no, just, just kind of that worldview, that complete sense of you can do anything in the world. And, and the following year after I did that trip, I, I also did a really impactful trip with a group of friends. We went out to, uh, Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil, and did some community projects in the Canam Highlands. And I did my, um, various venture awards that I did, um, at that time, but we were away for, or three months and did some amazing projects. And it just honestly set a really grinding for me of an understanding of maybe from a very small place in Northern Ireland, but actually you can impact the world through just being passionate about making a difference. All right.

Scott Luton (08:13):

So you there’s so much that I wanna follow up on there, but for the sake of time, I’m gonna toss it over to Kelly. And just a second, because we wanna explore a little more about that worldview and of course what you’re doing now, but, but one quick follow up question to be exposed. And, and as, as you put it to parents have that loss say affair, uh, kind of point of view, and just empowered you to, um, kind of pursue your passions at an early age, you know, 15 traveling by yourself abroad. And then later to Venezuela, it seems like to me, you had a greater appreciation at an earlier age for kind of the global ecosystem, the global community global village that exists. Did that really play a part in, I mean, and now of course the mission that hope justice is leading is certainly global. Was that a, was that a really important, uh, experience at an early age for

Tim Nelson (09:03):

You? I think it was absolutely pivotal. You know, Kelly, you, you spoke about words and actions and we had this phrase when we grew up that the lesson you may deliver maybe wise and true, but I prefer to learn my lesson by observing what you do. And the more that you get to go across the world and you see what people are doing, you realize that talk is cheap, but it’s the actions that are motivating. And you get to see in, in the pur of communities, what people can do, you know, you know, today we’re, we’re talking about, uh, you know, supply chains and we’re talking about procurement and we’re talking about what they’re doing, but, but actually people quite often see barriers to things. Yeah. But in, in communities where barriers, you, you don’t have the luxury to see barriers. You’ve got to find a way.

Tim Nelson (09:48):

And, you know, even, even we we’ve been talking earlier about the, the supply procurement awards and, and people putting forward nominate, and I kinda look at it and go, quite often, people go, well, ah, there’s a barrier to, I’ve gotta fill in a form or I’ve gotta, I’ve gotta get some knowledge, uh, as to what we need to do or how, what, what does this mean for us as business? Quite often, people can see the barrier and be repelled by it. But what you realize is the successful entrepreneurs, the successful businesses are that they do not see, they see those as doors and opportunities that other people can be on the outside of. So I think, I think for me, you see it all over the world, but you get to realize that that quite often, what, what differentiates between those businesses that are, are kind of good or those businesses that are average is whether or not you’ve got a to you’ll find a way.

Tim Nelson (10:39):

Right. And, and, and it, on the, you know, if you’re, if you’re faced with global procurement problem and you can’t get it from this place, so you can’t get it in time, what will you do? You find a way? And I think the, the, the awards and everything that they embody from me is all around recognizing who is doing well at this. And quite often, people can hear that, you know, you know, I don’t want to prefer myself. I don’t wanna big myself up, but I think it’s really important for people to understand people wanna buy from a company that actually holds this up as really important.

Scott Luton (11:11):

Agreed, agreed. Of course, the awards you’re referring to the 20, 22 supply chain and criminal awards. We’re gonna talk about that a little bit later in the conversation, right? So Kelly, I’ve been, hoing all the interview questions, uh, a little tip of the hat to our barbecue discussion. We were talking pre show, all right, where are we going next, Kelly.

Kelly Barner (11:27):

So actually think we’re gonna transition from that world view, Tim, that you grew up with, and it’s clearly a deep ethic. That’s part of who you are. How did you carry that world view and those experiences into the roles that you held early in your career?

Tim Nelson (11:43):

Yeah. I mean, I, I had this crazy experience when I went to university, so I thought I was gonna go and be a stock broker. The rest of my family wanted to be lawyers. I thought, well, let’s be a stock broker. And so I went to study technology with a view to understanding technology and management and how I could look and focus on high tech companies. And, um, whilst I was there and getting that understanding, I, I got heavily involved in, in community work. And, and what would make a difference in the community to help the per the needy, the weak in the margin, in the area that we were in. And, um, much to my parents’ amusement. I, I turned down job offers with some really high profile, um, stockbrokers in London or in New York. And, and it kind of really ships your thinking when, um, the company I would’ve worked for in, in London, uh, if I’d taken that job bust in, in the 2001 crash and had I been and taken the job in Manhattan, I would’ve been in the twin towers when they went down.

Tim Nelson (12:41):

Wow. And I think, I think that kind of mindset of the choices you make, not the chances you take determine your destiny. And I think off the back of that, it, it kind of propels you to want do more. So I’m, I’m staying in the, the place that I’m, I’m, I’ve been to university I’m, I’m looking at what I can do. And, uh, I ended up working for whilst I was at university to support myself, um, a, a, a, a particular bank and a specific division of the bank that we’re working with kind of business individuals, commercial clients. And it was a telephone based service while I was at university to help fund myself on the way through. And when I was finished, I thought, well, why don’t I apply to the bank and see if they’ve got any jobs, because I’ve turned on these other jobs.

Tim Nelson (13:23):

And my mom and dad are gonna go crazy if I don’t end up with something <laugh>. And, um, I applied to work as a, a business manager for a retail bank, and, um, normally have to go through kind of three to five years of graduate training to get that level or grown up with 20 years experience in the bank. But they put me through on the test for that role. And because I’d been got all this information while I was at university, I knew exactly what they wanted to sell and how they needed to sell it. So they put me into that role and I was the youngest bank manager in the UK. And, um, in my first year I finished,

Scott Luton (13:56):

Wait, hang on sec, hang on a sec. We got it. We gotta clarify that. The, you, you said the youngest bank manager in all the UK.

Tim Nelson (14:03):

Yep. I was 21. Uh, just turned 21 in the August. And in September I got, I got my first managerial post. So if you can imagine everyone in the bank hits me because, uh, because, because I’m the guy who’s just come in and Johnny come lately, who is this person? I was gonna say, the kid they’ll hate you cuz you’re the kid. Right? Absolutely. Yeah. But what, what I discovered was the bank would, let me take people out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the bank’s tab. And I could go and see any sporting event. I could go and see any music event as long as I brought customer with me. So I thought, well, nice. Why didn’t your customers become your friends and go with you? Cuz like we talked about barbecue. Like for me, if I can go and take people out for, for a great meal and, and basically get to know them, build a relationship.

Tim Nelson (14:49):

I think that was pivotal for me in understanding that relationship is the oil that business runs on. And in my first year I finished in the bank, I finished third for income generation. So off the back of that, that calls quite a bit of a stir. As you can imagine, new guy coming in and, and ended up with this kind of results. So they given me, they gave me a promotion to a senior manager. So at that stage I’m working, withm more significant clients. I’m helping them with, with borrowing. I’m helping them understand how they can grow and develop business, how they can, they, they can take the technological advancement and be able to merge and, and bring that in. And I was starting to pair businesses up that were in my portfolio so they could do projects together. Cuz I was like, I know you, I know you we’ve been out to how about you come out to the, the soft and we, we talk about this and how you can work together. And they loved it. Everybody loved it because I was trying to get, I, I wasn’t in it for me. I was in it for what would do the best for them.

Scott Luton (15:40):

Hey Kelly. Uh, yeah. Did you hear that? T-shirt is that Tim shared a moment ago? Relationships are the oil that powers business forward that almost just paints like a, a Ferrari right? For someone yeah. Someone that really they’re good at, at building strong sturdy trust filled relationships. Right?

Kelly Barner (15:59):

I thought you were gonna point out the soccer comment. Now I have to admit Scott knows, uh, Phil Bidens that I work with closely at art of procurement is a huge, I will say football fan because I’ve been trained. I’ve worked with him for years and years. A and I’m thinking okay with the accent, I don’t think you’re allowed to say soccer. <laugh> do I get to like qualify? Are you translating for us?

Tim Nelson (16:20):

I, I, I feel like I do that effort. You, when I’m, I’m speaking to anyone on your side of the pond, I end up having, uh, you know, have to interpret, I don’t have to do sign language. I think you’re okay with that. But uh, I think in terms of just kind of clarification like the premier league or right, you know, some of the, the greater teams and, and our head office is in Manchester. So I grew up in Northern Ireland and you really, we either supported Manchester United or you supported Liverpool. Liverpool were winning everything when I was growing up. So I supported Manchester United and then the premier league came and, and the, kind of the, the rest of city street. But I, I think the, the businesses that I was working with, like I’m still in contact with them kind of 20 plus years now on because I built solid friendships with them.

Tim Nelson (17:03):

I wanted what was best for them. And actually it was one of my, my, my kind of close friends from that perspective that invited me to even get to know that what business would look like in the states and invited me to sit as an advisor to an offshore investment trust. He was running in America. Who’s gonna pull together 200 million to invest in high tech businesses and really liked what I was saying around understanding the profitability of a business, understanding the technological advancement. And it was on that trip that I had an night spare in Los Angeles and invited out for dinner and a friend who worked for children’s charity asked me if he could bring a friend along and that friend and that dinner changed my entire life.

Kelly Barner (17:44):

I was gonna say, and this is where your journey meets hope for

Tim Nelson (17:48):

Justice. Absolutely. Tell us a little bit more about that dinner. Yeah. So it was a good dinner. Um, I, I don’t wanna lie. Y in America, in comparative terms, there are things that people might say that UK is good for like castles and history and stuff, but, but, um, but, but dinners and, and, and, and eating out, you got that nailed. I think you, you, you, you should at least win some awards for that. Um <laugh> but, but when, when we went for dinner, um, this guy was on the phone to condo Lisa Rice, who was, um, working for the Bush administration at the time. And so far away from everything I’m involved in at that time. And he was arguing about the dime grading of India on the human trafficking register. Never heard of it before. And this guy came off the phone and he’d been talking about girls in cages that have been shipped all over India.

Tim Nelson (18:37):

And I was questioning him. I was like, what are you talking about? Never heard of anything like this. And, um, he pulled out his, his, his camera and showed me the pictures of the individuals who were he had seen the week before. And his, to me was now that you know about this, what you gonna do about it, because maybe there are people tonight who are crying themselves to sleep, and they’re calling out for someone to help ’em and maybe you could be that guy. So for me, I came back to the UK. I spoke to everybody I knew, and a friend of mine had met some folk that were thinking about putting on an event to tell people about the issue. And I said, you understand project management, you could help ’em, you’d done events before. Um, and we came along and, and kind of, there were about 10 of us that came together to put the first event on, uh, we decided we weren’t gonna do like a time hall or hire a hotel.

Tim Nelson (19:23):

We went and hired an arena, and we got we, my wife and I had to put our house potentially on the line if it, if it went wow. And again, that was a big moment for me because my wife was expecting our first child. We’d bought a piece of land. We built our first house. This was like, not the time that you really want to be put your house on the line. What arena Tim, if I can ask it was, it was the ne C arena in a place called Birmingham? No, not Birmingham, Alabama, but Birmingham, UK. Yeah. <laugh> and, um, we got 5,884 people to come to our first event. And that was for us, honestly. Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable. And that was really the birth of hope for justice. And in the group, I got the, the privilege of naming the charity back in the day and, um, and sat on the finding board of it, um, since the beginning.

Tim Nelson (20:15):

Wow. So you’ve been there since the very beginning. Yeah. I, I think there was one meeting before where they were talking about an event that I wasn’t at, but when we, when we started talking about where and high and what we would need, we, you know, you’re gonna need an entity. Hi, what, what, what do we do there? And what’s that gonna do? And I think at the beginning we thought, naively, maybe we could just fundraise and send money internationally. You know, maybe that’s a good thing to do. But the more that we realized, the complexity of this, we thought we should really start by employing undercover investigators to find individuals against hill against their will. And, um, it was really profound because the first year that we did that, uh, we rescued 110 individuals. And the youngest victim that we rescued was just three months old traffic for sexual exploitation.

Kelly Barner (21:02):

Now that’s not, we now in the us, I’ll, I’ll say this about the us. There’s an awful law out of company hopping at the sea level, right? You’re the CEO of this company one day, the next day, you’re the CEO of a company in a completely different industry with a totally different product offering. It doesn’t strike me that just anybody could step in and be the CEO of an organization, like hope for justice. I mean, certainly we’ve to talked about your worldview, we’ve talked about sort of the personal calling. You, you know, you tried stocks, you went back to people tech back to people, right? Everything kind of that draw back to people. What is it that you love the most about your

Tim Nelson (21:40):

Role? That’s a really great question and the way you framed it, honestly, that was brilliant. And anyone who’s listening to this, that was brilliant question. I think for me, it’s a real privilege to be in this seat. And I realize a bit like a conductor in an orchestra. I’m not making the most sound and I don’t get that. You know, people often just see the back of me and they don’t actually get to see me. And I’m not, I’m not looking for fame. I’m actually not looking for option. I’m not looking for my name up in lights in any way, shape or form. I kind of have come to that point of almost. I dunno if you’ve read Bob Buford’s book, but he talks about half time and about realizing that most people go for success, but actually what you want is significance in what you’re doing.

Tim Nelson (22:22):

And I think I’ve come to the point of, of seeing how significant we are as a charity and the, that we can bring. And I think everyone can do that. And, and there’s significance in every single person, but most people are prepared not to press into the discomfort that you need to go through, get through the dip. I think Seth golden talks about the dip that you have to go to, to, to come the other side. But most people aren’t prepared to go into that. See what significance could look like for them. And it’s not easy and it’s not, it’s not sugar coated and it doesn’t come. It comes more like vegetables rather than a steak dinner. It, it, it, you know, it, it requires each one of us to do extra, but, but, and honestly feel really privileged in every moment that we get to, to be a, a team doing this mission. And it is, is together. We’re, we’re working to try and end slavery rather than me somehow. Um, some hero on a, a white stallion leading the charge. I think what I feel more is more that conductor like, Hey, we need to grow this area because there’s a real problem and significance that we need to bring in this area. And, and, and hopefully for the team, they feel as empowered as possible to take responsibility and make a bigger difference.

Kelly Barner (23:32):

Well, and one of the things that you guys are exceptionally effective at is using visuals and data points and videos to tell the story, you know, Scott and I have done a lot of learning and researching to, to partner with hope for justice around the awards. And I find that while you have excellent representation on Twitter and LinkedIn, for me, it’s really the Facebook content that sort of hits you in the heart. And there there’s this excellent balance. You’ll have to go back and tell your team, there’s this balance between offering up really hard hitting statistics, this percent, this many people, uh, the equivalent of the, the occupants of the state of California, right? Those kind of relatable statistics with the stories of the people that you’ve managed to rescue or return to their homes and families when you are at the end of, of your day. And you have sort of that, that combination of statistics about the challenge you’re trying to address, but then the success story is all floating around in your head at the same time. What is it really that’s at the core of it for you? Which, which one of those things, is it that, that drives you forward as you continue doing that conducting?

Tim Nelson (24:44):

Yeah, I, I think for me, um, I had a mentor that when I was growing up and, and they, they told me this phrase that points are powerful, but connection is key. And, um, you know, numbers, you know, we kind the numbers because people kind, and therefore it’s important for us to kind numbers, but really, you know, the numbers, when we start to get caught up much in the numbers, we can lose the essence of what we’re doing. We don’t want to be head led. We need to be heart motivated because it causes you to push past particular points. I had a, I had a story that came to me just before Christmas. And, um, honestly I thought about this story a lot over the Christmas break that I took with my family. I have a, I have two daughters, one who’s seven and one who’s nine years old.

Tim Nelson (25:29):

And, uh, I get all the notes that come through on a weekly basis to me. And, and they highlight key issues and key things for me to be aware of. And each part of the world does this. So that, there’s a real sense of understanding because sometimes when you’re in this place, it’s incredibly dark and it’s incredibly difficult and it can feel a bit like you’re, you’re standing in the middle of a, a freeway, and you’re trying to tell everybody to stop. And there’s not really that motivation for people to stop. But, um, we got this story from our Cambodian office and it was of an eight year old girl and a little girl called Chaya. And this girl had when they, the, the, the kind of, um, they take them through, um, a trauma informed approach to make sure that the clinical psychologists can ensure we don’t want them to carry the trauma.

Tim Nelson (26:11):

And the pain of what’s happened to them. We wanna try and see them set free. And, uh, the, the short term transition center there, we call a lighthouse because we wanna bring people safe to shore. And one of the clinical psychologists had asked this girl about what she was thankful for, because it’s a key part of understanding how you bring hope is to turn people away from the darkness to the light of thankfulness. And this girl said that she was thankful she got to sleep in a dry bed and her per particular story. We think that she had been trafficked for about a year and a half. Her mom had got addicted to, um, I think heroin and had lost the home that they lived in. She found herself on the streets and she was selling the little girl from man to man. And I, I think for me, when you get to a point in your life where you go, I really have so much to be thankful for.

Tim Nelson (27:03):

You know, I feel I won the lottery of life being brought up, brought up in a, a family that cared for me and loved me and were able to provide for me, uh, I may not have, have had the footballer’s life, or, you know, the, the, you know, the, the privileged upbringing, but I’ve, I’ve learned a lot, but, you know, when you come back to that story, that’s the story that I, I remember, and it leaves an indelible mark on you because when it gets dark and it gets hard and you have to push past you, you know, I, I’m sure there are lots of people here watching bus, uh, at night today. And you’re thinking, you know, what am I doing this for in business? And I’m having to work hard and I’m having to press in, and I’m having to, you know, I’m not getting the returns that I thought, or, you know, the complexity of procurement and this doesn’t arrive when it’s meant to arrive. And the CanBan systems that we’ve set up for things just in time are just not coming through. I think what you need to have is that your, why leads you to a place that, that can get you past those difficult points. And, and I just, I, I get a profound that, it’s the stories. I think I will remember forever the numbers themselves may fade, but it’s, that points are powerful, but that connection is absolutely key. Mm. And I believe

Kelly Barner (28:13):

She wrote a poem. Didn’t she is it Cha’s poem that’s featured in, in some of your content. Just talk about a lighthouse. She’s a lighthouse. It’s hope filled. It’s Optum. You would never guess by reading her words, what this little girl had already been through in her life.

Tim Nelson (28:31):

Hmm. Yeah, absolutely. And, and that’s, that’s the joy, and that’s why I’m saying it’s like, I feel like I’m in the most privileged job of anyone in the world and it’s, it’s not, it’s not easy. It’s, you know, every day is I describe this. And a lot of people, my it resonate with this is moving from one difficult situation to another difficult situation and trying to stay positive in between. But I, I think the reality is you, you have to, because there are people, men, women, and children all over the world who need us to not be so preoccupied with our own self importance and get off our blessed assurance and do something about it,

Scott Luton (29:07):

Greed and more and more folks must set the challenge. If we’re gonna make progress in our efforts, joint efforts, eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking. And that’s where we’re going next. So I wanna, uh, again, for our listeners, hope for justice, uh, purpose driven, nonprofit that is committed to eradicate these traves from, in the face of the planet. And there’s lots of ways that you can support the organization. We’ll touch on that towards the end of, of today’s conversation. But Tim, what, you know, when you, you joined us for the livestream, you know, you blew our mind with, with some of the facts and figures and, and just aspects of this, uh, this fight against these, these horrible things. What are just a couple things our listeners have to understand about modern slavery and human trafficking?

Tim Nelson (29:49):

Yeah. I think, I think the first thing to try and, and bring people to people’s awareness is that this isn’t just an international issue. This is a local issue. Um, I, I said this last time I was on that, you know, if, if you heard that your daughter or your niece or your grandchild had been trafficked had been taken, you do absolutely anything to get them back. But the sad reality is that they are someone’s daughter, someone’s son. They are connected to someone who’s desperate to have them back. I think I heard a statistic, um, two weeks ago, which I’m still trying to process, um, online sexual exploitation through the pandemic has grown massively. Yeah. And, um, there are currently 2000, 2000 individual transactions a minute now processed for online sexual exploitation. Children are being groomed. Our Cambodia program told me just last 95% of all the victims have been groomed online.

Tim Nelson (30:44):

First, these types of things, you know, these types of statistics, you, you go that how many minutes has just gone past and how many individuals have, have, have felt that pain. But also, I think when you look at the vastness of it’s estimated that there are 40.3 million individuals who, who are held in some form of trafficking and modern slavery. There are, when, when we look at the reality of how big a business, this is, it’s $150 billion industry for serious and organized crime. The second biggest only after drugs and growing the issues of the pandemic have exasperated, the issues that put, pushed more people into poverty. We’re starting to see because of inflation and pressures that are placed on families, those burdens of poverty. And if individuals come with with, you know, a, a token of how something is gonna be so good for that child to get a job in the city and then find themselves enslaved, and, and we, we need to do more. We need to press into it more. We need to understand it more, but we do all that we can, so that those numbers themselves, we can push back. But if we added the sum total for the last, the last 12 months, 40.3 million who are estimated to be in slavery, but all the work of every anti-trafficking organization, there is only 118,000 individuals globally fined. So we’re not even scratching the surface of being able to make a bigger impact.

Scott Luton (32:04):

That is it’s mind boggling. It is mind boggling. Uh, if I can. So Kelly, you have published a recent article. I think it’s already been published. And you know, our, our listing audience is mainly supply chain, procurement, logistics, transportation, manufacturing, just really quick, Kelly, you kind of offered up three, three ways, folks in the craft, as we put it can, can play their part, do their part really. Can you, can you quickly share those three things? That one was one was supply chain mapping, I believe. Right? Yeah. So share those with sure. So

Kelly Barner (32:36):

It was really all focused around what we and supply chain would call tier two, right? So your tier one suppliers are the companies you work directly with, you have contracts, you pay them, they give you a product or service, but tier two and beyond, we know it’s a local issue, as you had pointed out Tim, but even locally, you can very quickly get to multiple tiers of the supply chain. So it actually has less to do with how many businesses away from your company this problem exists at. And it has more to do with how much visibility you have into anyone’s operation. And as we’ve, we’ve also learned really any place that’s busy with legitimate supply chain activity, lit legitimate human travel and, and transportation also be comes a hotspot for human trafficking. And so what I had written about in that article is how companies have to push beyond tier one.

Kelly Barner (33:28):

And it’s not just enough to go to your first tier supplier and say, Hey, do you have human trafficking or modern slavery in your supply chain? That’s too surface. It needs to be okay. Let’s let’s you. And I talk about expectations about how we’re gonna manage relationships, how I manage you and therefore how you should manage your suppliers. But how closely are you really looking into your supply chain? Do you trust your suppliers, suppliers, right? How much information do you have? How much visibility do you have? And, you know, it’s very hard because a lot of times where we think these problems probably exist are not exactly where they do, but I would be willing to bet that in the most serious cases, in the cases that need to be addressed most urgently, we have a sense, right? If, if you had to guess where’s the trouble, we kind of know where to start. So what are you doing in those areas to work with multiple tiers of supply partners, to not just say I have a lingering concern over there, you know, it’s sort of like once you saw those pictures of the kids in cages, you can’t just say, oh, that’s really sad and go on with your day. Right. Once you’re confronted with that, it’s okay. I have this information. And so therefore, what am I going to do? As you said earlier,

Scott Luton (34:43):

Kelly, own the money. Thank you for sharing. Um, cause we gotta take action. We gotta take action. We, we can’t turn a blind eye, you know, there, there’s just, there’s we’re gonna talk to, we’re gonna touch this in a minute. Um, but you know, supply chain practitioners are in a unique position. We’ll talk more about that, but um, all right. So Ry Jose and our friends at Gartner Kelly, we, we heard little birdie told us about something that’s coming up this summer, but, but before that, you and hope for justice partnered with, uh, the fine folks at Gartner own a project here recently. Tell us more, a little more about that.

Tim Nelson (35:19):

Yeah know again, I mean, there’s sometimes in, in life you get, you get honors and you get privileges and I, I, I don’t wanna understand that or overuse that, that phrase, but I think for Gartner to invite us to come in and share what we’re doing with businesses on slavery Alliance, really a, a really humbling experience and, and kind of really want to thank them for that amazing privilege. We, we talked a, a good bit of around what we are doing and how we are helping businesses to try and deal and tackle with this issue. You know, Kelly’s so right in terms of how complex this issue can be perceived, but you can break it down into simple, manageable the, that you can target response to. And I think, I think from my perspective, the, the key element we talked about with Gartner was around the gap analysis around the ability to be able to, to go through and do a deep dive on almost like a litmus check on, on your procurement.

Tim Nelson (36:13):

And I think what we wanna try and do is test the print and bulls test the, the knowledge and the understanding cuz we know nobody’s got it perfect. Uh, but we know that there’s so many companies who, who would tell us we don’t have an issue. Mm. Which itself is the issue, right? Um, because the, it, it’s not a question of, if you have slavery in the supply chain of your business, somewhere between 70 and 80% of all business will have modern slavery within their business, we’ll have human trafficking and for what we are finding, it’s, whether you’re not, you’re prepared to look and what will you do when you find it. And we wanna try and help as much as we can. We, we wanna do what we can to help businesses and slavery alliances are, uh, is our way in which we, we work with companies.

Tim Nelson (36:57):

And the work that we do with Gartner was just to unpack that a bit in terms of the steps that we take with companies and how, how we are trying to help businesses as a, a trusted friend. We’re not here to expose people for doing wrong, right? We, we wanna try and help people because I know how complex procurement is. I’ve sat with individuals. Who’ve got, you know, one, one company I was with last week had 70001st tier suppliers. So in, in that scenario, the complexities around even just being able to ensure that people are paid a fair wage in the first tier is really complex. So I don’t want to, I don’t wanna glam up how challenging procurement could be, but we wanna make it simple. We wanna make it strategic and we wanna make it helpful for people. So Gartner give us the, to go through some of the methodology, um, unpick it get under the skin. And certainly Corey was amazing in terms of how, how he led that and, and kind of the link directly to the event coming up really, really genuinely humbled to be even included in that lineup.

Scott Luton (37:55):

We’re talking about the Gartner supply chain symposium, uh, in June, 2022. So I love that you and Cori are gonna be, uh, keying, uh, amongst the keynotes at the symposium. And I’ll tell you, like we talked about pre-show, uh, Kelly, I’m, I’m sure we’re both feel the same to, to reach the Gartner organization, right. And the esteemed Gartner organization and all the folks that work with all the organizations of all sizes, it just elevates idea, you know, will elevate what the mission hope, hope for justice zone. And I’m just tickled that, uh, that’s gonna take place in June. So, uh, Kelly, I’ll give you a chance to weigh in there before we switch over to

Kelly Barner (38:34):

The awards and talk about that. Sure. So I guess last question for you, Tim, you know, we’ve talked a little bit about how complicated procurement is. We all know how complicated supply chain is. Why are we the ones, why are the we, the ones that should pick up this mantle of helping organizations like hope for justice, eradicate human trafficking and modern slavery. I mean, clearly Gartner is a fundamentally, very serious organization. They don’t do anything without full legitimacy and, and authenticity. So, you know, that’s a seal of approval if all the work that you’ve already done, hasn’t been, but why should we personally, as a profession, take this on as sort of our cause?

Tim Nelson (39:13):

Hmm. Yeah, no, it’s an interesting question. I think, I think I would answer it this way. We have this freedom wall that we’ve created at hope for justice, which effectively is a symbol of a lady called Sophia who got rescued in Cambodia. And, and she was rescued and held, held in thick tunes with a padlock. And we put an open padlock on the wall. And every time we get someone who was rescued, we write their name. We write the year they were rescued. It’s, it’s our wall of freedom or our freedom wall as we call it. Um, I’ve realized that individuals themselves have the key to freedom. But what I’ve also realized is procurement specialists are, let me describe it like this. You know, whenever you go into a building, a big building, 10 story building or whatever, there’s a person in that building who probably has a key that opens every door.

Tim Nelson (39:59):

Yes. And, and they may be a janitor. They may be a security personnel. Um, you know, we, we all know those people exist and, and kind of do amazing jobs at what they do. But I think in, in the world, we are in procurement specialists are master keys to freedom because they can open many, many, many doors of free freedom by making different choices, by understanding what you need to do and how you need to look and how you need to you, you position your company so that it becomes a fortres so that, you know, there’s, there’s no entry for those individual traffickers who are looking to embed themselves into your supply chain, but it, first of all, you just need to recognize it. But you also need to recognize that the legacy of what that, that can be, and, you know, as much as I would love it to be the CEO who makes those calls in a company, the sad reality is CEOs themselves have power, but you know, they they’re, they’re more conductors rather than necessarily the individual.

Tim Nelson (40:54):

Who’s gonna bring the freedom. Whereas procurement specialists for people who are within the supply chains of businesses, you hold that key. And I, you know, every time you pick up your keys at home, I’d want you to be thinking I can be the master key to freedom. Every time you use a key to get into your, your door at home, or, you know, many cars don’t have them for your, your car. And I, but you still might have something that looks like a ship of a key somewhere. I’d love for you to be thinking I can be the key to freedom, and maybe I need to be unlocking that door.

Kelly Barner (41:23):

Well, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so proud of work in procurement. Thank you for putting it that way. And hopefully, you know, everyone that’s listening to this, whether they consider themselves procurement or supply chain thinks of themself as the key, because there is something that each of us can do.

Scott Luton (41:37):

Agreed, agreed. A beautiful sentiment between two of y’all. Uh, so let’s switch gears. Think talking about things you can do. Um, we are delighted here between supply chain now and buyers meeting point and order procurement to put together, to have put together the, uh, 2020 or two supply chain and procurement awards, right. Which builds on really is powered by a legacy from several other, um, more localized awards. We’ve run here in Atlanta for a couple years. And we’re delighted to have partnered, not just with hope for justice, which in and of itself is, uh, something we’re very proud of. But, you know, from the very beginning, Tim kind of much kinda along the lines of what you were talking about earlier that dinner and, uh, the, the, the, the initial days of hope for justice and your why. Well, when we got together, we didn’t, we didn’t want to put together Kelly, another run of the mill awards program.

Scott Luton (42:28):

And, and, you know, not only because that’s boring, but there’s no purpose and what what’s, what’s, what’s the why what’s the, so what, so to, to not only, um, partner with hope for justice and, and, um, and really bake purpose into the event, yes, we’re gonna celebrate the good news going, you know, that the industry’s had organizations and individuals, but we’re gonna do so with purpose to bring awareness to these traves that both of y’all are speaking to, we’ve got to take more action. So, Kelly, uh, I’m gonna get, Tim’s take on the awards, but this has been a, a joint labor love, right? Me and you and Phil and the whole, a man, and the whole planning team, a couple of your initial thoughts, and then we’re gonna get Tim to weigh in. Sure.

Kelly Barner (43:11):

So, I mean, for me, it simply comes down to, there are so many different things that companies and procurement and supply chain within those companies is being asked to do. Now there’s sustainability, there’s diversity. There’s of course we’re dealing with inflation and disruptions and material scarcity. And sometimes it feels like we have to rank those things. But if we’re ever in a position where we’re putting any of these above human wellbeing, it does seem like we’ve kind of lost our way. And, and that’s the opportunity to sort of refocus on what ultimately matters, um, in the big picture. And maybe it means putting in a little bit more effort because you do have to protect the bottom line, but finding that little bit of extra energy or time or effort to also make sure that to the best of our ability, we’re, we’re rooting out human rights abuses where they exist. That has to be front and center in everything that we do

Scott Luton (44:07):

Well said very well said, Kelly, and I’m proud to partner continue really, uh, our business, uh, relationship and collaboration with this, this new vehicle. So, so Tim, I’m not sure if you can say much, much put it much better than what Kelly just shared, but if anyone can, Tim Nelson can. So tell us what are your thoughts on these awards and more importantly, the purpose behind it?

Tim Nelson (44:30):

Yeah. I mean, I, I, I know from speaking to lots of procurement people, you’re not the upfront flashy person. There’s a reason why you’re in procurement because you actually wanna make a difference. Yeah. And I think sometimes awards can sometimes feel a little bit like disingenuous to who you are and the impact that you bring. But let me tell you that you need to celebrate what you need to rep kit and that as you get celebrated through the awards, it replicates what other businesses will see as important. It lifts up a standard, and sometimes that’s what needs to happen in a place for people to realize that, you know, when, when things are, when things aren’t great or they need to change, you need one person to stand up from amongst them who, who celebrates that win, celebrates the difference and impact that you’re bringing.

Tim Nelson (45:16):

I think for many procurement individuals, they struggle to get what they’re doing on the agenda of the C-suite level that they’re in or struggles to get it across on the agenda. When, when as Kelly has said, there’s so many things competing for, for, for noise and traction, you know, people’s attention. But if you’re that company who ends up getting an award and you go back to work, PR guys are gonna love you. The, the, the boss is gonna want to come down and make sure he’s there to, or she’s there to take that award and, and, and kind of celebrate the company. Um, but I, I, I genuinely think it should be that every company wants to have a piece of, of this. Every company wants to buy in these things only work when people buy into the nature and need that we have for everyone to, to, to lend their bit.

Tim Nelson (46:03):

And no one raindrop ever felt responsible for the flood, but it takes each one to come together in a combining impact. And it can bring a tsunami of hope across so many people’s lives, but it takes you to go, yeah, I will go, I’ll, I’ll test this. I’ll see what, how, what this is like for my company. And I’d encourage anyone who’s listening, or if you know someone and you’re listening that you go, Hey, that guy needs to hear this message, or that girl needs to hear this message, because companies doing something that’s effective, we wanna lift up companies so that we can be able to encourage more companies to understand what’s important. And, you know, culture shifts when people start to, when people start to focus on intentionally what they need to develop. Mm. And like a, like a photograph. If I leave you this image, you know, you get a photograph and it develops, and your image that you see comes alive. And I think if you focus on this and we can see this develop, and, and my hope is that this in 50 years time, we’re talking about what an impact this was. And can you believe where we’ve come in 50 years? Uh, my, my aim for, for where you’re at and, and the, the businesses that you represent is that you all want to be a part of this. Mm. Why wouldn’t you, why wouldn’t you wanna be responsible for making a bigger impact?

Kelly Barner (47:22):

Yes, yes. And yes. Yeah. And that’s why we’ve partnered with hope for justice. <laugh> right. No kidding. That’s

Scott Luton (47:29):

It right there that it really is. So folks, you heard it straight from, uh, me and Kelly, and of course our partner, Tim Nelson, a couple of examples. So when we talk about the 20, 22 supply chain procurement awards, first off, you can learn more. This will be in the show notes, but supply chain, procurement awards.com. It’s just that simple, we’ve got nine different award categories, such as deeds, not words, leadership award, cause we’re all speaking to action here. Gosh, you heard Tim and Kelly eloquently put it, got a building sustainable future award champions of humanity award, which I think was maybe one of my favorites, uh, reimagining the power of procurement technology trail blazer, delivering change to digital transformation, building a world class logistics ecosystem, and finally the unsung hero award. Because if there’s anything in global supply chain, goodness knows it’s a ton and ton tons of unsung heroes.

Scott Luton (48:22):

So find, learn more supply chain, procure awards.com. Get those nominations in March. First is the deadline. And as, as with any event, the nominations will fuel our ability to, um, not only, uh, provide resources, cause all the nomination fees are being donated to hope for justice. So not only are you, is you, are you and your company gonna get some, some visibility, but you’re making a very charitable donation to, to support a nonprofit that is highly regarded with, uh, probably plenty. Uh, but charity navigator is one that I look at regularly and Tim, your ears should be burning because they’re big fans of, of y’all’s work.

Tim Nelson (49:00):

Yeah, no, I, I appreciate these, you know, in, in many ways NGO world are, are the nonprofit world. Credibility is everything. Mm yes. And, and when organizations come alongside and they, they give you an award, a accommodation that makes a significant impact and that, and you know, the charity navigator are one of those individuals, but these awards are the embodiment of that because you want to be having these awards. It’s, it’s like a, a, a kite mark for who your business is and who you are as an individual. So yeah, no, I, I, I know we’re talking hope for justice and I, but I, I, I wanna turn it back to the individual themselves and, and the importance that they have, because, because I, I think in the same way as people look at charity and navigator and they say, Hey, hope for justice is, is doing a great job in where we’re at and demonstrating, uh, accountability, openness, transparency, and everything we’re doing. I want that for people’s businesses. And I want the, that through these awards, I really do

Scott Luton (49:54):

Well. We appreciate, uh, your con comments. More importantly, we appreciate your, your active partnership. And we look forward to building that tidal wave of, uh, awareness for these travesties, but more importantly, perhaps the support for eradicating these travesties. And so we really just, you big fans of what is going on, what hope for justice is leading. So, all right, so Kelly, before we start to wrap and we make sure folks know how to connect with Tim and hope for justice, because folks, we strongly encourage it outside of our wards, outside of, you know, our work together, Hey, go direct and partner up with hope for justice, consume their information. So you can be more informed and, and, and savvy. And you can take action with, um, with important consequences, but Kelly, your final word before we make sure folks know how to connect with Tim.

Kelly Barner (50:44):

My final word, Tim is just, thank you. Thank you for, for giving us the opportunity to learn, giving us something else that we can do. And for reminding us that no procurement does not feel particularly sparkly. We’re sort of the introvert club, but that doesn’t mean that the work we are doing behind the scenes is an incredibly impactful. So thank you for reminding that of reminding us of that part of our work.

Scott Luton (51:05):

Agreed, agreed, Kelly. Okay. So Tim, you know, I know we’re just still, after an hour of chatting with you, we’re still just scraping the iceberg on a variety of fronts, your story, hope for justice, the mission, your on the, the, unfortunately the, the massive scope of these challenges. But, um, there’s all, there’s more time and we want to make sure folks on to connect and get involved with hope for justice. How can they connect with you and the organization? Yeah, so

Tim Nelson (51:33):

Hope for justice.org. Um, our website, you can hit us up and, and connect in, but I wanna connect with people. You know, I talked about relationships and I, I think LinkedIn is, is the best way to do that. Um, I manage my own LinkedIn profile. So you, you, you comes three to me rather than come through to a machine. But I think, um, go on Tim Nelson and, and, and, and find me on LinkedIn. But if you go on our website, you can also link directly to my LinkedIn off, off the profile that’s on there. You know, you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, um, Instagram, I think, I think my space is gone. Uh, it used to used to be a thing, but just, just in general, I, I think we’re on all, all the platform, the main platforms that you would, could normally connect into, but if there’s anything that’s burning and, and someone wants to talk about it, or, you know, maybe you’re that guy who, who, who won the lottery last night. And you’re, you’re just kind of burning as to what you’re gonna do with the money that you got. Like, don’t worry. We can help you. Um, the there’s a way, there’s a way that we can find a platform for you to help, but in all seriousness, just, we just wanna connect with people, build relationally. We’re not in it for a spasm of passion. We want long obedience in the same direction. So any relationship that we can connect in on would be, would be amazing,

Scott Luton (52:44):

Wonderful, excellent organization, noble mission, deeds, not words. Y’all really embody that. Uh, Tim and we’re proud to, uh, build on our collaboration and, and conduct, uh, this partnership via the award. So a lot more to come hope for justice.org, make sure you connect with Tim Nelson via LinkedIn. We’re gonna make it easy. We’re gonna include those links in the show notes. So if you’re listening to this, uh, you’re just really one click away. So Kelly, gosh, buyer’s meeting point dial P for procurement art, art procurement, the LinkedIn accelerator program, which has been really cool. A lot of your conversations around supplier diversity and whatnot. Um, how can folks connect with you?

Kelly Barner (53:23):

So it should be simple. Please connect with me on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is now recommending that you follow people, please connect with me. Please reach out, include a note. Connect with me. I liked Tim. I love the relationships. I love the exchanges. Let me know why you’re reaching out. Um, but absolutely either bars meeting point.com, art of procurement.com dial P is part of now, or find me directly

Scott Luton (53:46):

On LinkedIn. It’s just that easy, Tim, I’m gonna adjust your phrase a little bit. You said relationships are the oil that powers global business. I’m really surprised you didn’t say Petro, that powers global business. You’re really throwing us for a loop with these, uh, these Americanized, uh, jargon here, Tim. I

Tim Nelson (54:06):

Try my best to try and to, to, to communicate, to communicate in a way that I, I don’t need hi lifts, um, from a, a Northern Irish man. Uh, but I am told that that I’m, I’m not represented like the English. You know, I, I, I promise you, I’m not gonna tax the tea. You know, we, we, we, we had, we had, uh, Brexit, but I’m told you can have Brenton back. If any of you do want to, uh, the queen is waiting. You can, the, the, the us can come back. It’s okay.

Scott Luton (54:36):

Hey, uh, Tim always a pleasure. Uh, really, and we, uh, enjoy all the things we’ve talked about, but man, your personality and your, and your, uh, stories and in your sense of humor, uh, really makes, you know, diving into all the rest of it a lot more enjoyable. So folks we’ve been chatting with Tim Nelson, uh, again, with hope for justice. So make sure you connect with him, uh, Kelly Barner, a pleasure to do this interview with you, uh, pleasure to the collaboration on the awards and everything else with you. Stay tuned. We’re gonna see Kelly, uh, law launching the second season soon of dial P for procurement and as Tim and Kelly both have said, procurement’s cool. These days, folks, you gotta get with, get with the program. Um, wicked. Cool. It’s wicked. Cool. Wicked cool on that. So folks hopefully enjoy this conversation as much as I have, uh, big thanks to Tim and Kelly. Hey, gotta take action to find a way, no matter how small, but taking action and taking action soon, you can always build on those actions. So on behalf of our entire team here at supply chain, now gotta challenge you. Hey, do good give forward. But most importantly, be the change. Be like Tim Nelson, hope for justice. And on that note, we’ll see you next time, right back here on supply chain now. Thanks everybody.

Intro/Outro (55:48):

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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Tim Nelson is the co-founder and CEO of Hope for Justice and Slave-Free Alliance. Hope for Justice is an international charity working to bring an end to modern slavery and human trafficking and offers an effective and proven model that is replicable, scalable, and award-winning. The charity’s vision is to live in a world free from slavery and its work across five continents and in 8 countries is focused on preventing exploitation, rescuing victims, restoring lives, and reforming society. It does this through community engagement and outreach; investigation and rescue; survivor support and advocacy; community prevention and anti-trafficking education; residential and non-residential aftercare and transitional care; family reintegration; training; campaigning and policy work; and business engagement via our Slave-Free Alliance division. Tim created and launched Slave-Free Alliance, which works with more than 80 organizations including 8 FTSE 100 companies to protect their supply chains against modern slavery. Tim has a background in Finance and Technology. The countries HFJ work in are: UK, USA, Cambodia, Norway, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Australia. Connect with Tim on LinkedIn.

Hosts

Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

Kelly Barner

Host, Dial P for Procurement

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Demo Perez

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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Mary Kate Love

VP, Marketing

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

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

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Joshua Miranda

Marketing Specialist

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

Donna Krache

Director of Communications and Executive Producer

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

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Vicki White

Controller

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

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Katherine Hintz

Creative Director, Producer, Host

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

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Kim Reuter

Host, The Freight Insider

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

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Kristi Porter

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Sofia Rivas Herrera

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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Katherine Hintz

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

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

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Kim Winter

Host, Supply Chain Now

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

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

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

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Adrian Purtill

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Kevin Brown

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Jose Miguel Irarrazaval

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Nick Roemer

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Allison Giddens

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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

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Billy Taylor

Host of Dial P for Procurement

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

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

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

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

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Lori Sofian

Marketing Coordinator

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

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Chantel King

Social Media Manager

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

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

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

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Trisha Cordes

Administrative Assistant

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

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Clay Phillips

Business Development Manager

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

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Amanda Luton

Vice President, Production

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

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Constantine Limberakis

Host

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

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Mary Kate Soliva

Host, Veteran Voices

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

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Kelly Barner

Host of Dial P for Procurement

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

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Enrique Alvarez

Host of Logistics with Purpose and Supply Chain Now en Español

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

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

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Kevin L. Jackson

Host of Digital Transformers

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

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Tyler Ward

Director of Sales

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

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

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

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Chris Barnes

Principal, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain is Boring

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

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

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Greg White

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

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

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

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Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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

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

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