Kevin L. Jackson

Supply Chain Now is the voice of the supply chain industry, and our hosts are experts in the field. Podcast listeners tune in to hear the words of wisdom from host Marty Parker, whose practical advice is taken everywhere from the classroom to the C-suite. An Educated Voice in Supply Chain Parker certainly has the supply chain chops to back up his advice. He has 30 years of experience in the supply chain C-suite (COO, CMO, CSO), is the founder and CEO of Adæpt Advising, and is an award-winning senior lecturer in supply chain and operations management at the University of Georgia. He also founded and leads UGA’s Supply Chain Advisory Board, is the academic director of the university’s Leaders Academy, and serves on multiple advisory boards, including the Trucking Profitability Strategies Conference, Zion Solutions Group, and Carlton Creative Co. Mentoring on Campus and in the C-suite Parker’s mentoring carries supply chain stakeholders from their student days to the C-suite. At UGA, he helps his students network and land internships and post-graduation jobs. Through Adæpt Advising, he works with C-suite executives to improve their skills, become better leaders, and develop strategic plans with detailed action steps and financial targets. He…

Special Guest Blog Post written by Bernadine Henderson Ms. Henderson, senior director of procurement at Protolabs, lifts the lid on buying in manufacturing and why relationships are central to it.   Simply put, the job of a buyer is really about buying the right thing at the right time for the right price. It sounds simple, but it really is very complicated because everything that’s going on in the world impacts the timing, the availability, and the price of the product. This means that buying has recently got a lot more complicated. World events have very real consequences on global supply chains. Just one example is the way in which buyers have responded to tariffs in the U.S. by re-routing sourcing locations. It takes a certain amount of agility to be a buyer in 2025, and this quick responsiveness is helped along by one key ingredient, and that is strong relationships with suppliers. Relationships Built on Trust A widely held misconception is that buyers are only interested in getting to the lowest price possible. In fact, the most important thing to a buyer is for suppliers to bring solutions that deliver overall value. In my experience, a really strong supplier…