Dial P for Procurement
Episode 32

"We're sad because of what happened but we're not connected to it," Betancourt said. "That's what we want to get out there to the community, to the people."

- Felipe Betancourt, Jr., owner of Betancourt Trucking and Harvesting

Episode Summary

If you joined Supply Chain Now for the 2022 Supply Chain and Procurement Awards, you know that we partnered with Hope for Justice, a global non-profit dedicated to ending human trafficking and modern slavery, as our philanthropy partner. This is a cause that supply chain and procurement professionals can do more than support; we can play an active role in the fight against human trafficking.

For an example, look no further than the truck discovered in San Antonio, Texas in June. 48 deceased migrants were found on the scene, and 5 more would die later because of the conditions they experienced in the trailer of that truck.

In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner examines what has been described as the deadliest migrant smuggling incident in recorded history and what supply chain professionals need to know:

– Massive delays and backups at border crossings as the United States tries to thwart human and drug smugglers

– U.S. DOT regulations requiring clear, visual identification on each truck

– The little-discussed and under-addressed challenge of DOT number “cloning”

Episode Transcript

Intro/Outro (00:01):

Welcome to dial P for procurement, a show focused on today’s biggest spin supplier and contract management related business opportunities. Dial P investigates, the nuanced and constantly evolving boundary of the procurement supply chain divide with a broadcast of engaged executives, providers, and thought leaders give us an hour and we’ll provide you with a new perspective on supply chain value. And now it’s time to dial P for procurement.

Kelly Barner (00:31):

Think about the headlines that most of us have been focused on over the last couple of years. Supply chain disruptions, supply chain crisis. My personal favorite I think is snarled supply chains. We hear about issues at ports. We hear about issues at border crossings. We hear about issues with labor union negotiations. Can you fill your heart rate going up with all this I can. And that’s just from the business impact of goods and material slow downs. These disruptions are understandably the worst at transfer points and border crossings. The sheer scale of the traffic is unbelievable. There are 3.5 million tractor trailers on us highways every single day. And in addition to the volume of traffic, there is a legitimate need for inspections. Most often for drugs, for human trafficking or smuggling and strained customs and border patrol agents are doing the best they can in an attempt to inspect as many vehicles as possible for companies and for logistics providers.

Kelly Barner (01:45):

These are costly and disruptive times to work in, but what about the human cost of all these disruptions? Now, before I go any further, let me introduce myself. I’m Kelly Barner. I’m the owner of buyer’s meaning point. I’m a partner at art of procurement, and I am your host for dial P here on supply chain. Now I’m constantly scanning the news for stories that I think are interesting and bring a bit of complexity so that we can discuss them. Ultimately, the goal is having all of us presented with an opportunity to learn. I share a new podcast episode or interview every Thursday. So be on the lookout for future episodes. And don’t forget to check out past episodes of dial P as well. Now, before I get back to today’s topic, I have a quick favor to ask if you like what you hear today.

Kelly Barner (02:40):

I didn’t say agree with. I said like, if I make you think, please engage, share a comment, share the episode, forward it to someone else that you think should listen, give us a couple of stars in a review. That’s how we’re going to broaden the number of people we can reach and bring into the conversation. All right. Now, where was I? If you joined supply chain now, art of procurement and buyers meeting point for the 2022 supply chain and procurement awards, you know, that we partnered with a group called hope for justice. They are an amazing global nonprofit dedicated to ending human trafficking and modern slavery. Now they define human trafficking as the recruitment movement receipt or harboring of people by such means as threat force fraud, coercion, abduction, or deception, always with the intention of exploitation assessing the full scope of human trafficking is difficult because so many cases go undetected.

Kelly Barner (03:47):

Now we selected hope for justice as our philanthropy partner, partially because it’s an important cause. But also because it’s one that we think supply chain and procurement professionals can affect. If you work in supply chain, you have ways of monitoring the movement of goods and materials through different types of carriers and channels and the busier. These are the more likely there is that some amount of exploitation is going on in those same places. Procurement has a role to play here too. We’re always looking at risk and we have responsibility for ensuring that more than one tier of suppliers are not found on human rights, abuse watch lists. We can screen new providers as they bid and watch the companies that we contract with to make sure they don’t show up as offenders. Now, this all sounds great, but it still seems abstract. What are you supposed to do?

Kelly Barner (04:49):

Let’s take a recent news story that makes human trafficking and procurement and supply chain’s role in the fight against it. Very real. On June 27th, an abandoned tractor trailer was found near Lackland air force base in San Antonio, Texas. The truck had mechanical problems and it had been abandoned by its driver. A local worker heard cries of distress and opened the trailer door. What he found would go on to be declared the deadliest example of migrant smuggling in recorded history. And at the heart of this story are some very concrete supply chain issues. As of July 11th, when I’m recording this podcast, 48 people were found deceased on the scene. 16 others were taken to local hospitals, 12 of them were adults and four were minors. Five of those 16 later passed away from their condition. All of the migrants were stricken with heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Kelly Barner (05:52):

And those who succumbed to their condition actually passed of heat stress. The truck was a refrigerated unit, but it was not working. There was no water on board and there are reports that the migrants had been sprinkled with steak seasoning to conceal them from dogs. If the truck were pulled over and searched. In addition to that, powdered chicken bullion was spread on the floor of the trailer. Making matters worse. June of 2022 was the warmest month on record in San Antonio. The victims in this case were from Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and El Salvador, making this a truly international incident. Now four men have been charged in connection with the case. All of them charged federally home Romero Zamarano Jr. Was the driver. According to the us attorney’s office in the Western district of Texas, he has been charged with one count of alien smuggling resulting in death.

Kelly Barner (06:58):

Christian Martinez has been charged with one count of conspiracy to transport, illegal aliens resulting in death. And both of those men face life in prison or the death penalty. If they are found guilty, there were two other men involved in this case. Allegedly of course, Juan Claudia Del Luna Mendez is a Mexican citizen as is Juan Francisco Del Luna. Bill BA both of them had overstay tourist visas in the us, and may have both been charged with one count of possession of a weapon by an alien illegally in the us and face up to 10 years in prison. When the police approached them to ask them about their involvement in the tractor trailer incident, they had an illegal weapon on them at that point. And that is the reason for that charge. Now I’m no lawyer and of course any, and all of these charges may be amended or expanded over time.

Kelly Barner (07:56):

The investigation is ongoing and is being led by us immigrations and customs enforcement, as well as by Homeland security and the San Antonio police department. This story is a horribly sad and needless loss of life, but how are supply chain professionals or procurement professionals supposed to do something to prevent this tragedy from happening? My answer is surprisingly straightforward. It all comes down to the equipment. Now we have conversations all the time. What’s the true difference between procurement and supply chain. In this case, we’re talking pure logistics. The use of tractor trailers for human smuggling is increasing and the border patrol knows this. They’re using x-ray equipment to look for human shapes inside of trailers, and they use dogs to search without needing to enter. That’s the rationale for the steak seasoning and the chicken Bullon powder. But remember the volume of vehicles is absolutely overwhelming.

Kelly Barner (09:07):

According to the us transportation department, 7 million vehicle crossings took place at the us Mexico border in 2021 smugglers charged between nine and $13,000 per person. They agree to get into the country. And so the sad reality is that the use of tractor trailers is about achieving economies of scale. In many cases, 30% of the money collected by smugglers is theirs to keep, but the vast majority, 70% of it goes to cartels as a payout. And so the more people and therefore the more profit they can jam into one of these trailers, the more money they can make per risky crossing the San Antonio truck crossed the border without issue. And the wall street journal has reported that the migrants were expected to get across the border potentially or allegedly led by the Del Lunas before meeting up with the tractor trailer in Laredo, Texas, to help them move further into the country.

Kelly Barner (10:19):

Now, if the challenge associated with the volume of traffic, wasn’t enough, there’s another issue that I think all of us need to learn more about. It’s called cloning multiple news articles, especially the ones that came out more than a couple of days after the truck was found noted that the equipment had been cloned. So what exactly does that mean and how big of a problem is it for information about that? I went to the federal motor carrier safety administration, or FM C S a and I looked at department of transportation regulations. So the issue of cloning all comes down to us D O T numbers, unlike VINs or vehicle identification numbers, which each truck and passenger car also has U S D O T numbers are unique to the carrier. So if one carrier or company operates multiple vehicles, they will share that D O T number it’s required for interstate trucks that meet a list of different combinations of requirements.

Kelly Barner (11:28):

The guidelines generally include trucks that weigh 10,000 pounds or more, and then vehicles that are transporting eight or more passengers who are paying for transportation or 15 or more passengers who are not paying for transportation. Now, in addition to being required for vehicles that cross state borders 39, us states also require vehicles to have U S D O T numbers for intrastate operation as well. The display of this information is also regulated. You must have the name of the business entity and the D O T number on both doors of the cab or power unit. The minimum character height is two inches. And the objective is that it should be clearly seen from 50 feet away. So try to put yourself at one of those border crossings and think about the visual of all these vehicles flowing through from 50 feet away. If you can read the carrier name and the U S D O T number in thought, you should be able to look that vehicle up without actually individually stopping it, furthering this goal, the lettering must be bold and in a contrasting color from the power unit’s paint or units paint, this is required of all 3.5 million rigs that run on us highways every day.

Kelly Barner (12:56):

The practice of cloning takes the U S D O T number and the carrier name typically legitimately paired and puts them on a truck that is not legitimately associated with that business. And in fact, it may have a separate registered owner, as we saw in San Antonio, the name and D O T number on the San Antonio truck, legally belonged to Betten court trucking and harvesting based in Alamo, Texas, that company had absolutely no idea anything was wrong until the authorities contacted them to inquire about where their truck had been. It had been parked for days, and it was red like the migrant smuggling truck, but ironically its refrigeration did work displaying the carrier name and U S D O T number on the door made it look legally registered. So that is the practice of cloning. And in this case, they cloned both the U S D O T and Texas D O T numbers.

Kelly Barner (14:10):

The license plate on the truck used for smuggling was registered to the du Luna’s home address. And that’s where the police caught up with them and found them in possession of that illegal weapon. So 75 cases of this cloning practice are caught every year, but remember there’s 3.5 million rigs. So 75, just logically thinking that has to be a tiny fraction of the actual instances of cloning that are happening. Now, if you know me, you know, I love my research and this was an interesting case because I was shocked that for the number of articles that mentioned cloning, very few of them went on to explain it in any detail. And I wasn’t actually able to find much in the way of content that explained the problems associated with the practice or the attempts to solve it beyond this particular story. Now, because I don’t give up easily, I really dug and I did come across a police issued instructional guide, intended to train officers to handle and look out for cloned vehicles.

Kelly Barner (15:24):

There was a note on the training guide that even though I found it on the internet, it was not intended for public distribution. So I’m not going to be any more specific than that, about which agency or location offered it up. But I will share the information that was contained inside, according to that guide, cosmetically cloned. So think a wrap, a general appearance, cosmetically cloned vehicles are not illegal. That’s considered trademark violation or a civil infraction. So someone might take a vehicle and wrap it to make it look like a FedEx delivery van or a us postal service vehicle. If officers suspect that a vehicle has been cloned, whether cosmetically or because of the number that is justification to stop it, but it is not automatic justification to search for that. The officer’s need multiple red flag factors. And given the complexity of figuring out that a vehicle has been cloned either in terms of cosmetics or the U S D O T number.

Kelly Barner (16:36):

Now you start to get a sense of why there’s only 75 officially reported cases of this every year. One last point, if you think you’re exempt from this because you don’t own and operate a tractor trailer, think again, car VINs are actually cloned more often than tractor trailer, U S D O T. Numbers are cloned. According to John, as Spara the CEO of the Texas trucking association, 73% of cloning victims are passenger vehicles. So I take you now back to the backups and congestion at the border. What can we learn from this more importantly, what can we do? This is definitely one of those cases of things that are simple, not being real and things that are real, not being simple. We know bad actors are taking advantage of the congestion to smuggle drugs and people across the border. And that’s a circular issue. Much of that congestion exists because the search attempts that are being used to thwart these legal activities take time and they take people.

Kelly Barner (17:51):

So there’s a huge flow of traffic. And as with everywhere else, there are worker shortages. The fact that U S D O T numbers have to be so clearly displayed makes them an easy target for theft. I wouldn’t drive around town with my social security number spray painted on the side of my car. And yet it’s regulation that the carrier name and the U S D O T number for that carrier have to be easily displayed in terms of what we can do. I think the greatest issue is the fact that there’s not currently more information available about the problem and practice of cloning. We should be asking our third party logistics providers and freight suppliers. What do they know? What are they doing to protect themselves against this type of cloning risk? If you have those conversations and learn something, share it with the rest of the community, having a dearth of information is never the best way to solve a problem.

Kelly Barner (18:55):

Now that’s my point of view. Education provides progress and answers and hopefully solutions, but it’s a complex issue. And so I also ask you not to just listen to this conversation. I want you to be part of it. This is how we insert ourselves as a solution. Let me know what you think. Reach out directly on LinkedIn. Share this episode with your network. Let’s get a conversation going. That’s how as procurement and supply chain professionals, we are going to take action and join organizations like hope for justice to try and bring the global problem of human trafficking and modern slavery to an end. Thank you for joining me for this episode of dial P until next time I’m Kelly Barner. I’m glad as always to be your host, and I appreciate your time and interest. Have a great rest of your day.

Intro/Outro (19:57):

Thank you for joining us for this episode of dial P four procurement, and for being an active part of the supply chain now community, please check out all of our shows and events@supplychainnow.com. Make sure you follow dial P four procurement on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to catch all the latest programming details. We’ll see you soon for the next episode of dial P for procurement.

Hosts

Kelly Barner

Host, Dial P for Procurement

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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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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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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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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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Tandreia Bellamy

Host, Supply Chain Now

Tandreia Bellamy retired as the Vice President of Industrial Engineering for UPS Supply Chain Solutions which included the Global Logistics, Global Freight Forwarding and UPS Freight business units. She was responsible for operations strategy and planning, asset management, forecasting, and technology tool development to optimize sustainable efficiency while driving world class service.

Tandreia held similar positions at the business unit level for Global Logistics and Global Freight forwarding. As the leader of the Global Logistics engineering function, she directed all industrial engineering activies related to distribution, service parts logistics (post-sales support), and mail innovations (low cost, light weight shipping partnership with the USPS). Between these roles Tandreia helped to establish the Advanced Technology Group which was formed to research and develop cutting edge solutions focused on reducing reliance on manual labor.

Tandreia began her career in 1986 as a part-time hourly manual package handling employee. She spent the great majority of her career in the small package business unit which is responsible for the pick-up, sort, transport and delivery of packages domestically. She held various positions in Industrial Engineering, Marketing, Inside and On-road operations in Central Florida before transferring to Atlanta for a position in Corporate Product Development and Corporate Industrial Engineering. Tandreia later held IE leadership roles in Nebraska, Minnesota and Chicago. In her final role in small package she was an IE VP responsible for all aspects of IE, technology support and quality for the 25 states on the western half of the country.
Tandreia is currently a Director for the University of Central Florida (UCF) Foundation Board and also serves on their Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Previously Tandreia served on the Executive Advisory Board for Virginia Tech’s IE Department and the Association for Supply Chain Management. She served on the Board of Trustees for ChildServ (a Chicago child and family services non-profit) and also served on the Texas A&M and Tuskegee Engineering Advisory Boards. In 2006 she was named Business Advisor of the Year by INROADS, in 2009 she was recognized as a Technology All-Star at the Women of Color in STEM conference and in 2019 she honored as a UCF Distinguished Aluma by the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems.

Tandreia holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Systems from UCF. Her greatest accomplishment, however, is being the proud mother of two college students, Ruby (24) and Anthony (22).

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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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Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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

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

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Greg White

Principal & 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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Chris Barnes

Principal, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain is Boring

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

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

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Tyler Ward

Director of Sales

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

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

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

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Kevin L. Jackson

Host of Digital Transformers

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

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Enrique Alvarez

Host of Logistics with Purpose and Supply Chain Now en Español

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

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

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Kelly Barner

Host of Dial P for Procurement

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

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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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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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Clay Phillips

Business Development Manager

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

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Trisha Cordes

Administrative Assistant

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

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Chantel King

Social Media Manager

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

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

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

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Lori Sofian

Marketing Coordinator

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

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Katherine Hintz

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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