Procurement and supply chain professionals are constantly solving problems. Sometimes they do so by gathering data, and other times they solve problems by finding the best supplier for a product or service in response to a business need. But when the problem to be solved seems directly connected to a supplier that is currently under contract, the stakes are particularly high. And the hardest part of resolving these problems often starts with a good hard look in the mirror.
Eileen Budo is the Chief Operating Officer of Last Mile Food Rescue, a Cincinnati-based organization that connects food donors with nonprofits to fight food waste and address food insecurity at the same time. They are essentially a logistics organization. They figure out where food waste is generated and make agreements to receive donations that a 100% volunteer staff works to put in the hands of agencies that can distribute the food to people who need it.
In this interview, Eileen speaks with Scott Luton and special guest host Ray Attiyah, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Definity Partners, about:
• How her time in the air force prepared her for a career in corporate procurement
• Why collaborative relationships with key suppliers are critical for any company trying to operate effectively in todays’ challenging environment
• The operational planning that goes into making sure well-intentioned humanitarian efforts succeed for donors as well as recipients
Intro/Outro (00:00:03):
Welcome to supply chain. Now the voice of global supply chain supply chain now focuses on the best in the business for our worldwide audience, the people, the technologies, the best practices, and today’s critical issues. The challenges and opportunities stay tuned to hear from those making global business happen right here on supply chain now.
Scott Luton (00:00:32):
Hey, good morning, everybody. Scott Luton and special guest host Ray Attiyah here with you on supply chain. Now, welcome to today’s show Ray, how are we doing?
Ray Attiyah (00:00:42):
I am excellent, uh, restless, but excited.
Scott Luton (00:00:46):
I know you are. And, and for good reason, uh, uh, we appreciate you kind of connecting us with today’s guest and the story and the whole mission behind it. And I know it’s, it’s one of personal interests for you, right?
Ray Attiyah (00:00:58):
It is. It is, uh, uh, you know, as we talk about on our last podcast, you know, uh, I surprisingly had the sale of three startups in a matter of a year. And then I’m like, where do I spend my time giving back? And, uh, last mile food rescue has been an amazing, uh, place to volunteer.
Scott Luton (00:01:17):
So now that you’ve let our cat out of the bag. Yes. Uh, we have an excellent conversation the other day, as we’re gonna be talking about a nonprofit organization based in Cincinnati, that’s on a mission to save good food and get it to the folks that need it most, it’s really gonna be a fascinating story of logistics, leadership, purpose, and a lot more. Is that right? Ray? Do I have it right? Just about
Ray Attiyah (00:01:39):
Absolutely. Yes.
Scott Luton (00:01:40):
<laugh> all right. So let’s dive right in with our special guest Eileen Budo chief operating officer with last mile food rescue, Eileen, how you doing?
Eileen Budo (00:01:51):
I’m doing great, Scott, thanks so much for having me on
Scott Luton (00:01:53):
Today. It is really nice to meet you. Uh, any friend of Ray’s and certainly a friend of mine. And, uh, it’s great to have Ray kind of joining me as a co-host to help I, you, the leadership behind one of our favorite charities and nonprofits out there doing good, good work. So Eileen, before we get into your professional journey, before we get into more about what last mile food rescues all about, let’s get to know you a little better, is that, are you game for that I’m game for that? All right. Wonderful. So Eileen, where did you grow up? And, and you gotta give us the goods little bit on your upbringing.
Eileen Budo (00:02:29):
Sure. So I grew up on the east coast in New Jersey. A lot of people say, gee, you don’t sound like you’re from New Jersey. And I don’t think I ever sounded like I was from New Jersey, but certainly when I go back, my sister sounds like she’s from New Jersey, but, uh, yeah, my whole family still in New Jersey, New York came from a, a combination, Irish Catholic, Polish, Catholic family, and just really enjoyed good food, good family connection and, and, uh, you know, just really enjoyed a, a nice wholesome upbringing. Okay. And, um, yeah, so,
Scott Luton (00:03:06):
Well, you know what I’m gonna ask you, cause you mentioned food and you know, we were talking a little bit food on the front end. That’s where all are, are working through our, our dietary initiatives. <laugh> in January. What is there one dish and right after thing asked you this question last time you’re with us. Uh, cause you also have some New Jersey ties, but Eileen, what, what is one dish when you think about your upbringing? What’s that one what’s, what’s one of the dishes that really, you could never separate from your childhood <laugh>
Eileen Budo (00:03:33):
Well, that’s a really hard question because I’d have to think about the holiday. So, so, you know, considering the fact that we just passed Christmas growing up, we would always spend Christmas Eve with my grandmother, my Polish grandmother. So we would always have pierogis on Christmas Eve and you know, I never made them myself. I’m a pretty good cook. Um, and I never made them myself, but this past Christmas I decided I was gonna, I was gonna go for, for it. And they turned out pretty good as a matter, matter of fact, any of them was my future son-in-law and uh, yeah, he, he, he did a pretty good job too. So
Scott Luton (00:04:07):
<laugh> awesome. All right, Ray, have you, have you when’s the last time you had a pierogi Ray?
Ray Attiyah (00:04:12):
Uh, you know what, so I grew up in New Jersey and some of my college, uh, friends were from the Northern part of New Jersey, uh, up in called well area. So, and they were polished. So we had pierogies quite a bit really. Um, oh yeah, absolutely. Right. So I haven’t had in Cincinnati, <laugh> growing up in New Jersey. Uh, I definitely had pierogis, uh, on a, uh, on a pretty frequent basis.
Eileen Budo (00:04:35):
I love that. And I think every, I think every, every nationality, every culture, every culture has a, some type of a dumpling. And that’s essentially what a Kroy is for those that don’t know it, it’s the Polish version of an em, Panada a, uh, you know, it’s just a, a little piece of dough with some stuff inside that tastes really good. <laugh>
Ray Attiyah (00:04:54):
I think, I think the one, the ones that I remember were, uh, were potatoes
Eileen Budo (00:04:58):
Mm-hmm <affirmative> my favorite or sour out. All
Scott Luton (00:05:02):
Right. Time out, time out. Y’all are killing me here. You’re I’m I’m gonna have to go out and find a dumpling at some point tonight, and that’s gonna bring my, my, my diet pledge, but I think you’re right. I love, I love your comment there, Eileen, every, every society, every, uh, folks from every different background does do have some sort of dumping. I think I’ve seen a, a show ’em PBS along those lines. So sounds like, uh, part of your holidays were spent baking great food, making great food with, uh, members of your family. Those are special memories. Absolutely.
Eileen Budo (00:05:33):
Absolutely.
Scott Luton (00:05:34):
Okay. So now that everybody is starving, that are listening to this wherever you may be listening to this, let’s, let’s move to a little more food talk because as we learned in doing some of our due diligence and our guests, you picked up a new hobby over the last couple of years. Tell us about that Ali.
Eileen Budo (00:05:52):
Well, I picked up a new hobby, um, during COVID, but I would say in general food and, and cooking and that sort of thing has always been an interest of mine. So actually when I retired, I went to culinary school in Cincinnati. My idea was that if I’m the best cook out of the laws and the in-laws that all the kids would come back to my house for the holidays. So that that’s actually my, my real reason for, for, for taking up culinary school. But I also needed to make a transition after working for so many years, I, I needed to make a transition into a new industry. And I figured food was the place that I wanted to spend my time. But during COVID, you know, I mean, you’re kind of stuck inside with thing to do. I was, I was finishing up my culinary degree and we went online and that’s like, culinary school online is like, you might as well watch the food network. Cause <laugh> really, it really changed my whole, uh, experience in culinary school. But I did decide to take up this whole concept of sourdough bread, baking, you know, and, and figured out how to make myself a starter and made some bricks, several, several bricks instead of bread, but eventually got, got pretty good at it. And uh, and now there’s just way too many calories floating around my kitchen.
Scott Luton (00:07:08):
So delicious calories. It sounds like. Yeah. I love sourdough bread. In fact, Eileen, when the farmer’s market is, is in season here in, uh, in Monroe Georgia know, six months outta the year, whatever it is, there’s one vendor that’s always there. She’s all kind of baking and she’s got the best Saturday bread. And she’s kind enough since you mentioned the starter and, and I’m gonna illustrate my complete lack of bread making, uh, prowes here in a second, but she offered to give my wife, Amanda, a piece the starter do, does that make sense? Mm-hmm
Eileen Budo (00:07:40):
<affirmative> Uhhuh <affirmative> yeah, yeah. That, I mean, that’s the way to do it. Otherwise you’ve got a good two and a half to four week wait time, and you know, you hope you can figure out how to make the starter, but if somebody can give you a starter you’re that’s gold dust. It’s good.
Scott Luton (00:07:55):
Take it. It’s too good. It is too good. All right. And then
Ray Attiyah (00:07:58):
You’ve got not just the, uh, the taste of it, but just the smell of the home. Mm-hmm <affirmative> when, when you’re, when you’re baking. Yeah. Agreed.
Scott Luton (00:08:06):
Absolutely completely agree. All right.
Eileen Budo (00:08:08):
It’s not always sour. Just so for some of your listeners that don’t know about sour do bread. It’s not that it’s sour. It adds a super richness to the bread. So I make a, uh, cinnamon bread, you know, cinnamon sugar, fat rolled stuff that you can get. Sara Lee, I make a version of that with sourdough starter and it is so delicious <laugh>
Scott Luton (00:08:34):
As, as we know, now we have set out and accomplished exactly what we all agreed not to do. <laugh> but that’s a okay. That, that happens. And I really appreciate you sharing, uh, a little more about who you are as a person and what your passions are that I bet your culinary school experiences alone. You might, could write a book about, but for now, for today, the rest of our conversation here today, uh, we’re gonna talk about, uh, more logistics oriented aspects of your journey. Ray, where are we going next with our friend Eileen?
Ray Attiyah (00:09:02):
Well, Eileen just shared with us a little bit about growing up where she grew up and, uh, and so forth. Now we wanna get into a little bit of your professional journey, uh, and some of your journey before last mile food rescue. So, uh, you and Scott have something in common with your, uh, tenure at the air force. So I’d love to hear a little bit more about what did you do at the air force?
Eileen Budo (00:09:23):
Sure. So, uh, you know, I mentioned big family growing up and, uh, not a ton of money to pay for college, but I knew I wanted to, uh, to go someplace different. And, and so, um, I had an air force RTC scholarship actually, and I went to Wellesley college in Massachusetts, took my RTC classes at MIT and thought for sure, you know, the air force would be a nice experience for me to get my college paid for. And, you know, I’d, I’d spend some time working at Hanscomb air force base in, in Boston and then, you know, kind of go on my Merry way. Well, that’s not necessarily how it played out. I, uh, I got an assignment to, uh, to work in air force systems command at Wright Patterson air force base. And I’m, I, I traveled a good bit when I was younger.
Eileen Budo (00:10:09):
Um, I have relatives in Ireland, so it’s not like I was, you know, afraid to leave my hometown, but going to eight in Ohio, I thought, oh my gosh, that’s, that’s not what I had in mind, but it turned out to be a really wonderful experience for me. So I, uh, I was on a project called the advanced cruise missile. It was a missile that hung on the bottom of a, B 52. Um, there was a version on the bottom of a B one, thankfully we never used it cuz it’s got a nice, big, new or warhead on it, but it was part of our, you know, deterrence at the time. And, uh, and it was a great experience for me. I was a project manager, but if I compare the work that I did in the air force, uh, it was very similar then to the work that I started doing at Proctor and gamble, cuz essentially I was, I was in procurement, you know, the air force doesn’t build anything themselves, the identify what their requirements are and then we find defense contractors to fulfill those needs.
Eileen Budo (00:11:01):
And so I worked with companies like general dynamics and McDonald Douglas and uh, Rockwell engineering and those kinds of companies. And as a young professional, the amount of responsibility that I had was just incredible. As I compared Mike’s experience in the air force to my colleagues, my, my friends, my peers from, from Wellesley or from MIT, you know, I, I got a lot of responsibility as a young 22 year old that I would not have gotten in, uh, in the private sector. So it was really fun. And I met my husband, um, oh, wonderful. I met my husband in the air force and he’s from Chicago, I’m from New Jersey. So, you know, hanging out in Dayton, Ohio, and now Cincinnati, Ohio, it’s sort of in between. So it’ll work out
Scott Luton (00:11:45):
Best a was your husband in the air force as well?
Eileen Budo (00:11:48):
Yes. Yes. My husband was the air force in the air force and he, um, was a career officer after six years, I got an assignment to go to grad school and I, I kind of said, mm, I don’t think I want to do that. Um, because that then required an additional commitment. So after six years I left, but because my husband was military, I looked for a great big company that was near Dayton that I could, could work that other people would know about. So that in case he moved, then I’d have an opportunity to, uh, to at least have a nice, nice other experience on my resume. And that’s how I wounded the P and G. And those who are
Ray Attiyah (00:12:24):
Listening to the podcast here, whether they’re in college and so forth your degree at believe it was mathematics.
Eileen Budo (00:12:30):
Was your math. Yes. Yes. I was a math major at well, which means I’m a good problem solver. <laugh>
Scott Luton (00:12:37):
Well, so one, one more follow up question that before Ray, uh, talks with you about your time at P and G you know, you made the comment a minute, a minute ago about just how much our military does entrust, what goes on with these really young, brave, very capable men and women that, you know, whether they’re enlisted, whether they’re officers, you name it, it’s, it’s really remarkable. Would you also, you know, during my time I was a lowly data analyst, not doing exciting projects, like what you were doing, not taking any away from my colleagues, but, um, you know, one of the things that really stuck out to me, two things as it relates to the military, kind of what I’ll call global supply chain is that commitment to get it done, whatever it takes, right? The prob the creative problem solving that goes on, whether it’s it’s war time, war environment, or all the other missions that the military carries out during peace time, it is just ex it’s extraordinary. And then the PRI accord, it goes with that where you’ve got a family, you know, my supervisor would check in on me, stop by my dorm just to see how I was doing. It was really, truly a family that I, I believe at least in my experiences working for manufacturers primarily there’s a lot of that same as PRI to core and camaraderie. Is that how, how do your observations and experiences square with that?
Eileen Budo (00:13:54):
Yeah, absolutely. Amy certainly from a work experience that get it done, figure it out. I mean, you know, I can relate a bit to, um, or relay an experience that we had things weren’t going so well with the primary manufacturer. We had to find a second source. Um, and again, back to the responsibility that was given me, I was the project manager or to find a second source for this massive piece of equipment. And, uh, you know, of course we had a team and we worked together, but, you know, as I compare the work that I did in the air force to my first responsibilities at P and G, you know, I was extremely well trained, extremely well trained, um, to be resourceful, to be accountable, to take the lead, to figure out how to get things done and also to rely on a team, you know, because you can’t do everything yourself.
Eileen Budo (00:14:45):
And I think that life in the air force or life in the military is a family. You know, you’re, you are, you’re working with other people that are focused on the same mission and things like, you know, my husband was on a softball team and, you know, it was just great fun to go to those games because the conversation in the stands, it wasn’t a work conversation. We weren’t talking about the job, but we were talking about our lie. That happened to be focused on, you know, uh, what was going on in the military at the time. I love that. So it was great experience. I loved, I loved being in the military. Thank you for sharing Ray, where
Ray Attiyah (00:15:21):
We headed next. Well, we’re headed to talk a little bit about P and G and she talked about how she was very well trained and really just using the math skills and problem solving. And, you know, when I look at what’s happening today, whether it be, you know, the supply chain issues, we are thrown in a situation where we have a lot more problems that we’ve never encountered before. So having that skillset of how do you define a problem before you just jump into and throw search throwing solutions? Um, so I would like to hear a little bit more about your P G experience, but which role really shaped your worldview, which role in your many years of P G kind of stood out with you to say, that’s the role that helped define and helped me see, uh, really just the world through a different lens?
Eileen Budo (00:16:11):
Sure. It was actually a job that I took, um, probably after I was at P and G for about six years. So I started in manufacturing. It’s interesting. They hired me in manufacturing because I think they thought that I, you know, had this group of military folks that were under my command and that wasn’t the kind of military experience that I I had. Of course I didn’t have anybody who was reporting to me. So I went into manufacturing and I had, I was a team manager. I had people on my team that ran the manufacturing operation. And what, what, which,
Ray Attiyah (00:16:44):
Uh, which product, or what were you making?
Eileen Budo (00:16:45):
I was, I started at Iver Dale at the oldest P and G facility, um, uh, St. Bernard. Yeah, St. Bernard making ivory soap. And then, you know, it continued on to, to other soaps, um, in the manufacturing site, but, you know, real classic manufacturing and, and it was a wonderful experience for me, cuz certainly I was able to demonstrate my ability to lead and to get a team focused on a common goal deliver against that objective. And when you run into challenges or problem, you know, you pause to understand what those are and you try to fix, fix the problem at the root cause. As I left manufacturing, I picked up a responsibility where I was, um, I was leading north American beauty care capital purchasing. So that means any of the equipment that we needed in manufacturing. And it was a wonderful, uh, of career transition for me.
Eileen Budo (00:17:36):
Um, because I went into procurement, which was oddly very much the work that I did when I was in the military was procurement. Although I wasn’t called a procurement manager, but it really, it, it, it made use of my technical skills, the skills that I developed when I was going through school, the, the skills that, you know, I, I kind of honed a little bit in the military and certainly what I lived with day in and day out and manufacturing, running a manufacturing line, making sure that the line is efficient, reliable, all that kind of stuff. But then I was position where I was working with engineers and, and uh, you know, various vendors to, to make the kind of equipment that we needed for various startups that we had in, in beauty care capital. And at the time, uh, while I had responsibility for north America, I was working with a global team because we put global standard equipment in place in many, many instances for P and G.
Eileen Budo (00:18:30):
So it was the first time that I had a chance to work with teams from China, um, teams from the UK, you know, wherever we had a beauty care manufacturing plant, we needed this equipment. So working with other, with buyers from other countries, I got an appreciation for the different way that things are done in a corporate, an environment. And despite P and G wanting to be standard. There were certainly some things that could, and couldn’t be done depending upon where you were putting your equipment. So that was really, um, a fabulous opportunity for me to see how business is done outside the us. Um, it was a fabulous chance for me to get to know people of other cultures. Um, and, and, you know, it’s something that then I continued to do for the rest of my career. I always, you know, wanted to do something that was global working on global teams
Ray Attiyah (00:19:17):
And, uh, Proctor and gamble has a phenomenal, uh, reputation of really building and manufacturing. These kind of, you know, self-driven, uh, empowered work, uh, groups. And there was something even recent about, um, uh, how they were able to succeed, you know, in the pandemic because of that, you know, self-driven team. So my guess is they’re looking for your leadership skills, cuz it tied to their leadership style of wanting leaders who trusted and cared about their employees.
Eileen Budo (00:19:45):
Mm-hmm <affirmative> mm-hmm <affirmative> yeah, absolutely. I was, um, as, as the pandemic came around, when my last job at P and G I, I was responsible for global real estate and facilities. So I had, uh, the responsibility for all of our manufacturing sites around the globe and, um, making sure that those facilities were able to do what they needed kind of set in a shorthand way. I was the queen of janitor service. So bathrooms needed to be cleaned. The lawns needed to be mowed. The cafeterias needed somebody to be, you know, in the kitchen cooking anything that caught, that is needed in a facility in order for that facility to serve the purpose of the employees. That was, that was my job. I went out and found the suppliers to do that work. And uh, we put a, uh, very large, um, service program in place where we worked with a single company, um, and that single company provided our services all around the globe.
Eileen Budo (00:20:43):
And that, that enabled us a tremendous amount of standardization yet that company was very clear on, on the fact that every country is different. Every culture is different. And in particular, when you’re cooking food for people, you’re not putting the standard peanut butter approach in place. So, uh, that was a really great, great job. And I I’m really happy that we were able to accomplish that as we moved into COVID you, because then if you think about, okay, I’ve gotta have my folks show up to do a manufacturing job, right. We need to take temperatures, having a company that could just do that in a standard way across 100 plus manufacturing sites was a tremendous level of efficiency that P and G um, was able to take advantage of that many or companies could not.
Scott Luton (00:21:28):
Yeah. You know, don’t be surprised if you’re getting some phone calls after this interview, uh, given, uh, some of your skillset, some of your key skillset and experiences you’re sharing around this procurement and sourcing. And we all know these last few years, how, how important, how that really finally, and we’ve always talked about supply chain finally getting see at the table. Well, a lot of procurement pros are saying the same thing now about how procurement filings get in the, the recognition that it deserves and then the strategic value that it deserves. So who knows folks be looking to pick your brain in, in this, uh, procurement important environment everybody
Ray Attiyah (00:22:04):
Took for grant. Everybody took for granted the supply chain until it didn’t work. Right.
Scott Luton (00:22:08):
Absolutely.
Ray Attiyah (00:22:09):
We all take, uh, take for granted toilet paper until we don’t have it. <laugh>
Scott Luton (00:22:14):
We, you know, and, and all of that, aside back, back when I was in metal stamping and, and as we were, I was mainly working on new projects, right. Uh, for a company here in Georgia and we’d, we’d be bidding on certain, uh, assemblies that were whatnot. Well, I leaned heavily on our supply chain manager to be able to find the suppliers that could bring the certain parts were after. And you know, one of my uric moments, I wanna ask you about yours here in a minute. I lean, but when I, what I learned in that role some 10 years ago or so is, is not easy to pick up a phone and find a good quality supplier, whether you’re trying to replace a supplier or trying just to find a new supplier for a new project, it is really, really tough. And I think the world, uh, folks that, that maybe that was in their blind spot in recent years, I think are learning that same lesson. But when you think about Eureka moments, uh, Eileen, whether it’s some, one from your P G days, one from right out, cause we’re about to talk about last mile food rescue, uh, or during your military days, what’s a key Eureka moment that comes back to you from time to time, especially
Eileen Budo (00:23:18):
Now as we’re thinking about, or we just came through the holiday period. Um, I remember I was out walking my dog and it was, uh, a period of time where I was having a, a lot of challenges with the supplier that we had in place that was, was doing some global work for us. And I remember thinking as I was on this walk, if I could just make it through Christmas. And I paused when I realized that I said to myself, if I can just make it through Christmas, what, that’s crazy? What, what am I what’s going on here? Why am I thinking about just making it through Christmas? And it really caused me to pause and think about what was happening with the supplier. And, you know, you mentioned Scott that it’s not easy, um, to just pick up the phone <affirmative> in this instance, it’s not easy to let go of a supplier that you’ve been working with for four or five years, just because something’s not working.
Eileen Budo (00:24:15):
So it was really a Eureka moment for me in the sense that we, we really needed to, to pause, take away, you know, oh, I’m P and G I’m gonna buy this. I’m gonna get, you know, what I need for a certain amount of money. We really needed both parties to sit at the table and talk about what they needed in order to be successful. What was required on the supplier side, what’s required on the PNG side. And, and if there’s a way that we can make both parties successful winning on both sides of the table, that was a really critical moment for me where I, I, I knew about it intellectually, but I absolutely experienced it at that moment when I thought, no, I don’t wanna just get through Christmas. I wanna enjoy Christmas, right? I’m only gonna enjoy Christmas. If I sit down at the table with the supplier and we sort out, we figure out how together to, to work through this problem,
Scott Luton (00:25:10):
Eileen, that is such a gorgeous picture. You just painted. And, you know, we oftentimes talk here around here about how supply chain makes it happen. I, I, I think there’s so much a world can learn and all kinds of circles from how things happen in supply chain, including, uh, what you just shared there. But Ray, get you weigh in on, on the Eureka moment. Eileen just shared,
Ray Attiyah (00:25:32):
You know, so I know P and G has a program like connect and develop. I don’t know if that’s, uh, mm-hmm, <affirmative> consistent with what you’re talking about there. And so it’s really a place for people to grow and see the standards the same way, you know, Eileen meant and standardization when you’re taking across, you know, all the different areas. People see standardization often as a negative, oh, you’re trying to create a cookie cutter, no standardization. And having these high standards means we agree on the same promise mm-hmm <affirmative> okay. So standards are what is good and often confused standards with best practice, best practices. How do we do it? Mm-hmm <affirmative> standards are what we agree on is what is good. And often when we don’t agree on what is good, I see a problem that somebody else doesn’t, and that is a root of conflict.
Ray Attiyah (00:26:25):
That is one of the biggest areas is when I, I see my daughter doing something that she shouldn’t be doing and she doesn’t see anything wrong with it. <laugh> oh my goodness. You know, as father of three daughters. So, so having standards, you know, for example, you know, my, for my girls, the standard is you can wear it. If you see mommy wear it, there’s a standard. Okay. I don’t have to say no to everything, you know? Uh, does it work? No, but at least there’s a standard that they know daddy’s not gonna be happy with this. So, but I think that what Eileen said about, you know, I just wanna get through Christmas, uh, what she said is, you know, I’m not gonna accept just getting by with it, right. I’m going to identify what’s broken here. Why is it not acceptable? Because often people just then lower their standards.
Ray Attiyah (00:27:11):
Right. And then just accept it. And then you just, you know, push the problem for future years. Uh, I think what Eileen did is they said, no, I, I have to change my mindset that, no, I don’t wanna just get through Christmas. I have high standards now rather than just replace them. It’s like no different technology. Let’s just get rid of technology. No, maybe the technology, not the problem, but maybe it’s behaviors. So she used her problem. Solvings ability to say, okay, here are the standards. I need to make sure that they know that we’re not meeting them. Either the standards are wrong or, or they’re not consistent about ’em. And let’s sit down with them and make sure that they can react to me telling them. Mm. So my suspicion is her conversation with them told her whether or not there’s a high likelihood that they’re actually going to a listen, agree with it, commit to doing it, and then actually doing it. Hmm.
Eileen Budo (00:28:02):
Yes. That, and I would say Ray was also on the, the flip side. So, you know, we had a very clear expectation of the standard that needed to be achieved. It wasn’t being achieved. And when you dig deeper and you find out why it’s because P and G wasn’t delivering on their responsibilities. Mm. And when you think about a global company, a global contract, there’s many, many, many, um, entities that don’t operate exactly the same way as the manufacturing site in Cincinnati, Ohio, and understanding that, and, you know, peeling back the layers to figure out what needs to be changed when needs to be improved. It, it just takes time, but it needs dedication that no, it’s not the buyer that’s slamming the responsibility on the supplier. And if they don’t deliver well, then you move away. Right. You know, it’s really understanding what’s needed on both sides to be successful.
Ray Attiyah (00:28:58):
And I think the, the, uh, if I just gonna add one thing here, cuz the thing, this is a credit part for the people in the audience is people are trying now to get their supply chains, to respond to them right now people have more business than they have capacity mm-hmm <affirmative>. So if you, if you come at them, the automotive way of, Hey, you know, what, if you don’t deliver for us, you know, you’re gone. Yeah. Um, I can tell you, I mean, I was, you know, running, purchasing for a printing company years ago and then as a part of growing, uh, a business that was trying to scale quickly when I went to do supplier assessments, the first three questions I asked was what are we doing to make it hard to do business with <laugh>. So you’ve gotta create a place where they can complain about working with you and then you’ve gotta react quickly to those comments. You know, for example, I remember one of ’em was our trucks show up to your dock and have to wait too long. Yeah. OK. One of them is you keep changing the schedule. One of them is you don’t pay your bills on time. Okay.
Scott Luton (00:29:57):
Still a challenge <laugh>
Ray Attiyah (00:30:01):
But if we don’t acknowledge that, how can we possibly get them to shift some of their capacity to us if we don’t do our part. Right. Yep. So we’ve gotta be a premier customer, so they could be a premier supplier. Mm-hmm <affirmative>
Scott Luton (00:30:12):
I like that owning instead of always looking at the point fingers, uh, what both of you are speaking to is, is also looking inward to see how we, you know, where, uh, as Eileen, as you mentioned, where are we not honoring the promise and, and what else could we be doing, uh, to make the situation, relationship, partnership, work better. So I, I appreciate that. Cause that takes a certain level of humility. And you, you can always find that, uh, in leaders, across, uh, business, I wanna shift gears. I wanna, I feel, I feel Ali. We’re gonna to have you back. I feel like there’s a, there’s a supply chain masterclass here between you and Ray that we could, that we could facilitate and have a lot of fun with. But we wanna talk about what you’re up to now. Uh, I know Ray’s a big fan. Ray actually is a, a volunteer with this organization and we wanna let’s start with finding out more kind of level setting last mile food rescue, uh, where you serve a CLO, what does the organiza, what is the organization? What do they do?
Eileen Budo (00:31:08):
So last mile food rescue focuses on two big challenges that we’re facing across really across the world, but in particular in north America, in the United States, 40% of all the food, the good, good, healthy food that we produce goes in the trash can. And it either goes in the trash can, you know, our personal trash cans at home, or more importantly, it goes in the trash can, it goes in the waste dump at major grocers restaurants, event centers, caterers, hotels, you name it, it, if they produce food, they’re wasting it. And we’re not talking about banana appeals. We’re talking about good food that people could still take advantage of and, and, and lead a healthy life if they were to receive it. And so last mile food rescue is essentially a logistics organization. We figure out where that waste is generated. We, um, make agreements with those food donors. We empower a volunteer, a 100% volunteer, um, community of drivers that bring that food from the point of, of waste to agencies that are supporting those facing food insecurity. If we could capture just one quarter of the amount of food that’s being wasted, we could solve the problem with food in security, and that’s what we’re going to do in Cincinnati. Wow. We’re gonna eliminate food insecurity.
Scott Luton (00:32:35):
I love that mission. And, and you’re right. We have such a big challenge. Uh, some of the, uh, some of our other interviews that we have put together as we’ve dove in a little more to this, this, um, the food waste challenge, but also the food insecurity challenge and, and why in the world can we, you know, not figure it out, what, what I’ve learned and, and please share is in, in Europe, they address these they’ve made progress. Cause they’re addressing it differently. Policy regulations, penalties, and whatnot, you know, kind of the, more of the stick versus the carrot. And here we’re, we’re still, we’re, we’re kind of behind the progress they’ve made there. Massive opportunity. What, um, what, what does it take to get folks to, to take action that you, in your experiences here? What, what do, what do you see? What’s that final motivating factor like, yes, we gotta do something about it.
Eileen Budo (00:33:23):
So I think that that, that people don’t want to waste food. It’s just a lot easier to, to put it out in the trash sheep than to figure out what to do. We’ve got a lot of generous people out there. This concept of rescuing food is not a new one. You know, people are picking up bread from their local Panera where have you, and taking it to the soup kitchen, all, all over the, the us, it happens, but it’s not organized. Right. And so all that we’re focused on is how can we put that organizing mechanism in place? So that from point a to point B, we’ve got the most efficient, efficient method companies like Kroger don’t wanna throw food away, right. That, but if you think about what goes on in a, in a, in a grocery store, it’s a highly, um, minimum wage workforce, especially now in the midst of real workforce challenges, finding people to stay and do those kinds of jobs is, is a real issue.
Eileen Budo (00:34:20):
So they don’t wanna be in a position where, well, you know, guy that runs the produce department, you’ve gotta save the food on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Thursdays, every other Thursday it’s in the afternoon because that’s when somebody’s got some free time to come and pick it up. Right. I mean, they’re not gonna put up with that kind of thing. So if we can put a reliable, efficient repeat process in place, it solves their problem. They’re able to get monetary benefits in terms of a, a tax relief. They’re, they’re not, you know, filling up the, the dumpster with good food, right? So it’s a, win-win all around, but the key is putting a good, efficient process in place for them. So that it’s easier for them to donate their food than to throw that. So that’s
Ray Attiyah (00:35:06):
Trash. That’s what I wrote down. You gotta make it easy. Mm-hmm <affirmative> you make it easy. They’ll do it. Mm-hmm <affirmative> I think as, as, uh, Eileen just mentioned it’s it’s just more, it’s too difficult to do it on your own. Mm-hmm
Scott Luton (00:35:17):
<affirmative>, I’ll take it a step further based on my two minute quick study. <laugh> it’s, uh, make it easy, but make them aware, right? They’ve gotta be aware of this great solution that’s out there that allows them to act on what they, as Eileen puts it, what they wanna do anyway. Right? No one I don’t know about y’all. I feel I hate throwing food out. Right. I, I hate it. I really do. So I love to hear the solution y’all have crafted to, uh, do what Ray said, make it easy for folks to get good food to folks that that can really use it. Ray, before we talk with Eileen about when she joined and, and what she does as a COO you’re, you know, being a volunteer, you’re kind of, I think you’re on the front lines, kind of the operation. Uh, so very, in a nutshell, tell us about what you do in your role as a volunteer.
Ray Attiyah (00:36:02):
So in my role is I look for where is there available food using this phenomenal app? And it’s an amazing technology. Uh, you mentioned, uh, you know, the sour bread starter. Somebody created a starter that allowed, uh, last mile food rescue to kinda leap forward quickly. Uh, let Eileen explain that. But so I like this morning, I looked up, says what’s available. Uh, there’s, uh, produce in cast. I said, I will take that rescue. So I it’s similar to Uber who’s available. So I took from cast and I took it to, I think it was, uh, last harvest or last bread down in, uh, downtown Cincinnati, like a
Scott Luton (00:36:46):
Food shelter or, or food bank,
Ray Attiyah (00:36:49):
Uh, food bank. Yes. And I mean, the app is amazing and I click on it and then it tells me exactly how to get there. Gives me the information. Exactly. So I filled up the car this morning with produce, and this is the part that I guess was my aha for me. I, I took another rescue to a food pantry and what they said was is how much this produce and this fresh vegetables and fresh, uh, fruit brings dignity to people. And, and if you think of, you know, food pantries, you know, specifically in the past and people’s mindset mind is it’s canned food things that can last a long time. What last mile food rescue is doing is it’s, it’s getting the, the close to, you know, still good, but how do we rescue it before it goes back? You know? So I have, you know, taken chicken, meat, milk, orange juice, donuts, and it was amazing. I took a donuts one time to a place, and they said, we have a lot of kids here. So, you know, for me, it’s really fine. It’s so I’m the Uber driver. Um, you know, I lean and her team are finding the, you know, places that wanna donate and then they’re finding the places to take it to, and we are just a conduit.
Scott Luton (00:38:08):
Yes. You’re the logistics Ray you’re ever ever know. You’re ever think you’d be operating a logistics company, Ray
Ray Attiyah (00:38:16):
<laugh>. And the thing that makes it so easy for us is, again, I can pull up this app here and it tells me here’s all the, you know, here’s, what’s available tomorrow, you know? And then I can say, you know what, I will take this from Kroger to the kitchen, uh, um, queen city kitchen, it’s from seven 30 to nine, or I can do a weekly one where you could do the same route every week. Now, ideally I’d love for companies who are watching this to say, we’d like to be that corporate sponsor and we’ll have a different employee, um, do that. Um, it’s, it’s just for volunteers. It’s great because it’s, as you would like to do it. Mm.
Scott Luton (00:38:58):
You can plug in
Ray Attiyah (00:39:00):
Saturday, the girls canceled their game because of COVID guess what? I’m looking up. What’s going on on Saturday today, I did decided to do two. Um, and it’s great, cuz one of ’em even says, call ahead because if we don’t have anything, don’t waste your time. So I called ahead and they said, you know what? We just gave it all out. Great. That actually even saves me time <laugh> but I, I just thought the, just the dignity of the freshness of this. Yes. Um, it’s not, again, I can’t think of a time I’ve taken anything that is not perishable and they love it. They love the perishable, uh, items. And again, they make it easy for me as a volunteer.
Scott Luton (00:39:40):
So it sounds like, uh, Eileen that, uh, your app gets high scores when it comes to, uh, UX and VX user experience and volunteer experience. And, uh, that’s really cool to see. So how let’s just to, for the sake of time, let’s talk about you kinda shift gears a bit as, as chief operating officer of last mile food rescue, where do you spend your time? What’s your favorite part of your role
Eileen Budo (00:40:04):
So early? Um, and we’ve only been open for a little over a year early in my, uh, tenure in this position. I was out on the road. I was doing rescues. I was finding out what we were getting from cast. I was understanding the complexity of working with that app. It is very, very user friendly. Um, it takes you step by step through the process, but I, I wanted to personally have that experience because we only exist with the 250 on a regular basis, people that are out there on the road, moving food for us. So I really, you wanted to dig into their experience. Um, as time progressed, I recognized that as good as the app is from a user experience. Yep. The back end is very manual. So just like any supply chain, you know, there’s, there’s risk in the unknown. We, we would really like to be able to think about, okay, there’s food that’s available.
Eileen Budo (00:40:59):
It can go to a number of different places. How do I come up with a methodology to say food, this type of food, these are the agencies that are available. This is the zip codes that they’re located in. How do I put a very effective mapping and matching process in place? How do I do that with technology? Because I’m a nonprofit, I’ve got a really small team. I’ve got a wonderful and mighty team. They’re very, very bright people, but still that mapping and matching is very manual for me. I do that all behind the scenes so that Ray has a really great experience. I want my rescues to be less than an hour. I want the food that’s picked up from Kroger or from a convenience store or from an event center. If you think about it, those are three different types of food. You know, I, I’m not going to take the big load of vegetables from cast to an afterschool program.
Eileen Budo (00:41:51):
They’re going to want the bottles of milk that I get from UDF, right. Um, ready to eat food. So that, that whole concept of mapping and matching is, is a real, um, important problem that has not been solved in the food rescue business. So that’s where I’m spending a good bit of my time, um, is on the technology and, and figuring out how we can, how we can do things far more E efficiently rev, um, leveraging technology, right. Um, to take the place of right now, which is a lot of manual labor on the part of my team. Gotcha. And then I, I’m also spending a lot of my time, you know, I feel like I trained for 28 years at, at P and G to do this job because I’ve got a wonderful staff. Um, and you know, just coaching and developing them. They’re all very young, um, coaching and developing them, teaching them things that, frankly, I didn’t really, I didn’t think about the fact that I knew as much as I do <laugh> so, so, you know, there’s a problem and I’m able to say, well, did you think about it this way?
Eileen Budo (00:42:50):
And you know, there’s this technology that we are, this, this method, all we used at P and G called three Ys. And you just ask why five times, five wise rather ask why five times. And eventually you get to the root cause or right. Or, you know, an, a fish bone analysis or a parade analysis. So, you know, some very, very basic, basic tools and methodologies that are used to solve problems that I’m able to, to train my young staff. And, and, uh, it’s just really rewarding for me to see what they’re able to do.
Ray Attiyah (00:43:19):
I love it. And I’m gonna, and I’m gonna validate something cuz I can tell you, I did two, uh, deliveries, one to Bethany, a house and one to, uh, lighthouse youth services. And what I brought them was for the kids. Yeah. Yeah. As opposed to, you know, the produce where I would bring that to, you know, the one food pantry who has, you know, 150 families, mostly immigrants that they wanted fresh produce. So whatever you’re doing on that part, I can see it as a volunteer because I can see the good, the good connection between the two. Good.
Scott Luton (00:43:53):
All right, man. So much, so much to talk about still a little time always is the case <laugh> so clearly y’all have, y’all have come a long way. Just a little bit about a little bit of time being in existence around a year. Is that right?
Eileen Budo (00:44:06):
That’s right. Yeah. We started in, uh, November of 20, 20 20 here it is. 2020.
Scott Luton (00:44:12):
Okay. So let’s
Ray Attiyah (00:44:15):
Jump in speaking of 22. So you know, Eileen, as you look at 2022, oh hang
Scott Luton (00:44:19):
On, hang on, Ray, hang on one minute. We’ll get there. I want, I want, I want, I want give Eileen the opportunity to brag on that nimble, capable, powerful team that, that she’s she’s uh, leading. So, and then we’ll get to the global supply chain landscape in 2022, but looking back at 2021 and thank you, Ray, uh, looking back at 2021 and you, and you think about all the, all the traction y’all have made all the accomplishments, you name it come a long way. What’s one thing that you are most proud of that last mile food rescue, sorry. I,
Eileen Budo (00:44:53):
I would have to say that it’s, it’s what we were able to rescue. So we started the year, not, not having any idea how many people would wanna be our Uber drivers. Right? So to how many food donors would sign up with us, how many agencies would trust us? You know, because we’re brand new in this business. I mean, you know, we got some smart people on the team, but I never ran a nonprofit. I didn’t really operated in this food business. So we put out a goal that we were gonna raise that we were gonna find 350,000 pounds of food. Well, we rescued 1.7 million pounds of food actually.
Scott Luton (00:45:34):
Wow, that’s gracious. So,
Eileen Budo (00:45:36):
So we had this terminology at P and G, we called it sandbagging, you know, you come in, oh, I can do such and such. <laugh> that? Wasn’t a sandbag. That was just, we just didn’t know. We just didn’t understand it. Wasn’t like we were under promising. We just had no idea. And the great thing about my team is that, you know, we always talked about the fact that we’re a startup. We’re gonna have to be nimble. We’re gonna have to think about we, we, we learn one day we apply the learnings the next day we learn some more. So we’re constantly pivoting as we learn new things. So our, our, our food glide path, so to speak, our Don glide path changed as we learned, you know, what really was available from a company like cast, what was available from a company like United dairy farmers that were all in. They wanted us to rescue food from 90 of their stores, like all at once. Um, we couldn’t do it all at once, but over time, uh, we made some pretty sign, significant progress, and I’m really looking forward to 20, 22. And to see what that turns into
Scott Luton (00:46:37):
I too, 1.7 million pounds of food rescued, I got the number. Right. And how, and how
Eileen Budo (00:46:44):
Many meals is that approximately? So it’s about 1.6 million meals. Yeah. There, you know, there’s a, there’s a fancy calculation that, uh, that feeding America has determined based on the variety of foods that are rescued the weights of different foods and what that, what, what would amount to a meal that would feed a family. So,
Scott Luton (00:47:04):
Wow. All right. So Ray, I’m gonna pass a Baton to you in just a second. I know you’re excited, like as I am I to learn what Eileen’s looking at, uh, broader, but one quick, uh, observation, you know, the last couple years as between the lockdown and the challenges and, and the differences between, uh, you know, commercial, uh, food, supply chains and institutional, you know, I I’m, I’m hoping when, when, when it comes to innovation, it comes to, you know, that matching and mapping that you’re talking about Eileen and, and how do we save more? I’m hoping we can build more parallels so that if we hit challenges with milk or, you know, uh, institutionalized certain products and, and that, and that, and, and they hit disruption, how can we verdict so that, uh, less of that goes to, to waste. Um, so we’ll see, but I love, it’s gonna take what startups, powerful startups, like last mile food rescue is doing for the rest of industry to learn from. So thanks you for what you do, you and your team there. 1.7 million pounds. Okay. Ray, where are we going with Eileen? Well,
Ray Attiyah (00:48:10):
Before we go there, you mentioned, uh, milk. So I was watching something that talked about virtual reality for cows, where they’re putting new goggles on cows. So the cows can see pastures rather than being inside and actually can produce more milk. Love it. So you talk about artificial intelligence earlier. Now we can get a into virtual reality and figure out how to connect the right cow with the right kids for the milk.
Scott Luton (00:48:34):
So you’re saying maybe a Mo averse.
Ray Attiyah (00:48:37):
Ooh, yes, yes. Oh
Eileen Budo (00:48:39):
Yes.
Ray Attiyah (00:48:41):
Well there, I think the other one was the, uh, trick
Scott Luton (00:48:46):
We could keep going with the exactly mom and dad jugs. Right.
Ray Attiyah (00:48:50):
So, so I think the, the area that, uh, you know, Eileen just mentioned about, you know, what they’re doing, the amount of food and the team that she has, you know, I, I think they’re gonna be able to do a lot, uh, of great things moving into 2022. When you look at the global supply chain outside of last mile, food rescue, just your experience and your knowledge of what’s going on, you know, what are the, what are the two or three topics that you’re thinking about at this moment?
Eileen Budo (00:49:19):
One of them is education. So you mentioned Scott, you know, making sure that people are aware of this problem when the three of us were kids, there wasn’t really any such thing as recycling, right? I mean, I remember my brother was, had a paper route and my mom had a big old station wagon and we’d go about gathering the newspapers and then you’d go to the station and be weighed, you know, and then you get paid for the amount of newspaper. That was, that was my recycling experience as a kid. And, and we were unusual. <laugh>, wasn’t normal to be loading up your station wagon with newspapers and, and getting a few dollars. But now of course, everybody recycles, it’s part of our psyche. You know, I, it’s what we do. I, I’m hopeful that as this concept of food rescue gets more and more attention as people recognize that it’s a problem.
Eileen Budo (00:50:09):
And it’s a problem that can be solved and can be solved in a, in a really wonderful way that helps those that are facing food insecurity, that it’ll become far more endemic that, you know, it’s just the way that we think the way that we operate. So that’s one of the things that I’m working on is education. The other is, um, you know, something that every supply chain faces is just the risk of the unknown, right. You know, things change. But if, if we can, um, have a better appreciation based on our history, based on our data know what’s happened before and what the needs are, um, that have been identified before we then are in a far better position to do that pivot, um, pivot thing that’s necessary when all of a sudden you don’t have as much milk from one source as you, as you had in the past, how do you, how do you, how do you pivot and make sure that those needs are met effectively based on what, what happened previously?
Ray Attiyah (00:51:03):
Yep. So speaking of education, let’s take a quick second here. And I think it’s an important piece. Um, you mentioned, you know, 40% of the food goes to waste. Let’s talk about food insecurity. Let’s the first let’s level set and define it. What is food insecurity?
Eileen Budo (00:51:20):
Food insecurity is essentially anyone who does not know where their next meal is coming from. So we, we differentiate food insecurity from hunger because all three of us could be hungry because we didn’t get lunch today. Right? But that doesn’t, that’s, that’s not the same as being food insecure where you do not know when or where you’ll get your next meal. So it could be, we’ve got a situation in Cincinnati this week where the schools are closed because of COVID and, you know, kids are being fed in school. They, they get their meals in school. And so we’ve got a, a very major project that last mile food rescue is working together with the free store food bank to set up operations where families can come by and get that food that the children have received in school. So, you know, I, I, I think, I think this concept of food insecurity is it’s, it’s essentially helping people.
Eileen Budo (00:52:21):
I I’d like to take that issue off the table to use a procurement term, take the issue of food off the table, because if, if people can get their new nutrition needs met, then they can focus on spending their dollars on transportation, utilities, rent, get, they don’t have to think about education for their kids because their kids are, are in school and their, their well fed, right. They can focus on their own needs to get a better, better lifestyle from, for themselves, get the true, the education that they need because this food issue is, it’s not a problem it’s taken care of.
Ray Attiyah (00:52:55):
And there was a school in Avondale that I was volunteering with and they said 55 kids come to school every day, hungry mm-hmm <affirmative>. So they actually have a, you know, groom room and then they have to feed them because if they can’t, they’re hungry, they’re not able to focus in, as you mentioned, when there’s long breaks for winter that a they don’t have food, but also costs their families more money. Right. Uh, what percentage education wise of Cincinnati, how many what’s the population that is, uh, is in its situation where their, their food is not secure
Eileen Budo (00:53:29):
Pre COVID. It was one in seven. People were facing food insecurity and now it’s one in five in the midst of COVID. And of course, we’re, we’re trying to affect that in a very big way in collaboration with the free store food
Ray Attiyah (00:53:41):
Bank. Yeah. So 20% of the population in a very healthy economy and a very healthy city is in this situation. Hmm.
Scott Luton (00:53:53):
Well, I’m glad, you know, um, that’s a somber note for sure. And it’s something we all gotta do about, uh, we all must do something about, but the good news here is with the, the awesome more that last mile food rescue is doing, the needle is being moved. Uh, and, and that is, and, and now if we can going back to your enterpri way back earlier in the interview, when you talked about, you know, the global industry and, and there, there, there were those islands of excellence. We know there’s a lot of communities I’m hoping that can learn, learn from your story, learn from what y’all doing about it, and can help folks in need in their own communities. So thank you very much for taking time to share. Y’all’s incredible story, uh, given how long y’all have been at it. Uh, the mission’s been, uh, that y’all been leading the mission. Uh, we’re hoping that 2022 is your most successful year, yet year, year yet, but far beyond kidding aside, wishing you all the best as the organization continues to grow its wherewithal and help, uh, more and more folks by saving food that would otherwise, you know, be headed, headed to the garbage or word I’m thinking of landfill landfill. Thank you. Thank you very much, Ray. Hey, some days are better than others when it comes to my vocabulary
Ray Attiyah (00:55:07):
To sit, it’s easier to sit here and just watch you <laugh> thank you and speak at the same time. I dunno how you do this. You do an amazing job with these podcasts
Scott Luton (00:55:16):
By the way. Well, I appreciate it, but you know, great guests, great show and, and, and even even better wonderful purpose, exceptional mission, even better show. So thank you so much, uh, to you, both I, for the story and Ray for your voluntary work with last small food rescue, but for our listing audience, Forry rap here with Eileen, uh, Buddo and, uh, Ray at TM. I, I want both of y’all, I’m gonna pose this question, both of y’all. So if you think about a room full of young folks that, that you have there captive the attention, right? You’ve got that, that they’re completely, uh, undivided attention, and they’re all wanting to break into global supply chain and progress into senior levels of leadership. What’s a piece or two of critical advice that you would offer them. And Eileen, let’s start with you.
Eileen Budo (00:56:05):
I, I think the, the best employees I’ve ever, uh, coached and developed have been the curious ones, the ones that are not afraid to ask why I mentioned a methodology at P and G ask why five times to get to the root cause the, the new employee that asks why that stays curious. That’s always interested in learning more in contrast to he telling me how much they know, um, is the employee that I’m gonna invest time in, um, that I’m going to, um, expect a really wonderful career tr projection, because they’re not stuck in what they know they’re seeking to know what they don’t know and learn more and continue to learn as they continue in their career.
Scott Luton (00:56:52):
I love that folks stay curious and act on that curiosity is, is, is what I heard a just share. Ray, what would you add?
Ray Attiyah (00:57:02):
You know, I, the greatest value is between the seams. When I look at a supply chain, if you’re into logistics, you know, there’s individual processes, but the biggest waste or the biggest opportunity is when different functions organizations have to connect. You know, Eileen mentioned some of this, that up with her P G work with, so I think the, my suggestion to people is reject the incentives to optimize one function. And often those incentives are set up as, you know, measures and, uh, so forth, and really look at the whole system, just look at the process, look at the whole system. And I think that if you wanna, you know, work your way into a senior leadership role or a role where you have greater influence, you’re somebody who can see the whole system and not try to, you know, in some cases you may have to make one function, you know, harder or eliminate it to benefit the whole system. Mm. And I think that, you know, system thinking approach is super critical. So you have to have a vision of what the end result looks like before you get into trying to optimize one function.
Scott Luton (00:58:18):
Love it. I love that. I, I completely wholeheartedly agree with you both, and I appreciate you offering up that advice, uh, to our listeners. Um, okay, listeners, now you can take action. You can connect with both of these folks. You can get behind what they’re doing, uh, at last mile food rescue, uh, how can folks Eileen connect, uh, with you and the team and organization maybe, maybe even act to help the mission forward?
Eileen Budo (00:58:44):
Sure, sure. So, uh, real easy website, you can go to last mile food.org org. You can can connect with me Eileen at last mile, food.org. You can also connect with a company called food rescue hero. They are the, uh, the, the company that has created our app, our mobile technology, wonderful partner to us. Um, so any of those ways would be a great next step for any of your listeners interested.
Scott Luton (00:59:14):
Awesome. We’re gonna make it really easy. We’re gonna drop those things in the show notes. And so our listeners are one click away from the episode page. So big, thanks to Eileen Buddo with last mile food rescue. Okay. Ray, you’re not getting outta this question either. You, as you stated earlier on the front end of the show through some of your dealings, you now got a little more free time on your hands. You’re doing good things clearly, as you’ve identified, as we’ve identified here with that time. But if folks are curious, you dropped a ton of knowledge on this one, both of y’all have by the way, and we’re gonna have to bring y’all back for that supply chain masterclass, Eileen and Ray <laugh>. But how can folks connect with you?
Ray Attiyah (00:59:52):
Um, so for me, my preference is LinkedIn. So I’ve got, uh, my LinkedIn Ray to there. Uh, I put a, uh, a lot of com from my books. You can see one here, one there, uh, they can go on Amazon. I would also say for those of you on LinkedIn follow last mile food rescue, um, and as Eileen just mentioned, you know, the food rescue heroes for those of you outside of Cincinnati, they can be the Eileen and those other cities and kick this off and, you know, make this go. So for me, it’s, uh, linked, Dan is probably the best. Uh, obviously I’ve got a Twitter at Ray Tia. Those are the two, uh, best places to connect with me.
Scott Luton (01:00:28):
Wonderful. It’s just that easy. Well, again, a big thanks to, uh, Eileen Buddo COO with last mile food rescue. Thanks so much, Eileen. Thank you,
Eileen Budo (01:00:39):
Scott. It was great to be with you. Thanks for, uh, for, for
Scott Luton (01:00:42):
Introducing me to your audience. Hey, you bet love the mission y’all doing and better yet love the progress. 1.7 million pounds. That is, uh, an organizational in the move. Ray Tia really appreciate you jumping in the co-host chair and also introducing us to all the good things that last mile food rescues up to,
Ray Attiyah (01:01:01):
Oh, Scott, you making so much fun. It’s energizing. Uh, I miss seeing you miss working with you. So thank you for having us. You
Scott Luton (01:01:07):
Bet. You know, we’ve got a series here and by the way, thank you, Ray. Uh, we’re gonna have to do a lot more collaboration and a lot more interviews. We have a series here at supply chain now, um, that vector global logistics leads force, uh, Enrique Alvarez over there. And it’s entitled logistics with purpose us. And I’ll tell you this conversation here today. I, if that doesn’t illustrate exactly what that is, logistics with that noble purpose, I don’t know what is so I’m so glad that needs that we have in our communities. Uh, and the nonprofits that serve them are able to tap such incredible leaders as we’ve heard from today. So, uh, we’ll have to bring on, uh, I lean back, uh, later in 2022 and get an update on the progress listeners. If y’all have enjoyed this episode, as much as I have check us out supply chain now.com or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, if you take anything away from this conversation, take this away please. On behalf of our entire team here at supply chain. Now Scott Luton and Ray T is signing off for now, challenging you to be like Eileen. Hey, do good gift forward. Be the change that’s needed on that note. We’ll see you next time. Right back here on supply chain now. Thanks everybody.
Intro/Outro (01:02:18):
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
Eileen Budo honed her executive expertise securing multi-million dollar business partnerships with Suppliers around the world as a senior executive at The Procter & Gamble Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. In her last 15 years at P&G she specialized in the procurement of Business Services and crafted the first shared service for P&G manufacturing plants.
After her retirement from P&G, Eileen went to Culinary School at the Midwest Culinary Institute and began to focus her energy on how food makes us whole. She joins Last Mile Food Rescue with a passion for bring good food to those who need it and eliminating the issue of Food Insecurity across greater Cincinnati.
An Air Force veteran, Eileen proudly served in the Air Force Systems Command at Wright Patterson AFB where she met her husband, Ed. The two have been married for 30+ years; together they raised two great kids and share their Cincinnati home with two sweet dogs – a Goldendoodle and a Labradoodle.
Eileen holds dual citizenship in the US and the Republic of Ireland and is an avid reader and novice baker of sourdough bread, a hobby she began to keep her sane during the COVID pandemic. Connect with Eileen on LinkedIn.
Ray Attiyah is an entrepreneur, innovator, teacher author, and speaker. At just 26, he founded his first business, Definity Partners, a hands-on, business-training firm that integrates process redesign and leadership-behavior modeling. Since then, Ray has started, acquired, or invested in many companies, including starting a manufacturing company, Upside Innovations, which — despite being launched during the recession — has experienced double-digit growth every year since 2009. Upside began as an experiment and proof-of-concept of the Run Improve Grow system, and Ray is immensely proud of the bold leadership and culture fueling that growth. At each point in his career, Ray has focused on the transformation of people. He believes deeply that a leader’s primary responsibility is to create an inspiring culture where everyone — from the front-line workers to the CEO — can grow into their full potential. Ray has helped hundreds of organizations, from small start-ups to Fortune 50 companies, with a vision of engineering the perfect growth, improvement, and talent system. His tested roadmap for bold business and personal growth is outlined in his book, “Run Improve Grow.” Ray received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Rutgers University and an MBA from Xavier University. In addition to serial entrepreneurship, he has been an Industrial Engineer, Director of Operations, Chief Innovation Officer, and can occasionally be seen on ESPN competing in the World Series of Poker. When Ray isn’t busy inspiring fearless leaders, he can be found in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he lives with his wife, three daughters, and a remarkably well-behaved Golden Retriever named Chloe. Connect with Ray on LinkedIn.
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Host, Logistics with Purpose
Kristi Porter is VP of Sales and Marketing at Vector Global Logistics, a company that is changing the world through supply chain. In her role, she oversees all marketing efforts and supports the sales team in doing what they do best. In addition to this role, she is the Chief Do-Gooder at Signify, which assists nonprofits and social impact companies through copywriting and marketing strategy consulting. She has almost 20 years of professional experience, and loves every opportunity to help people do more good.
Host
From humble beginnings working the import docks, representing Fortune 500 giants, Ford, Michelin Tire, and Black & Decker; to Amazon technology patent holder and Nordstrom Change Leader, Kimberly Reuter has designed, implemented, and optimized best-in-class, highly scalable global logistics and retail operations all over the world. Kimberly’s ability to set strategic vision supported by bomb-proof processes, built on decades of hands-on experience, has elevated her to legendary status. Sought after by her peers and executives for her intellectual capital and keen insights, Kimberly is a thought leader in the retail logistics industry.
Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol
Sofia Rivas Herrera is a Mexican Industrial Engineer from Tecnologico de Monterrey class 2019. Upon graduation, she earned a scholarship to study MIT’s Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management and graduated as one of the Top 3 performers of her class in 2020. She also has a multicultural background due to her international academic experiences at Singapore Management University and Kühne Logistics University in Hamburg. Sofia self-identifies as a Supply Chain enthusiast & ambassador sharing her passion for the field in her daily life.
Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol
Demo Perez started his career in 1997 in the industry by chance when a relative asked him for help for two just weeks putting together an operation for FedEx Express at the Colon Free Zone, an area where he was never been but accepted the challenge. Worked in all roles possible from a truck driver to currier to a sales representative, helped the brand introduction, market share growth and recognition in the Colon Free Zone, at the end of 1999 had the chance to meet and have a chat with Fred Smith ( FedEx CEO), joined another company in 2018 who took over the FedEx operations as Operations and sales manager, in 2004 accepted the challenge from his company to leave the FedEx operations and business to take over the operation and business of DHL Express, his major competitor and rival so couldn’t say no, by changing completely its operation model in the Free Zone. In 2005 started his first entrepreneurial journey by quitting his job and joining two friends to start a Freight Forwarding company. After 8 months was recruited back by his company LSP with the General Manager role with the challenge of growing the company and make it fully capable warehousing 3PL. By 2009 joined CSCMP and WERC and started his journey of learning and growing his international network and high-level learning. In 2012 for the first time joined a local association ( the Panama Maritime Chamber) and worked in the country’s first Logistics Strategy plan, joined and lead other associations ending as president of the Panama Logistics Council in 2017. By finishing his professional mission at LSP with a company that was 8 times the size it was when accepted the role as GM with so many jobs generated and several young professionals coached, having great financial results, took the decision to move forward and start his own business from scratch by the end of 2019. with a friend and colleague co-founded IPL Group a company that started as a boutique 3PL and now is gearing up for the post-Covid era by moving to the big leagues.
Host, Supply Chain Now
The founder of Logistics Executive Group, Kim Winter delivers 40 years of executive leadership experience spanning Executive Search & Recruitment, Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, Corporate Advisory, Motivational Speaking, Trade Facilitation and across the Supply Chain, Logistics, 3PL, E-commerce, Life Science, Cold Chain, FMCG, Retail, Maritime, Defence, Aviation, Resources, and Industrial sectors. Operating from the company’s global offices, he is a regular contributor of thought leadership to industry and media, is a professional Master of Ceremonies, and is frequently invited to chair international events.
He is a Board member of over a dozen companies throughout APAC, India, and the Middle East, a New Zealand citizen, he holds formal resident status in Australia and the UAE, and is the Australia & New Zealand representative for the UAE Government-owned Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), the Middle East’s largest Economic Free Zone.
A triathlete and ex-professional rugby player, Kim is a qualified (IECL Sydney) executive coach and the Founder / Chairman of the successful not for profit humanitarian organization, Oasis Africa (www. oasisafrica.org.au), which has provided freedom from poverty through education to over 8000 mainly orphaned children in East Africa’s slums. Kim holds an MBA and BA from Massey & Victoria Universities (NZ).
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Adrian Purtill serves as Business Development Manager at Vector Global Logistics, where he consults with importers and exporters in various industries to match their specific shipping requirements with the most effective supply chain solutions. Vector Global Logistics is an asset-free, multi-modal logistics company that provides exceptional sea freight, air freight, truck, rail, general logistic services and consulting for our clients. Our highly trained and professional team is committed to providing creative and effective solutions, always exceeding our customer’s expectations and fostering long-term relationships. With more than 20+ years of experience in both strategy consulting and logistics, Vector Global Logistics is your best choice to proactively minimize costs while having an exceptional service level.
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Kevin Brown is the Director of Business Development for Vector Global Logistics. He has a dedicated interest in Major Account Management, Enterprise Sales, and Corporate Leadership. He offers 25 years of exceptional experience and superior performance in the sales of Logistics, Supply Chain, and Transportation Management. Kevin is a dynamic, high-impact, sales executive and corporate leader who has consistently exceeded corporate goals. He effectively coordinates multiple resources to solution sell large complex opportunities while focusing on corporate level contacts across the enterprise. His specialties include targeting and securing key accounts by analyzing customer’s current business processes and developing solutions to meet their corporate goals. Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn.
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Jose Manuel Irarrazaval es parte del equipo de Vector Global Logistics Chile. José Manuel es un gerente experimentado con experiencia en finanzas corporativas, fusiones y adquisiciones, financiamiento y reestructuración, inversión directa y financiera, tanto en Chile como en el exterior. José Manuel tiene su MBA de la Universidad de Pennsylvania- The Wharton School. Conéctese con Jose Manuel en LinkedIn.
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Nick Roemer has had a very diverse and extensive career within design and sales over the last 15 years stretching from China, Dubai, Germany, Holland, UK, and the USA. In the last 5 years, Nick has developed a hawk's eye for sustainable tech and the human-centric marketing and sales procedures that come with it. With his far-reaching and strong network within the logistics industry, Nick has been able to open new avenues and routes to market within major industries in the USA and the UAE. Nick lives by the ethos, “Give more than you take." His professional mission is to make the logistics industry leaner, cleaner and greener.
Host
Allison Krache Giddens has been with Win-Tech, a veteran-owned small business and aerospace precision machine shop, for 15 years, recently buying the company from her mentor and Win-Tech’s Founder, Dennis Winslow. She and her business partner, John Hudson now serve as Co-Presidents, leading the 33-year old company through the pandemic.
She holds undergraduate degrees in psychology and criminal justice from the University of Georgia, a Masters in Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University, a Masters in Manufacturing from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Certificate of Finance from the University of Georgia. She also holds certificates in Google Analytics, event planning, and Cybersecurity Risk Management from Harvard online. Allison founded the Georgia Chapter of Women in Manufacturing and currently serves as Treasurer. She serves on the Chattahoochee Technical College Foundation Board as its Secretary, the liveSAFE Resources Board of Directors as Resource Development Co-Chair, and on the Leadership Cobb Alumni Association Board as Membership Chair and is also a member of Cobb Executive Women. She is on the Board for the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s Northwest Area Councils. Allison runs The Dave Krache Foundation, a non-profit that helps pay sports fees for local kids in need.
Host
Billy Taylor is a Proven Business Excellence Practitioner and Leadership Guru with over 25 years leading operations for a Fortune 500 company, Goodyear. He is also the CEO of LinkedXL (Excellence), a Business Operating Systems Architecting Firm dedicated to implementing sustainable operating systems that drive sustainable results. Taylor’s achievements in the industry have made him a Next Generational Lean pacesetter with significant contributions.
An American business executive, Taylor has made a name for himself as an innovative and energetic industry professional with an indispensable passion for his craft of operational excellence. His journey started many years ago and has worked with renowned corporations such as The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (GT) leading multi-site operations. With over 3 decades of service leading North America operations, he is experienced in a deeply rooted process driven approach in customer service, process integrity for sustainability.
A disciple of continuous improvement, Taylor’s love for people inspires commitment to helping others achieve their full potential. He is a dynamic speaker and hosts "The Winning Link," a popular podcast centered on business and leadership excellence with the #1 rated Supply Chain Now Network. As a leadership guru, Taylor has earned several invitations to universities, international conferences, global publications, and the U.S. Army to demonstrate how to achieve and sustain effective results through cultural acceptance and employee ownership. Leveraging the wisdom of his business acumen, strong influence as a speaker and podcaster Taylor is set to release "The Winning Link" book under McGraw Hill publishing in 2022. The book is a how-to manual to help readers understand the management of business interactions while teaching them how to Deine, Align, and Execute Winning in Business.
A servant leader, Taylor, was named by The National Diversity Council as one of the Top 100 Diversity Officers in the country in 2021. He features among Oklahoma's Most Admired CEOs and maintains key leadership roles with the Executive Advisory Board for The Shingo Institute "The Nobel Prize of Operations" and The Association of Manufacturing Excellence (AME); two world-leading organizations for operational excellence, business development, and cultural learning. He is also an Independent Director for the M-D Building Products Board, a proud American manufacturer of quality products since 1920.
Host
Tandreia Bellamy retired as the Vice President of Industrial Engineering for UPS Supply Chain Solutions which included the Global Logistics, Global Freight Forwarding and UPS Freight business units. She was responsible for operations strategy and planning, asset management, forecasting, and technology tool development to optimize sustainable efficiency while driving world class service.
Tandreia held similar positions at the business unit level for Global Logistics and Global Freight forwarding. As the leader of the Global Logistics engineering function, she directed all industrial engineering activies related to distribution, service parts logistics (post-sales support), and mail innovations (low cost, light weight shipping partnership with the USPS). Between these roles Tandreia helped to establish the Advanced Technology Group which was formed to research and develop cutting edge solutions focused on reducing reliance on manual labor.
Tandreia began her career in 1986 as a part-time hourly manual package handling employee. She spent the great majority of her career in the small package business unit which is responsible for the pick-up, sort, transport and delivery of packages domestically. She held various positions in Industrial Engineering, Marketing, Inside and On-road operations in Central Florida before transferring to Atlanta for a position in Corporate Product Development and Corporate Industrial Engineering. Tandreia later held IE leadership roles in Nebraska, Minnesota and Chicago. In her final role in small package she was an IE VP responsible for all aspects of IE, technology support and quality for the 25 states on the western half of the country.
Tandreia is currently a Director for the University of Central Florida (UCF) Foundation Board and also serves on their Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Previously Tandreia served on the Executive Advisory Board for Virginia Tech’s IE Department and the Association for Supply Chain Management. She served on the Board of Trustees for ChildServ (a Chicago child and family services non-profit) and also served on the Texas A&M and Tuskegee Engineering Advisory Boards. In 2006 she was named Business Advisor of the Year by INROADS, in 2009 she was recognized as a Technology All-Star at the Women of Color in STEM conference and in 2019 she honored as a UCF Distinguished Aluma by the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems.
Tandreia holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Systems from UCF. Her greatest accomplishment, however, is being the proud mother of two college students, Ruby (24) and Anthony (22).
Host
Marty Parker serves as both the CEO & Founder of Adæpt Advising and an award-winning Senior Lecturer (Teaching Professor) in Supply Chain and Operations Management at the University of Georgia. He has 30 years of experience as a COO, CMO, CSO (Chief Strategy Officer), VP of Operations, VP of Marketing and Process Engineer. He founded and leads UGA’s Supply Chain Advisory Board, serves as the Academic Director of UGA’s Leaders Academy, and serves on multiple company advisory boards including the Trucking Profitability Strategies Conference, Zion Solutions Group and Carlton Creative Company.
Marty enjoys helping people and companies be successful. Through UGA, Marty is passionate about his students, helping them network and find internships and jobs. He does this through several hundred one-on-one zoom meetings each year with his students and former students. Through Adæpt Advising, Marty has organized an excellent team of affiliates that he works with to help companies grow and succeed. He does this by helping c-suite executives improve their skills, develop better leaders, engage their workforce, improve processes, and develop strategic plans with detailed action steps and financial targets. Marty believes that excellence in supply chain management comes from the understanding the intersection of leadership, culture, and technology, working across all parts of the organization to meet customer needs, maximize profit and minimize costs.
Marketing Coordinator
Laura Lopez serves as our Supply Chain Now Marketing Coordinator. She graduated from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente in Mexico with a degree in marketing. Laura loves everything digital because she sees the potential it holds for companies in the marketing industry. Her passion for creativity and thinking outside the box led her to pursue a career in marketing. With experience in fields like accounting, digital marketing, and restaurants, she clearly enjoys taking on challenges. Laura lives the best of both worlds - you'll either catch her hanging out with her friends soaking up the sun in Mexico or flying out to visit her family in California!
Host
An acknowledged industry leader, Jake Barr now serves as CEO for BlueWorld Supply Chain Consulting, providing support to a cross section of Fortune 500 companies such as Cargill, Caterpillar, Colgate, Dow/Dupont, Firmenich, 3M, Merck, Bayer/Monsanto, Newell Brands, Kimberly Clark, Nestle, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Sanofi, Estee Lauder and Coty among others. He's also devoted time to engagements in public health sector work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. At P&G, he managed the breakthrough delivery of an E2E (End to End) Planning Transformation effort, creating control towers which now manage the daily business globally. He is recognized as the architect for P&G’s demand driven supply chain strategy – referenced as a “Consumer Driven Supply Chain” transformation. Jake began his career with P&G in Finance in Risk Analysis and then moved into Operations. He has experience in building supply network capability globally through leadership assignments in Asia, Latin America, North America and the Middle East. He currently serves as a Research Associate for MIT; a member of Supply Chain Industry Advisory Council; Member of Gartner’s Supply Chain Think Tank; Consumer Goods “League of Leaders“; and a recipient of the 2015 - 2021 Supply Chain “Pro’s to Know” Award. He has been recognized as a University of Kentucky Fellow.
Host
Marcia Williams, Managing Partner of USM Supply Chain, has 18 years of experience in Supply Chain, with expertise in optimizing Supply Chain-Finance Planning (S&OP/ IBP) at Large Fast-Growing CPGs for greater profitability and improved cash flows. Marcia has helped mid-sized and large companies including Lindt Chocolates, Hershey, and Coty. She holds an MBA from Michigan State University and a degree in Accounting from Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay (South America). Marcia is also a Forbes Council Contributor based out of New York, and author of the book series Supply Chains with Maria in storytelling style. A recent speaker’s engagement is Marcia TEDx Talk: TEDxMSU - How Supply Chain Impacts You: A Transformational Journey.
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Luisa Garcia is a passionate Marketer from Lagos de Moreno based in Aguascalientes. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes, Mexico. She specializes in brand development at any stage, believing that a brand is more than just a name or image—it’s an unforgettable experience. Her expertise helps brands achieve their dreams and aspirations, making a lasting impact. Currently working at Vector Global Logistics in the Marketing team and as podcast coordinator of Logistics With Purpose®. Luisa believes that purpose-driven decisions will impact results that make a difference in the world.
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Astrid Aubert was born in Guadalajara, she is 39 years old and has had the opportunity to live in many places. She studied communication and her professional career has been in Trade Marketing for global companies such as Pepsico and Mars. She currently works as Marketing Director Mexico for Vector Global Logistics. She is responsible for internal communications and marketing strategy development for the logistics industry. She is a mother of two girls, married and lives in Monterrey. She defines herself as a creative and innovative person, and enjoys traveling and cooking a lot.
Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol
Sofia self-identifies as Supply Chain Ambassador, her mission is to advocate for the field and inspire young generations from diverse backgrounds and cultures to join the industry so that thought diversity is increased and change accelerated. Recognized as Linkedin Top Voice and Linkedin Community Top Voice in Supply Chain Management, as well as Emerging Leader in Supply Chain by CSCMP 2024, Top Women in Supply Chain by Supply & Demand Executive 2023, and Coup de Coeur Global Women Leaders in Supply Chain by B2G Consulting in 2021.
Public speaker at multiple international events from keynotes and panels, to webinars and guest lectures for bachelor's and master's degrees, discussing topics such as sustainability, women in the industry, technology and innovation. Writer at different online magazines on logistics, supply chain and technology. Podcast host and guest on different recognized programs in the industry. Sofia has more than 5 years of experience from academic research and field studies to warehouse operations, demand planning and network design. She has worked in manufacturing, airport operations, e-commerce retail, and technology hardware across Latin America, North America and Europe.
Currently working as Supply Chain Network Design and Optimization Manager at HP within their Global Supply Chain and Logistics team.
Host
Karin Bursa is the 2020 Supply Chain Pro to Know of the Year and the Host of the TEKTOK Digital Supply Chain Podcast powered by Supply Chain Now. With more than 25 years of supply chain and technology expertise (and the scars to prove it), Karin has the heart of a teacher and has helped nearly 1,000 customers transform their businesses and share their success stories. Today, she helps B2B technology companies introduce new products, capture customer success and grow global revenue, market share and profitability. In addition to her recognition as the 2020 Supply Chain Pro to Know of the Year, Karin has also been recognized as a 2019 and 2018 Supply Chain Pro to Know, 2009 Technology Marketing Executive of the Year and a 2008 Women in Technology Finalist.
Host
Vin Vashishta is the author of ‘From Data To Profit’ (Wiley 2023). It’s the playbook for monetizing data and AI. Vin is the Founder of V-Squared and built the business from client 1 to one of the world’s oldest data and AI consulting firms. His background combines nearly 30 years in strategy, leadership, software engineering, and applied machine learning.
Vice President, Production
Amanda is a production and marketing veteran and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience across a variety of industries and organizations including Von Maur, Anthropologie, AmericasMart Atlanta, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Amanda currently manages, produces, and develops modern digital content for Supply Chain Now and their clients. Amanda has previously served as the VP of Information Systems and Webmaster on the Board of Directors for APICS Savannah, and founded and managed her own successful digital marketing firm, Magnolia Marketing Group. When she’s not leading the Supply Chain Now production team, you can find Amanda in the kitchen, reading, listening to podcasts, or enjoying time with family.
Founder, CEO, & Host
As the founder and CEO of Supply Chain Now, you might say Scott is the voice of supply chain – but he’s too much of a team player to ever claim such a title. One thing’s for sure: he’s a tried and true supply chain expert. With over 15 years of experience in the end-to-end supply chain, Scott’s insights have appeared in major publications including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and CNN. He has also been named a top industry influencer by Thinkers360, ISCEA and more.
From 2009-2011, Scott was president of APICS Atlanta, and he continues to lead initiatives that support both the local business community and global industry. A United States Air Force Veteran, Scott has also regularly led efforts to give back to his fellow veteran community since his departure from active duty in 2002.
Principal & Host
When rapid-growth technology companies, venture capital and private equity firms are looking for advisory, they call Greg – a founder, board director, advisor and catalyst of disruptive B2B technology and supply chain. An insightful visionary, Greg guides founders, investors and leadership teams in creating breakthroughs to gain market exposure and momentum – increasing overall company esteem and valuation.
Greg is a founder himself, creating Blue Ridge Solutions, a Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader in cloud-native supply chain applications, and bringing to market Curo, a field service management solution. He has also held leadership roles with Servigistics (PTC) and E3 Corporation (JDA/Blue Yonder). As a principal and host at Supply Chain Now, Greg helps guide the company’s strategic direction, hosts industry leader discussions, community livestreams, and all in addition to executive producing and hosting his original YouTube channel and podcast, TEChquila Sunrise.
Principal, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain is Boring
Talk about world-class: Chris is one of the few professionals in the world to hold CPIM-F, CLTD-F and CSCP-F designations from ASCM/APICS. He’s also the APICS coach – and our resident Supply Chain Doctor. When he’s not hosting programs with Supply Chain Now, he’s sharing supply chain knowledge on the APICS Coach Youtube channel or serving as a professional education instructor for the Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistic Institute’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) program and University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Center for Professional Education courses.
Chris earned a BS in Industrial Engineering from Bradley University, an MBA with emphasis in Industrial Psychology from the University of West Florida, and is a Doctoral in Supply Chain Management candidate.
Director of Sales
Tyler Ward serves as Supply Chain Now's Director of Sales. Born and raised in Mid-Atlantic, Tyler is a proud graduate of Shippensburg University where he earned his degree in Communications. After college, he made his way to the beautiful state of Oregon, where he now lives with his wife and daughter.
With over a decade of experience in sales, Tyler has a proven track record of exceeding targets and leading high-performing teams. He credits his success to his ability to communicate effectively with customers and team members alike, as well as his strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
When he's not closing deals, you can find Tyler on the links or cheering on his favorite football and basketball teams. He also enjoys spending time with his family, playing pick-up basketball, and traveling back to Ocean City, Maryland, his favorite place!
Host of Digital Transformers
Kevin L. Jackson is a globally recognized Thought Leader, Industry Influencer and Founder/Author of the award winning “Cloud Musings” blog. He has also been recognized as a “Top 5G Influencer” (Onalytica 2019, Radar 2020), a “Top 50 Global Digital Transformation Thought Leader” (Thinkers 360 2019) and provides strategic consulting and integrated social media services to AT&T, Intel, Broadcom, Ericsson and other leading companies. Mr. Jackson’s commercial experience includes Vice President J.P. Morgan Chase, Worldwide Sales Executive for IBM and SAIC (Engility) Director Cloud Solutions. He has served on teams that have supported digital transformation projects for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the US Intelligence Community. Kevin’s formal education includes a MS Computer Engineering from Naval Postgraduate School; MA National Security & Strategic Studies from Naval War College; and a BS Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy. Internationally recognizable firms that have sponsored articles authored by him include Cisco, Microsoft, Citrix and IBM. Books include “Click to Transform” (Leaders Press, 2020), “Architecting Cloud Computing Solutions” (Packt, 2018), and “Practical Cloud Security: A Cross Industry View” (Taylor & Francis, 2016). He also delivers online training through Tulane University, O’Reilly Media, LinkedIn Learning, and Pluralsight. Mr. Jackson retired from the U.S. Navy in 1994, earning specialties in Space Systems Engineering, Carrier Onboard Delivery Logistics and carrier-based Airborne Early Warning and Control. While active, he also served with the National Reconnaissance Office, Operational Support Office, providing tactical support to Navy and Marine Corps forces worldwide.
Host of Logistics with Purpose and Supply Chain Now en Español
Enrique serves as Managing Director at Vector Global Logistics and believes we all have a personal responsibility to change the world. He is hard working, relationship minded and pro-active. Enrique trusts that the key to logistics is having a good and responsible team that truly partners with the clients and does whatever is necessary to see them succeed. He is a proud sponsor of Vector’s unique results-based work environment and before venturing into logistics he worked for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). During his time at BCG, he worked in different industries such as Telecommunications, Energy, Industrial Goods, Building Materials, and Private Banking. His main focus was always on the operations, sales, and supply chain processes, with case focus on, logistics, growth strategy, and cost reduction. Prior to joining BCG, Enrique worked for Grupo Vitro, a Mexican glass manufacturer, for five years holding different positions from sales and logistics manager to supply chain project leader in charge of five warehouses in Colombia.
He has an MBA from The Wharton School of Business and a BS, in Mechanical Engineer from the Technologico de Monterrey in Mexico. Enrique’s passions are soccer and the ocean, and he also enjoys traveling, getting to know new people, and spending time with his wife and two kids, Emma and Enrique.
Host of Dial P for Procurement
Kelly is the Owner and Managing Director of Buyers Meeting Point and MyPurchasingCenter. She has been in procurement since 2003, starting as a practitioner and then as the Associate Director of Consulting at Emptoris. She has covered procurement news, events, publications, solutions, trends, and relevant economics at Buyers Meeting Point since 2009. Kelly is also the General Manager at Art of Procurement and Business Survey Chair for the ISM-New York Report on Business. Kelly has her MBA from Babson College as well as an MS in Library and Information Science from Simmons College and she has co-authored three books: ‘Supply Market Intelligence for Procurement Professionals’, ‘Procurement at a Crossroads’, and ‘Finance Unleashed’.
Host, Veteran Voices
Mary Kate Soliva is a veteran of the US Army and cofounder of the Guam Human Rights Initiative. She is currently in the Doctor of Criminal Justice program at Saint Leo University. She is passionate about combating human trafficking and has spent the last decade conducting training for military personnel and the local community.
Host
Constantine Limberakis is a thought leader in the area of procurement and supply management. He has over 20 years of international experience, playing strategic roles in a wide spectrum of organizations related to analyst advisory, consulting, product marketing, product development, and market research.
Throughout his career, he's been passionate about engaging global business leaders and the broader analyst and technology community with strategic content, speaking engagements, podcasts, research, webinars, and industry articles.
Constantine holds a BA in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an MBA in Finance & Marketing / Masters in Public & International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh.
Business Development Manager
Clay is passionate about two things: supply chain and the marketing that goes into it. Recently graduated with a degree in marketing at the University of Georgia, Clay got his start as a journalism major and inaugural member of the Owl’s football team at Kennesaw State University – but quickly saw tremendous opportunity in the Terry College of Business. He’s already putting his education to great use at Supply Chain Now, assisting with everything from sales and brand strategy to media production. Clay has contributed to initiatives such as our leap into video production, the guest blog series, and boosting social media presence, and after nearly two years in Supply Chain Now’s Marketing Department, Clay now heads up partnership and sales initiatives with the help of the rest of the Supply Chain Now sales team.
Administrative Assistant
Trisha is new to the supply chain industry – but not to podcasting. She’s an experienced podcast manager and virtual assistant who also happens to have 20 years of experience as an elementary school teacher. It’s safe to say, she’s passionate about helping people, and she lives out that passion every day with the Supply Chain Now team, contributing to scheduling and podcast production.
Social Media Manager
My name is Chantel King and I am the Social Media Specialist at Supply Chain Now. My job is to make sure our audience is engaged and educated on the abundant amount of information the supply chain industry has to offer.
Social Media and Communications has been my niche ever since I graduated from college at The Academy of Art University in San Francisco. No, I am not a West Coast girl. I was born and raised in New Jersey, but my travel experience goes way beyond the garden state. My true passion is in creating editorial and graphic content that influences others to be great in whatever industry they are in. I’ve done this by working with lifestyle, financial, and editorial companies by providing resources to enhance their businesses.
Another passion of mine is trying new things. Whether it’s food, an activity, or a sport. I would like to say that I am an adventurous Taurus that never shies away from a new quest or challenge.
Marketing Coordinator
Lori is currently completing a degree in marketing with an emphasis in digital marketing at the University of Georgia. When she’s not supporting the marketing efforts at Supply Chain Now, you can find her at music festivals – or working toward her dream goal of a fashion career. Lori is involved in many extracurricular activities and appreciates all the learning experiences UGA has brought her.
Director, Customer Experience
Katherine is a marketing professional and MBA candidate who strives to unite her love of people with a passion for positive experiences. Having a diverse background, which includes nonprofit work with digital marketing and start-ups, she serves as a leader who helps people live their most creative lives by cultivating community, order, collaboration, and respect. With equal parts creativity and analytics, she brings a unique skill set which fosters refining, problem solving, and connecting organizations with their true vision. In her free time, you can usually find her looking for her cup of coffee, playing with her puppy Charlie, and dreaming of her next road trip.
Chief of Staff & Host
Mary Kate Love is currently the VP of marketing at Supply Chain Now focused on brand strategy and audience + revenue growth. Mary Kate’s career is a testament to her versatility and innovative spirit: she has experience in start-ups, venture capital, and building innovation initiatives from the ground up: she previously helped lead the build-out of the Supply Chain Innovation Center at Georgia-Pacific and before that, MxD (Manufacturing times Digital): the Department of Defense’s digital manufacturing innovation center. Mary Kate has a passion for taking complicated ideas and turning them into reality: she was one of the first team members at MxD and the first team member at the Supply Chain Innovation Center at Georgia-Pacific.
Mary Kate dedicates her extra time to education and mentorship: she was one of the founding Board Members for Women Influence Chicago and led an initiative for a city-wide job shadow day for young women across Chicago tech companies and was previously on the Board of Directors at St. Laurence High School in Chicago, Young Irish Fellowship Board and the UN Committee for Women. Mary Kate is the founder of National Supply Chain Day and enjoys co-hosting podcasts at Supply Chain Now. Mary Kate is from the south side of Chicago, a mom of two baby boys, and an avid 16-inch softball player. She holds a BS in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Marketing Specialist
Joshua is a student from Institute of Technology and Higher Education of Monterrey Campus Guadalajara in Communication and Digital Media. His experience ranges from Plug and Play México, DearDoc, and Nissan México creating unique social media marketing campaigns and graphics design. Joshua helps to amplify the voice of supply chain here at Supply Chain Now by assisting in graphic design, content creation, asset logistics, and more. In his free time he likes to read and write short stories as well as watch movies and television series.
Director of Communications and Executive Producer
Donna Krache is a former CNN executive producer who has won several awards in journalism and communication, including three Peabodys. She has 30 years’ experience in broadcast and digital journalism. She led the first production team at CNN to convert its show to a digital platform. She has authored many articles for CNN and other media outlets. She taught digital journalism at Georgia State University and Arizona State University. Krache holds a bachelor’s degree in government from the College of William and Mary and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of New Orleans. She is a serious sports fan who loves the Braves. She is president of the Dave Krache Foundation. Named in honor of her late husband, this non-profit pays fees for kids who want to play sports but whose parents are facing economic challenges.
Controller
Vicki has a long history of rising to challenges and keeping things up and running. First, she supported her family’s multi-million dollar business as controller for 12 years, beginning at the age of 17. Then, she worked as an office manager and controller for a wholesale food broker. But her biggest feat? Serving as the chief executive officer of her household, while her entrepreneur husband travelled the world extensively. She fed, nurtured, chaperoned, and chauffeured three daughters all while running a newsletter publishing business and remaining active in her community as a Stephen’s Minister, Sunday school teacher, school volunteer, licensed realtor and POA Board president (a title she holds to this day). A force to be reckoned with in the office, you might think twice before you meet Vicki on the tennis court! When she’s not keeping the books balanced at Supply Chain Now or playing tennis matches, you can find Vicki spending time with her husband Greg, her 4 fur babies, gardening, cleaning (yes, she loves to clean!) and learning new things.
Creative Director, Producer, Host
Katherine Hintz, MBA is a marketing professional who strives to unite her love of people with a passion for positive experiences. Having a diverse background, which includes nonprofit work with digital marketing and start-ups, she serves as a leader who helps people live their most creative lives by cultivating community, order, collaboration, and respect. With equal parts creativity and analytics, she brings a unique skill set which fosters refining, problem solving, and connecting organizations with their true vision. In her free time, you can usually find her looking for her cup of coffee, playing with her puppy Charlie, and dreaming of her next road trip.