Logistics with Purpose
Episode 47

A $10 donation will provide $840 worth of medicine. Think about that. You know, two cups of coffee, right? Starbucks coffee, two cups, will provide $840 of life-saving medicines.

-Steve Stirling, CEO, MAP International

Episode Summary

What does it take to be a CEO of a nonprofit that serves millions of people around the world by delivering critical medicines and healthcare supplies? Look no further than Steve Stirling, CEO of MAP International to find out. In this classic episode of Logistics With Purpose, produced in partnership with Vector Global Logistics, discover Steve’s courage, determination, compassion and focus as he shares his incredible personal story, the MAP International mission and invaluable reflections on managing international logistics for a more-than-worthy cause.

Episode Transcript

Intro/Outro (00:02):

Welcome to logistics with purpose presented by vector global logistics in partnership with supply chain. Now we spotlight and celebrate organizations who are dedicated to creating a positive impact. Join us for this behind the scenes glimpse of the origin stories, change making progress and future plans of organizations who are actively making a difference. Our goal isn’t just to entertain you, but to inspire you to go out and change the world. And now here’s today’s episode of logistics with purpose.

Kristi Porter (00:34):

Hi, I’m Kristi Porter with vector global logistics, and you’re listening to another episode of logistics with purpose. Actually today’s episode is coming out of the archives because it is a must. Listen. This is one of our early episodes and features Steve Sterling of map international, along with a couple of my vector teammates and our good friend, Scott Luton of Supply Chain Now Steve Stirling story is remarkable worth listening to whether it’s your first, second or time he was born in South Korea. Contracted polio was adopted by a couple living in Alaska. It’s a, just that piece of his story is worth tuning in for, uh, he went into a claimed schools, climbed the corporate ladder at companies you’re very familiar with. And for the last two decades, he’s been leading nonprofits in this. Now the CEO of map international. The other reason that this remains a timely episode is because worldwide access to life, saving medicine and health supplies is still a huge issue.

Kristi Porter (01:33):

And there’s been a big spotlight on it during the pandemic. So you’re gonna wanna hear how and why 2 billion people lack access to medicine and how map is working to close that gap. Additionally, myself and another teammate had the pleasure of hanging out with the map team last week, got to meet their nonprofit partners. And of course we couldn’t resist taking a tour around their warehouse and operations, uh, facilities. So there’s a lot you can learn from both map and Steve’s story that is worth doing worth, being inspired for the day and learning how maybe you can come become involved with their mission. So we hope you enjoy this classic episode of logistics with purpose.

Scott Luton (02:11):

All right, so we, we’ve got a full a slew of guests here today. Let’s welcome. In first off, our fearless co-host here from the incredible vector global logistics team. We have Matilda Arhin, Matilda, how you doing? I’m

Matilda Arhin (02:24):

Good.

Scott Luton (02:25):

Great to see you. I’ve I’ve really enjoyed Rob elbows to a variety of different initiatives, and it’s great to finally get you on the podcast. So welcome in Matilda. Of course, Adrian Purtill. Good afternoon, Adrian.

Adrian Purtill (02:38):

Hi Scott. Uh, good to be here again and looking forward to another wonderful show.

Scott Luton (02:42):

Agreed, agreed, man. I, as a gorgeous scene, you’ve got just back behind you.

Adrian Purtill (02:47):

I love it.

Scott Luton (02:49):

All right. And finally, we’ve got the one and only Enrique Alvarez. Enrique. Good afternoon.

Enrique Alvarez (02:55):

Hey, it’s Scott. Good afternoon. Great to be here with you. It’s always and, uh, really excited about this particular episode. I it’s gonna be great,

Scott Luton (03:02):

Completely agree. And none of y’all let the cat out of the bag with our future. I almost

Enrique Alvarez (03:06):

Missed, almost did

Scott Luton (03:08):

Well. Let’s welcome with, with no further ado and really excited about this episode, uh, along with what you just shared there. Kay, wanna welcome in Steve Sterling, president and CEO of map international, who has been serving millions of people around the world, folks in need since 1954. Wow. Steve. Good afternoon.

Steve Stirling (03:27):

Good afternoon, Scott. Glad you be on your show.

Scott Luton (03:31):

We are so excited to have you, as we talked about kind of pre-show your reputation and, and what you and the map organization has been doing perceived. And we’re really excited to dive in deeper and share that with our

Steve Stirling (03:42):

Audience. I am too. And I wanna thank you, Scott and Enrique and Adrian and Matilda for having me, uh, on your show. It’s just great to be part of this great team here.

Scott Luton (03:52):

This is your story. And what you’re doing is really the Genesis of the logistics with purpose series. And, and it’s one of our favorite series here at supply now. So let’s dive right in and, and, and before we get to work, um, let’s get to know you better, Steve. Uh, you know, you’ve got a, you’ve had a fascinating journey. We wanna share some of that with our audience. So tell us, tell us where you’re from and, and paint that picture. Give us a few anecdotes about your journey.

Steve Stirling (04:14):

My stories about with God, all things are possible. I was born in South Korea and, uh, when I was one year old, I ended up getting polio. And my father, my biological father went to a funeral, uh, of his friends. Uh, uh, his child had passed away and unbeknownst to him, the child had passed away from polio. So this would’ve been 1957 and the polio vaccine had not reached Korea yet. I ended up getting polio. That was that setting to my father because I was the eldest son. And he felt so guilty about bringing the virus home to me. And so it was just a, a tragic time. It, it seemed like it at the time. And so when I was five years old, they tried to do all they could to get me to walk. And there was no, um, healthcare back then. And so my father heard about a pretty orphan is called hold.

Steve Stirling (05:02):

My aunt told him maybe if he was able to go into hold, maybe I could get some medical care and some other things in life. So I remember the night before my father dropped me off, he really distraught. And I remember he got a little drunk because I think must have been so painful for him. And so next morning he got up and he took me to the ORP finish and he, uh, left me at the doorstep and he told me to cry and somebody will come get you. And so I BA him, I sure I cried and sure enough, somebody got me. But then, uh, by the next day I crawled back where he dropped me off because I thought he was gonna come get me, did that every day for over a week. And then the second week, uh, my relatives brought my sister.

Steve Stirling (05:42):

Um, I have a biological sister that was adopted with me. And so they dropped her off. And so at least we were together. She’s not disabled. And so she, we could spend the time together. But I remember in growing up in the orphanage, it was very, uh, you know, I was scared because I, I thought I’d do something bad. You know, Hey dad, you know, what, what did I do wrong that you just abandoned me like this? And then I used to remember, I used to cry after to God. I said, God, first I was angry at God said, well, you know, what did I do to be abandoned and left behind and first get polio and then do all those things. And then I, that turned to God, God helped me. And it says in Psalm 72, 4, 12, and 14, that if you cry out the homeless of orphans, the widows, when they cry out to God, God will listen as their blood is precious to him.

Steve Stirling (06:30):

And he did listen. And so I was very fortunate that while I was in the orphanage, that a sponsor sponsored me. And so I would get some leg braces and crutches. I can walk first. It was leg braces. And then I remember, you know, going to school, I was the only handicapped kid going to the regular school. And kids would pick on me every single day, like clockwork, well, physically and verbally, but I still wanted to go to school. I don’t know what drove me, but I wanted to go to school. But then what would happen is when I get back to where the handicapped kids staying, that’s me included, I would line ’em all up and I would literally, uh, take it on, on them. So in frustrations, I, I was, I was a bad kid cause I was just literally, um, you know, beat up the handicap kids when I got home.

Scott Luton (07:09):

Well, Steve, real quick, let me ask you a question. Two, two quick things. First off seems like your faith was something you could really lean on heavily during these really challenging childhood. Right?

Steve Stirling (07:20):

I didn’t know who Jesus was. I nobody told me about Jesus. I just knew I could talk to somebody and you know, I didn’t have any adults to talk with. So I would just start talking to God and I didn’t know who God was. I would just start talking to him and that’s, I was not a spiritual person, any other than, I just need to talk to somebody. And so I cried out to God for help.

Scott Luton (07:42):

And then secondly, where, and during these formative years, as you’re going to school and having these experiences, you’re just sharing here. What city was that? Where was that? It

Steve Stirling (07:50):

Was a place called I son Korea. So I was born in Seoul, Korea, then the, uh, orphanages it’s, uh, in Elson, it’s about 20 miles Northwest of Seoul. And so, uh, you can go there and that’s a big city, but back then it was a tiny little village.

Scott Luton (08:05):

And did you spend, did you stay in IAnd throughout your, um, your early schooling?

Steve Stirling (08:11):

Uh, I did so, so I was in the orphanage for five years and, and this is amazing how God worked. My parents, uh, Lyn and Jim Sterling. They went to Korea to pick up another brother and sisters that related to me by blood. And so they were passing on candy to the kids who were left behind my sister, Mary Ellen. She took the candy and she ran off. So the, my parents asked the orphanage worker, what doesn’t she like us? What does she run off that way? And the orphanage workers told my parents, she has a hand brother and she’s taking him candy first. Wow. So I, I had her train really well. Right. She was my legs, but they were so touched by that. They said, oh, we need to meet her brother. So they went way in the back of the orphanage. And I was sitting on the floor with the other handicapped kids and they said, oh, uh, they said, we need to adopt them too.

Steve Stirling (08:58):

Has she not done what she did turned candy with me first? My parents, would’ve not even known about us about me, certainly. And they would not adopted us because they had a, um, law back then immigration law, where you can only bring over two children from a, um, uh, international country. So, uh, they had to work two years to amend the bill, uh, as a writer. So when president Johnson signed the bill in 1966 August, then we could come over. So my sister had a big play part, you know, in coming over because she not done that we would be back and still in Korea. So I’m thankful she’s she was very, uh, thoughtful and thought about somebody else beside herself when she had to share the candy with me first.

Scott Luton (09:39):

Wow. So, so you early on had developed an appreciation for supply chain, right? The candy supplier here. Exactly. But secondly, kidding aside, if I’m gonna understand you correctly and I may not, but part of them developing, making that connection, your parents, your adoptive, that led to legislation that allowed for a lot more handicapped children to be adopted, is that right?

Steve Stirling (10:02):

It was basically, my parents worked with the Congressman in Alaska cuz they had, they had moved from California to Anchorage, Alaska. And so they were writing the Congressman in Alaska and saw my book by the way. And so the Congressman basical attached to a bill, it’s a writer. And so when the bill passed, then we could come over and basically said that, uh, that MSU, my sister E could come over so they could be, uh, become children for Lynn and Jim Sterling. So while it was a beginning of the immigration, uh, this was back in the sixties when there was no really immigration and adoption going on. So they were, they played a part of that, uh, process as well.

Scott Luton (10:42):

Outstanding. We’re gonna talk about your, you reference your book, the crutch of success. We’re gonna talk about that more here as we get further into the, uh, the interview. So, so tell us more as, as we continue kind of working way into your professional journey before we get there, tell more about your upbringing and, and some of these challenges you fought through,

Steve Stirling (11:00):

You know, it was so amazing when you are living in a small orphanage in El San Korea, and all of a sudden you land in the airport in Anchorage, Alaska, it’s majestic, you got the mountains on the other side, you got the ocean on one side and it is this beautiful place. And by the way, in Korea, the, uh, Korean worked for America. It’s me go, which means beautiful land. And it was certainly a beautiful land. So when we, uh, so it was first time that I had a family, uh, after I was in orphan for five years. And so my parents adopted, uh, by then, uh, we were the sixth, fifth and sixth, and then also God bless them. One of their own, uh, God has a sense of humor cause they thought they can have any children. So when they adopted three boys and three girls, then they had one of their own.

Steve Stirling (11:45):

So they had seven children. So growing up in my first house was, you know, with the one bathroom and nine people, it was, you had to learn cooperation. Uh, then we moved into a bigger house then, but it was really just a great, you know, I was, uh, was in a regular school and kids didn’t pick on me. I think they thought I was Eskimo or something. It was a novelty. And even though I had crutches, they didn’t pick on me. So it was just a, for me, it was a wonderful time to be in America to start going to regular school.

Scott Luton (12:12):

It sounds like to me that if we all grew up in households of, of seven or eight children, that world would be a nicer, nicer place to live. Huh? I love this story that you’re sharing and, and you’re painting images. I think in a lot of our minds here, and I don’t wanna move along too quick to the professional side, but what, what else as you’re, as you, as you think about your life and your background that really got you prepared to make such a big impact, you know, professionally and, and, and globally, that you’re, that you and map are doing now, what else sticks out about your upbringing?

Steve Stirling (12:43):

Well, I think there are a couple things. One is I remember when I became a us citizen and, uh, that was 1960, uh, eight. And so I didn’t really know nine I do now, but I didn’t know at the time what that meant my parents, uh, said, uh, Steve, now you can be anything you want in, in the us, except for the president of the United States. And now who wants to be president anyway. Right? And, and if you do something really bad, they could deport you. And I said, I said, what does that mean deport you? They said, well, they’ll send you back to Korea. I said, give me like a vacation. They said, no, they’ll send you back forever. And I said, well, I’m gonna be the best star kid. Cause I don’t wanna go back to the orphanage. And because of that, I tried, I, I worked really hard anyway because I didn’t wanna disappoint my parents, but I was really motivated not to make any mistakes because I thought if I did, I would go back to Korea and I’ll tell you this later, how that really impacted me in a, in a big way.

Steve Stirling (13:38):

Another story I like to share with you is that when I was in, uh, high school, I asked my mom and dad, what are the best colleges in the United States? And they said, uh, Ivy league school and Stanford. And I told them, I’m going to go to one of them. And they said, Steve, uh, look around you. We have seven kids. You know, we don’t have money to send you to these, uh, schools. They’re very expensive and they’re very, very hard to get into, which means I’m not that smart cuz I’m not. And so, but I remember telling them God will provide. That’s what I told them. They’re probably thinking, what is this kid talking about? Keep that in mind because I ended up going to Cornell undergraduate and Northwestern for my MBA. And again, just showing you what is possible when you really trust the Lord and have big dreams and you really just go for it, just like, Hey, nothing could stop you, uh, long as you have a big dream and have God on your side.

Scott Luton (14:26):

I love that. I, I was reading a story in the wall street journal, not too long ago, it was an obituary as a matter of fact, but it was one of the found, I think the founder of the new robotics. And he was quoted as talking about how important to the growth of the company. It was for him and his leadership team to have an indomitable spirit. Uh, and so beyond, uh, Providence and beyond a good Lord and, and clearly his blessing on your journey, you know, having that spirit that you’re gonna, whatever comes your way, you’re gonna overcome it and, and, and break through those barriers. It sounds like Steve, a lot of kindred spirits and how you look at, look at life.

Steve Stirling (15:03):

Thank you. And I fully agree with you and I’ll tell you one other story before I talk about my professional life now. And so the other part was, you know, in growing up in high school, do you remember when you had, you know, boyfriend or you know, or girlfriends? And I had lots of girlfriends because people liked me, but I didn’t have a girlfriend. They were all platonic. So again, I remember I just, prior to God, I said, God, and it was usually a night when it’s quiet and nobody could hear me crying night, quietly. And I cried out to God. I said, God, uh, after my heart was broken, many times, I said, God, uh, would you one day get me a wife. I skipped a girlfriend altogether. I went one for the wife. I said, one day, would you get me a wife?

Steve Stirling (15:44):

Would you make a kind, would you make a wise? And would you make her general? And also God, you’re the God of the universe. Beautiful too. And I, I have to tell you, when I asked my wife of now almost 39 years to marry me, we never dated, she had many offer people trying to ask me to marry her. She said no. And so I literally, I it’s a long story and I’m gonna tell you it’s in the book again. I called her when I was back at Northwestern, I called her on the phone and I asked her and I said, uh, Zuki, I have a question. She said, yes. I said, uh, uh, I said, yes. I said, would you marry me? She said, yes, I will. I said, I don’t think you understood the question. You marry me please. And she said, yes, I’ll marry you.

Steve Stirling (16:29):

And I had to cover up the phone because first of all, I didn’t know what to say. I thought who would say, oh, let me think about it. Pros and cons. But that cover out the phone. I said, Yahoo. And you know, I tell you that story because we never dated. And when you look at it, God was answering all my prayers when I was crying out to him quietly. And so I, I just share that with you because really our hands are our life in her hands. When you trust the Lord, uh, we can accomplish many things and she’s been a big part of my life and I cannot do what I do without her today.

Scott Luton (17:01):

Thank you so much for sharing. I know that there’s so much more to that story and we’re just scratching the service, but really that sets the table for the rest of the conversation. So Matilda, I think we’re gonna be talking about his professional journey now. Right?

Matilda Arhin (17:14):

Definitely start. This is, I mean, it’s just inspiring. It’s I mean, all inspiring is probably the words that I can find right now. I’ve had the opportunity of reading the book and I want well to know about the book, because especially in these times that we are in, it is important for people to understand what it means to have hope, you know, to be, to be faithful in your area. So I’m excited. I wouldn’t want to move away from this conversation, but we have to get into the professional state. So Steve, thank you for sharing. Um, let’s talk about, like you said, professional journey, you know, to your prior to your current role, what were some of your key positions that helped shape you worldview?

Steve Stirling (17:54):

Um, my first job and I really to do I go into investment banking or do go into marketing, uh, entrepreneurship marketing. And I had, I was very fortunate, uh, to have worked at Johnson and Johnson at the, on the Tylenol business. And so that was my first job, uh, getting out of, um, Northwestern and, you know, it was, uh, first time where I had the opportunity to really, once you get your foot in the door, you have to prove yourself that everybody else. And so, um, and I was so thankful for J and J to gimme the opportunity. First of all, I’m very thankful to them because they pay for my MBA, which back in the, you know, the eighties wasn’t huge, but you know, it was still a lot of money in terms of, uh, back then was a lot of money. Uh, so thankful for that.

Steve Stirling (18:39):

And so we’re always grateful for the J J leadership scholarship that they provided for me. And so once I got in, though, I realized that I was different. You can see then I’m Asian and I, I don’t right now, you, you can’t see by I’ll walk with crutches and leg braces. So I didn’t have anybody else like me, uh, or pretty much any place that looked like me. And, and just be, I can kind of kind of, you know, mentors that type of thing. So basically I had to really figure out, well, how do I get into the, the informal social structure? So I try to as much as possible, uh, do things with the, my, uh, colleagues and whatnot, but, you know, I don’t play golf. I don’t play tennis. So sometimes that’s how you really, uh, start putting these bonds together. And so I try to figure out a way, other ways, uh, how do we get together socially? So we can start building relationship it beyond, uh, work because that you, you need to do that in order to be able to work together and collaborate together. So when, when you understand each other better, uh, you can get a lot more things done and it’s much more enjoyable.

Matilda Arhin (19:43):

Just this, like I said, a lot of people, not only in your, uh, predicament, a lot of predicament situation, you in where you came from, what you’re doing, what’s a key Eureka moment that you’ve had in this professional journey.

Steve Stirling (19:56):

Well, I’ve, I’ve had a number of Eureka moments. One of the things I never planned on doing was to work for a nonprofit, uh, because my, my objective was to work and plan the corporate ladder. And I was doing that. I went from Johnson and Johnson in to American own products, you know, help launch Avil and then went to, uh, Bristol Marqui launched boost, nutritional drink, and then, uh, um, conne foods and then Ameritrade. And so that was climbing the corporal ladder. And my thought of, of serving was serving on the board. And that, that was my extent. I, by then I was, uh, accepted Christ of my Lord and saviors. I, I would serve, uh, on the church related things and camps and that type of thing, but my whole outlook professionally was on just working in climbing the corporate ladder. And so, uh, when I served on the, on the board of whole international children services, where I came from for nine years, uh, in 2000, this is the Eureka moment that I had in 2000, the founder’s wife, ber ahol passed away.

Steve Stirling (21:01):

And so, uh, and also by then, if you recalled in 2000, the NASDAQ crash stock market crash. And so I was the vice president, a third VP of Ameritrade now, TD Meritrade. So they laid me off, which was a blessing in disguise because I had the time to fly my wife and I fly to, uh, Korea to attend the funeral of, uh, Bertha Holt. And there I met my childhood friend. Peter’s name is Kim. And he has severe sort palsy. Uh, he could barely feed himself. He gets around with electric wheelchair, but he was smiling at me. So I thought, well, he must be my friend. So I said, Kim, do you remember me? And he said, yes, ma’am sir. I remember you. I said, oh, what do you remember me about? He said, um, well, you used to beat me up all the time.

Steve Stirling (21:46):

And remember I told you earlier that when I came home to the orphanage, uh, when I was saying at the orphanage, I would get, you know, pick on the kids because they picked on me. So I felt really bad cause I’m very strong upper body. So I asked him, Sue, would you forgive me for what I did to you growing up? And he looked me right in the eye and he said, young Sue, I forgive you a long time ago because Jesus forgive me a, my sins. And when he said that I was speechless, I, I, I was just thinking, you know, this is a man trapped in his own body. He could, uh, barely feed himself, but he’s happy. He’s joyful. And then, so I start thinking, what am I doing with my life? And that was the first Eureka moment I really had where I said, and I said to God, I said, God, what do you want me to do? I will do anything you want me do. And that’s what I told I’ll do anything. And then I learned that the orphan I grew up in for five years initially was helped by Bob Pierce, the founder of world vision. And so, uh, after many interviews that I worked for world vision, that’s my first nonprofit job. And that was 20 years ago in 2000. Uh, so that was really a big uric me moment for me, where I went from corporate to nonprofit. Now I’ve been in the nonprofit for roughly, uh, 20 years as well.

Scott Luton (22:57):

This is very inspiring and, and, and kind of thought provoking, right? As I hear Steve walk us through his journey, uh, both personally and professionally, you know, what are we doing right to, to, to make an impact to give back? I mean, I, I hope hopefully our audience is kind of thinking that themselves, but on that note, going back a little bit, Steve, and before we talk about your book for a minute, you were talking about how hard and how intentionally and how deliberate you were trying to make those relationships in the organization based on some of your limitations and, and, but, and how difficult that was. And I think that’s just a key takeaway, I think, for the conversation for all of us, because I think for those, for, for those that have limitations or don’t have limitations and that, that, and, and fitting in maybe an afterthought, it’s really important for us to put ourselves in, in your shoes and hopefully make, you know, build those bridges and make it easy for folks that, that were doing exactly what, what you’re trying to do. So I really appreciate you sharing. Cause I think that doesn’t get enough attention. It can be in a blind spot for so many folks. All right. So let’s talk about your book, heard a lot about your book. Uh, uh, I’m, I’m ashamed to say I haven’t read it yet, but I’m gonna pick it up from Enrique. All right. So the crutch of success. So a couple questions here first off, what really can you point to specifically that said, Hey, I’ve gotta write this book.

Steve Stirling (24:17):

My wife Suki, her name, her name is Suki. She was telling me, you know, encouraging me for years to know you need to tell your story because you are unique. You’re probably the only handicap Korean American, who is a CEO of a nonprofit. And I said, oh, there’s other people like me. And I don’t want to be talking about myself. And especially when you, you write a book yet you really need to share your story, be little transparent. And I, I really didn’t wanna do that. And then, uh, finally, uh, this happened about a year ago. Finally, I realized it’s not about me, it’s about God and what he’s done accomplished through me. And so it was really about how do I encourage other people, you know, really talking about where you start in life, so that a very humble beginning doesn’t have to define where you end up.

Steve Stirling (25:09):

And so hopefully it will be encourage some people that are going through challenges in life. We all challenges. Sometimes it’s physical at the times, it’s mental, it’s other it’s economical, uh, situation, whatever we may be. So hopefully you give them some hope that, uh, God could use any of us, any one of us, us, if we just led him to, uh, the permission. Cause we had to, it’s a choice. We can be bitter about it and said, no, you know, I had this happen to me and I I’m gonna be bitter about it or say, Hey, it happened because it was meant to, and you can use it for the good. And so that’s why, uh, finally ended up writing the book.

Scott Luton (25:45):

You took all of that and used it as ammunition and as a way to, to give back and help others and inspire others. I love that lesson learned here. All right. So before we’re gonna bring Adrian in here momentarily, cause we’re gonna talk about map international, but before we do, I know it’s tough. This is gonna be a tough question because there’s so much in the book I’ve heard, uh, from this team here and, and, and doing a little bit of homework. If there’s one thing that readers of your book will take away and will remember you as an author, what, what would you really want that to be?

Steve Stirling (26:15):

Ephesians two 10 says we are God’s workmanship, creating Christ Jesus to do good works, which he prepared in advance for us to do. So F for me, that was a, um, many life changing versus, but it’s one of them because it doesn’t matter if I have crutches. If I have polio, uh, God had some special work that only I can do. And so it really talks about everybody because we may say, you know, I didn’t have a, a chance in life. I didn’t, I was born in this country. I came here. I didn’t have chance to do this and go to a good school or whatever it may be. God could still use you because he created each person, uh, to do good works, which you’re preparing advance for us to do. And so I believe that, uh, and I, I truly believe that because without that belief, you can’t accomplish things, but when you believe and you say, well, you know, I’m gonna do it and I’m gonna do the best of my abilities to do it, then God will do the rest. So I think that’s one of the, the things I like to challenge everyone. That’s listening to the podcast that everyone has a purpose in life. It doesn’t matter who you are. And, uh, so I hope that encourages everyone to do and go out and just do it and then see what God can do once you do that.

Scott Luton (27:30):

Everyone certainly has a purpose. It takes a little time sometimes to find it and act on it. But I love that message, Steve. Okay. So Adrian so much good stuff here. I, I almost hate to talk about mapping as much as I’m, I’m looking forward to learning a lot more about map international, but Adrian, let’s dive right in, huh?

Adrian Purtill (27:49):

Yeah. Thank you, Scott. Steve. So yes, as Scott said, let’s, uh, let’s all learn more about map international. If you could tell us, uh, exactly what map does and what it’s all about.

Steve Stirling (27:59):

It was interesting. Uh, when I got the interview, uh, Twitter calls, this is about seven years ago now. And she says we have the, I had, we had the best role for you CEO of, of map. And I jokingly said, I said, map, who uses map? Everybody has GPS. And they said, no, it stands for medical assistant program. And, and, you know, I knew about gifting kind, but I never heard of map before. So it said really the best kept secret. And so I told the recruiter, I said, no, uh, my first response was no. And then I came home because I told the, the previous CEO of where I was, uh, uh, that I would be there at least, uh, uh, three to five years. I was a COO, uh, of child fund in Richmond, Virginia. So I wanted to keep my promise. And so then I, uh, came home and told Zuki about it.

Steve Stirling (28:46):

She said, you said maps a Christian organization. I said, uh, yes. She said, don’t you think you should at least pray about it? First? I said, you’re right. Said I would prayed about it. And then, uh, then I realized the impact, that map is making and, and got it, prepare me for the role, you know, why did I end up getting polio? And there’s so much better if you could prevent a disease with the vaccine, but once you get it something you can, it’s treatable. You know, if you get a, uh, you get sick, if you have hypertension, if you get antibiotic, those are very curable things or certainly manageable, uh, uh, chronic diseases. But if you don’t have the medicine, you will literally not make it. So, uh, I, um, ended up getting the role. And then when you look at the impact map is making, because map gets medicines donated by pharmaceutical companies.

Steve Stirling (29:32):

And so these products are still good products. They’re not expired yet, but they’re getting close to expiring. So when, by the time when map gets, it usually had by eight months dating on it. And so then we store it, process it, and we ship it out out of Brunswick, Georgia to our implementing partners on the ground. And they, our partners on the ground have boots on the ground, people on the, their own staff. And they will then, uh, distribute medicines to, uh, hospitals and clinics and school and, and other, uh, um, facilities. And because map gets these medicines donated a $10 donation will provide $840 with a medicine. And think about that. You know, where, you know, two cups of coffee, right? Starbucks coffee, two cups will provide $840 with life saving medicine.

Scott Luton (30:23):

Talk about a force multipliers, Steve, holy cow.

Steve Stirling (30:26):

It is, it is a huge, uh, you know, one to 84, it’s a huge impact and people want return on investment. What, what impact am I making? So map does medicines. We also do, um, get, we get involved during disaster response because anytime you have a disaster, natural manmade, you always need medicines and supplies. And so map gets involved there as well. And we’ve been involved with every year with hurricane responses, earthquake responses, the explosion and bear root. And this year, particularly, we’ve been so engaged with providing, uh, health supplies, face masks, gloves, PP, personal protected equipment, uh, personal wive medicines to help combat the coronavirus right here in the us, but also around the

Scott Luton (31:11):

World. One quick follow up comment here, Adrian, before we dive a up, further that explosion in the port bay route, you know, we’ve all of course read about that. We’ve had some folks on that were involved in some of those continuing relief efforts, but gosh, the amount of tragedy that the people there have just dealt with, it’s been, it’s been hit after hit after hit. So really appreciate your efforts there, uh, all the things you mentioned, but certainly those folks that, that continue to get, um, challenge after challenge. So great story. All, all right. So Adrian, we’re gonna dive deeper into roles, right?

Adrian Purtill (31:45):

Yeah. Steve, tell us about the, you know, the roles that you have as, as well as CEO, how you see those roles playing out in, in, in practice, within map. And, uh, where do you spend your time

Steve Stirling (31:55):

Physically? I spent, I split my time between Brunswick, Georgia, and Atlanta. And now because of COVID 19, I’m not spending much time in Atlanta. The Atlanta’s important because you have the corporations there and you have much more support, uh, in Atlanta, uh, versus in Brunswick. Brunswick is our operations and, uh, Adrian Mattel that have been there and looking forward to hosting Enrique and you Scott some day too, in Brunswick, we have a 40,000 square foot warehouse. It’s a global distribution center. And that’s what we do the operations part in terms of physically doing the work in terms of spending my time. I try to split my time between strategy and then, uh, also implementation because, uh, number one, you have to hire good people to let them run the business. As you know, supply chain management, it’s all about people. Cause we’re not making anything.

Steve Stirling (32:43):

We’re really moving, uh, items from pharma companies to map and to, to our partners and doing that, that supply chain management. Uh, and then strategy is very important because if you don’t manage a nonprofit, like a business, you’ll, you you’ll go out of business. And so people think nonprofit is, oh, you can do basically what you want. And you know, it’s okay to lose money, cuz you’re nonprofit. You cannot do that because long term, if you lose, continue to lose money, you cannot stay in business because at some point you can’t borrow any more money. And so really how do you run an organiz with excellence and, you know, map we talk about, we, uh, are serving God and God wants excellent. He doesn’t want mediocre work. And because we’re nonprofit does not mean we want the excellent, the best of what we can do any, uh, any organization to do.

Steve Stirling (33:37):

So that’s very important. And so, uh, I think it’s strategy also is very important because it kind of gives you the future vision of where you’re headed and you know, there’s a need in the world. Uh, w H O world health organization estimates. There are 2 billion people in the world without access to, uh, life saving medicines and supplies, and that’s getting worse with COVID 19. So, you know, each year map, uh, and this year map helped over 20 million people get access to medicines and health supplies. But, but, but normally we do maybe 10 to 13 million people. So, but think about that 2 billion and 10 million that’s, that’s a scratch. So one of the challenges we put out there as part of our strategic planning says with the board and our senior leadership team, and I shared that with, uh, vector with Mika, Adrian, uh, Matilda was we wanna double impact in the next five years.

Steve Stirling (34:31):

Uh, not in the next 65 years. Uh, the age of map, we wanna double it in the next five years and to do that is gonna take a great deal of, uh, strategy in terms of go library with other people, how do we get more supplies? How do we get more, uh, funding to help move the supply? So when we believe that we can double what we do and could be, uh, maybe 40 million, maybe even 50 million in five years. So that is our goal. And how do we make that vision and reality and the plant put that plan in place. So each year we progress to that goal. And so it’s a, it’s a, it’s a weighing of strategy and then implementation. And how do you marry the two together?

Enrique Alvarez (35:09):

Yeah, no, I just saw a quick question, uh, on that last comment, Steve, and thank you once again for, for being here, it’s always, uh, interesting talking to you. So what, where do you think, uh, it’s an incredible, uh, goal that you have said for yourself and your organization? What is your, uh, what do you think the main bottlenecks to that kind of expansion are as it? Where, in what part of the supply chain is it and what, what are you most kind of worried about when it comes to managing those potential bottlenecks? More, more closely?

Steve Stirling (35:39):

You know, one of the biggest constraint is supply because pharmaceutical companies are not producing these medicines to donate. They are literally giving us products that cannot sell that supply is limited. So then our challenge is, well, how do I increase that supply? And one of the things would looking at is how do we shorten the supply chain management? Because if you could take out two weeks here, two weeks, uh, you know, throughout the process from receiving it to processing it, to storing it and shipping it and getting it shipped and cleared, if you could take off two months out of that process, that could help literally millions more people, because the we’re now having this data product move through the system much quicker. And that’s why looking forward to working with vector and figuring out also, how do we do our warehousing more efficiently? Uh, as an example, if you look at our warehouse, a 40,000 sport warehouse in Brunswick, we have five levels of storage.

Steve Stirling (36:35):

And, but then when you do a deeper says, 30% of volume are the medicines and RX and OTC products, 70% of the volume are health supplies. Well, the health supplies, you don’t have to necessarily store in a temperature controlled, uh, warehouse, which is very costly. So, you know, vector figuring out how do we then do the, um, you know, warehouse the medicines in one location, maybe the supplies in another location and have just in time have it come together. So those are the things we look in the system to make us much more efficient, and then also minimize the future need for additional capital to expand our warehouse. Uh, when, when we double impact in the next five years,

Scott Luton (37:18):

Being in Brunswick, the neat thing you are taking advantage of clearly that we all know here is being really close to one of the fastest growing most capable port sea ports, really certainly in the states, if not in the world. And I’m sure that that helps you take some time out of that, you know, out of the overall end end supply chain. And I would imagine too, Steve, when you’re talking about supply and ramping up supply, if you could take a month or two out of, you know, end to end, uh, your end end supply chain and, and all that processing time and handoffs and transitions that are, that’s a part of any supply chain you would have access maybe perhaps would you have access to more supply and, and, and the companies that support in terms of donating medicines, would there be more options there?

Steve Stirling (38:00):

I believe once we show that we’re having even greater impact, and then we obviously have to then tell the impact stories back to the pharma companies, because they want to hear what impact are their products donations having. And so I think we can show that we’re much more efficient at it and because we’re having greater impact. Yes, I believe that can then to turn to where they say, well, let’s give it to map instead of some other nonprofit and perhaps maybe they’ll even give us more. And the other part of it is in the receiving side, if we can show to governments in that says west Africa, Hey, we can move this very quickly and you can do this on a monthly basis so that you can take the shorter medicines, accept it because you can do it very quickly. And so you can actually use it before expires and help millions more people. So I think on the supply side, but also on the demand side, I believe we can get more governments to say, yes, we’ll take the shorter data medicines. So then we can move it quicker to upon change management.

Scott Luton (38:58):

I’m given, uh, Adrian and Matilda and Enrique heads up. Cause I wanna circle back and get one of your favorite parts about what Steve has shared on the interview. But before we do that, Steve, when, when, when you think about your, the global enterprise that, that you lead and, and you’re helping so people and you wanna do so much more and be in even greater force for good, a as we’re talking to our audience, what’s one thing that might surprise our audience members about, um, a nonprofit, nonprofit O operations, especially as it relates to supply chain or, or distribution of, of your goods, or what have you,

Steve Stirling (39:31):

If you look at the size of map and if you look at our total revenues, because 99% of all we, what we do is gift and kind, uh, we do, we do purchase about a million of product to help round out the order for our customers. So when you look at wow, that a 600 million organization, if you look at the cash to cash side, we’re really only a 10 million cash organization. So think about that. The 10 million of capital is moving 600 million of life changing and oftentimes life saving medicines. And to do that, you have to be very, very good at what you do because I’ve worked in, you know, 20 year, uh, half and half, 20 years in my eight years in corporate America. And now, you know, almost 20 years in, uh, 20 years in nonprofit, our room for error is much smaller in a nonprofit because in corporations that you have bigger budgets.

Steve Stirling (40:29):

If you make a little mistake here, you know, you make it outta some other place with, with the nonprofits, you really don’t, you cannot make too many mistakes, uh, because at some point you run outta capital to stay in business. And so I think one of the challenges, how do you grow and do it in a way that’s responsible because we are using donor dollars, we don’t get money from government. And so we get some money from corporations, some foundations that’s, it’s all private funding. So that’s a challenge. How do we then grow? And, and, and, and we really invite corporations come with us because I don’t think you’re gonna be able to get a return where you help 20 million people get access to life, changing medicine from 10 million capital of cash. And then obviously, uh, gifting kind gets donated if

Scott Luton (41:15):

You’re listening to today’s podcast. Hey, and you’re looking to, to use, uh, your resources for good, and especially in a historically challenging year in a time when so many people, as Steve has mentioned 2 billion people that don’t don’t have access to what they need. Hey, reach out. We’re, we’re gonna, we’re gonna make sure you have map internationals content information and get involved in, in the good fight. All right. So I wanna circle back. There’s so much here. I, I love this conversation and I wanna start with you. I wanna circle back through our panel here. What’s, what’s one thing that Steve has shared today that really hits home for you. Well,

Enrique Alvarez (41:49):

Uh, you’re absolutely right about one thing, Scott, and there’s just so many things to own package here that it just could be another one hour conversation just to kind of like try to assimilate all the things that we have listened and learned. And again, it’s just been a pleasure to kind of meet and, uh, get to know Steve better. And, and again, Steve, thank you very much for doing this, the whole point of us having this, uh, series or this opportunity used to share inspirational stories like yours, because we believe that sharing them pretty much in the same way that you kind of came to the conclusion that you had to write a book. I think that’s the best way of really changing the world and, and we believe, uh, deeply and passionately about making it possible impact in the world as well. But, um, answering your question, Scott, I, I kind of wrote two.

Enrique Alvarez (42:34):

Um, then I’ll just go with, uh, with both real quick, one’s just your fearless attitude. I mean, you’re, it’s just incredibly brave what you’ve done. Like every single aspect of what you’ve done from one point to the other, to where you are now, it’s just took some, a lot of courage, right. Uh, and, and I think that’s something that, uh, that I take and, and I, and I will actually share with my kids in particular and other people that I know, because I think that, uh, something very important that tells me your story tells me, is that you should not always pay too much attention to what other people say or think that you can do or cannot do, including your own parents when they were questioning your, your ambition to go into business school or one of the top schools in the us. And, and here you are. So, yeah, that’s, that’s one thing. And, uh, I’ll probably just let the others mention something before I say something that they might,

Scott Luton (43:26):

You still thunder in Rek

Enrique Alvarez (43:28):

Thinking of yeah. Still wanna, they wanna steal your, your, their thunder, but no, just, it’s just, I I’ve always admired people that, that go against the flow and, and, and Steve for, for sure is one of those, uh, great leaders that does that. So

Scott Luton (43:45):

Bold. All right. So Adrian, you’re about to say something. Yeah.

Adrian Purtill (43:47):

I, I there’s, you know, two, uh, incidents that come up, which, uh, which I really love that, that Steve’s talked about is, is, uh, how, how his sister ran with the candy and, and that’s what started everything for him on his, on his journey. Uh, just, just, just an incredible story that just his, his, um, proposal marriage proposal to, uh, to Suki from a, from a, almost a zero base and, and, and how successful, that was just a, an amazing story. But through it all, just Steve’s, uh, resilience, uh, his perseverance and his determination to succeed, uh, is just awe inspiring. And, uh, I I’m sure his, his, his staff and, and colleagues and, and friends around the world are just see him as a very, very dynamic, late, uh, leader, uh, and a very, uh, gracious and humble human being as well. And that that’s, that’s what comes through so strongly with, uh, talking to Steve.

Scott Luton (44:38):

Well, put Adrian well put Matilda.

Matilda Arhin (44:40):

Yes, I am always all inside when I am thinking of Steve, because I come from a place, wait, uh, Steve is talking about some of the 2 billion, uh, affected by some of the issues that I think we all aware of marginalized communities and all that. So, um, for me, uh, first of all, I’m so grateful to en probably have to go cause en the culture of en really fits into some of the things that people doing. And one thing I took from there is perfect or hurt people if they do not have the help they need. So for Steve to even go to school and come and take out to the least the marginally, the people that are really suffer now in his position, it makes me understand the mindset of children that do need help that need to talking to, you know, but then again, um, Adrian also pressure the part of that, God can even use candy to change somebody’s life.

Matilda Arhin (45:35):

For me, having been here in the United States for so long, the benevolence of the people of viewers that they come together to help and fix things, you know, globally teach parents, God, I would love to get to meet your mother because the fight they have to put up to even change the laws to come and pick you guys up. I’m glad I have glasses on because I come from a place where I see things like that, and kids are changed to change for three years cause of their disabilities or what it is, and they get brilliant kids. So for me, it’s quite an inspir. I have to hold myself from not getting to emotion. Now when I talk. So I am grateful for them here with Steve and also en constantly help and with books, Steve with medicine, and it’s just, I’m, I’m grateful to be here. So I take that to give children the hope. So the book that I’m reading, I am going to take it to an offer week and make sure that I talk to them, understand what I do not give hope, and it can continue your life.

Scott Luton (46:37):

Matilda. Thanks so much for sharing that. Uh, uh, a lot of what you just shared there resonated certainly with me, and I bet lot, lots of folks of our audience kind of piggybacking piggyback. I think that’s right on what each of y’all have shared. It takes me back to where it all started with Steve’s sister, the candy, and it’s amazing the impact, what a simple act of kindness, what it can do. And, and, and you never know, you never know what folks are struggling with other than more than what you see. And just that simple act of kindness, playing such a big part of, of this legacy of service and, and, and tackling the worlds is and problems. So love that. Thanks for each of y’all for sharing. So, Steve, I, I’m hoping that through this interview here today, as we publish it and get it out to our global community, that folks will, maybe a couple folks will step up and want to help support the mission and, and connect with you. How can they connect with you and with map international?

Steve Stirling (47:31):

Well, thank you again, Scott, it’s been such a pleasure to be part of this show. And again, I wanna thank, uh, and, and Adrian and nada for just what, what you do, cuz you do what your work with the passion and for purpose too, not just to move product, but also to help really, how do you make a difference in life? And thank you for, uh, being part of, uh, with map. Uh, you can go to, uh, map.org and you can get involved in a number of different ways. You can volunteer to packing of disaster health kids at your organization. That could be a team building or a donations. Again, cost us money to move these containers of medicines. Even with that service fee, you only cover about a third of our operating costs. Cause every year we have to raise 10 million to do this work, to help, uh, 13 plus million people around the world get access to medicine. So again, dot org. And if I can finish, uh, with couple stories, if that’s okay with you, Scott. Sure,

Scott Luton (48:29):

Please. We’d love to hear, I I’d love to hear thousands more stories from you, Steve. I, I

Steve Stirling (48:34):

Love it. Two stories. One is the impact that, um, map medicines making through our partners. Uh, we work with the Carter center in Liberia as an example, and there other great examples and the Carter center, they trained the mental health workers, 230 class mental health workers in Liberia. And they, as you know, that country has gone through a civil war, many, many other, uh, Ebola and other challenges and, and, uh, Matilda, you know, what life like in Ghana and other places as well with trauma. And so, but when they trained the mental health workers, they didn’t have any medicine, they didn’t have the mental health medicine. So the, then we, we partner with, with, uh, Carter center and we provide the psychotropic medicine so that people for the healthcare, uh, provider to now provide, um, mental health medicine. So give an example. One of the, um, biggest challenges, uh, is epilepsy.

Steve Stirling (49:26):

And when people go into epileptic, seizure in, uh, library and other parts of the world, people literally beat them with a stick thinking that they have to drive out the evil spirit. Wow. Can you imagine getting beat while you going through this epilepsy seizure? And so now with the medicine, uh, epilepsy medicine, they don’t, they can live a normal life. And that, that’s just an example. Again, map provides that to the Carter center and to the country of labor barrier for free. And again, that takes fun to do that. And the second story, uh, the last story would be, uh, I, uh, was working, uh, this was many years, probably about 15 years ago. So I was in, uh, Cambodia and I was with a group of disabled, uh, young adults. And because I had crutches and leg braces, they opened up to me and, and, and shared this story.

Steve Stirling (50:13):

Uh, one young woman had a prosthetic leg. So I asked her what happened. And she said, when she was 12 years old, she was outside playing. She steps on a nail and the nail goes through her foot. Now that’s very painful. But in the United States, you just go to the doctor and get a tetanus shot and some, uh, a penicillin you’re, you’re, you’re fine. A week later. Well, her family could not afford to send her a doctor. So they treated a foot with some, uh, some, uh, urban medicine and to make a long story to her where she had to go to the doctor, gang green had to set in and they had to amputate her leg above the knee. And she said she was so ashamed of being, not a whole person, uh, because in that country, if you have any disability, either at birth or do it to an accident, uh, they think you or your parent has sinned and God is punishing you.

Steve Stirling (51:04):

And so she said she would not come out of her hut, not a house, a hut for a year because she didn’t feel like a whole person. And so, uh, a, a one week course of antibiotic would have prevented that from happening. Just think about that one, you know, for medicines that we could for free antibiotics would prevented her from lifelong, um, trauma of not being a whole, a person, cuz she lost a leg by stepping in a nail. And you know, I, I think the many listeners, uh, know the historian in the Bible in John chapter nine, when the disciples asked Jesus, why was this man born blind? Did he sin or parents sin. And, and he, Jesus answered neither he or parents sin in, but God allowed to happen. So the glory of God could be shown in this person’s life. And I, I sort of feel like I’m that person, because I sometimes wonder, you know, why was I reflected with polio? But then I realized it was really, it was a, it’s a privilege because now I get to be able to share this work with people by saying, Hey, let’s I advocate for people with disabilities who don’t have to get disabled because you can take these medicines, you know, hypertension, cardiovascular, diabetes, all this, uh, chronic diseases can be prevented and treated if you, if you get the right medicine and this is why I’m so excited about maps work and what we’re doing around the world.

Scott Luton (52:27):

I’m gonna ask you one additional question here, I think as a, as a leader and, and your perspective so much of this relates, at least in my mind, back to leadership and effective leadership based on your collective journey to date, you know, you’ve shared so much here and, and just to surf that just to, you know, tip it iceberg. But if folks are listening to this and maybe they’re just starting their career, maybe they haven’t managed just yet. Maybe they haven’t led any big initiative just yet. Maybe they’re on the beginning of their whole professional journey. What would be one really effective leadership best practice that you’d share with them?

Steve Stirling (53:01):

What comes to mind is, is trust yet to really trust to people you work with and then also excellence. You expect the best out of people, uh, not the worst, but the best. So when you do that, people will usually deliver, you have to have a vision and to lead where you’re going, but assuming that’s there, most, most places have vision and mission and all of that, but how do you make it happen? And so you gotta trust the people that you work with and they expect the best. And when you do that things really good things happen.

Scott Luton (53:32):

Trust is, is such a, um, important aspect of the whole equation and, and, you know, expecting the best, you know, that’s what helps fuel global supply chains, right? That, that trusting in your suppliers, trusting in your colleagues and trusting frankly, in your leadership. Right. But let’s one final. So the crutch of success, you can find that anywhere. I believe, I think it’s, it’s all major bookstores and providers is that right? See

Steve Stirling (53:58):

That’s right, Amazon, but I would actually appreciate it. If you go to the ma.org and then you could actually, uh, find it there because then, uh, you’ll get a copy. And then all of the donation goes to map, uh, if you buy it on Amazon, I think we get about a dollar 72, uh, of that purchase. But whereas you get it from us directly, uh, then then a hundred percent of it goes to, uh, the maps work

Scott Luton (54:23):

Outstanding. I didn’t had no idea. I outstanding. So map.org is a place to go, of course, to our listeners. We’ll include that in the show notes so that you it’s, it’s one click. That’s what we’re after here. All right. Enrique old, Greg white. Couldn’t join us here today. Uh, he, a lot of times gets our last word. Enrique Alvarez is gonna get our last word here on today’s conversation. So Enrique,

Enrique Alvarez (54:43):

Well, thank you very much for giving me such a long heads up on that, but, uh, we definitely miss Greg white. No. Um, my last word is just, thank you. I, I, I think this is, this is the, the word that I want everyone else to, to leave with. It’s just, thank you. I think Steve, you are, uh, you and your organization and your purpose are, um, inspirational in so many different ways that I’m pretty sure that people, uh, will listen to and, and see this podcast and, and learn a couple of things here and there. And as you said, then just trust, trust that you, that you have to then go out there and do it right. There’s no easy way out.

Scott Luton (55:24):

Absolutely. And, and on behalf, the entire team here, Steve really appreciate what you, uh, and, and the map international team is doing would love to help, you know, grow, you know, going from 20 million people serve to 50 and beyond. Let’s get after those 2 billion, right. And working together with you and all the other wonderful folks that are, that are serving those in needs. So really appreciate not just your journey, uh, and the mission, but the action, the real action you and the team are taking to help folks that that really are in need. Steve, appreciate what you

Steve Stirling (55:55):

Do. Well, thank you very much for having me on your show.

Scott Luton (55:57):

We’ve been talking with Steve Sterling, president CEO of map international. Be sure to go to map.org, be in the show notes, learn more, figure out how you can, you can get involved in their out standing mission and get a copy of the book, uh, which will help, uh, further the mission along big, thanks to our panel of co-hosts. Y’all knocked it outta the park today. Matilda RN, uh, thanks so much Matilda for joining us. Appreciate your perspective.

Matilda Arhin (56:22):

Thank if I have any that’s wonderful.

Scott Luton (56:25):

You bet. And of course, Adrian, Parilla Adrian. Great to see you again.

Adrian Purtill (56:28):

Thank you. You two Scott, and it’s been a pleasure as always.

Scott Luton (56:31):

Absolutely. And of course, Enrique Alvarez appreciate what you do. And the vector global logistics team does as it powers this logistics with purpose series to bring stories like this, that of folks are doing good. They’re changing the world to our, our listenership. Thank you, Scott. All right. So, you know, we, we started today’s episode, uh, we produced almost 500 episodes and for the first time ever, we started with a prayer. Uh, so I’m gonna wrap in a little bit more of a unique fashion. Cause what, what I heard here today brings to mine a great phrase that, that I learned, uh, from our small group at church and it’s, uh, practice PTK every day. So patience tolerance, and of course kindness, uh, big seminal aspects of Steve’s journey. And, and that’s the challenge here today. So practice PTK every day on that note on behalf of our entire team here at supply chain. Now this is Scott Luton signing off here today. Hey, do good. Give forward. Be the change that’s needed. Be like Steve Sterlings of the world, the world be a better place. And we’ll see you next time here on Supply Chain Now.

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As President and CEO since 2014, Steve Stirling brings a wealth of experience as well as a unique perspective to MAP International. While a child in post-war Korea in the early 1960s, Steve suffered a life-altering bout with polio – a disease which could have been prevented with a few cents-worth of medication. It was a disease which made Steve dedicate his life to bring critically needed medicines and health supplies to some of the world’s poorest people.

Before assuming the role of President and CEO of MAP International, he held executive-level positions with nonprofits including with Child Fund International, Heifer International, Universal Life Sciences, ChildHelp and WorldVision US. Additionally, he worked for pharmaceutical companies that include the makers of Tylenol, Advil, and Bristol-Myers-Squibb/Mead Johnson Nutritionals. Steve earned his bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics at Cornell University and his MBA in Marketing and Finance at Northwestern University. Steve and his wife, Sook Hee, have two grown children.

A negotiator for  multilateral trade agreements, Matilda Arhin has consulted for SMEs and start-ups from a diverse range of industries in Switzerland, the United States, and Africa, including eCommerce, transportation, manufacturing and technology, energy, consumer goods, housing infrastructure, healthcare and agriculture. She has also consulted for the public sector and government organizations in Africa, Switzerland and the United States. She was the prime influence behind a series of initiatives to enhance  trade, investment, and economic cooperation with African countries and is recognized as one of the  foremost experts on African trade, investment and education.  She recently joined Vector Global Logistics as a business developer.

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. Learn more about Vector Global Logistics here: https://vectorgl.com/

Hosts

Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

Enrique Alvarez

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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Kristi Porter

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Kim Reuter

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.

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Sofia Rivas Herrera

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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Demo Perez

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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Kim Winter

Host, Supply Chain Now

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

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

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

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Adrian Purtill

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Kevin Brown

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Jose Miguel Irarrazaval

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Nick Roemer

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Allison Giddens

Host

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

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

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Billy Taylor

Host

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

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

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

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

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Tandreia Bellamy

Host

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

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

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

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

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Marty Parker

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.

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Laura Lopez

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!

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Jake Barr

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.

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Marcia Williams

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.

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Luisa Garcia

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.

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Astrid Aubert

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.

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Sofia Rivas

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

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Karin Bursa

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. 

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Vin Vashishta

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.

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Amanda Luton

Vice President, Production

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

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Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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

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

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Greg White

Principal & 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.

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Chris Barnes

Principal, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain is Boring

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

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

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Tyler Ward

Director of Sales

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

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

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

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Kevin L. Jackson

Host of Digital Transformers

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

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Enrique Alvarez

Host of Logistics with Purpose and Supply Chain Now en Español

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

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

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Kelly Barner

Host of Dial P for Procurement

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

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Mary Kate Soliva

Host, Veteran Voices

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

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Constantine Limberakis

Host

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

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Clay Phillips

Business Development Manager

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

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Trisha Cordes

Administrative Assistant

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

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Chantel King

Social Media Manager

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

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

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

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Lori Sofian

Marketing Coordinator

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

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Katherine Hintz

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.

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Mary Kate Love

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.

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Joshua Miranda

Marketing Specialist

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

Donna Krache

Director of Communications and Executive Producer

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

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Vicki White

Controller

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

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Katherine Hintz

Creative Director, Producer, Host

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

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