Logistics with Purpose
Episode 804

[We're] helping people understand their dollar goes a very, very long way and that spending that money properly can actually help solve a lot of the issues that we want to solve.

-Grant Trahant, Causeartist

Episode Summary

We could all use a little good news, and that’s exactly what Grant Trahant serves up with his platform Causeartist. Through regular digital content, he’s keeping the world connected to the stories of creative brands, startups and social entrepreneurs sparking social change. Join co-hosts Kristi Porter and Nuria Sierra as they chat with Grant about his professional journey, inspirational companies he’s met along the way, advice for social entrepreneurs, new trends and more.

Episode Transcript

Kristi Porter (00:18):

Hello, and thank you so much for joining. I am Kristi Porter of vector global logistics, and this is another episode of the logistics with purpose podcast series. Um, and today I am excited to have a co-host here. Nuria Sierra. Who’s also on my marketing team. So NUIA how are you? This is the first time we get to host together. Yes,

Nuria Sierra (00:39):

I know. I’m really excited to be here with you today and well, I’m really looking forward to have a, a chat with grant with the special guest <laugh>.

Kristi Porter (00:51):

Yeah, this is gonna be a lot of fun. So I’m excited that we get to co-host together and, um, we get to have a guest on that I’ve been wanting to have on for quite a while. So I’m really for us to chat with grant as well. So let’s welcome grant, who is the founder of cause artist, whom I have been a fan of for quite a number of years now. Welcome grant. How are you?

Grant Trahant (01:13):

Good. How are you doing today?

Kristi Porter (01:15):

Good. This is so fun. So we have, uh, I’m here in Atlanta, Georgia and Noria is in, uh, Bristol, U K and you are in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. So we have a really wide ranging show on a lot of fronts today and so perfect for, uh, your global audience as well. So this will be a lot of fun to, um, for our audience to hear more about you and to hopefully represent the cause artist, uh, team and community really well too. So thank you so much for being here. We’re excited.

Grant Trahant (01:45):

Very, very excited. I’m glad we could finally do this. Yes <laugh>.

Nuria Sierra (01:48):

Okay. So grant, could you tell us, uh, a little bit about your childhood? Um, where, where did you grow up? I grew

Kristi Porter (01:57):

Up, I was not Netherland accident. <laugh> yeah,

Grant Trahant (02:01):

Well, I actually grew up a little bit near you Christy. I grew up, I was born and raised in new Orleans, Louisiana. Uh, so it’s in the Southern part of the United States. Very, very hot and very warm and, and humid during the summertime. Uh, but yeah, it was a, it was a, you get, you grow up very fast. Uh, when you, when you grow up in new Orleans, cuz you see a lot of different things, uh, there’s a, there’s a, a lot of different aspects, uh, of the city. Um, it’s, it’s very dynamic and it’s racial diversity, it’s economic diversity, a lot of good and bad things, of course like any city has. Um, but you really grow up quite fast and, and you see a lot of things at an early age when you grow up in a, in a city like that, that has a bunch of different things going on. Uh, so that, that’s kind of where I started and kind of, you know, looked at the world from that perspective for, for a long time, uh, was growing up there.

Kristi Porter (02:54):

Mm fantastic. So it sounds like that shaped you, um, a lot and kind of set you on the path that you’re on now. So looking back, is there a story from your childhood that really shaped you or, um, you know, having the hindsight that you’re able to look back and you see how it kind of led you to where you are now?

Grant Trahant (03:13):

I think there’s there’s many. I think that we could all point to. Um, but I, I grew up playing sport and I grew up playing basketball. That was my first love in life. And in doing that, anybody that grows up in, in playing sports from a young age, you know, on for, for a while, you’re so sort of embedded in that sort of culture and it, it, it does bring a lot of good aspects in it. Um, you know, comradery and you get lifelong friendships and you learn about, you know, teamwork and adversity and, and wins and losses. Uh, I did not have a great attitude and I was not good at losing. So I had to learn how to lose, uh, you know, very, very respectively graciously. Uh, but part of it becomes, I is diversity is what sports really brings into it. I mean, you have, you know, white, black cultures come together.

Grant Trahant (03:58):

If it’s mostly any sport might be different religious backgrounds and, and certainly different economic backgrounds. Um, so, so growing up, it was, uh, it was interesting cuz we traveled a lot and played in a lot of different areas. So we saw a lot of different cultures and different parts of America, but, but coming home, the thing that always has pointed out really struck me when I was a kid. And I really didn’t realize it until, as I got older, um, was that, you know, we, we played basketball in the front yard a lot and I would go to practice and, uh, a team I was on, I was the only, uh, you know, white individual on the team. So, you know, that was, that was an interesting experience. But like when friends from the team would come over, you know, we’d have some dinner and, and we’d shoot outside in the front yard.

Grant Trahant (04:43):

You know, my mom came out one day and she was like, she came up and she was like, Hey, do y’all want to go in the, in the backyard and play, you know? And I was like, the, backyard’s like a school. We live behind a middle school. So I like my mom’s telling me I can jump a fence. I mean, we’re pretty, I mean we’re 14 probably. So you could jump a fence, go illegal, really play in, in this middle school. Right. I was like, sure, like it’s a whole full court. Like we have all kind of fun. I was like, this is great. And you know, I didn’t know at the time, but uh, our neighbors across the street had a Confederate flag that, that was, that was in their front yard. Right. And, and both of my friends came over, were African American.

Grant Trahant (05:21):

And so like we, as kids, you don’t really know that too much about like what that aspect means. And, and for my mom telling us, you know, she was looking out obviously for, for everybody involved, right. She, she was kind of looking out for, for all of us and, and just kind of, you know, didn’t want anything negative to happen, but that really stands out just because that, that goes into a lot of different areas of when you understand what, what, what that means and what that happens of. Like, what else does that mean from an economic point of view, you know, from a diversity and racism, it’s just everything that goes into that affects everything in our lives. You know, whether it’s a political system, whether our business system, everything. So that always kind of stuck with me as like, you know, things are different, people think differently.

Grant Trahant (06:08):

Um, and you know, no matter where we are, uh, in the world, people are always gonna think differently and cultures are gonna be different. And to, to really just, you know, not demean people or tell people that they’re good or bad, but was, is to have conversations like we’re having now. And, you know, so my mom talked to me about, you know, the reasons for that sad us all down and talked, right? Like that was amazing, you know, knew more than, than I did. You know, my friends who, who were there, they were like, they’re like, yeah, no, we understand, you know, like they, they got it because they understood, they, you know, got treated a certain way in certain parts of their life. So that was eye opening, you know, for me, but, you know, going down the, the line, you know, that always stuck with me is we always just have to open our eyes and, and discover different cultures and, and let people in. And, and how do we solve those problems? Right. And I think a lot of what I’ve learned throughout my life is that business can solve a lot of problems. It can solve cultural problems, it can solve economic problems. So that’s kind of really what I, what I’ve kind of dedicated my life to with, cause artists now is kind of having conversations and showing people how they can use business and, you know, even consumerism to, to bring us all together in, in a very odd way, but an impactful way.

Nuria Sierra (07:23):

Yeah. Wow. Amazing. So if, if you could back in, in, in time and talk to your old 21 year old self, what personal or professional advice would you give him? And,

Grant Trahant (07:39):

Um, know that learning is gonna be a very, very lifelong journey and battle, uh, that will never stop and E understand that, you know, technology is not a fad, right? <laugh>, I’ll go back and say like, this is gonna be in your life forever. So learn about it no matter what part of, you know, if you wanna learn to be a software developer or just learn how to, to use the internet right. And learn what that is and how it works. I would go back and sort of pound that in, into my younger sales head, as that, look, this is gonna transform the world and you better know how to use it, uh, because if you don’t, you’ll be severely left behind. So that is one thing I would definitely, uh, yeah, I would definitely talk to my younger self about,

Kristi Porter (08:25):

Yeah, absolutely. Um, you can never go wrong when you’re still learning <laugh> for sure. Uh, well, thank you for catching us up a little bit on your, um, background. That was super interesting in new Orleans is a great city, but like you said, has every place has its pros and it’s gone. So it sounds like it shaped you in, um, for the good, for sure. Um, so I’d like to also talk to you of course, about your professional journey and what led, um, up to cause artists. So what did you do before founding cause artists or like many entrepreneurs maybe did at the same time while you were building cause artists, but what did that look like before? Um, it became the organization. It is now.

Grant Trahant (09:05):

Yeah, I I’ve done a, a ton of different jobs in my life. And, and like I said, I, throughout those odd jobs, I was always like learning and how to use the internet and, and learning how to do different things. Cuz if you don’t have money to like hire people to do it for you, you have to do it yourself. Yep. So the only way to do that is to just learn it. So I just learned everything on my own, uh, through all different jobs I had. And then I just did website design for, for different clients, uh, early on and kind of built out, um, a small client base with that. Um, and, and my degree I ended up getting was digital media and political science. So that kind of was really the foundation on, on try to, how to use my digital media skills, but also look at how we can tell stories, design it well around topics that are not usually they’re, they’re more made for like, you know, college professor like literature, right?

Grant Trahant (10:04):

Or like reporting that a university does or like a analytics report that a company puts out, nobody reads it. Um, but as digital media moves forward, it, you can present content in a certain, um, so I wanted to kind of blend what normally was like boring issues or, or boring pieces of information and content and blend it with, you know, different, better design. Um, and that’s kind of what I wanted to do with, cause art is gonna make it visually appealing and, and to showcase, um, certain issues, uh, of issues that, that we face in our society and maybe how businesses are helping us solve that. You know, usually, you know, peop a lot of people aren’t gonna read these case studies and things like that, but if you present it in, in a different way, I think there’s, uh, more people and even younger people will be attracted to it and maybe they’ve read it and get some information and discover and education out of it.

Grant Trahant (11:01):

Um, so, so that was really, you know, what that degree helped me figure out and find out. And then just slowly just started building, uh, more and more, you know, digital assets across, uh, for companies and individuals. And then I was like, man, I really want to do something on my own. So you started cause artists very, very, uh, it was very, very small and just very like what, what are we doing here? And it was based off of a lot of to follow. So they used to have all these websites where like they would showcase the new shoes that were coming out mm-hmm <affirmative> and it was like, this would be, and this was like right at the point where like Tom’s was just coming out and like Warby park or, and there was some brands out there that were actually doing, uh, products and brands, uh, for certain causes.

Grant Trahant (11:44):

And I thought that was really cool. Um, and so I was like, well, what if you could take that same sort of blogging structure and put it into like, Hey, what are the new, uh, shoes made out of plastic bottles coming out? What are those or a shirt made from, um, you know, waste. Uh, and that was like really interesting. I was like, there’s different products being made, uh, that have a certain cause behind ’em. I was like, this is really cool that we can kind of now, you know, wear or buy. And so port, uh, causes that we care about, um, through products. Right. That was really interesting to me. Um, so, so that’s kind of the, the first iteration of it was trying to figure out how to blend all those different things together into what <laugh> it. Cause artists is,

Nuria Sierra (12:26):

Wow. It looks like you have had lots of inner creativity and, and, uh, and curiosity at the same time. So for those who are unfamiliar with cause artists, could you tell us about your mission and your aha moments for launching it?

Grant Trahant (12:46):

Yeah, the, the aha aha moment was it wasn’t really one moment. It was just kind of a culmination of like I wanted to, I knew I wanted to build some type of hub around all these different brands and founders, creating new companies and around how do we solve a social issue with our company rather than solving maybe, you know, a market issue, which usually most businesses are so solving like a, a market based problem where these founders and companies were really solving like social problems with businesses. So I thought that was a really interesting way to try to try to solve some of the stuff that we, that we have going on in our world that, that are negative. Um, and so I knew I wanted to blend some, something like that together. So I, I ended up kind of really creating a hub, a curation you will, of, of products and insights and interviews, um, from around the world, from, you know, founders brands and companies that are developing the next, you know, innovative, you know, products and technologies around solving climate change, solving poverty, solving, education, solving, mental health.

Grant Trahant (13:56):

So all these different aspects, um, we need business to, to really help solve them without, you know, business governments, aren’t capable of solving all these issues. So, um, really looking at, and, and just having a discovery engine and an ed educational engine, really, if you will, for people to come ’em and, and see what changes they can make within their life with their purchasing power of like, Hey, how can I, you know, participate in solving homelessness through the products I buy, you know, well, you can buy from a brand that employs homeless individuals, right. To make, you know, their shirts or their socks or, or something like that. So just helping people understand that their, their dollar goes a very, very long way. Um, and that spending that, that money properly can actually help solve a lot of the issues that, that we wanna solve. Hmm.

Kristi Porter (14:46):

Yeah. I think that’s so true. And I think discovery is a great word for it. I was reading, um, I’ve been a reader, you and I have emailed back and forth over the years and I’ve been a reader for a long time. And I was reading an article the other day and I was, it was like 23 apps you can use to, you know, change your every day habits or whatever. And I was like, oh, I’m sure I know a lot of these <laugh>. So I pride myself on staying up on this stuff too. And I knew like two or three. So I was like trying to make notes of what I could go do next mm-hmm <affirmative> because I was surprised at how many I hadn’t seen before. So I think discovery is definitely, um, a great word for cause artists. And it, it really is remarkable the information that you’ve cultivated and even more incredible. Um, you’ve been read by over your articles have been people in over 200 countries and territories, which is outstanding. So have you, you’ve been at this for a while now, have you been surprised how people all over the world have been drawn to these stories and, and what are some of the reactions that people have had along the way?

Grant Trahant (15:47):

Yeah. I mean, it’s obviously wild when you, when you look at, um, you know, back and sort of dashboard, you look at all the countries and, and territories that you don’t even know. Right. Yeah. That exists. I also discovered places that I even know exist in the world through, through that. Um, so, so it’s really, it’s obviously it’s really humbling, but it’s also super motivating because that means there’s an appetite for people around the world, um, that want to do better. Right. And wanna discover more things and educate themselves on how they can participate in the global economy, like in a much better way. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Um, so that’s really been inspiring and humbling. And, and obviously anytime I think you give feedback from, from anybody across economic spectrum or background or country or territory, it’s empowering, you know, it really helps motivate me to keep going.

Grant Trahant (16:41):

Um, so yeah, I’ve had people reach out from everywhere across the world and, and it’s been, uh, it’s been a really, you know, powerful experience to know that, you know, the platform has helped people, whether it’s like download an app that they never heard of or buy from a company that is solving a problem that they wanna solve. And, and that’s, that’s a big thing, you know, that’s a, that’s a, to me that’s a profound, uh, moment that somebody took out of their life to like, read something that I wrote, like that is significant to me. Yeah. You know, so I’m always thankful and humbled when people reach out and, and say that, you know, they appreciate the platform and, and just keep going because, you know, as, as we all, you know, sometimes we all get down and, and we wanna <laugh>, you know, it’s like, ah, maybe, maybe it’s not for me. And maybe we could shut down the site and go do something else. But I always, I always get like hing messages that, you know, now just never, just it’ll just be like around forever. So, so it’s, it’s super important when I get that feedback. It it’s really, it’s really great.

Kristi Porter (17:43):

Fantastic,

Nuria Sierra (17:45):

Amazing. So, uh, grant, you also have the disruptors for good podcast and eh, have conducted over 600 interviews with social impact leaders around the world, eh, who were a couple of your favorites or who has stood out to you?

Grant Trahant (18:07):

That’s really difficult. Um, it, it’s hard to, it’s hard cuz you know, it’s like, you know, you don’t wanna, you don’t wanna, you know, leave anybody out, uh, a, a few that off the top of my mind. And I really like truly am amazed by what these founders are doing is, uh, Ruben Harris, that career karma is building. What I think is one of the most impactful companies in America is essentially democratizing software engineering, right? So, you know, usually before you’d have to go to a, a university right, and go to through a computer science program and pay crazy amount of money and get in debt to get a computer science sort of degree and then a nice high paying tech job. But what he’s created is, is now basically anybody with a laptop can, uh, can take courses, you know, essentially software development, bootcamp courses.

Grant Trahant (18:57):

So anybody can go from not knowing anything to within, you know, 10 months being a software developer and getting a high paying job. Um, and now we all work remotely. So there’s, so individuals don’t have to move now. They can work in new Orleans or Baltimore or Omaha, um, and work for, for big, big tech companies or small startups and get paid, you know, an amazing salary that changes not only their life, um, but also their family’s life. Um, so to me that is such a, such a powerful, um, company and, and mission that they’re on. So I always encourage people to check out what, what, uh, he and, and career karma is doing. Another would be Maddie apparel. Uh, my friend Haley started a, uh, a woman sort of garment company mm-hmm <affirmative> uh, and cuz she, uh, had some issues with domestic in her own family and found out that underwear was the most requested item in women’s domestic shelters.

Grant Trahant (19:57):

Cause a lot of people don’t donate underwear and you, you know, it it’s so true when you think about it, you know? Um, so she started a company where for every, you know, pair of underwear, you buy, they donate a pair to a women’s, uh, shelter, uh, or around the country. And they’ve done some trips to Haiti as well. Um, but even more so than that, what she then ended up doing is actually training these women in these, uh, domestic shelters and homeless shelters to actually learn how to cut and sew to actually make the underwear. So she’s really created a whole life cycle of impact around, um, jaw op creation. Um, for, for individuals who, you know, might have to just have sort of careers that they don’t want to have for their, for their lives, you know, or don’t have any skill base just because, you know, when women are in that environment, they’re, they’re, it is just very difficult for them, uh, to achieve, uh, what they want personally.

Grant Trahant (20:51):

So like her creating jobs, giving back and also creating a beautiful product for consumers to buy just an amazing life cycle of impact. So I always, you know, wanna shout her out. Uh, and then the last one would be my, my guy Trinity in Uganda, uh, one of most incredible stories I’ve ever heard. He was a, uh, a street kid in the slums of, of Uganda with, with really like no path and no future, right until an organization like got him off the street and gave him a laptop. And that, and, and now he’s running not only a nonprofit, but also a for-profit technology hub in the middle of Uganda that support, um, all the kids in, in the slums and adults there with technology training, um, around, you know, JavaScript or graphic design or website design. And then he has clients all around the world, goes back to our remote thing.

Grant Trahant (21:43):

Now, now he can have a, a tech hub in the middle of the slums in Uganda that support companies in the, in the UK or in the Netherlands or United States. Wow. But change is the entire landscape of that entire community, you know, dozens and hundreds of families. Yeah. You know, based off what he has built. So like that, that stuff is, is really incredible. And, and I, I hope more people to know who he is and what he is doing, but again, there’s, there’s so many, uh, out there that are, that are doing amazing stuff like that. Um, but those are the ones that are top of mind, uh, right now, but I can go on for days.

Kristi Porter (22:22):

Yeah. Those are pretty great. So yeah. That’s the disruptors for good podcasts. So you’ve heard about three now I’ll go listen to the other 590 cent <laugh> um, yeah, that must keep you going. That’s kind of why we do this podcast as well. Is it the stories, just keep you going and people are really creative at solving big problems. Um, we also have a lot of budding social entrepreneurs listening to the podcast, so would love for them to have the opportunity to learn from you since we’ve heard about some of your successes. So, um, what’s something that a mistake maybe you made early on or perhaps last week <laugh> that you can tell us about, um, that you’ve made while running cause artists that others can can learn from that you would do differently.

Grant Trahant (23:08):

Oh, that’s the easies, the biggest mistake ever made was like, I didn’t even have like an email capture. Like the first three years the platform was up. So, uh, now obviously like looking back, I was like, wow, that was really horrible that I wasn’t even capturing emails <laugh> but I was so concentrated on doing the interviews and, and doing social and, and like, you know, anyway, so it’s never too early to capture emails. Uh that’s right. I would say like getting the landing page up and capturing emails is the easiest thing to do. So that should be anybody’s uh, first step. Yeah. Uh, but I would say it it’s, it’s the age old thing that, that I think we talked about earlier was like, always learn how to build stuff. Uh, technology now is so available for everybody and a lot of stuff is free.

Grant Trahant (23:59):

Yeah. You know, so like if it’s an e-commerce site or if it’s an email platform, like <affirmative>, you know, I I’m one person mm-hmm <affirmative> that does cause artists. So like, if I can do it, like there’s a lot you can do just as one person. Yeah. Um, so I would just learn, uh, how you can have a easy technology stack that could really do what your company wants to do and just learn it, you know, take a hour out of your day to, to learn about different technologies out there that will help your business and just, and just build it and work and, and go from there, cuz unless you’re gonna raise money, you know, you’re gonna have to learn how to build certain things on your own. Um, and the worst thing you could do is, is hire somebody, just cuz they’re cheap.

Grant Trahant (24:42):

Yeah. That’ll but it’s gonna be a really bad pro probably, um, or not that great. And then that will look bad upon you and you lose early users. Yeah. Um, so early on, I, I it’s always, to me, important of understanding how things work. So even when you hire a person, you understand like what you a, what you need to ask them <laugh> cause if you go in there with like absolutely ignorant to what you’re asking and then you’re, you’re not gonna ask the right questions and, and somebody could take advantage of you and charge you a lot of money for inferior services. And that’s happened to me often. And I was like, and it’s happened to a lot of friends. Um, you know, so I always say, look, learn, learn at least a little bit to elementary stuff. Um, before you start paying people for services, just because, you know, starting out, usually you don’t have a lot of funds to, to waste and uh, those early decisions matter a lot. So, so definitely learn before you, before you hire what’s next

Nuria Sierra (25:38):

For the social impacted space, um, what trends do

Grant Trahant (25:43):

You see? Yeah, I think right now I think it’s, it’s <affirmative> climate and sort of fashion are, are like coming together in wild, wild ways. Yeah. Really from a material standpoint, uh, there’s so many crazy materials being made from like our garbage and our plastics. Um, so, you know, shoes and jackets and shirts are being made from plastic water bottles, uh, that are being prevented from going into our ocean. Um, or there are some companies out there actually nonprofits who are taking plastic out the ocean, um, and then making products out of that. Um, so that stuff is really, really interesting and starting to scale quite rapidly. Um, and then there’s, there’s a, also a lot of things within the agriculture space, uh, around obviously meat and sort of how do we perhaps not use as much meat in our sort of, uh, food, food supply chain system and, and us as consumers, how to consume maybe less meat.

Grant Trahant (26:44):

Um, there’s a lot of really crazy innovative stuff going on and, and using simple animal DNA to kind of just actually grow, um, you know, animal type meat, right. Which is crazy. So you, we’ll no longer have to kill animals to get meat really insane to think about, but companies are already doing. Um, so we’re generated to farming and, and understanding how we can use these technologies to actually raise animals in a really healthy and sustainable way. Um, and also use these technologies to actually grow animal meat, um, rather than slaughter. So that’s a really, really, really powerful thing and impactful thing. So fashion and agriculture are two really, really massive markets. So as they sort of shift into much more, uh, you know, environmentally friendly, so to speaker and just really looking at themselves as, as, as really massive sectors and say, Hey, how do we be much more sustainable? Um, as, as businesses and cuz consumers they’re gonna want that. So they have to sort of shift their mentality and then technology is starting to catch up with what consumers want. Um, so agriculture and uh, fashion are, are two, uh, industries that are shifting very, very dramatically right now, which is fun to see mm-hmm <affirmative>

Kristi Porter (28:01):

Yeah. I, um, actually just attended a conference last week on sustainable and on sustainable companies and brands and all of those subjects you just mentioned <laugh> were front and center on the stage. So yes, absolutely. Um, completely agree with you. And it was neat to hear you reinforce that as well and to see people working in that space. Um, what about cause artists what’s next for, for you? I know you’ve been making some changes behind the scenes and now about to be in front of the scenes as well. So what’s going on

Grant Trahant (28:31):

Over there? Yeah. I mean just building out, uh, much more of much more content around audio. Um, and we doing some, some visual stuff around video soon, um, but really allowing more people able to come on the platform and, and start their own podcast shows, which is interesting and, and, and really use cause artists as more, much more of a distribution platform okay. Where other people can come and, uh, distribute their own content that is relevant, um, to the cause artist’s audience in the ecosystem. Um, so really starting to, to bring, I shot more where I am not doing all the content. I have, you know, much people around the world who are doing great things, want to contribute stuff. So developing an ecosystem where that’s sort of easily done and, and, and much more efficiently, but definitely diving into audio much more doing, uh, much more, many more podcasts and different shows and different styles of shows and things like that. And then eventually video with, uh, you know, live Q and A’s and, and sort of live, uh, sessions and, and panels and things like that around, you know, certain topics and stuff. So really, really interesting stuff. And then some stuff I can’t talk about, but happy to come back home when okay. When those things, when those things come about, I’m happy to, to share. That

Kristi Porter (29:49):

Sounds good.

Nuria Sierra (29:51):

Wow. That’s very interesting just to wrapping up, eh, this session with us. So how kind of our least centers connect with you and with cause artists

Grant Trahant (30:04):

Usually it’s just at cause artists on every platform <laugh> you can imagine. Uh, so, so that’s the easiest way to do it. Um, me personally, it’s justGrant@causeartists.com, uh, don’t really do a lot of personal social. So I keep everything, um, through, through the at cause artist handle. So I run all those. So if, if anybody wants to get in touch, that’s, that’s probably the easiest way to do so. Um, so in cause artist.com obviously fantastic. And the disruptors for good podcast, which yes, you have names, so thank you.

Kristi Porter (30:34):

Yeah, absolutely. I go on there, um, read all the interesting articles, learn what creativity and innovation coming out, because it’s really exciting. And, uh, and everybody will find something that they didn’t know before. Um, so back to that learning curve and to keep growing and learning. So yeah, definitely a place to do that and a hub for that. Um, thank you so much, Brianna, this was awesome. Um, so glad to be able to talk to you so glad to be able to share your with more people and hopefully spread the word about other social impact companies and people doing good things around the world. So thank you so much for being here. We really appreciate it and, and loved chatting with you.

Grant Trahant (31:13):

Yeah. Thank you so much. This is great.

Kristi Porter (31:16):

All right. And thank you so much for listening. Um, we hope you’ll tune in to the next one. We’ve got more great conversations coming up. So to union, to logistics with purpose podcast. Thanks so much everyone. Bye. Bye.

Nuria Sierra (31:27):

Thanks so much. Bye

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Featured Guests

Grant Trahant is the founder of Causeartist, one of the most influential impact business platforms in the world. Since 2013, Causeartist has been read in over 200 countries. Grant has personally interviewed nearly 700 social entrepreneurs from around the world, highlighting innovations in ethical fashion, climate change, ethical technology, impact investing, and sustainable travel. (Also recently launched www.impactinvestor.io) Grant is the host of two podcasts: Disruptors for GOOD and Investing in Impact. Both shows showcase and highlight trending topics and ideas within the impact business sector. Grant is also a proud partner and advisor to Charity Charge. The Charity Charge Mastercard is the only credit card program created specifically for nonprofits and is now benefiting over 1,000 organizations across the country. Connect with Grant on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/granttrahant/

Nuria Sierra is a growth marketer with 20+ years experience developing and managing inbound content marketing strategies to empower brands to tell their story with clarity and connect with their audiences in the US, UK, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, and Portugal. Nuria is deeply passionate about digital marketing, branding, and making a positive social impact.  
She believes that our life is changing the world every day. If we choose to live positive values and do good in those around us, we are changing the world for the better.
Currently, she is changing the world as Sales & Marketing Manager at Vector Global Logistics.  Connect with Nuria on Linkedin.

Hosts

Kristi Porter

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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Demo Perez

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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Mary Kate Love

VP, Marketing

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

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

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Joshua Miranda

Marketing Specialist

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

Donna Krache

Director of Communications and Executive Producer

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

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Vicki White

Controller

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

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Ben Harris

Host

Ben Harris is the Director of Supply Chain Ecosystem Expansion for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Ben comes to the Metro Atlanta Chamber after serving as Senior Manager, Market Development for Manhattan Associates. There, Ben was responsible for developing Manhattan’s sales pipeline and overall Americas supply chain marketing strategy. Ben oversaw market positioning, messaging and campaign execution to build awareness and drive new pipeline growth. Prior to joining Manhattan, Ben spent four years with the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Center of Innovation for Logistics where he played a key role in establishing the Center as a go-to industry resource for information, support, partnership building, and investment development. Additionally, he became a key SME for all logistics and supply chain-focused projects. Ben began his career at Page International, Inc. where he drove continuous improvement in complex global supply chain operations for a wide variety of businesses and Fortune 500 companies. An APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), Ben holds an Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration (EMBA) and bachelor’s degree in International Business (BBA) from the Terry College at the University of Georgia.

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Page Siplon

Host, The Freight Insider

Prior to joining TeamOne Logistics, Page Siplon served as the Executive Director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics, the State’s leading consulting resource for fueling logistics industry growth and global competitiveness. For over a decade, he directly assisted hundreds of companies to overcome challenges and capitalize on opportunities related to the movement of freight. During this time, Siplon was also appointed to concurrently serve the State of Georgia as Director of the larger Centers of Innovation Program, in which he provided executive leadership and vision for all six strategic industry-focused Centers. As a frequently requested keynote speaker, Siplon is called upon to address a range of audiences on unique aspects of technology, workforce, and logistics. This often includes topics of global and domestic logistics trends, supply chain visibility, collaboration, and strategic planning. He has also been quoted as an industry expert in publications such as Forbes, Journal of Commerce, Fortune, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, American Express, DC Velocity, Area Development Magazine, Site Selection Magazine, Inbound Logistics, Modern Material Handling, and is frequently a live special guest on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Radio Show. Siplon is an active industry participant, recognized by DC Velocity Magazine as a “2012 Logistics Rainmaker” which annually identifies the top-ten logistics professionals in the Nation; and named a “Pro to Know” by Supply & Demand Executive Magazine in 2014. Siplon was also selected by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential Georgians” for 2013, 2014, and 2015. He also serves various industry leadership roles at both the State and Federal level. Governor Nathan Deal nominated Siplon to represent Georgia on a National Supply Chain Competitiveness Advisory Committee, where he was appointed to a two-year term by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and was then appointed to serve as its vice-chairman. At the State level, he was selected by then-Governor Sonny Perdue to serve as lead consultant on the Commission for New Georgia’s Freight and Logistics Task Force. In this effort, Siplon led a Private Sector Advisory Committee with invited executives from a range of private sector stakeholders including UPS, Coca-Cola, The Home Depot, Delta Airlines, Georgia Pacific, CSX, and Norfolk Southern. Siplon honorably served a combined 12 years in the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force. During this time, he led the integration of encryption techniques and deployed cryptographic devices for tactically secure voice and data platforms in critical ground-to-air communication systems. This service included support for all branches of the Department of Defense, multiple federal security agencies, and aiding NASA with multiple Space Shuttle launches. Originally from New York, Siplon received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering with a focus on digital signal processing from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He earned an associate’s degree in advanced electronic systems from the Air Force College and completed multiple military leadership academies in both the Marines and Air Force. Siplon currently lives in Cumming, Georgia (north of Atlanta), with his wife Jan, and two children Thomas (19) and Lily (15).

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Kristi Porter

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Sofia Rivas Herrera

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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Katherine Hintz

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

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

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Kim Winter

Host, Supply Chain Now

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

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

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

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Adrian Purtill

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Kevin Brown

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Jose Miguel Irarrazaval

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Nick Roemer

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Allison Giddens

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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

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Billy Taylor

Host of Dial P for Procurement

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

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

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

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

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Lori Sofian

Marketing Coordinator

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

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Chantel King

Social Media Manager

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

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

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

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Trisha Cordes

Administrative Assistant

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

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Clay Phillips

Business Development Manager

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

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Amanda Luton

Vice President, Production

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

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Constantine Limberakis

Host

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

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Mary Kate Soliva

Host, Veteran Voices

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

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Kelly Barner

Host of Dial P for Procurement

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

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Enrique Alvarez

Host of Logistics with Purpose and Supply Chain Now en Español

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

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

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Kevin L. Jackson

Host of Digital Transformers

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

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Tyler Ward

Director of Sales

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

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

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

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Chris Barnes

Principal, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain is Boring

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

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

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Greg White

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

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

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

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Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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

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

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