Supply Chain Now
Episode 1228

When I saw [my mom] coming home every day and telling me all these amazing things she did, it motivated me to kind of pursue what she was doing and help other people as well.

-Anthony Bellamy

Episode Summary

The aviation industry is at the precipice of a major pilot shortage globally. Some data analysts predict that there will be a shortfall of almost 80,000 by 2032, with the US Air Force currently offering bonuses of up to $600,000 to retain pilots and their service.

Middle Tennessee State University is doing much address that problem. In this new episode of Supply Chain Now, as a part of the NOW Generation series, we sit down with former UPS executive Tandreia Bellamy and her son, Anthony, the latter being a senior on MTSU’s highly regarded Aerospace Professional Pilot program.

Tapping into the school’s impressive fleet of 47 aircraft, Anthony shares incredible insight into the life of a trainee pilot. He recounts the details of a solo cross-country training flight, communicating with traffic control and assessing which runway to land on.

“The approach coming in, it was over the water and it was around sunset time, so it was beautiful,” he recalls.

Tune in to hear Anthony’s story – the influence of his parents, amazing insights into his training, his overwhelming passion for the field, and plans for the future.

Episode Transcript

Intro/Outro (00:03):

Welcome to Supply Chain. Now the voice of global supply chain supply chain now focuses on the best in the business for our worldwide audience, the people, the technologies, the best practices, and today’s critical issues, the challenges and opportunities. Stay tuned to hear from Those Making Global Business happen right here on supply chain now.

Scott Luton (00:32):

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you are, Scott Luten and special guest host, tantra Bellamy. Welcome to this episode of Supply Chain now Tantra, how you doing?

Tandreia Bellamy (00:40):

Great, Scott. So great to be here again. Great to see you again.

Scott Luton (00:43):

You too. We’ve done, I don’t know, a couple dozen episodes together. We’ve collaborated together and as you know, I am the co-chair of the Atlanta chapter of the Tantra Bellamy Fan Club. So it’s so great to have you back with us on this side of the table. Right on

Tandreia Bellamy (00:57):

This side of the table. Yes.

Scott Luton (00:58):

Big episode here. Today we’re continuing this series. We like to call the now generation, right? Not folks that are waiting to make their impact. They’re making it right now, right? Yes. So we talk with students, educators, folks that are really nurturing that this pipeline of talents coming into global supply chain, global business, you name it, work with interview folks from around some of the leading institutions around the world. But today’s special episode of this now generation series Tantra, we’ve talked about this for years,

Tandreia Bellamy (01:30):

Right? Absolutely. This has been a long time in the making.

Scott Luton (01:33):

It has. And we’re foreshadowing a little bit here because Tantra has finally brought her son, Anthony and Bellamy to the conversation, which we’re going to introduce in just a second. But Tantra, let’s level set a bit for a lot of our newer audience. May hadn’t caught your previous 17 appearances, I’ll call it. You had a very long successful career as an executive at UPS. Give us a couple of bullet points from that.

Tandreia Bellamy (01:59):

Yeah, 34 great years with UPS started in small package. So the brown trucks that do all of the pickup and deliveries had an opportunity to work with our advanced technology group for some of the next generations of technology and then also was in our supply chain. And I think as being a part of the supply chain group is where we got our initial introduction. So yeah, just had a great career and now I am very happily retired.

Scott Luton (02:28):

That’s right. But not stationary. Not stationary, right? Not stationary happen. Keep moving. And also I think when I think back on the first time we met, you had contributed a piece, I think it was to Forbes about engineering and about how important diversity is to bring in all kinds of talent into that world,

Tandreia Bellamy (02:47):

Right? Exactly. I think you read the piece called I’m Not a Hidden Figure and reached out and we had a great conversation and that visibility is extremely important. That’s how you attract that next generation of top talent. That’s

Scott Luton (03:02):

Right. Alright, so speaking of which, there’s so many different things we could talk about in today’s episode, but our rock and roll guest is sitting here across the table from us and I want to dive right into his perspective. Right. So I want to introduce Anthony Bellamy, a senior at Middle Tennessee State University home to one of the most respected aerospace programs in the world. Anthony, how you doing?

Anthony Bellamy (03:28):

I’m great, how are you?

Scott Luton (03:29):

Oh, doing wonderful. We finally, this all has come to fruition. We’ve talked about this for years. We had to go through your agent, I think to get you booked.

Anthony Bellamy (03:37):

Yeah, my agent, my mom, definitely.

Scott Luton (03:41):

Well, so we got a lot to get into with you here, Anthony. And of course one of the things we’re going to be talking about is you’re in that highly regarded aerospace professional pilot program at MTSU. Is that right? Yes sir. Okay. And we’re going to talk a lot more about your passion for all things flying. Not so much geology, but all things flying. Great to have you here. Alright, so before we dive into that impressive program, your passion for flying and as we’re walking over here, tan Andrea with Anthony, he was telling me about some of all these different things you got to take into account to fly these aircraft. I’ll tell you, I was getting a little nervous just hearing all that he’s got to manage, but if anyone can do it as we learn, Anthony can, before we get all that, let’s get to know you a little bit better, right On a human level. So I want to start with, I caught your presentation, I think RA sent it to me where you’re sharing some of what you do at a family reunion, right? Yes. And you were beaming, you could see your passion was just jumping out of my phone as I watched your present on flying and you said something like, I get to learn and fly every day. Yes sir. So you’re sharing something to all the different cities. What’s one of the coolest trips that you’ve made, places you’ve flown into? What was a cool one?

Anthony Bellamy (05:04):

Probably the coolest trip I’ve made was during my commercial training and I made a flight. It was a solo cross country, it was visual conditions and I made it from our airport in Murfreesboro to an airport in Indiana. It was about a three hour flight and I was doing everything by myself. I was the only person in the cockpit and it was very fun talking to a TC, figuring out which runway I was going to land at and coming into the airport, parking the plane, I had to refuel it myself. So doing all that by myself was really fun. While I was stopped in Indiana, I was able to go and get some Mexican food and it’s pretty good. It was

Scott Luton (05:38):

Delicious Mexican food,

Anthony Bellamy (05:39):

I hear it was all right, but it was good to me because I flew there and did everything myself. That’s what made it really good. And then I flew back and on the way back I stopped in airport in Music City and that airport was really nice. The approach coming in, it was over the water and it was around sunset time, so it was beautiful and I got to refuel there too and then make my way back into the MTSU airport.

Scott Luton (06:07):

Man, that makes me nervous. Just hearing about all that stuff, right? Flying over the water and stuff. I got to ask, where does that take your brain? All that he shared about one of those coolest flights. Where does that take your mind?

Tandreia Bellamy (06:20):

I’m just super excited that he’s super excited. I’m also very overjoyed that the investment that he’s making in his education that it’s going to pay off tremendously and he loves what he’s doing. He really beams every time he talks about flying, about school, about his classes. So had a great investment and a great future.

Scott Luton (06:45):

I love that. I got to ask you, I didn’t think about this question. I want to throw it in here. Did you see any I grew up in Top Gun in 1986 was a big movie. I thought I was going to be a naval aviator. No, I’m not smart enough to do that. Is there any kind of aircraft or flying related program or movie that you can recall that you’re like, man, that’s really cool.

Anthony Bellamy (07:10):

Not really. Where I got my flying from is all the trips that my mom was able to take me on and going in the different planes and it was so cool. Every time we would take off, I’d always want to sit by the window and watch us go down the runway and take off and land. I’d always want to look in the cockpit and see what the captain and the first officer were doing. That’s so cool. All of that stuff is what influenced me to become a pilot

Scott Luton (07:33):

Tan. I think we’ve talked about this as a father of three. Amanda and I have really tried as tough as is to get our three kids out and experience travel and experience some of those things that Anthony was just sharing. That’s got to be so fulfilling, rewarding to hear what you enabled, how that helped him uncover one of his passions in life.

Tandreia Bellamy (07:54):

That is great to hear. It really is great to hear. And a lot of the trips were because I moved around so much with work. So to have something very positive come from that, it’s great to hear. It is absolutely great to hear.

Scott Luton (08:09):

It is. All right. So now since most of our conversation here today is going to focus on flying and all the cool things you’re up to, what is one thing that you love to do when you’re not flying or training or in the cockpit?

Anthony Bellamy (08:23):

What I love to do is anything car related. I am a huge car nerd. I’m a huge car guy. I love going on different drives with my dad up in the North Georgia Mountains or up in Tennessee. I always have fun. It’s so much fun. And like me and my dad, we share the same passion. So we watch different YouTube videos about car guys and talk about them. Or he’ll call me and tell me a car that he saw in traffic or send me a picture of it. So that’s one thing that I really love.

Tandreia Bellamy (08:50):

On one of those trips that we took, we went out to California, so we’re out in California, la, San Diego, all kinds of stuff to do. What did we do? We

Anthony Bellamy (09:00):

Went and we drove the rental car on Angeles Crest Highway, one of the highways that it’s beautiful and it’s so much fun and I loved it so much. It was my favorite part of the trip.

Scott Luton (09:10):

Wow, man. Was it a convertible? No,

Tandreia Bellamy (09:12):

It was not.

Anthony Bellamy (09:13):

It was Ultima,

(09:16):

But it was the road that

(09:17):

Really

Scott Luton (09:17):

Mattered. I’m just picturing that. I’m picturing that. What a gorgeous trip. And you obeyed the speed limit, right?

Anthony Bellamy (09:23):

Always. Always.

Scott Luton (09:24):

I bet. All right, well thank you for sharing that. We got a lot to get into here today, Anthony. I can’t tell you how tickled we are to davi year with us. Okay. So I want to dive a little bit deeper into your upbringing because we’re all products of our upbringing, whether we like it or not. I like it, I like it a lot, but everyone comes from different walks of life for sure. So I want to talk about, as we mentioned on the front end, your mom did big things, move mountains, UPS. We were very fortunate to interview and get a lot of those stories and collaborated with tantra over the years. So how do all those things she did in that chapter of her journey, how did that impact what you want to do in life?

Anthony Bellamy (10:07):

It impacted what I wanted to do, just seeing her go out there and do things for so many people and help so many people in different ways. So when I saw her coming home every day and telling me all these amazing things she did, it motivated me to kind of pursue what she was doing and help other people as well

Scott Luton (10:23):

Make an impact what I’m hearing, right. You want to make an impact like your mom. How does that make you feel?

Tandreia Bellamy (10:29):

Oh, tremendously proud. I think we moved a lot with UPS and watching him go and quickly adjust, make good friendships, but also just do well, no matter where we were, I knew he was going to be just fine moving forward because he had that quality of not just adapting, but going in and being a leader with whoever he chose to befriend and that was great to see. I love

Scott Luton (10:57):

That. Do you feel so moving around a lot, having to make new friends and kind of finding your new niche in the new communities and stuff. Do you feel that made you more resilient to change in general?

Anthony Bellamy (11:09):

Yeah, definitely. I think it helped me a lot because it always came easy to me making new friends and being someone that people could look up to and come to for help and helping other people also. And I got that from my mom. She’s very, something that she does for me is she motivates me a lot to do well in whether it’s school, whether it’s just in life and all the things she does, helping all these other people. It really motivates me when we’re moving into different places and different locations to be generous like her and help other people as well.

Scott Luton (11:40):

Ooh, that’s music to my ears tantrum. Music to my ears. Mine too. I got to ask, hearing Anthony talk about these things, like in a formal setting, I guess, is any of this new to you or is this kind of

Tandreia Bellamy (11:59):

Is absolutely amazing. Heartwarming, uplifting. Yeah. Best Christmas present ever. So thank you.

Scott Luton (12:10):

I believe it.

Anthony Bellamy (12:11):

You’re welcome. All my friends, Mason, Josh, Avery, what do they call you? They call you your second mom?

Tandreia Bellamy (12:17):

Yes, they do. They

Scott Luton (12:18):

Do. I can see that. So shout out to Mason, Josh and Avery. Avery. Are they all pilots too? No,

Anthony Bellamy (12:26):

No, no. They’re friends from way back from when I lived in Chicago. Yeah. Okay.

Scott Luton (12:31):

So maybe you can fly into Chicago and pick ’em up, but not maybe right soon, man, those would be some neat trips. All right, so let me do a follow up question again. With the role model and the standard, your mom set through all that she did in industry. So what’s one leadership trait that really sticks out as a priority for you based on how you observed Tania approach work and leadership and everything else?

Anthony Bellamy (12:59):

I kind of got into this earlier, but I would say she’s very motivational. She helps me with getting the best out of myself. She always, when I was doing homework or doing whatever, if I got a B in a class, I shouldn’t she’d, come on, you can do better. You know, can do better. She would tell me that and I would always believe it, even if I was like, man, this is really hard. I don’t know if I can do it. She always brought the best out of me. So I thought that was really great leadership trait that she

Scott Luton (13:24):

Has. Hey, that college calculus, man, those are some tough days. He smoked that. Well, I’ll tell you what, I knew that engineering was not in my future after one semester of calculus. So the motivational component. So I bet as you talk about that, do you see yourself and how important it’s to motivate your future teammates and your future employees and all that kind of stuff?

Anthony Bellamy (13:50):

Yes, definitely. Because if they believe that they can do it, because a lot of people, they just don’t think that they can do it. There’s certain things that they don’t think they can do, whether it’s in the job or even on something like a basketball team. There’s people that are certain things that they don’t think that they can do when they really can, if they put their mind to it. And my mom taught me that you can accomplish a lot of things if you just stay focused and lock in and believe in yourself.

Scott Luton (14:17):

Yeah. Oh, okay. By the way, you mentioned basketball. I went to the Hawks game last night. I hope they continue to get extra motivated. We got a little catching up to do. We got a sub 500 record, but they beat the pistons last night. Everybody’s

Anthony Bellamy (14:32):

Beating the

Scott Luton (14:32):

Pistons. No comment. We just lost the Detroit demographic. All right. We’re all kidding. Kidding kid, kid. But you’re right. All right, so Anthony, I love that it’s so important that ability to not only motivate yourself but to motivate others. That’s like billion dollar abilities really. So tan along those lines for our students out there listening, young professionals out there listening, they want to have a really successful career, much like you had. What is one piece of advice you’d offer ’em?

Tandreia Bellamy (15:06):

Anthony spoke to focus and doing your best. We have too many people that are looking for something that’s easy. We would go out and do presentations as a staff and one of my good friends had a presentation that was called Easy Jobs don’t pay much. It’s really important that you find something that you’re going to enjoy doing because it’s also very difficult to be successful if you’re miserable. But then you have to work at it and there’s really nothing that replaces hard work. Yes, it’s important to network and yes, it’s important to have a mentor, but you have to put the work in. That’s right.

Scott Luton (15:50):

That’s

Tandreia Bellamy (15:50):

Right. And also, if you’re still in college, having internships is extremely, extremely important. Go and see if you enjoy the work. Go and understand what the different career paths are within a major. Don’t take the easiest major to graduate from. Go out and find what you really have a passion for and pursue it.

Scott Luton (16:15):

Where were you in 1996 as I was figuring out what I was going to major in? That is such great advice and practical advice because the easy path, that’s a magnet for a lot of folks out there. Absolutely. And I like this. Easy jobs don’t pay much. It’s so true. Alright. And the internship can’t be overstated. Put your hands on and do the job that you may do after you graduate. That’s really important as well. Anthony, weigh in on that advice from Tan Andrea.

Anthony Bellamy (16:48):

One thing that she said that I really like is find something that you’re passionate about. Because I’m so passionate about flying and about my school. When I go to school, my mom knows I’m itching always to go back to school. I love flying. I love learning about flying. And even though it’s really hard, it never seems like school or it never seems like work. It just seems like I’m having fun.

Scott Luton (17:10):

Wow. Okay. Everyone should listen to that. You got to say it louder for the folks in the back. Find something you love to do. It won’t feel like work. Right, exactly. Okay, great advice over the last couple minutes there. So let’s talk more about this program, more about this passion that this program is helping you gain the credential so you can spend your career doing what you love to do. So tell us first about the core classes and the training involved. You started to in the pre-show. Tell us more about what’s involved with the aerospace professional pilot program. Is that right? Yes, sir. What all do you do?

Anthony Bellamy (17:45):

So coming in as a freshman, you learn a lot of stuff on the ground, right? You first start before you get up in the air, you learn about the different aerospace rules, the different laws and regulations of aviation. You learn about aviation, weather and how to navigate the world, how to, without relying on GPS. You learn a lot of, they call it pilotage and dead reckoning, which is using sectional charts and being able to navigate based on landmarks that are already there, like power lines, rivers and stuff like that.

Scott Luton (18:18):

Train tracks maybe as we’ve got this train going past us

Anthony Bellamy (18:22):

Here, maybe they have little train tracks on the sectional. So if you fly over a trench, I can be, oh, there it is. It helps you along the way.

Scott Luton (18:29):

It’s important to recognize all the terrain features so you can be where you are. Is that right?

Anthony Bellamy (18:35):

Yeah, definitely. Because it is way different. Once you get up there, you’ll look around and you’ll be like, where am I? A lot of the times when I was going on cross country flights with my flight instructor, he’ll be like, do you have the airport in sight that we’re going to, we’re 15 miles away? And I’d be like, no, I don’t see it. It’s hard to, when you’re so high up in the air, look and see where you’re going. But the different classes, like my mom talked about this earlier, is they correspond with the flight training that you’re doing. So when I was a freshman, I took a class called Professional pilot one, and what it does is it teaches you all of the stuff that you’re learning while you’re doing your flight lab. So you learn about the airport environment, you learn about different traffic patterns, you learn about the different airspace, and then once you learn about it in the classroom, you go apply it in real life.

(19:19):

When you’re flying with your flight instructor, you go and you practice a traffic pattern, you go and while you’re taxing through the airport, you look at the different signs, he’ll be like, what does that sign mean? What does that sign mean? And I really like how the classes correspond with the flight labs. And as you keep going on and on, you go to pro pilot two, pro pilot three, and you learn about different stuff. You get different ratings. So you learn about instrument flying, you learn about commercial flying, you learn about multi-engine flying. And I just finished professional pilot five. And what’s really interesting about that class is it teaches you how to fly a jet. It teaches you how to fly the CRJ 700 jet. That’s a jet that American Uses Endeavor uses Air Canada uses. And what it does is it really gives you a headstart on what you’re going to do after you’re finished at MTSU, after you finish getting your a thousand hours and you can become a first officer at one of those airlines. So it’s a lot and I love it,

Scott Luton (20:17):

Man. It sounds just, and then there’s a lot more than what the last three or four minutes that Anthony put out there, but it sounds so holistic and so practical. Absolutely.

Tandreia Bellamy (20:27):

Absolutely. It was funny, you had geology. Okay, so he was just complaining and complaining, why do I need to know about rocks, blah blah. I was like, you do understand the only reason you’re so aggravated with this class is because everything else that you’ve taken actually applied to what you’re doing. You are so unaccustomed to having garbage classes that this one really, really just frustrated him. He did well, but he was like, what’s the point? And that’s because so many of his classes had absolute firsthand practical application that he immediately sought to benefit from. And like I said, tremendous blessing.

Scott Luton (21:20):

There’s a greater analogy what you’re sharing there, tantra, because I think if more folks out there working in organizations know what’s the point and what’s in it for me? And if they can connect the dots, they’ll lean into it oftentimes, right? Absolutely, absolutely. So geology was not one of your favorite classes. You had to do it to get add to the degree I’m assuming, huh? I mean

Anthony Bellamy (21:41):

It was kind of cool, but it was just them tests about igneous and metamorphic rocks. I was like, I wasn’t really going for that.

Scott Luton (21:50):

It took me back away, man. Igneous and took geology too. Sedimentary rock. Okay. All right. Alright, so I want to ask you this question. So back to flying. Back to flying, right believe geology and back the flight. Tell us about the first time you stepped into a cockpit.

Anthony Bellamy (22:08):

So my first flight was, what was very interesting about it is I didn’t know how hands-on you’re going to be from the beginning. So this is my first time being in a small plane ever. And we taxi out to the runway, my flight instructors, he’s taxing for me. We’re about to hold short of the runway. And he goes, all right, so do you want to take off? And I’m like, I’ve never touched these controls. I’ve never done anything of this like this before. And he was like, it’s okay. You got this. You’re going to be flying. We’re going to start right now. We’re going to start today. And this was the second semester of my freshman year. So it’s very cool how quickly you get into it. And at first I was a little bit scared, but after I took off and my flight instructor would always tell me, we’re not just going to fall out of the sky. If we lose an engine or something, we could still glide. We’re not going to instantly just fall out of the sky. You’re going to be all right. So yeah, I took controls and it was okay. When I say I took controls, you don’t really take controls. He’s there helping you on the rudders. I took control of the throttle. He’s helping you on the yolk. When you first start flying, you don’t really take controls,

Scott Luton (23:14):

But you’re not sitting there as an observer either, which is really cool.

Anthony Bellamy (23:17):

Exactly. That’s what I meant,

Scott Luton (23:19):

Man, from day one, they throw you in there. And that’s what

Anthony Bellamy (23:23):

I said. You did what?

Scott Luton (23:25):

Right. Gosh. Well that is so cool to hear you describe it and how you don’t have to wait for years and years to start doing some of what you’re learning. Okay. So I want to ask you, you were laying out a moment ago about all the aspects of the program, but going a little bit broader than that, than the world renowned aerospace program at Middle Tennessee State University. What else do you think is really cool and an advantage for going to school in TSU?

Anthony Bellamy (23:58):

I really like all the teachers, all the people there. They’re really kind. And also, like I said before, is I like how much the school does for you and how good the program is, how they keep all the planes maintained, how they make sure everything’s safe, make sure everything’s extra safe. You have to fill out these pre-flight sheets and you have to get a score based on the win, the visibility, the conditions. They always make sure everything’s very safe. So I really like that about the score.

Scott Luton (24:26):

When you say all the planes tan, I think they’ve got a fleet of 47 planes. Did I read that right? Yes. Yes. I guess you can’t have a world renowned program if you don’t have planes.

Tandreia Bellamy (24:35):

Absolutely. And even with all of those planes, because the program is so well known and so many people are fighting to get in, it’s still not enough. As a matter of fact, the program has grown so much. They’ve outgrown the airport that they’re at, and they’re going to be moving to a different airport that unfortunately is farther away from the campus, but they have to accommodate the program because pilots are so desperately needed, they’re so desperately needed. So I found out as he was entering his senior year that he wanted to be a pilot. And we met with a family friend at lunch who told us about MTSU, and we had this lunch in August. So the Tuesday after Labor Day, we went and visited MTSU. So less than a month later, we did the campus tour. And he said, this is where I’m going to school.

(25:30):

And it was the only school he applied to. Now he had the unfortunate privilege of being a covid senior. So no prom, no real graduation, and then so many colleges just shut down and everything was virtual. Well, he got to be on campus and they did a very good job or working around all of the covid issues. And then if someone unfortunately got covid, the school did a phenomenal job of taking care of them. They had an isolated apartment, they brought ’em three meals a day. So when he says the school cares about you, they really do. And I felt very confident having him there.

Scott Luton (26:17):

Wow, that’s important, whether you’re the student or the parent, certainly. Right? Yes. Folks are going to listen to what Tandra just shared there 20 years from now, and they’re not going to have any clue what the last couple of years That’s true. What we’ve been through together. I mean, whether you’re learning or you’re into a career, you’re trying to find a job, whatever you are, I mean, gosh, I’m so glad that we’re, whatever you call now, we’re not back normal in any means by any means, but at least we’ve made strides. So this might be one of my favorite questions we’re going to ask you here today. We got a lot of them here. So we know that you love to fly, right? Love to fly. But when you think of career-wise, what’s your dream? What do you want to do while you fly? What do you want to do?

Anthony Bellamy (27:10):

I’m not exactly sure to be honest. Okay. So my plan right now is I’m going to get my certified flight instructor license next semester. I’m going to learn how to teach people how to fly. I’m going to try and get hired by the school at MTSU and give back and help people there and teach them how to fly, build up my hours, and then go to a regional endeavor or a regional, like a regional airline and try and build time there. So I’m not sure where my end goal I’m going to end up at, whether it could be flying cargo, like you said, for UPS or flying, being a captain at a Delta or Southwest, I’m not sure. But as long as I’m flying and working for someone who treats me fairly, then I’m going to be happy.

Scott Luton (27:54):

Oh, that’s awesome. And being happy and loving what you do, that’s at least half the battle tan. Absolutely. Absolutely. Okay. So speaking of what you want to do professionally, when you think about your potential employer, one of the things we get feedback around this all the time, is we meet top talent and parts of the now generation that are out there doing interviews and trying to figure out exactly where they want to be. When it comes to your potential employer, what’s really important about what they might offer you or what kind of organization do you want to be part of?

Anthony Bellamy (28:31):

I want to be a part of an organization that prioritizes fairness and transparency. I want to know what’s going on. If something happens, I would like to know about it. I also would like to where I’m working, not have to commute. That would be pretty nice for me, not have to go out of my way and travel to the certain airports. I know some pilots that they’re based in a different state than what they live in, and they have to catch flights to their state to go and fly.

Scott Luton (29:03):

So lemme see if I follow you here. So let’s just pick some states here. So you’re describing a situation where someone may be living, a pilot may be living in Georgia, but they may fly in and out of Arkansas. Is that right? So

Anthony Bellamy (29:16):

Let’s say they live in Georgia, but they’re based in Nashville and they have to, even though that’s close, they have to catch that flight from Georgia to Nashville and then clock into work and go fly from Nashville to somewhere

Scott Luton (29:29):

Else. You just blew my mind in terms of I’m going to stop complaining about my hour or so commute here in Atlanta. Ria, where does that take your mind?

Tandreia Bellamy (29:40):

That absolutely happens, and it happens unfortunately a lot with the regionals because they move the pilots to wherever they need them. And that might not be where you live and working, having a employer as he says that understands the importance of that because that’s a part of that employee’s work-life balance. Right?

Scott Luton (30:03):

Oh, big part. That’s right. Great point. I want to go back to something you said earlier, Tania, the pilot shortage. Yes. I think I was in Air Force, got out in oh two. I think they were struggling, retaining and attracting pilots like military wise. And I think the commercial industry with a few blips, I think they’ve always, especially recently been struggling to Keaton attract pilots,

Tandreia Bellamy (30:25):

Right? There was an article recently where a passenger airline was poaching pilots from the Cargo airlines. So it is a tremendous shortage and I don’t know that we can build them fast enough because there’s a lot that the pilots have to go through in order to be qualified to fly those jets. And as a traveler, I desperately need them to be fully qualified before they get up in the air.

Scott Luton (30:55):

Hey, absolutely. Tantra coming over here. As we were kind of walking and getting into the studio, Anthony was telling us all these things that you got to double check and you’re so right. There are certainly, as travelers, non-pilot travelers, we have no idea of how capable and trained and smart you got to be to safely operate and carry these hundreds of passengers on any one plane here and there and everywhere. So I’m glad we’ve got more capable and passionate pilots like Anthony here coming in the industry. Alright, so let’s see. I was just asking Anthony about what he wants in a future employer, and one of the words he used was transparent. So what would be your advice if you were to speak to hiring managers out there all vying for top talent? What’s one piece of advice you’d offer them up? Tantra,

Tandreia Bellamy (31:51):

Things have changed a lot. When I started, I’ll say maybe my first job as a manager, people were motivated by money. How can I make the most money? What can I do to make more money? And then you moved into maybe the next generation or two, and it was more about status. They wanted to see upward mobility. So a lot of the questions were, what does it take to get promoted? How do I get to your job? What’s the next level look like? That’s not the case right now. You have people who are more intrinsically motivated by either what’s going to make them happy, what’s going to make them feel appreciated, what’s going to make them feel valued? So hiring managers, managers who have teams, they’ve got to work hard to really understand what their team is looking for, what those new employees are looking for. They’ve got to work to make their organization look viable. Again, I had 34 years with UPS. We were absolutely a cradle to grave type company that just doesn’t exist anymore. And with so much just being publicly known, so much transparency. It is very, very, very easy for top talent to just job hop. So finding out what that top talent wants and meeting them at the point of their need, it takes work to keep good

Scott Luton (33:34):

People. That’s right. There’s a phrase as you were describing that that comes my mind that I heard say to me once leadership doesn’t blink. And what I’m hearing about as you laid that out there, it’s not just like a easy button, you flip these two switches and we got what we need. It’s a constant, consistent, exhausting, but steady, steady, steady approach to protect the environment, to protect the culture, and to create the organization that not only attracts folks like Anthony, but keeps ’em but keeps ’em. Yeah.

Tandreia Bellamy (34:11):

Keeps ’em. Absolutely.

Scott Luton (34:12):

Good stuff there. Anthony, respond to any part of that? What’d you hear your mom say that really you’re like, that’s right.

Anthony Bellamy (34:22):

That’s right. What she really said about the money is, that’s something that relates to me too, is even though it would be nice to be all about the money, there’s certain things that it’s not all about the money. For example, for me, there’s certain captains that are out there making so much money, $700,000 a year. Wow. Right? But they’re always flying. They’re never at home. They’re, they’re missing their son’s birthday, they’re missing Christmas. And even though it’s nice to be making that much money and doing what you love, I also want to have a home life too, and not always be at work and always doing my job. So even though it would be nice to always, oh, go to the highest bidder and all that stuff, there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to do that. Also that wants to be happy with my job and happy with my life and my family as well. So I think that’s very relatable.

Scott Luton (35:09):

Well said, man. Mature beyond his years. Well beyond his years. Wow.

Tandreia Bellamy (35:14):

Somebody did something right.

Anthony Bellamy (35:15):

That’s what I’m saying.

Scott Luton (35:18):

All right, so now this is going to be a tough question. As I was writing this question out, I was like, what would I say? I’m not sure if I’d come up with a good answer. So I’m still going to ask you though. So we like to get folks kind of break out their crystal ball from time to time and kind of talk about the future. And here I want to fast forward from this conversation here to kind of the end of when you were ready to retire, right? Like seven years or 70 years from now. What is one thing that you hope that the folks you’ve worked with and the organizations you’ve worked with will remember about how Anthony Bellamy, how he worked, how he led the results he got? What would you want folks to remember?

Anthony Bellamy (36:03):

I would want folks to remember positivity, definitely. And my mom can vouch for this. I’m always smiling, I’m always happy and I want people to be more happy with their lives and more happy just in general. Because life is too short to be coming into work every day, sad to be doing a whole bunch of different things, just being mad and I’m always smiling, I’m always happy, and I want those people to know that it’s real. I’m always feeling good about everything. It’s a blessing that we’re all here. It’s a blessing that we’re healthy and all that stuff. So when I retire, I want them to know that man Anthony came to work every day with a smile on his face, A positive attitude no matter what was going on, if he had something going on at home or something else, he left that at the door. He left that when he was coming into his job, he left that at the door. So I just think I want everyone to remember me as being a positive and a happy person.

Scott Luton (36:52):

Okay. I love your answer, tantra. I’m going to ask you kind an extension of what I’m hearing Anthony say is that’s the kind of person that you want to work with. You want to have bad days with. You want to have great days with, you want to solve problems, you want to win, you want to innovate with, I mean, you want to work with someone that Anthony’s describing react to that

Tandreia Bellamy (37:12):

You do. I mean, you want to work with them, you want to play golf with ’em, you want to go to church with ’em. Think about how much better everything would be if more people had that attitude. You relate this morning that you went to one of your favorite establishments and they weren’t open and we were talking about the huge shortage of workers. If environments were like that, people would wake up like, yeah, let’s go, let’s go. So let, that makes me smile. Me too. Yep,

Scott Luton (37:47):

Me too. Me and Tanger. I love hanging out with you just because just how you described it. You’ve got a presence about you, Anthony. You really do. That’s very palpable. Okay, I know there’s a thousand questions that I did not ask you. It’s tough to get a full journey in an hour or so conversation. So I’m going to throw one more question at before we make sure folks know how to connect with you both. What’s one important thing that we didn’t tackle here today or didn’t ask you that you really feel that global folks out there, they’re working in the trenches or whether they want to fly or they want to go to school, or they want to be in supply chain, or they just want to lead and be in executive roles like Ria. What’s one thing we didn’t touch on that you think is really important?

Anthony Bellamy (38:32):

What I think is really important is no matter what you want to do, whether it’s you want to be a famous TikTok or you want to go out and be a construction worker, no matter what it is, whatever you want to do, you can do it. Just go out there and do it. Go out there and get started. Don’t get started tomorrow. Get started today. No matter what you want to do with your life, in your life, you can do it and get started now. That’s what I would say.

Scott Luton (38:56):

Oh, I love it. Me too. Tantra, this has been great. We need a whole Anthony Bellamy series. Really. It’s like we can hook you up to the power grid and power cities for days based on the energy you bring to the table. Alright, so tan, before we wrap out of everything Anthony shared here today, what was your favorite thing he shared that more folks should take away if they forget everything else, what’s the one thing that folks got to take away from the conversation?

Tandreia Bellamy (39:27):

His smile. That is just have a joy for life and make somebody else smile. He makes me smile.

Scott Luton (39:39):

Well said. And don’t start till tomorrow.

Tandreia Bellamy (39:41):

Start today. Start

Anthony Bellamy (39:42):

Today.

Scott Luton (39:43):

Alright. So Anthony, how can folks, so with all that you’ve got going on this incredible journey, you’re following your passion, not the paycheck. What we were saying earlier, you’re going to make a big impact out in industry. You’re going to be kicking a dent in the universe. You’re already starting. So how can folks connect with you if they want to pick your brain or have you come in and motivate their teams or maybe even hire you, who knows? How can folks connect with you? Anthony?

Anthony Bellamy (40:08):

They could connect with me by email. And my email is anthony bellamy a hs@gmail.com.

Scott Luton (40:14):

Okay. It’s just that easy, man. It’s a delight to have you here finally meet you after years and years of hearing about you, me and Greg and Tandra, we’ve had some great conversations and it’s so nice to finally meet you here today. Alright, Tania, thank you. On a variety of levels. This was a pleasure. This has been a lot of fun, man. And I really have enjoyed all the different ways that we’ve collaborated, all the different conversations we’ve had. This is different than all of that. This is just a great addition to our journey. So how can folks, you’re still, as you mentioned on the front end, just because you’re retired from UPS, you’re not staying still. Absolutely. How’d you put it? You’re not. You used a word I said, I’m not stationary. Yes. Got to keep moving. Stationary. That that’s right. Moving like that train background. It’s a great backdrop for us. Supply chain now episode. So how can folks,

Tandreia Bellamy (41:06):

LinkedIn see me on LinkedIn, RIA Bellamy Connect, I’m active and I’ll definitely accept and we can communicate.

Scott Luton (41:15):

That’s right. That is right. And really encourage all of our listeners to connect with both. But in particular in my time with Tania, I know you talk a lot of folks, you talk shop, you come in and speak, you do keynotes, you’re serving on boards, you’re doing important charitable work with driving outcomes, man, you’re just like a dynamo. Do you sleep at night? Of course.

Tandreia Bellamy (41:40):

For two hours.

Scott Luton (41:42):

Only Go. Only go. Well, RA Bellamy, always a pleasure and great to have you here. All right. So folks, hopefully you enjoyed this episode as much as I have. This has been a long time in the works. I’ll tell you, you don’t always get a chance to do that conversation or that show that you talk about for so long. And I am so I’m delighted over the moon that we’re able to do that. Very grateful. Folks, here’s a challenge though. Here’s a challenge. Take something that Anthony or Ria shared here today. Put it in action. Deeds, not words. Just take one thing. At least your team will appreciate it. So with all that said, on behalf of our entire team here at Supply Chain now, Scott Luton challenge you to do good, to give forward and to be the change. Be like Ria, Bellamy, and the world will be a much better place, I promise you. We’ll see you next time, right back here at Supply Chain now. Thanks everybody.

Intro/Outro (42:32):

Thanks for being a part of our supply chain now, community. Check out all of our programming@supplychainnow.com and make sure you subscribe to Supply Chain now, anywhere you listen to podcasts. And follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. See you next time on Supply Chain. Now.

 

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Featured Guests

Anthony Bellamy is a senior in the Aerospace Professional Pilot program at Middle Tennessee State University.

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). Connect with Tandreia on LinkedIn.

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Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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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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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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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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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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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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Amanda Luton

Vice President, Production

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

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Clay Phillips

Business Development Manager

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

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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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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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Kristi Porter

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Sofia Rivas Herrera

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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Demo Perez

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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