Supply Chain Now
Episode 789

If we were static and we were still doing things the way we were seven years ago, we wouldn't have Tom as a customer. As Port X Logistics' business grows, we need to be able to continue to support them as their business changes and the market changes.

- Jeff Graan, Vice President, Sales Engineering, Turvo

Episode Summary

As businesses grow, what they need from their partners expands and evolves. But the drivers of change don’t just come from within. Pressure from competitors and new demand from customers have an impact on what a company wants to offer and the way they offer it.

Jeff Graan is the Vice President of Sales Engineering with Turvo and Tom Zeis is with Port X Logistics. Port X Logistics specializes in expediting containerized cargo throughout the United States and Canada. Given the levels of disruption in the supply chain over the last couple of years, they have been receiving an increase in requests to expedite freight. They worked with Turvo to develop their multimodal capabilities, ensuring that their customers could access all the information they need in one place and in as close to real time as possible.

In this episode, which was created as part of a Supply Chain Now livestream, Jeff and Tom join co-hosts Greg White and Scott Luton to share how Port X Logistics tripled its growth with Turvo’s TMS:

  • Why it is absolutely critical for companies facilitate communication between all of their ‘supply chain constituents’
  • How well-implemented, user-friendly technology can play an active role in creating a culture of customer service
  • What they think business leaders can expect to see from the supply chain in 2022 and beyond

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 (00:33):

Hey, good morning, Scott Luton, Greg White with you here on supply chain. Now welcome to today’s livestream Gregory. How we doing?

Greg White (00:40):

I think we’re doing quite well. How are we

Scott Luton (00:42):

Doing? Doing absolutely wonderful. We got some more rain here in the Metro Atlanta area, right?

Greg White (00:46):

Yeah. The sun went away, but I think we were ready for some, some moisture.

Scott Luton (00:50):

Well, I tell you, we’ve got so a jam packed episode here today, Greg and, and we had a lot of fun to warm up show talking football, talking, sailing, talking a little, little ball history, right.

Greg White (01:02):

Everything but supply chain. Cause that’s what we’re here for now. So right.

Scott Luton (01:07):

That is right. So today show Greg, you hit Nel in the head as always look, we all know about the endless obstacle course that global supply chain has been navigating for a couple of years now. Right. But Greg, you don’t have to look far to find plenty of companies that been struggling. Yeah. Today we bring you good news and the story of a partnership that’s produced, I popping growth, results, success, and get this bingo moments, tons of solid insights and key takeaways to be shared right here on supply chain now, today, right, Greg?

Greg White (01:39):

Yeah. I love that term bingo moments. So we’re gonna learn a little bit more about that when we bring our guests in,

Scott Luton (01:45):

We sure are. I do too. Uh, you know, we love our Eureka moments around here, uh, and we’re gonna find out exactly how they define a bingo moment. Who knows. We may have already had three or four today. Greg, who <laugh>, you know,

Greg White (01:57):

I can tell you the way my day started. I don’t think I’ve had a bingo moment yet. <laugh>

Scott Luton (02:02):

All right. Fair enough. What y’all stay tuned for a great conversation, uh, as we’re welcoming Tom and Jeff in just a minute. All right. So we’re gonna stay low to a few folks in just a moment, but Greg, can you believe it is the 8th of December already? Where has a year gone? And by the way, where’s my stuff.

Greg White (02:20):

Right? Right. I well, and where’s ever anybody else’s stuff. I don’t know if you, I woke up this morning going, am I sure I’m done with everybody’s gift getting <laugh> so, uh, I will be, uh, sharing some time with a spreadsheet later today. I can assure you of that

Scott Luton (02:39):

Really has your gift buying made as far as, as, as, uh, spreadsheet methodology. I need

Greg White (02:45):

To apply that because I’m not sure, you know, we try to be as equal as possible with everybody value wise and I wanna make sure that we’re on track and that we’ve got the kind of impact gifts that we want everyone to get. Man.

Scott Luton (03:00):

I love that. Okay. So we’re gonna have to do a, a key takeaways on Greg White’s gift buying season. Look for it in 2022, but Hey, I’ve digress. We gotta say hello to a few folks and folks, as you chime in, as you say hello, we’d love to know where you’re tuned in from. That’d be a wonderful thing. We’d love to connect the dots shut. That is from the Netherlands tuned in via LinkedIn. Great to have you here today. Look forward to your POV Lamont Hardy tuned in from San Diego via LinkedIn Lamont. I appreciate you being with us on one of our live streams last week. Greg, you ever been in San Diego?

Greg White (03:34):

Oh yeah. Yeah. My sister lives there and it’s decidedly warmer than the Netherlands. This time mean you’re also really San Diego weather. Castor is the easiest job on the planet. It’s sunny in somewhere between 72 and 75, except June when we’ll have a Marine inversion until about noon. <laugh> enjoy your day. San Diego.

Scott Luton (03:54):

<laugh> keep it classy. Right? Keep it classy. Great to have you here via LinkedIn. He says how from the lone star state, Hey, where are you? Uh, Santo. That is a, a big old state and, uh, would love to, we, we appreciate you being here. Looking forward to your perspective, Eric, uh, is with us as well. A year’s gone by, by the way, Eric. No kidding. Yeah. Where has it gone? Appreciate you being here today, Patrick, uh, also from Texas, Kenny, Texas, you know where that has ever heard of that. Greg

Greg White (04:25):

I’ve heard of it, but I am embarrassed to say, I don’t recall. It’s near a, it’s near a big city, but I can’t remember which one. So Patrick I’ve, I’ve got a ton of relatives who live in Texas. I have no better really. I

Scott Luton (04:36):

Used to have, um, family and cousins, aunt and uncle lived in van, Austin in Texas, right outside of Dallas. And, but other than that in San Antonio or went for basic for the air force, there you

Greg White (04:47):

Go. Wow. That’s a, that’s a great

Scott Luton (04:49):

Spot. It is. It really is. And of course our, our Trek couple years ago, as we went cross country in the supply chain now van to Austin.

Greg White (04:58):

So Austin we’ll save the, we hit the city limits,

Scott Luton (05:02):

But Patrick, great to have you here. Uh, let us know where McKinney is and what it’s known for. And thanks so much for tuning in of

Greg White (05:08):

Course. Yeah. We also had some great barbecue in a little town. I cannot remember. We’ll have to trace our path and see what that was. We are

Scott Luton (05:16):

Gonna have to do that big, thanks to clay and Amanda and Jade and all the folks behind the scenes is helping to make the production happen here today. Dmitri. Great to have you here via LinkedIn. I’m with you. I think we’ve got a outstanding story, uh, teed up here today, Samantha. Yeah. Hey, Samantha’s tuned in, uh, via LinkedIn giving a shout out to, uh, clay diesel Phillips. Great to see you here, Samantha and finally yours. I bet. I wonder if the Jay is silent, the air, what do you think Greg?

Greg White (05:43):

I would say yes.

Scott Luton (05:45):

Okay. Yours or it’s a

Greg White (05:46):

Very soft J because that’s a Dutch name. So,

Scott Luton (05:49):

Ah, well, regardless yours, great to have you here via LinkedIn and tuned in from Chicago. So, uh, looking forward to a great story. So on that note, welcome, everybody know we couldn’t hit everybody. Look forward to hearing your comments throughout our live stream here today. Again, we’ve got a big story teed up, uh, with two companies on the mood and Greg, if you’re good with it, I’m gonna go ahead and welcome in our guest today. You ready? Let me

Greg White (06:14):

Check the clock. I think we’re go. Okay.

Scott Luton (06:17):

Go. Hey one quick. I gotta, I gotta close one loop. Patrick says he is not far from van Osteen. So McKinney. Yes. So McKinney must be in that DFW area.

Greg White (06:26):

Yes. The Dallas metroplex.

Scott Luton (06:27):

That’s right. Dallas metroplex. Fort worth metroplex. Yes. Nice. Okay. So with all of that said, I wanna bring in, uh, welcome in Tom Zeis O with port X logistics and Jeff gro, VP of sales engineering with turbo. Hey, Hey gentlemen, how are we doing today?

Tom Zeis (06:48):

Doing well,

Jeff Graan (06:48):

Thank you. Doing very well welcome

Greg White (06:51):

Chance. I was half curious, Jeff, if you might be wearing your, uh, your novel head gear or when you came on camera,

Jeff Graan (06:59):

But well, I’m not wearing it, but it’s uh, never too far away. So not to bring it up. <laugh> cause cheese has always have to have this around. So it comes in handy when debating, if, uh, the green bay Packers are a team or it’s a dynasty. So we can, we can have another session on that later if we need to. I

Greg White (07:15):

Love it. I love does that add to your credibility to wear of that when having that discussion

Jeff Graan (07:19):

All depends on the week. <laugh>

Scott Luton (07:23):

Well, Hey, so we were talking pre-show, we’ve got three big pro football fans here, so everybody knows Greg is a big Kensey chief since he was a kid, Jeff gro, as he’s already let out the, the, uh, cat outta the bag, big cheese head fan green bay hackers, and Tom fill, fill in everybody on where your allegiance is.

Tom Zeis (07:42):

Well, it’s, it’s a tough week. And, uh, you know, that’s of course, because of Monday night football, I mean, we got beat by the team. That’s been beating us up for 20 years and it’s just, uh, it gets, it gets worse each time, especially now that Brady’s not there, we still keep listening to him. <laugh>

Scott Luton (07:57):

Hey, we love those, those bill, the history, you know, Therman Thomas and Jim Kelly and, and so many great de uh, Bruce, uh, Bruce Smith, man, love watching him play back in the day. So we’ll have to talk football again on an upcoming episode, Greg of supply chain, nerd talk sports coming. I’m kidding. A local theater. Hey, really quick. Before we, we’re gonna dive into our story here today. Don’t wanna give a quick shout out. Greg joiner is a fraternity brother of mine from way back in the day. He’s tuned in for a few minutes during lunch from Summerville, South Carolina, home to many manufacturing companies I found has been on the move, bringing them in. So Greg hope this finds you and your beautiful family. Uh, well, okay, so Tom and Jeff and Greg are Y all ready to get started on today’s.

Tom Zeis (08:41):

Sure.

Scott Luton (08:42):

All right. So as much as we’d love to talk football over the next hour, we’ve got a couple of movers and shakers in global business and global supply chain here with us. And I wanna start Tom. Yeah. Uh, we love that hat by the way. Thank you. Uh, we we’re all signing up for port X swag today. <laugh> but Tom hitting aside, y’all got a really intriguing story there at port X. I wanna kind of walk through that on the front end to, to help level set with folks. Uh, the three folks, maybe in global business that hadn’t heard, y’all, let’s talk with all the growth that port X is seeing, including some of the core values that’s powering that it,

Tom Zeis (09:15):

Yeah, I, I I’ll give you the, I’ll give you the story. I’ll give you, you know, how Portex came to be. And it was, uh, just over four years ago only where we started. And it was, uh, there was a group of us with, with various backgrounds in the transportation industry over the road, truckload, brokerage, LTL container, Dr. You name it. And we came together with the idea that there was, there’s gotta be a better way. There’s gotta be a better way, you know, to treat people, uh, not only internally, you know, your employees, but your vendors, your customers, right? You gotta make it exciting to come to work every day. I mean, the logistics industry trucking it’s, it’s not the most glamorous, you know, and <affirmative>, it’s, it’s a grind a lot of times. So we wanted to start a company, uh, that was not only gonna be successful, um, the company itself, but all the employees as well.

Tom Zeis (10:06):

And we, we started with a number of success factors in order for, you know, everybody to be successful, delivering wow, through service te you know, tech adoption, being home, pursuing growth, and learn learning. And it’s around these success factors, uh, that we’ve been successful as a company, as an individual, uh, every employee themselves as well. You know, our founder, Brian Kesty, he wanted to start an aspirational brand in the truck and industry. And when I first heard that, I said, I don’t know what the heck you’re talking about. <laugh> it took me a couple years to figure it out. But now I understand, man, because we’re living it

Scott Luton (10:44):

Big, bold vision. It seems like he brings the table. Right.

Tom Zeis (10:48):

I thought he was crazy at first. And, and

Scott Luton (10:49):

You know, Greg, what I’m also hearing there is, uh, a big, meaningful, deliberate change and how business and industry typically have, has been done for decades, right?

Greg White (10:59):

That’s always healthy. You know, it’s always good to look at what you’ve loved and hated and seen be successful and seen, be detrimental to companies and then to construct your own model going forward. But those core values are, are really the key to being able to, to center yourself, you know, around, around what you believe and what you’re trying to accomplish and to guide you every day. So I think that’s a really important aspect of what they’ve done at port X.

Scott Luton (11:26):

Agreed. All right. So Jeff, I’m gonna come to you get a quick observation on these success factors and the culture that Tom has mentioned, but before I do mm-hmm <affirmative> folks, we open up a can of worms talking football. We’ve got Tito who is a big pats fan. We’ve got Andrew’s big bills. Fan John says co chiefs. We all know Patty gets his second super bowl this year. Hey, Hey, how about that? Patrick will, Walford’s a great Buffalo bill and a big friend that is awesome to see. So y’all keep it coming, keep it coming folks. All right. So Jeff, we’re gonna try to work through the port X story what’s going on in the industry. The partnership y’all have got all the next hour, so we’re gonna be moving pretty fast, but Jeff, what was one observation about the unique port X culture and what they’re doing that, that, uh, you’ve noticed here recently?

Jeff Graan (12:10):

You know, one of the things I, I guess, uh, I’ll hit a couple of, ’em a couple that I’ve seen and Brian and Tom and the team there at Portex have done is they really put the customer first. And by doing that, they needed to be on task immediately with the information. And how did they do that? They’re leveraging turbo. Uh, we’re talking about the story of the two companies and when they started, they knew that there was a better way. Uh, my not, not, uh, unlike most of our other customers, they’re also looking for something different. And when you look at what turbo is, and you look at the, the application, the architecture, it is different than a than ATMs. Yep. And we can get into it a little bit later, but really when you look at that partnership and what they wanted to bring to the table, they had a new, fresh service and they needed some new and fresh in supply chain technology. And that’s where turbo came in. And really ever since, as we move this, uh, relationship forward, there is a relationship between, uh, port X and turbo, that that is saying, here’s what we need to see in the technology. And then we’re validating that with other customers. And they’re part of that, that, that steerage of the product love

Scott Luton (13:14):

That. Okay. We’re gonna touch on some, all of that, as you mentioned, uh, over the next, uh, 50 minutes or so. So Tom I’ll circle back to you. Can you speak to whatever you can share about growth? You know, we’ve been, obviously it’s been, uh, triple digit growth, but before we ask you about what bingo moments are, any comment around the growth y’all seen?

Tom Zeis (13:32):

Well, I mean, I, I, I lived it a, over the past two years. I mean, it’s been a crazy four years, but the past year and a half ever since the pandemic started, it has been, um, absolutely insane. You know, we specialize in expediting, containerized cargo, um, throughout the us and Canada. And so when there’s a disruption in the supply chain, we usually get, you know, a lot of, uh, requests for that type of service. So as you can imagine with the current state of the supply chain and how it, you know, what has been the past year and a half, two years, we’ve been, uh, contacted quite often. And, uh, we’ve been assisting a lot of our cost, every one of our customers, a lot of companies out there with expediting that freight. So it’s been a wild ride and we are just holding on for, to your life <laugh>

Scott Luton (14:17):

As well, you know, Hey, welcome, welcome to, uh, the crowd, but also you you’re doing so success startup life. Yes. There you go. You’re doing it successfully, you know, which, Hey, if you’re gonna struggle and fight through these current, this current state, Hey, it’s great to do it while, um, you’re seeing lots of growth and success. So Greg, we’re really curious as we’ve talked, uh, on the front end, you know, we love our Eureka moments here, but what just what Tom is a bingo moment. Yeah,

Tom Zeis (14:44):

That’s a, <laugh> a, bingo is a, a customer accolade. Okay. And so, you know, we don’t, we don’t manage by spreadsheet. We manage by bingos and, you know, the, the, the goal is to collect as many bingos as possible. You know, I, I, I’m part of the training process here and whenever we onboard a new employee, um, you know, I show ’em just a list of those bingos. And I say, this is, this is what we’re going after. And those customer leads are, you know, you guys are making my life easier. Thank you so much. You guys save my day. Can I come work with, for, for port X? You know, I love you guys, things like that. And, uh, that’s what it’s all about.

Scott Luton (15:21):

Awesome. Greg quick comment, before I go to Jeff.

Greg White (15:24):

Yeah. I mean, I think that’s exactly what you’re after. You’re trying to create to go back to a book from the old days raving. Yeah. Right. And, and nothing is more important to a company than an enthusiastic reference. And particularly in this industry and particularly in this time, and if you’re having those bingo moments, it sounds like you’re creating that enthusiastic reference. I work for a com several companies where we would often hear, you know, you changed my, my career. You changed my life. You changed my company. Right. You can, I come work for you? Those, I mean, that is a good sign of, of doing the right thing for your clients. And, and it also means that when they go inevitably go somewhere else, they’re gonna take you with ’em and that’s exactly what you want to have

Tom Zeis (16:11):

Happen. It’s all about the, those relationships. Right.

Scott Luton (16:13):

All right. So now that we’ve, we’ve defined bingo moment. I was thinking cousin a Eddie in that moment where he says bingo and Christmas vacation, but it’s not that. So I’m, I’m, I’m very, very glad to hear that. So. All right. So I got one more question, uh, for Tom and Jeff, I’m gonna come to you next as we start level setting what we’re seeing out there, but, uh, a couple quick comments, Cindy Palmer core values are super important as SI X. We all agree with you here, and I appreciate you calling that out. And clearly, man, you can see how Tom talks about that. And, and, and how inherently is part of what they’re doing at for, uh, Graham go packer. So Jeff, a fellow Packer’s fan there via LinkedIn, uh,

Greg White (16:50):

Kava you’re winning on fan count, right?

Scott Luton (16:54):

Yeah. <laugh> kaon is dropping all the hashtags less than drone load, less than train load, less than plane load. Hey, great to see you here. Kaon thanks. You so much, uh, Tempus welcome in from Texas. And Clay’s posing a question and let’s let this kind of be the question throughout the next, uh, 50 minutes or so anyone else had a big, big key bingo moments this year? Let, let us hear y’all drop ’em in the comments and we’ll try to get to them as often as we can. Okay. So Tom, one final question, before we move it into kind of more broader level setting, and that’s where, you know, Jeff talked about, uh, the partnership, so alluded to it, where did the partnership between Portex and turbo begin?

Tom Zeis (17:33):

You know, that’s, that’s part of, of the Portex or, uh, origin story. Um, going back to the start, you know, we, we were looking for, you know, a system that was attractive, something that was user friendly, something that provided visibility and access, you know, there were legacy systems out there that were, you know, geared towards more of the, you know, management system of, of drayage or containers, you know, that we were interested in. But again, they didn’t provide that visibility. They, they weren’t really attractive. They looked more like an Excel spreadsheet than anything else. And, you know, our founder, Brian kep ran into the founder of turbo by chance, you know, and they talked and Brian was like, this is exactly what I’m looking for. And while, you know, turbo at the time, didn’t have the multimodal capabilities that was on the roadmap, you know, and like Jeff has mentioned, and like, we’re talking about today, we’ve up with Zervo and helped, you know, develop the multimodal capabilities and enhancements. And it’s been a terrific relationship since day one and continues to be so mm-hmm

Scott Luton (18:39):

Outstanding. Okay. So using that, I’m gonna piggyback on Tom there, Jeff, feel free to elaborate, you know, add to what Tom shared there, and then we’re gonna move into what we’re all seeing across the industry. So, Jeff, what else would you add to that?

Jeff Graan (18:53):

Okay, well, uh, what Tom said is, is spot on and really, um, that’s where we’re finding where we’re succeeding with in those battles for, to earn a customer’s business is to really align with where their strategy is. And, and then also where the trajectory is taking, taking turbo. Tom also touched on the multimodal cap abilities and they had the belief that we were gonna, we were gonna deliver it and what was on our roadmap. And sure enough, uh, a few short weeks ago we were released, um, our multimodal functionality. So through a partnership that we have with open track, we’ve got all the way from on the ocean. We’ve got the container coming in, hitting north America. Then we’ve got the port, port service operators, uh, feeding open, which is being ingested by turbo. And then we’re able to then manage that ocean and then expedite whatever leg that you want, whether it’s rail, whether it’s over the road, transportation, all in one system, mm-hmm, <affirmative>, I’ve been doing this a number of years and that really seemed to be the, what was missing in the marketplace. And that’s what, that’s, what Portex was looking for. They wanted everything in one system. It, what we’re seeing today is systems that are maybe a little bit more dated. Uh, they’re doing the ocean injury in this, in this system, and they’re doing over the road transportation in, in another system. And they’re really not doing a good job of collaborating together and what it’s doing. It’s giving your customer, maybe not the freshest information. It’s not giving them also the bill to easily collaborate and we’ve helped forte solve those

Scott Luton (20:15):

Love that. Okay, Greg, I know, I know that, uh, that brings a ton of thoughts to mind, but really quick, your take on that. Yeah,

Greg White (20:22):

It makes me think from my, from the segment of supply chain I worked in, which was largely forecasting and planning and, and inventory optimization. It makes me think of how ERPs were a mile wide and an inch deep. They did everything, but they did it all really superficially. And, and what I I see here is that there are areas where you need to go really deep. If you think about E R P it was kind of typically WMS, forecasting, planning, replenishment optimization, and you augmented the systems, the core systems that were out there with that. And you created a scenario where you managed an aspect of the business from beginning to end every single knit nook and cranny, uh, in a, in a single system. And that, I think that’s a really valuable thing to do. And, you know, I don’t know that I’d say that secret sauce, but it sure is a leap ahead for the industry to be able to do that and to respond to that. I mean, I think when I think about, when I think about a company requesting that and a, and a tech tech provider, responding to that that’s, that shows a lot about their core values as well.

Scott Luton (21:26):

Excellent point, excellent point. I wanna add Louis comment here. It’s all about providing a better customer experience delivered through your business’ core values and the technology that compliments those values. That’s why Portex has seen explosive growth, congrats to the port X team. And I said, Louis, probably Louis. Uh, thank you, Louis very much for Louis comment there. Louis Louise. Gosh, uh, it’s been a long week already. Huh? All right. So what I wanna do next, I, I want to kind, uh, broaden out, right. Uh, we could spend the next 16 hours talking about some of the challenges we’re seeing out in global business and industry, but let’s call out a few of those. So Tom will start with you and bring you back into the conversation, you know, uh, as you survey global business global supply chain, what’s one or two things that you’re tracking right now.

Tom Zeis (22:14):

Well, I mean, it’s, it’s been, it’s been in the news, uh, quite, quite often over the last few years with the, the number of vessels sitting outside of, of LA long beach. Um, you know, they’re breaking records every week earlier this week, it was, you know, 97, I think it was now, they, they pushed some of those vessels out, you know, to, to help with the air quality. And, and they’re claiming that’s decreasing the number of vessels, but that’s simply not true. They’re just more spread out. So it continues, you know, it’s that added congestion, you know, that, that our infrastructure just can’t keep up with for a number of reasons, one of, of which being the lack of space due to all the chassis, taking it up with E empty sitting on them with nowhere to go, you know, we have, you know, oddball steamship lines that are chartering vessels to LA long beach over the past year that never called on LA. And, you know, all of a sudden do, and don’t have a great plan of taking back those empties or, you know, a return system it’s just creating a complete mess. Those are easing back a little bit. So, I mean, I think it’ll get better, but that’s what we’re looking at right now is that LA mess. Awesome.

Scott Luton (23:20):

And we’re gonna, Hey, we’re gonna give y’all ample opportunity to talk about what’s the common twin 22 and beyond. So let’s not lose track of that thought Jeff, same question. What’s something you tracking out there. Challenge wise across industry. You

Jeff Graan (23:33):

Know, I I’d say one of them is just tying to our, one of our core, uh, values that within the application within turbo itself is getting customers connected with their supply chain constituents. And really what that means is, is the driver talk, be able to communicate with the carriers, the carrier, able to communicate with our customer and is that our customer able to communicate in one platform with their customer. And that’s really what we keep expanding on and being able to share and, and share and control that information. That’s going back and forth between, uh, the user within the tur ecosystem. If you look at what Tom’s, uh, customers have, uh, they have the ability to get as much information as Tom and his team want them to see, uh, all the way to real time information. And that’s what we hear customers screaming for.

Jeff Graan (24:19):

I think, uh, Scott earlier, you had said, uh, where’s my stuff, right? And the Amazon effect triggered that starting two, three years ago. And that’s really made mountains out of the, the value that we can provide. And that’s really taking that. Where’s my stuff from, you know, I just ordered a new, a new mug and it, and it’s gonna come, I know it’s gonna be here, but I want to know where it is now. Where is my stuff that I bought as an organization. And then the port co is really now controlling that, especially as we finish up the retail season, you know, we’re seeing sales on things that are still sitting on ships, right? That are, that are parked offshore. So that information that Tom is using to, to feed to his customers is allow, is having them make various decisions, um, to be able to support their customers.

Scott Luton (25:05):

Excellent point. So, uh, Jeff, appreciate you sharing Greg. I’m gonna come to you next, but first I wanna share a couple quick comments here. Our, our all friend Bob Merlow is with us here today, says planning must be synchronized from design to manufacturing, logistics, and service. Bob hope. This finds you well. Great to have you here today. And, uh, Eric makes a, a good point here. What is needed by the market right now is the predictability that AI driven system that ports don’t have. I wanna know when my cargo on ship number 86 and the port of LA will land via estimation. Bring it, Greg. Uh, Eric, keep preaching there. Mm-hmm <affirmative> okay. So Greg, based on what Tom has shared, Jeff has shared Bob and, you know, I know we’re tracking a lot of things right now. What’s one thing that comes to your mind.

Greg White (25:51):

Well, thing that immediately comes to my mind is remember the good old days when it was only long beach in LA that were stacking up ships outside their port. <laugh> right. As you know, Scott, just a few weeks ago, I was in, I was in Savannah and they had 30 plus ships stacked up outside there. They have the same problem at Houston. People are redirecting now to the Northwest ports. Um, New Jersey and New York ports have always been a disaster. So there’s no real news there except for the number. Right. But I mean, this is a, a very widespread problem. And yet I just read an article. That’s some huge percentage. I can’t remember the number of containers that are going back on ships are empty. So, so this is creating an enormous trade deficit for the country, for the United States as well. So there are macro issues at play here, as well as the tactical things. And those will come around to create disruptions next year. So not to excellent point, not to foreshadow the what’s happening in 2022, but I mean, they will. And I think we have to think about those things because I, I feel like so many people in supply chain want for these disrupt options to be over and they’re not, and they’re not going to be, and not soon. So,

Scott Luton (27:06):

So, so amen to that, Greg, and that means you gotta take action, right? This isn’t, you can’t just huddle and prays gonna go away. Uh, and it’s gonna be easy street or, or never easy street, but you don’t what I mean back to old, old days as Greg references

Greg White (27:22):

Got strategy, right? I mean you have, and that’s why, I mean, that’s why I think this relationship is so powerful and why it’s so necessary is because you have to have technology to, to be able to, to keep up with the pace of movement, but also with the pace of change in supply chain and when, and to be able to respond effectively when the inevit dramatic disruption occurs, at least they’ll be dramatic for the next few years. So

Scott Luton (27:48):

Excellent point. Okay. We’re gonna keep moving. I, I wanna bring in Brian. Uh, so speaking of the devil, Bri Brian, a founder of, of Portex I believe, nice job, Tom, Tom Zeis, you helping to implement with all stakeholders in multiple cities and on multiple continents is huge. That’s a bingo. That’s a bingo. Uh, let’s see here, Ken says, uh, and hello, Ken, welcome to a conversation. Just order 33 pounds of some decorative rock outta Kennedy. Gonna be neat to track the ups. Yeah, hopefully, uh, you might see that next, uh, uh, on the weeks months who knows and see what 10 references. And if I have to get back football in a minute, um, I wanna keep moving. <laugh> there’s no shortage once you open up and let the genie outta the bottle when it comes to football TIS the season right now. Right. All right. So I wanna keep moving forward, Tom. I wanna come back to you here. Yeah. So I wanna circle back to specifically, uh, when you think of, uh, port X and some of the specific problems, growth, barriers, whatever that y’all encountered, if you could shed some light on that and just what you did about it, obviously turbo is part of that. What, what, what, what else would you add there?

Tom Zeis (28:55):

Well, part of my job is, you know, my, my two big responsibilities here is, is driving adoption, uh, internally and externally driving turbo adoption. Okay. Uh, because tur, what turbo can do is, is, is make your, you know, our operator’s jobs easier, our operators, our customers, operators, every, every party of the supply chain, their job would be easier, you know, if they were to utilize turbo. Right. And so, as we were growing so quickly, <laugh> I had to make my employees jobs easier or try to, you know, and, and part of that is, you know, managing turbo correctly and getting that work off of our desks, less keystrokes, reduce the email clutter, you know, and it’s, it’s the same with spreadsheets. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. And, and for our customers as well, you know, making, making their job easier. So the communication can flow easier, you know, so we can provide better visibility, um, and, and take care of some of those, those issues that we we see in the supply chain even today. And, you know, that’s, that’s one way of bit doing it, relying on our, our tech, that’s one of our pillars, culture, service tech, and trucks, and it’s tech for that reason, you know, because we have to, we should rely on tech. I mean, everybody should, these days in order to grow successfully, you know, you have to, and, and get that work off of your desk. Right. <laugh> work more

Scott Luton (30:18):

Efficiently. I’m I’m Hey, I’m with you. I’m I’m with you, especially when you’re, you’re leveraging the right tech, right. Yeah. Rather than just leveraging the, the latest shiniest object, and then you, you implement it, your team’s got a headache because, you know, they’re not sure how to use it. And then it goes, you know, 10% utilized and just creates a lot of heartburn within the organization. So mm-hmm, <affirmative>, I love, uh, what your, your, uh, sentiment there, Tom. All right. So, Jeff, what would you add to what Tom was sharing there?

Jeff Graan (30:45):

You know, I think, uh, admirable that Tom, when they’re hiring a team, they’re looking to build that team that they’re looking for, people that want to, uh, in improve the way of life, the life, their customer, and how they’re doing that was the technology and the technology that they sourced was easy to use. And I think you heard Tom say that early on in his, uh, in his delivery. Now, one of the things that we really try and do as we’re working with customers to understand what the ease of use is, and some of the, some of the business segments that we service, it’s all about how can you get that order into the, into turbo and how can you then execute it in as few clicks as possible. <affirmative>, and it’s an extremely brisk process within tur. But then what I’m gonna also say is to train a user in turbo, you could measure in hours, not days or weeks.

Jeff Graan (31:32):

And I worked at some technologies that depending how many super users we had to, to, uh, or assist Mads, we had to train, we’d be looking at well, how many weeks is that? Is, is that gonna add to the delivery? And, uh, and that was just a, you had some cumbersome systems that weren’t built for scale. And if you look all the way back to the Genesis of turbo, we built it for scale. We didn’t know where it was gonna go. We did not know seven years ago that multimodal was gonna be there, but there it is low and behold, and it’s as easy to use as any other part within turbo. Mm. Okay.

Scott Luton (32:03):

It’s Greg, I I’m coming to your next couple quick comments first though. Kaon he coined this, the new abnormal. Remember that Greg, when disruptions have become frequent? Yes. That’s the word world we’re living in now? Brian says, uh, hopium, <laugh> hashtag, hopium always have said hope is not a good strategy. I love that. Uh, Cindy says, sounds like it saves a lot of time, which is gonna save clients money. Uh, absolutely. And Patrick, Patrick from McKinney, Texas, we’re very excited to start using turbo here at Cardinal. How about that? Uh, I’m assuming that’s Cardinal health maybe or Cardinal logistics one.

Jeff Graan (32:35):

Nope. It’s Cardinal logistics and it’s one of our newest customers. Uh, we earned their business and it

Greg White (32:39):

Was official, uh, two weeks ago. Very glad to have part of the

Scott Luton (32:43):

Team, Patrick. Great to have you here, man. I appreciate you showing up for the livestream and, and by the way, Patrick, you’re not getting outta that question. Where’s a good, what’s the best barbecue place down McKinney, Texas. So you’re gonna let us know. Yeah. All right. So Greg we’re, we were touching it before we, um, kind of into, um, everyone wearing their futurist hat. Yes. What <laugh>, what you, what would you like to add to what you heard, Tom and Jeff talk about when obstacles and solutions?

Greg White (33:09):

Yeah, I think, um, you know, we’ve seen it over and over. There are tons of good mathematically program. These sound technologies out there that are impossible to use. And that’s exactly what Jeff is talking about. I mean, if you think about probably everyone here is too young to remember green screens, but I remember when I first got into retail, the solution that we had was on what’s called a green screen, which is really a black screen with green text <laugh>. And, and even in high school where right, we had, uh, max and we had, you know, beautiful UIs and ease of use and that sort of thing. And when I got there, I felt like I had been thrust into the sixties until I did a little studying and realized there were no computers in businesses in the sixties, but it still felt like the sixties.

Greg White (33:55):

So it, you know, I think that it’s, it’s critical that companies are so aware and so able to produce brisk. I like the word that Jeff used there a, a brisk usage experience, right? A frictionless usage experience that allows you to do the work because that’s all the users really care about. They don’t want to have to learn this click or this key or any of that stuff, if they just want to complete the work and in, and technology should be a gateway, not a hurdle to those sorts of things. So when you’ve built a technology that creates a gateway to ease, ease the workflow, that’s when, you know, you’re really onto something really, really successful. And, and I think companies have, and, and individuals have settled for a very, very long time and they’re just not doing it anymore. Our generation gen, gen X and subsequent generations, I think we have been incredibly patient, but the, the subsequent generations were brought up with ease of use. They don’t even know any better if you show them something that’s clunky. They’re gonna think they’ve been thrust back to the sixties. Mm-hmm <affirmative>

Scott Luton (34:59):

Excellent point. Okay. I

Tom Zeis (35:01):

Just wanna, I just want to add, I mean, you know, I provide our customers with demos, you know, how to access their tenant, how to, you know, take advantage of the most popular features, document retrieval. I provide those demos in demos in 10 to 15 minutes. That’s all takes. Yeah. And, and, and they can use it from there. It’s amazing.

Scott Luton (35:17):

Love it. Okay. I gotta get some, some of these comments in what y’all three of y’all just have been sharing. It’s been, uh, generating some stuff here. Mike avers says user ease probably is crucial. Uh, absolutely agree there. Tempest says I’ve left a company because of the green screen. It felt like I was in bedrock <laugh>

Greg White (35:37):

So that’s like the four

Scott Luton (35:38):

Sixties BC. Right. You know, when I was in air force, uh, Greg cams and go 81, which is, uh, used for a wide variety of things, including maintenance actions and reports, all green screens and gosh, being the non technologist. I struggled with learning how to, uh, navigate through all the different screens. So Tempest, I was feeling your pain a little bit there. Peter keys. Remember,

Greg White (36:00):

Remember when you had to hit F keys to access all kinds of things. Oh, I mean, you still do on a lot of the old

Scott Luton (36:05):

Systems y’all know the coaches. So football analogy here, you know, especially in these, these advanced college schemes where the offense is, is, is a thousands of audibles. You got coaches with big spreadsheets, you know, and they, they cover their mouth as they’re covering, you know, calling the lace op op latest obstacle. We had those everywhere, the shortcuts plastered everywhere, trying to navigate through a very complicated and non-user intuitive system. Gosh, think of the hours we lose there. Peter Bole, good afternoon, uh, all night and all day, I should add to that know the dreaded green screen. And finally, Patrick answered our question, Hutchins, barbecue and McKee. We’re all gonna have to check out Hutchins barbecues. I appreciate that, Patrick. Okay. So Tom, I’m gonna give you the last right of refusal before we move on to, uh, 20, 22, what to expect. And, and then we’ve got a, um, uh, a resource wanna put it from the folks, anything, I mean, y’all have got a, um, quite a remarkable story, this, this far, um, culture, uh, in terms of how you’re doing things differently, uh, in terms of, uh, the obstacles you’ve encountered, how you smash through them and just hearing, you know, it’s Greg, we love to hear from leaders that come from these innovative organizations that are doing things differently and finding success, you can see it just exude from how they talk about the company.

Scott Luton (37:26):

And Tom he’s been smiling throughout the last 37 minutes. He clearly loves what he does. Anything else you wanna add about looking back rear view mirror before we talk about 20, 22?

Tom Zeis (37:38):

Um, <affirmative> yeah. I mean, it’s, it’s for us really. I mean, it’s, it’s easy, it’s remembering the why it’s, it’s going back to why we started this and, and why we’re doing this. And it’s, it’s that purpose of, of, you know, everybody, themselves, you know, creating that, that culture, providing that service, you know, with, with the tech that we have and, and, and being strategic with our trucks, our assets, uh, but again, it’s, it’s, it comes from, from leadership up, up to the top with Brian BK and remembering the why and, and why we’re doing this. It’s, that’s crucial to our success.

Scott Luton (38:14):

Okay. BK every day. All right. So we’ll have to reconnect with Brian soon. I wanna share all the green screen memories are coming back. Mike says 15 years ago, first logistics position. I had a printer with a line feed for every job we printed up. We had to remove the feed on each side before sending invoices. Oh, man, it sounds painful. Doesn’t it? That’s

Greg White (38:36):

Uh, yeah. That’s tractor fed printing that remember the little dots on each side you had to fold ’em in and tear ’em

Scott Luton (38:43):

Off. Yes, I do remember that, uh, there was a certain, uh, name for those types of printers, those high breed printers, Peter Bo what’s that tractor fed. Yeah. Tractor fed. That sounds good. To me. I’m a role res and

Greg White (38:57):

Reynolds was a big printing company that made forms. I, I remember that

Scott Luton (39:02):

Really? Yeah. Cindy says the why, which Tom just shed a light on is what keeps companies on track and helps with growth and moving forward. Excellent. Call out there, Cindy. I’m so glad you joined us here today. Okay. So let’s move forward. Cause I wanna talk about what to expect in 2022. So Jeff, I wanna start with you this time. Mm-hmm <affirmative> and we’ll go around the horn. So let’s first start with, uh, in general, right? What, what do you see? What’s maybe one thing you see business leaders, uh, that they can expect in 2022 and beyond,

Jeff Graan (39:35):

You know, I think in supply chain, I, I I’d say this new normal that we’re in right now. I don’t know when it’s gonna change next. Uh, the fact that we’ve got, uh, in the low nineties, uh, ships or vessels sitting off the coast of long beach, I don’t know when that’s gonna change. So I think what that’s gonna also do is that’s gonna continue our capacity, our, our, our kind constant drive for being able to secure capacity and manage that capacity. That’s going to, uh, drive that well into this 20, 20, 22, and probably beyond the supply and demand of capacity has driven the cost up, which also makes, uh, cost visibility very, very important. Now you lump those two together. Uh, you’ve got capacity capacity, driving cost being to manage those two, two things. You’re gonna have to have a technology that supports that, but then also it, we, we can’t lose focus of that collaboration that, where is it now? You know, where’s my stuff. That’s not going away. Mm-hmm so the folks that are still the companies that are still operating at green screens or what I call Crans and spreadsheets, and it’s still happens, we see it every day, those needs are going to have to migrate, or they’re gonna lose market share.

Scott Luton (40:41):

Excellent point. Jeff, Tom, how about you, when you think of 20, 22 and beyond,

Tom Zeis (40:45):

I mean, 20, 22, um, you know, like Jeff was saying more, more of the same. Um, I, I, I don’t think it will be as, you know, as hectic as 21 was, you know, and beyond we’re gonna come out of this better, you know, uh, with a better infrastructure than we had before, you know, and, and things, you know, as we learned, have to change and change takes time. I talked to my mom the other day, she said, why don’t you just build more terminals and ports and, and start taking more ships and whatever. And I said, well, it’s just not that easy. <laugh> dig a hole, Tom. Exactly. <laugh>

Scott Luton (41:22):

Oh gosh, Hey,

Greg White (41:24):

Everyone’s a supply chain expert now aren’t they

Scott Luton (41:26):

<laugh>. So to that end and, and frankly a, I know we’re all laughing. I love that we’re having these types of conversations with folks that aren’t in the industry, but kinda

Greg White (41:36):

Along those lines, better than your mom’s eyes glazing over at the dinner table, like they used to, when you told her you were in supply chain, right. That’s true.

Scott Luton (41:43):

That’s true. They didn’t know what

Greg White (41:44):

I did for the past years, just this year for them to,

Scott Luton (41:50):

So one of my, one of my kids have a, has a friend that is an entrepreneur right in middle school. And, um, they make cups, right? Personalized cups. And we, we placed a small order for one cup, been about two months now. And as I was circling back to, to one of my kids, Hey, what’s going on? Is that, is, are they still gonna give us the cup supply chain, dad supply chain, you know, have a hard time getting certain things it’s Hey, it touches everybody. But I love that. That is on the tips of tongues, especially even in our middle school. Right. Okay. So Greg, you’re not getting outta this. Uh, I love always getting your take on your latest take on what’s you can expect, and we, what we all can expect next year. What would you add? I,

Greg White (42:35):

I, at the highest level, I don’t think we can expect stability. So the disruptions will change. Uh, there won’t be a, if, if there ever is a normal, it will definitely be a new normal, and it’s not happening in 2022, but all of this hinges on the labor market. And whether people start to go back to work, even as go government subsidies and stimulus have, have ceased to have ceased to buffer people’s income while sitting at home. Right. Uh, trading Bitcoin. Apparently the, the issue that we have is that 3 million more largely baby boomers, but 3 million more people left the workplace in the last 12 months than were expected to leave and recall the baby boomers were the largest generation in the history of the planet. So things are going to change. If people are going to come back into the workplace, they’re not gonna workplaces.

Greg White (43:33):

They don’t wanna work, and they’re not going to do jobs that they don’t want to do. So a lot of this will depend on, and a lot of the people will come back to the companies who adopt advanced technology, who adopt automation, right? We’re gonna stop apologizing for automation and for computers and for robots doing jobs that people used to do. We can’t, there’s no one to apologize to anymore, cuz we’re not taking jobs away from people for that. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. So this kind of automation and augmentation of the human aspect of the business is, is going to be much, much more prominent. And frankly expected of, of this new workforce as we transition dramatically and nearly as decade ahead of where we thought we would to a new generation being, being the largest, significantly, largest portion of the workforce.

Scott Luton (44:25):

Excellent point, Hey, on you said a robot. I love that guy co commercial with that robot sitting in the coffee shop have y’all seen that. Where gets no?

Greg White (44:32):

Oh, I missed the Geico commercial.

Scott Luton (44:34):

I’m gonna have to send it your way. Folks, Tom and Jeff, if you, if you know what I’m talking about, the, the robots sitting there and he’s got an application that’s asking or asking him to prove he’s not a robot and he’s getting really frustrated and he is in the coffee shop. And then, uh, the coffee, the barista comes up with, with uh, the robot order coffee and on the side of it, it’s written Mr. Rob OT, Rob OT, and he gets real frustrated. He’s shooting laser beans. It’s just, it’s so funny. Anyway. Um, quick comment here from Randy Smith, uh, Randy says, where is my stuff? Is the old question. When will I get my stuff? Is where we’re at Randy. I would politely disagree because consumers want the visibility of where their stuff is. Right? We’re getting it from pizza to deliveries, to you, name it, you can track anything. So they don’t

Greg White (45:20):

Trust us to tell them the truth about when they’ll get their stuff. And that I can tell you that as a consumer, I bet all of you as consumers probably feel the same. I don’t trust. I’ll get my stuff. When you say I will, I want to verify, right? Mm-hmm

Scott Luton (45:36):

<affirmative> trust, but verify there you, uh, smart person said

Greg White (45:40):

Trust, but verifying my case. Right. Usually trust, but verify, but

Scott Luton (45:44):

<laugh> so I’m not sure who this is. And, and folks just really quick, if you’re tuned in via LinkedIn and it doesn’t show who you are, you just have a privacy setting. I maybe Amanda Clay can let me know, but they suggest read your kids. Supply chain Carol from Megan Preston. Amazing book. We’re gonna check that out. Okay. So we are in the fast and furious finish. Jeff and Tom and, and Jeff I’ll circle back to you first here. We’re gonna talk with Jeff about a cool resource in just a minute. Tom, wanna stick with you about out where the port X and turbo relationship and partnership is headed? So what’s to come?

Tom Zeis (46:19):

Yeah. I mean a lot of, a lot of exciting things, you know, um, it’s, it’s endless, you know, it’s, it’s, you know, the sky’s limit with, with what is going to happen. I mean, we already have things with the integration with oh, open track, which is huge for us. Um, it’s gonna create a lot of automation. It’s gonna take even more work off of our operators desks. It’s gonna provide even better visibility. So, you know, just, you know, more automation, more, uh, integrations with, with other platforms and, and partnerships that will enhance the platform. And, you know, I, I think we’re gonna work together for forever and it’s just, it’s, it’s never gonna stop because you know, I’ve really enjoyed my time. Working with everybody at turbo, they’ve been nothing but helpful. I mean, I went out to Silicon valley, I’m from Buffalo, New York and I’m, and I just couldn’t believe it. It’s just unbelievable. And it’s it just been a great, great partnership. And I’ve, I’ve, I’ve created a lot of friendships along the way and I’m, I’m looking forward to more.

Scott Luton (47:21):

I love that despite this, this crazy time we’re living in where the four of us aren’t in the same place as we have this conversation, relationships still matter. Mm-hmm <affirmative> and I love kind of what, where your, uh, comment, uh, left us there, uh, left on, uh, there, um, let’s see, Lamont says true statement, Greg, trust of verifying with companies own when and where your stuff is, can be frustrating if companies are not using updated technology along the lines of what we’re talking about here today. Frustrating

Jeff Graan (47:47):

Bordering on improv, depending on if they’re still using green screen. Jeff. Right.

Scott Luton (47:53):

<laugh> that’s right. Good, good stuff there. Lamont. Um, all right. So Jeff, Tom just said, can’t stop. Won’t stop. When it comes to port X turbo, what else would you add to where this, where this, uh, relationship’s going?

Jeff Graan (48:06):

Well, I also like the word he used forever. Yes. I know. I, I think that forever, you know, I think we, we love ourselves some pour out, so I, I like the forever. So I, the best way that I can position turbo with our customers is that we listen to our customers. We listen to the market and we look at those and bring those together as an opportunity to help enhance turbo as a tool in supply chain. If we were static and we were doing things the way we were seven years ago, we wouldn’t have Tom as a customer. And as Tom’s business grows, we need to be able to continue to support as their business changes and the market changes. And that’s it, you know, this, that this past year has not proven. I don’t know what else will. So we need to be able to then flex with the market and then really understand what those needs are and then bring those needs into the applications for our customers. And then new customers can use those

Scott Luton (49:02):

Outstanding. You never consider your laurels. And, and maybe that’s always been the case, but man, we’re, we’re ramping that up where it’s a hundred fold now, um, a couple quick at comments, and then I wanna make sure we drop a, a link to a resource where folks can learn more. Randy says, agree with visibility, but need the date so we can drive operations around predictable delivery dates. It does not help our operation to know our stuff as in Nashville, if we don’t know when it is moving and expected that our site, Hey, Randy, that’s a great point. I think probably the difference I’m, I’m speaking at it. And maybe Greg and I are speaking at it from a consumer standpoint, you’re speaking at it as a kind of a supply chain standpoint. So, Hey, uh, I agree with you there, Randy. One other thing here.

Scott Luton (49:41):

Um, I wanted to call out that bear with me one minute. So as, uh, Amanda reminds us here, so Annabel Oliva, who’s the author of book that we just mentioned. Supply chain, Carol. We just had Annabel on our latest supply chain is boring episode. So folks can check out, uh, more about her, um, uh, book there and maybe the story behind us, the great call out there. Uh, Amanda. Okay. So what we wanna do, uh, so folks, you know, we’ve been able to just scratch the surface on the relationship between Tom and Jeff and Portex and turbo. Uh, our friends at turbo have a case study that you can download for free. And the link to the case study is in the show notes, but also Amanda and clay and Jada, if we can drop that in the comments. So it’s it make it even easier. Uh, you can check that out and you know, we’ve also beyond the case study. I’ve seen a couple comments here today that I couldn’t share cause we’re fast moving, but folks we signing up for, uh, turbo demos. So that’s cool. We’ll have to up, I keep our finger on the pulse about all the new relationships that Jeff and the team are opening. Okay. Wild, wild west here today, man, there it’s, it’s never an hour. Never does it justice does it Greg?

Greg White (51:01):

No. No. I mean, I mean, there’s so much we could talk about here, but I mean, I guess that’s, you know, that’s why we want to know how folks can contact Tom and Jeff is because we can’t have that in depth conversation here. Gotcha. That’s great point. You can’t because I’m hungry, man. <laugh>

Scott Luton (51:19):

Hey,

Greg White (51:19):

I want some,

Scott Luton (51:23):

I wonder why, why do we, so we’re gonna make sure folks that I connect with Tom and Jeff, you’re gonna want to there, uh, as we’ve learned between shows and stuff, really good guys, really good folks that you wanna hang out with and, uh, talk shop with. So we’ll give folks that opportunity. Hey, I miss spoke. Uh, so we’re just talking about that book. Megan Preston is the author of supply chain. Carol Annabel, uh, Annabel was who was asking the comments. So I apologies. I don’t wanna get in trouble with any copyright attorney. So my mistake, Megan, press good stuff there. Okay. So, uh, Tom Zeis, how can folks learn more connect with you, but also learn more about Portex logistics?

Tom Zeis (52:01):

Yeah. Connect with me on LinkedIn. Uh, follow me, connect with me, reach out to me, schedule a demo with me, um, can with on LinkedIn, uh, you know, follow as many Portex team members as, as possible. We’re all, we’re all into industry experts can help you out and, uh, you know, check out our webpage, uh, Portex logistics.com.

Scott Luton (52:22):

It’s just that easy, good stuff there. Tom. We’ll have you back soon to talk, shop and football, uh, question for you, Jeff. How can folks connect with, uh, Jeff, Ron? Uh,

Jeff Graan (52:33):

The easiest way is through LinkedIn and, uh, you can go right to my page and then there’s a couple other resources there as well, but then also we can direct you to turbo and Turbo’s got a huge resource center, also the ability to schedule a demo and a lot of great information there. Wonderful

Scott Luton (52:49):

And great looks like we’ve had a couple members of the turbo fan club, uh, into sky boxes here today. I love, love

Greg White (52:54):

To see that new teams, I think. Yeah,

Scott Luton (52:56):

Right. Uh, Ashley Smith says, Hey, new to the turbo team. It’s very obvious already that we want to be an innovator in the TMS space. Passion, who to think that comments can bring passion, Greg, but Ashley, thank you for sharing that. Um, and, and clearly I bet my hunch is that both of you are, are probably hiring lots of opportunities in new year, too. That’s my prediction for 2022. Yep.

Greg White (53:20):

Okay. Is anyone not hiring? That’s a really good one.

Scott Luton (53:24):

I always go to safe one. Greg always go to safe one. All right. So huge. Uh, big thanks to our friends, uh, here at port X and turbo, Tom Zeis and Jeff, Ron. Big thanks. One more

Tom Zeis (53:35):

Question. Before we, we, we show out bold fearless prediction. Who’s gonna win the super bowl in February. And Tom start with you. I, I wish you would’ve asked me last week, uh, but I’m still gonna go with the bills. Bill’s mafia all

Scott Luton (53:49):

The way. Bill’s mafia all the way. I love that. Uh, big, thanks for your time, Jeff. What’s your, thank you for your take. I should already know. Huh? Bill.

Greg White (53:58):

There’s a lot of competition and I’ve got my money on the dynasty,

Scott Luton (54:01):

The package, the dynasty. All right. All right. Good stuff. And Greg, while we still have Tom and Jeff, what’s your bold fearless protection.

Greg White (54:08):

How about those? Geez.

Scott Luton (54:10):

<laugh> OK. Mine is anyone that, but the, but our poor hapless Falcons, uh, we’ll see what happens. We all

Greg White (54:17):

Better be aware of Arizona because they are, for real, they can win if they, they have the tiniest quarterback in the NFL and they can still win a game with their second string. Quarterback’s pretty impressive in this league.

Scott Luton (54:30):

That is right. Uh, we’re hearing the jets. That’s a, that’s an unlikely answer. The pats, uh, Peter loves your cheese head, uh, and also really quick while I still have you Cindy, you know, so vets two industry is a veteran organization, nonprofit. So if y’all looking to hire to be a great resource, so thank you for sharing that, Cindy. Okay, big. Thanks again. Toms ice, uh, with port X, ex logistics and Jeff gro with turbo. We’ll talk with you both soon, gentlemen.

Greg White (54:56):

Thank you. Thank you.

Scott Luton (54:58):

All right, man. So much to get through. Uh, I love that, you know, kinder spirits and good vibes there. You can tell, uh, between that him into respective organizations, I gotta throw this out there. Greg Bob was talking about his Cowboys earlier, so I gotta give a shout to, uh, the Cowboys. Mike’s a big bucks. Fan Tempus says who da and we know mm-hmm <affirmative>. We know who that is. All right, Orleans good old Saint that’s right. And Bob agrees with the call Murray, uh, I guess from Allen, Texas, huh? UHS Lu stuff there. All right. So Greg, let’s talk about Tom and Jeff as if they aren’t with us here. What was your, yeah. You know, we talked about a lot of different things there, um, their journey, the partnership what’s going on in the industry, look ahead, pro football. What’s your, what was your favorite aspect of that conversation?

Greg White (55:41):

I think that the tightness of that relationship and one for, for Portex to have so much faith in turbo and BK and Jeff and the team to, to sign up when so much needed to be done in the technology. That’s a, that’s a critical early adopter strategy and you get huge benefit when that happens. Not every company has a culture to be able to do that. A lot of companies, um, won’t take that risk. They’ll still go back to the old guard and get old guard type results. I mean, you know, it’s like anything, you have to take a risk to get big results. So, um, I think that was really, really admirable of Portex to do that. And frankly, it’s a big deal that turbo delivered on that. I mean, you know, I work with tech companies all the time, adding that kind of capability to a technology.

Greg White (56:34):

Um, that’s not easy to do and it’s not like they did it yesterday. They already had an established technology. They saw a vision that included a broader, uh, approach to the marketplace and, you know, and they augmented their tech to help ’em get there. And, and then in addition to that, the recognition by port X and I think, gosh, when you’re growing at triple digits, um, that’ll create a lot of of recognition when you’re going through a crisis. That’ll create a lot of recognition, but when you’re doing both at the same time, going through a global crisis and growing at triple digits, just imagine the chaos. Well, I don’t think we, any of us have to imagine the chaos that that creates because we all know, and, and for them to recognize and, and to invest in and to capitalize on technology that can help them do that. It bodes very well for, for both of those companies, frankly. And I think it is a great example to other companies in the industry. And I would say that, um, Tom was polite to say the least to say that companies that don’t step up to new technologies or sorry, that was Jeff, wasn’t it we’ll lose market share. <affirmative> Jeff has to be diplomatic. I don’t companies that don’t step up to new technology are dead. <laugh>

Scott Luton (57:50):

I love that. And they will be

Greg White (57:52):

In keeping it very

Scott Luton (57:52):

Short order. That is right. Keeping it Frank. Uh, I love that. What a great, um, thought to finish on, uh, folks, thanks so much for tuning in. I know we couldn’t get to all the comments and all the questions. Uh, we’ll try it, all of that information, especially the questions over to, uh, the turbo and port X logistics team. We definitely would encourage you to connect with Jeff and Tom in particular, y’all saw them, uh, and, and they’re the same way behind the scenes, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> sometimes you never know, but they’re great. Great, uh, uh, great folks to chat with supply chain now is already quoting at Greg companies that don’t step up new technologies are dead. Uh, <laugh> coming to a, a movie theater, uh, near you soon. Well, Hey, uh, and thanks for a, uh, Rambi. I think I said that, right.

Scott Luton (58:37):

Uh, great to have you back. I know you had joined us for a couple liveries back in the day, uh, been away for a few months, connected from Zimbabwe. Great to see here all the best. Okay. So folks, whatever you do, clearly, I, I think one of the common themes in, in these conversations we’ve had for months is whatever you do, uh, you gotta take action, right? You gotta take action. This is an endless obstacle course. And, uh, we’re never getting back, uh, as, uh, Keon says to the normal is gonna be the new abnormal moving forward, always different. And we’ve got some new challenges undoubtedly around the corner. If we think we’ve had it tough. No, no telling what’s around the corner that will continue to test not just global supply chain, but global business. So on that note, on behalf of our entire team here, uh, Scott Luton and Greg white signing off for now challenging you do good. Give forward, be the change that’s needed on that note. We’ll see. Next time, right back here on supply chain. Now. Thanks for buddy.

Intro/Outro (59:36):

Thanks for being a part of our supply chain. Now community check out a, 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

Jeff Graan As a respected sales engineer and logistics leader, Jeff Graan has more than 30 years of supply chain experience and 13 years in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions. He’s held positions at Penske, Schneider National, and other recognized transportation management software (TMS) technology companies. Jeff plays a critical role in the digital transformation and successful journey of Turvo customers. Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn.

Tom Zeis entered the logistics field right out of college working for a local truckload brokerage. He managed the Atlanta office for a few years and he joined a 3PL and learned container drayage. In 2017, he rest of the leadership team started Port X Logistics in order to provide the gold standard of service in the industry. Connect with Tom on LinkedIn.

Hosts

Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

Greg White

Principal & Host

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Kim Winter

Host, Supply Chain Now

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

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

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

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Joshua Miranda

Marketing Specialist

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

Donna Krache

Director of Communications and Executive Producer

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

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Vicki White

Controller

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

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Katherine Hintz

Creative Director, Producer, Host

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

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Kim Reuter

Host, The Freight Insider

From humble beginnings working the import docks, representing Fortune 500 giants, Ford, Michelin Tire, and Black & Decker; to Amazon technology patent holder and Nordstrom Change Leader, Kimberly Reuter has designed, implemented, and optimized best-in-class, highly scalable global logistics and retail operations all over the world. Kimberly’s ability to set strategic vision supported by bomb-proof processes, built on decades of hands-on experience, has elevated her to legendary status. Sought after by her peers and executives for her intellectual capital and keen insights, Kimberly is a thought leader in the retail logistics industry.

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Kristi Porter

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Sofia Rivas Herrera

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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Demo Perez

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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Mary Kate Love

VP, Marketing

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

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

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Adrian Purtill

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Kevin Brown

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Jose Miguel Irarrazaval

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Nick Roemer

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Allison Giddens

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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

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Billy Taylor

Host of Dial P for Procurement

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

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

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

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

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Tandreia Bellamy

Host, Supply Chain Now

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

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

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

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

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Mary Kate Soliva

Host, Veteran Voices

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

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Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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

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

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Greg White

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

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

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

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Chris Barnes

Principal, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain is Boring

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

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

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Tyler Ward

Director of Sales

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

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

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

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Kevin L. Jackson

Host of Digital Transformers

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

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Enrique Alvarez

Host of Logistics with Purpose and Supply Chain Now en Español

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

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

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Kelly Barner

Host of Dial P for Procurement

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

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Constantine Limberakis

Host

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

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Amanda Luton

Vice President, Production

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

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Clay Phillips

Business Development Manager

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

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Trisha Cordes

Administrative Assistant

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

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Chantel King

Social Media Manager

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

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

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

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Lori Sofian

Marketing Coordinator

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

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Katherine Hintz

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

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

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