Supply Chain Now
Episode 1107

Hopefully, consumers have had that eureka moment that if they value sustainability, they can play an active role. If we can change those delivery expectations, that will help global supply chains to make more gains when it comes to sustainability.

- Scott Luton

Episode Summary

The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience!

This week’s edition of The Buzz featured co-hosts Scott Luton and Greg White. In addition to covering top supply chain news stories, they teased some of the supply chain factoids shared in the most recent edition of “With That Said,” the Supply Chain Now LinkedIn newsletter, the busiest global airports and the busiest U.S. seaports.

In this livestream, created in collaboration with a live Supply Chain Now audience, Scott and Greg discussed:

• How many shoppers are willing to accept slower eCommerce delivery speeds in exchange for slower delivery timing

• Possible explanations for the 1 percent drop in U.S. retail sales reported in March – and why those same factors may have caused online retail sales to increase by 1.9 percent

• Surprises and confirmations to be found in recent lists of the busiest airports in the world and the busiest U.S. container ports/seaports

 

 

 

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 (00:31):

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, Scott Luton and Greg White here with you on Supply Chain. Now, welcome to today’s livestream. Greg, how you doing?

Greg White (00:40):

I am holding up pretty well, Scott, after having walked about 20 miles in the last two days, but all worth it.

Scott Luton (00:47):

Yeah, do, do, tell.

Greg White (00:50):

Well, so, you know, the Heritage Golf tournament, which, um, was, is now an elevated tournament. They doubled the purse money. Yeah. Prize money. So, uh, now a whole bunch more golfers that we’ve heard of play it. Um, and it went into, we got free golf yesterday, but, you know, they had a sudden death playoff between Jordan SPE and Matt Fitz Patrick. Yep. Uh, who ulti Matt Fitzpatrick, who ultimately won by hitting the ball that close from about 180 yards on the hole. Just truly impressive to do that. So, um, yeah, it, but it was a lot of walking, huge crowds. Uh, and I’m, I am, uh, I despise waiting to park.

Scott Luton (01:40):

Yeah. And

Greg White (01:42):

Just couldn’t bear to ride a shuttle. So I rode my bike, which was not a huge ride, but after having walked around all day, I’m feeling

Scott Luton (01:53):

It <laugh>. Well, sounds like a great time. It was a great tournament. Weather was gorgeous. Yes. Um, there weren’t three days worth of weather delays like it was, uh, last weekend. And, uh, you’ll have to get pictures from, from Greg White, especially as you rode your bike.

Greg White (02:10):

I didn’t take pictures while riding my bike. <laugh>. I did see, uh, some people who shouldn’t have been riding their bike just on one trip home, I saw crash a tree on his bike. Okay. Deer jump out in front of a, of a moving vehicle, man. The, the whole area that the course is in is, uh, it’s a big housing development. Yes. Also a nature preserve. So, just incredible. I mean, alligators everywhere. All, all the fun stuff you see on television,

Scott Luton (02:43):

Man. Okay. Uh, well, maybe Mutual of Omaha will sponsor the, your next, your next Golf Adventure. But, hey, regardless, folks around <laugh>, I don’t know. That’s a throwback for sure. Uh, and, and little tie in, in maybe for some of our listeners, uh, animal Kingdom was a, uh, um, a, a program that came on decades ago and was famously sponsored for years by Mutual of Omaha. I can picture the host, uh, now, but, uh, we’ll save that for, uh,

Greg White (03:12):

Marlon Perkins. Is that right?

Scott Luton (03:14):

That sounds sounds about right. Sounds about right. Maybe someone in the, uh, in the cheap seats can, can help us out there. Mutual

Greg White (03:21):

Normal hospital exists, Scott, just for

Scott Luton (03:23):

Your Oh, really? Okay. All right. I had no idea. Yeah. Um, well, folks today, no, we’re not talking golf. We’re not talking Animal Kingdom or an insurance. We’re talking supply chain. It’s a supply chain bus live show that comes at you every Monday at 12 and Eastern time. As always, Greg and I, and many of you will be discussing a variety of news and developments today, really across global business. And hey, we want to hear from you. So give us your take in the comments. We’re gonna say hello to a few folks momentarily and Greg, in fact, yes. Any of our listeners or viewers or listening or watching to the pod, uh, the podcast replay of this, Hey, we invite you consider joining us live on LinkedIn or YouTube or one of the other, so, so social media channels of your choosing. We’d love to hear from you.

Scott Luton (04:09):

Okay, Greg? Mm-hmm. Let’s share a couple program notes and then we’re gonna say hello to a few folks. We want to invite you, all of you to our next webinar session. We had a one heck of webinar last week. Yeah. Y’all may have caught that one. All focused on, uh, supply chain planning. Well, coming up on May 4th at 12 and Eastern Time with our friends at Evenflow and N four, we are diving into what running a data-driven supply chain means to Evenflow as they’ve gone through supply chain transformation, uh, that has helped power them through this crazy environment we’re in, uh, driving successful outcomes, including driving customer experience, uh, or optimizing customer experience. So, Greg should be a great session on May 4th, 12, new Eastern Time, right?

Greg White (04:54):

Data driven is the only way to do it. I have to confess a minor distraction. I have Pearl Jam going through my head right now, but, but yeah, I mean, I think, look, the bar has been raised. We’ve asked for a seat of the table. We’ve gotten it, we’ve gotten the awareness that we wanted. Now we have continue earn. So data driven, metric driven supply chain company’s, it’s uh, it’s

Scott Luton (05:21):

Free. That’s, that’s right. That’s right. And we guarantee, uh, your <laugh> your admission charges. That’s right. That’s right. Satisfaction guarantee. Right? And little, uh, I love what Greg said there about, uh, Pearl Jam Even Flow was a great tune, and I think one of their first big hits if you’re a music lover. Uh, so I love how you work that in there, Craig, as always. Okay. Um, so that’s webinar next week. But this week we’ve got, uh, a wonderful live stream coming up this Thursday, 12 Eastern Time is part of the, um, the supply chain. Now, OGs, it’s Paul Noble, uh, and Nick Griffith with Baron. And we’re gonna be talking about some opportunities for savings and reducing friction and a lot more that might be right up under your nose. Greg, I know you know this, uh, really well, huh?

Greg White (06:07):

Yeah. I mean, there’s a, a ton of, of value out there. Look, we keep asking the question, how many parts does it take to build an f150? All of them. But the parts that go into creating the parts, or moving the parts, or assembling the parts, all of that matters too. I think the layers that exist in the supply chain, this is a great opportunity to discover what those layers are, how to impact those affirmatively, and make sure that the supply chain keeps moving and keeps moving cost effectively.

Scott Luton (06:37):

That’s right. Folks, join us. I, I promise you, you’re not gonna miss it this Thursday, 12 and an Eastern Time. And we dropped the links both to the webinar, uh, there in the chat as well as to the livestream. So you’re one click away from making it really easy.

Greg White (06:52):

It’s like, we have done this before. <laugh>, not we, Scott. Well,

Scott Luton (06:56):

Okay.

Greg White (06:57):

Yeah. It’s like the pros behind the scenes. I’ve done this

Scott Luton (07:00):

Before. I’m so glad you mentioned that, Greg. Cause it, Dawn, I’ve forgotten until last night. We’ve been watching. Um, and Amanda, remind me of the title. It’s a dating show on Netflix. And last night, Greg, if you saw it, um, millions of other people saw it. Netflix decided to livestream the finale. Whoa. However, I’m not sure they have live streamed previously. So they had a massive, a massive collapse. Folks couldn’t connect. Yes. Netflix, the, the billion dollar player in, in all the world of streaming, uh, had some serious issues live streaming. And that reminded me, Greg, to your, to what you said a minute ago, folks, just because it looks easy, <laugh> doesn’t mean it is easy. So if Netflix can, uh, can run into some challenges, anyone can. Yeah. Uh, so all right. So Greg, let’s say look to a few folks and, uh, Jonathan’s back with us via LinkedIn. Jonathan, hope this finds you well, always enjoy your perspective. Uh, this is Susie Martinez from uh, LA And we’re not talking Laura, Alabama. Greg. No. Um, mom is with us back. Welcome in. Leah Luton from Akin South Kaki. Hi, mom. Natalie tuned in again via LinkedIn from Charlotte, North Carolina. Great to see you. Natalie Joseph Morena.

Greg White (08:15):

Joseph Wow.

Scott Luton (08:17):

Been a while

Greg White (08:18):

Blast from the past. Yeah. Welcome

Scott Luton (08:20):

Back. I bet he hails Greg, uh, uh, if he’s still in the New York City area, I believe doing some great things, including creating some great podcast content. Uh, this is Felix from Scotland. Felix, hope this finds you well. Mark Preston is back in the house from Peachtree City, ga. Mark, hope this finds

Greg White (08:39):

You just got back from Starbucks on his golf cart,

Scott Luton (08:42):

<laugh>. Maybe so, maybe so. Um, and then look here. Natalie said that she started her supply chain career, I would say a couple decades ago. You know, that’s our rule,

Greg White (08:53):

Right?

Scott Luton (08:54):

With Evenflow, Greg,

Greg White (08:56):

How about that

Scott Luton (08:57):

Small world.

Greg White (08:58):

So I would love to have you join Natalie and Judge Harshly,

Scott Luton (09:03):

Judge Harshly.

Greg White (09:04):

How are they going now, <laugh> versus when you were

Scott Luton (09:07):

There? Absolutely. Uh, let’s see, via, uh, Valla, perhaps, uh, via LinkedIn. Great to see you here. If I got your name wrong, please let us know. We wanna get those right. And then finally, Sheldon is back with us, present and accounted for. All right. A good day to all. All right, Greg, are you ready to get started?

Greg White (09:25):

Yes. God, I am,

Scott Luton (09:26):

Man. We got a bunch of work, a bunch of work to get into. I wanna share one more resource with folks. With that said, this was a fun LinkedIn newsletter to put together, Greg Supply Chain, factoids, air and Sea. And so we had about 21,000 subscribers read over the weekend. Uh, some of the things we’re gonna tackle here today, the busiest global airports and, and number one won’t surprise you probably. And the busiest US container ports, seaports. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, and a lot more. So, so make sure you sign up for, with that said, it hits every Saturday or Sunday morning. And, uh, it offers a different twist on the wide world of global supply chain.

Greg White (10:07):

One that isn’t a surprise, of course, is Atlanta is the busiest airport in the world. That’s right. Every year since 1996. But how high Georgia Ports landed was surprising to me. And what that tells me, Scott, is there’s a lot of volume going through Brunswick. Yes. And a lot of it, of course, vehicles because of all the automotive production that’s done here. So

Scott Luton (10:30):

You’re so right. And folks, if you dig that kind of stuff, you’re in Good. You’re in a good spot. Cause we’re gonna dive into those top 10 lists here towards the, uh, the bottom, the bottom of the hour or towards the second half of the show. Your pick your pick, which

Greg White (10:45):

Bottom of the hour, just think about where the hands for

Scott Luton (10:47):

Me. Okay. Bottom of the hour. That’s, thank you, Greg. I, I know I can count on you. Um, all right, folks. Uh, let’s dive into our first topic here today. I’m gonna bring this up here. Um, this is interesting, and, and I would tru I would treat this as good news. I really think this is good news. Um, at least from my perspective. So from an e-commerce delivery standpoint, Greg, we’re seeing signs that consumers are starting to realize, Hey, I don’t need those socks and toothpicks rush to me by tomorrow. That’s great. Right? And it appears it’s a new trend for consumers are being a little more patient when it comes to delivery. For example, uh, the big a, so Amazon Delivery Day program, they rolled out, I think in 2020. It focuses as, as many of our listeners may know, on delivering one day a week to Amazon customers cutting down on deliveries and packaging.

Scott Luton (11:36):

So, volumes, subscribers to this service have doubled since 2020. Hmm. Uh, as this article, uh, that comes to us from our friends at Wall Street Journal points out in a recent survey by Pop out Inc. E-commerce sh uh, shoppers that preferred same or next day delivery dropped from 18%, which sounds to me low anyway, but according to their data, 18% to 10%. And then other surveys that y’all find in this article show that overall delivery speed is overall lessening priority for consumers. So, Greg, I can’t wait to hear what you have to say about this development.

Greg White (12:14):

Thank heavens is what I have to say. I was just thinking, Scott, about us kvetching about, uh, Christmas at 20 with all the boxes that we had stacked up in our respective garages after the holidays. Right? Right. And, you know, what an effort we put in to try and do that. We have been Amazon Delivery Day customers, whatever you wanna call it, from virtually the very beginning. So our day’s Wednesday, so if you ever wanna steal anything off my front porch, Wednesday is the day to do it. Um, Scott, I don’t know what your day is, but I can’t wait to hear. But, um, I, I think what’s important is rec, uh, the recognition that we aren’t buying a ton of stuff that we didn’t have before. Now we’re replenishing things. It’s easier to get outta the house. Right. We, um, and, and people wanna get outta the house. I mean, you know, have always, I think wanted to, right. I still have some things delivered, and I still appreciate two day delivery, not necessarily from Amazon, but Costco, uh, because our other house, as you know, is on an island. So it’s, I don’t even know, I don’t even know how many miles. It’s like 90 miles to the nearest Costco, which, you know, is torture for my wife

Scott Luton (13:29):

And Hello, Vicky.

Greg White (13:30):

Yeah. So anyway, I think, I think it’s good that there’s some sanity here. I love the idea of scheduling it, and finally people, because now that we’re back to spending our own money, right? That was part of what this article was about, because we’re back to spending our own money. We care how much it costs to have things delivered and demand for same day and even hours or 15 minutes delivery has gone way, way down on those things. I think we’re learning to plan a little bit better. But isn’t it interesting, Scott, that nearly three years, well, three years since the shutdown of the pandemic, we’re still seeing the ripples of those, what I would’ve argued, what I would always argue are temporary shifts in the economy, and they’re just, some of them are just starting to filter their way outta prominence in the economy. Yep. I think we’ll start to see it more towards the second half of this year. We’re gonna talk about, I think everybody knows what I’m alluding to, but we’re gonna talk about the economy and, and, and where it’s going, at least in the states and where it’s gone in other parts of the world. But I think we’re gonna see some economic headwinds to excessive exuberance and, uh, you know, get anything right now at any cost.

Scott Luton (14:52):

Yep. You know, um, there’s so much to talk about in this development, and, and this isn’t overnight. This has been, uh, gradual. Right? Right. But I, I go back to when I read this, first off, this is this, this kind of, um, it’s aligned with, with how I’ve always, um, or at least for the most part, approached my e-commerce decisions, right? I hate, I hate the notion as you were alluding to of all the, not only all the packaging, but man, all the trips for one small little package here, one item there, whatever. Um, so I love what’s taking place here. And you know, I think also, uh, Greg is, um, it thinks, what comes to my mind is your comment about, you know, consumers or the beginning and the end. And hopefully, and I’m, I’m going on, I’m, I’m make, make a little leap here.

Scott Luton (15:38):

Hopefully consumers really have had that eureka moment that, that, hey, if they value sustainability and, and, and, uh, and reducing empty miles, all the things, well, they play a really active role. And if we can shift our thinking that we don’t need those two picks next day, we don’t need that pair of woven socks same day, you know, if we can really play an active role in changing those expectations, that really will help global supply chain to make more gains, uh, when it comes to, um, all things, uh, sustainability and, and then, and then some. So I think that’s, that’s really why it’s good news, uh, in my ears, Greg, you, I know you’re dying to, to comment here.

Greg White (16:19):

Faith and humanity is so encouraging, Scott. Mine is a little bit more, I don’t wanna say practical, let’s call it pragmatic. And that is when it costs more, we will do less of it. And, and it should cost more because of the inefficiencies that are inherent. And I think people are finally succumbing to that. Look, I am a firm believer that economics drive every company’s and every person’s virtually every decision. And, um, because companies absorbed that for a long, long time and can no longer, now it’s back on the consumer, and the consumer won’t, won’t absorb it, at least for now, right? Yep. I think we, we have to acknowledge this sort of false economies that we’ve lived in for the last two-ish years with government subsidies for us existing, um, which was nice. I didn’t get any, but I’m sure it was nice for those who did.

Greg White (17:13):

And now that we’re back, like I said, now that we’re back to spending our own money, yes. Our altruism will show through our saving our own money. Yes. Right? We will become accidental environmentalists. Right? Like my great great grandparents who said things like, turn off the water. When you’re brushing your teeth, you’re wasting water shut off the lights in. You know, when you leave a room, you’re wasting electricity. Right. They weren’t, I wouldn’t say they were against environ, you know, saving the environment, but they weren’t solely focused on it. Right? Right. They focused on what impacted their pocketbook. And when doing worse for the environment impacts your, your pocketbook negatively, that’s when you’ll do better for the

Scott Luton (17:58):

Environment. The phrase that comes to my mind as you shared that is, Hey, I don’t care what you call me as long as you call me and, and little twist on it. I don’t care why you do it, as long as we’re making gains when it comes to these sustainability initiatives and just

Greg White (18:11):

Do the right thing.

Scott Luton (18:13):

Yeah. Right. That’s right. Just do the right thing. And as we’ve talked about, and we don’t have to dive deeper here, doing the right thing can really help the bottom line. That’s where we’re seeing some leaders out there, right. Uh, acting on that.

Greg White (18:24):

That’s an entire discussion unto itself, which we have had from time to time we’ll have in the future. But I, and you and I align completely on this, and that is, I firmly believe that you can do the right thing and create profitability, better profitability, better cash flow and impact on your company or your personal life. Absolutely. Can do it. Yep.

Scott Luton (18:46):

Agreed. Super aligned using, uh, modern day lexicon. Super. Yes. Okay. <laugh>. All right. Let’s say hello to a few folks. Uh, Mohe is back with us. Professor Mohe. Hey, it’s forever.

Greg White (19:01):

Yes. He’s been busy though. I mean, if you’ve been following, it’s easy to see that’s been busy, right? Yes. Going State University.

Scott Luton (19:09):

That’s right. <laugh>. Well, so he hasn’t, I’ve seen him, uh, really active in the project management space, which is great. He’s al always doing great things for his students. So Moji hope you and your family are doing well. And he says Pearl Jam was way ahead of his, of, of, of their time on supply chain, even for even Flow is the theme song, synchronized supply chain parts, information, and cash. Right? I just rolled Mohe. You paint a wonderful picture and I love your how you wove in one of the greatest bands of the 20th century there.

Greg White (19:44):

Everybody who’s ever heard that song is now, it’s now going through their head. And it probably should be like, it’s like he said, a theme song for

Scott Luton (19:52):

Right. We know, Hey, maybe we can get Eddie Vetter to join us on our webinar next, uh, in, in May when we

Greg White (19:58):

<laugh>. Yeah. Probably Scott

Scott Luton (20:00):

<laugh>. Alright, so, uh, and, and Greg, you still can’t make me laugh, man, that, that’s, I’m still getting over the pollen.

Greg White (20:07):

Get the doctor’s office. Yes. The doctor’s

Scott Luton (20:09):

Office. That’s right. I gotta get there. Um, all right, let’s see here. And folks, we did drop the link to that first read. Hey, y’all, check it out. Let’s know what you think. Uh, don’t take our word for it. Uh, hey, Tom Rafter. Good to see ya. Appreciate your content. You’re cranking out all the time.

Greg White (20:23):

Savik,

Scott Luton (20:25):

I believe still in Spain. Yes. That’s a great memory, Greg. Man. T squared holds down fort for on YouTube. It’s Monday. Bring on the nourishment. It’s coming. T-Square, it is coming.

Greg White (20:36):

I like how he writes the accent in there, <laugh>.

Scott Luton (20:40):

I do too. Um, and folks, if you’re not, if you haven’t checked this out on YouTube, hey, why are you waiting? What are you waiting for? It’s easy. You can see it, you can hear it, you can comment. And, uh, as T-Square has said in previous broadcasts, there’s not as many, um, um, firewall issues.

Greg White (20:57):

Oh, is that right? Oh, that’s

Scott Luton (20:58):

Cool. Yeah. Donna, Donna k. Great to see you, Donna. Love the excessive exuberance. Greg, is that anything like irrational exuberance? She asks,

Greg White (21:07):

Yeah, but I’m a sucker for alliteration, so I always change it. Also, I cannot remember who the fed chairperson was when, who came up with irrational exuberance. Was it Bernanke? I can’t remember. Anyway, um, but love that. Yeah,

Scott Luton (21:22):

I do too. I do too. And hey, you know, this guy, I remember, uh, Eric Wilhelm. He loves how cute we are together, Eric. Hey, thank you. We appreciate that.

Greg White (21:32):

We’ve got matching, not matching quarter zips, but we’ve got quarter zips,

Scott Luton (21:35):

<laugh>, we got Quarter Z for days. Eric, hope it’s been a while. Hope this finds you well. And, uh, I think you still do it. I love your charitable golf tournament each year that you put, you and, and the team have put on and invested in and really helping kids and families. So hope this finds you well. Great. Great to have you here today.

Greg White (21:52):

I think Eric has sold yet another company

Scott Luton (21:55):

Really

Greg White (21:56):

Recently. Yeah, man, pretty much. He finds a hole in the market, fills it, and then somebody else comes and goes, Hey, we’ll have some of that. Then he just goes and does it again.

Scott Luton (22:07):

Oh, again and again, rinse and repeat.

Greg White (22:09):

Oh my gosh. And I just told him what my, he lives right behind me, and now he knows what my Amazon day is.

Scott Luton (22:15):

God, he’s gonna be your, your packaging’s gonna be gone. That’s it, Greg. That’s it. At least we’ll know who did it. All right. So let me share, I’m gonna, we got a lot of comments here. I’m gonna share, uh, two quick ones. Uh, Tom, uh, I always say that being sustainable shouldn’t cost more the opposite. Cause so much of sustainability is about getting waste out of systems. It should be cheaper.

Greg White (22:35):

Exactly. Well said. I mean, I think we have to confess that there is a lot of slack in the supply chain, and exactly Tom’s point, we can benefit by taking that slack out and that Slack impacts, um, ESG as well.

Scott Luton (22:48):

So, excellent point. Thank you, Tom. And I know you’re very passionate and, and put out a lot of great content along those lines, Amanda, getting back to comic relief, she says, I had a substitute teacher in seventh grade chorus that wore fringed cowboy boots and sang even flow for us. She, she’ll never forget it. I bet those words paint a thousand pictures there. Um, all right. So mm-hmm. <affirmative>, Greg <laugh>. Where are we going next here? Let’s see what we’re covering next. I think we are going to dive into some of these economic, uh, trends that you speak of. So, Greg, beyond economics, also some industrial trends here in the US as reported by our forensic Reuters. So here’s the core numbers. I’m, uh, this is a full article, lots of moving pieces. I’m gonna give you the, the TikTok version of the, of what was delivered here.

Scott Luton (23:36):

Retail sales fell 1% in March, which is more than expected. The decrease, uh, Greg was seen generally across sectors, except one bright spot was online sales, which were up 1.9% as folks maybe were out there looking for deals. Now, according to data from the Fed manufacturing production fell 0.5% in March. And this comes on the heels of what we thought was good news in February, where manufacturer production had increased 0.6%. Lastly, perhaps some good news here. We’ll see, we need a lot more data to roll in some signs point to inflation retreating. But Greg, I gotta tell you, at the grocery store this weekend with Amanda and I, I saw no signs of re of inflation retreating. So, uh, Greg, your thoughts on these economic and industrial trends, and then some.

Greg White (24:27):

Well, I think it’s a, I think it’s a sign that, uh, what the Fed is doing is working. The intent is to slow down the economy. And what, uh, was a bit of a surprise for me was that retail sales are mostly bought on credit. It makes me wonder how many people buy it on credit and then immediately paid off. But I had never really thought about the fact that, at least in the States, right, that so many people buy retail goods on credit. Now, they’re not talking about grocery, they’re talking about goods other than, than, but, um, I think that, I think that shows that it’s starting, starting to slow, but I think we have to recognize that that does not mean prices are dropping. That just means they’re continuing to rise at a rate less than they were rising before.

Scott Luton (25:16):

Excellent point. Preach that louder folks in the back. It’s the rate, it’s the rate versus the actual absolute dollar value, right?

Greg White (25:23):

Right. Nothing is going down in prices. Housing. Some housing rents in some cases though, are, are starting to go down. Um, and we’re gonna, we’re starting to see some impact on the commercial side of that. Um, but yeah, prices are not, they’re continuing to go up at a, at more than double the rate that the Fed has as a target, which is about 2%. So inflation is still rampant. And, uh, we continue to see it, uh, you know, at least it’s not accelerating, but I think the Fed is a long way from, from backing it down, honestly. I mean, again, I’m going to, I’m going to qualify this with my usual statement, which is not an economist, right, but Right. Every bit as often as They’res never, um, I think it was a mistake for the Fed not to have gone a half a point the last time. And I think we’re gonna continue to see this will not, again, my prediction, this will not, this next, uh, raise of rates will not be the last one.

Scott Luton (26:34):

Yeah. I think they’re, they’re, and, and also I’ll preface this by saying, not only am I not an economist, but nothing I’ve ever done in my entire life reflects that, uh, one iota that I am even a potential economist. No <laugh>, no interest. That’s not my gift to be on this earth, folks. But, uh, to Greg’s last point, I think we’re poised for another increase in May. Um, and overall, Greg, if I’m not mistaken, all these rises is, is one of the biggest, um, uh, fiscal, uh, policy changes in, in decades by the Fed in the eighties. Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Greg.

Greg White (27:10):

Right. And, and also by the way, based on the eighties standard, um, measurement of inflation, we’re at virtually the same inflation rate except for interest rates. We’re at the virtually the same inflation rate as we had in the eighties, but they’ve changed the inflation rate measurement to filter, I would argue, obfuscate real inflation.

Scott Luton (27:35):

That’s a good word. Obfuscate one of my favorites. I’m gonna learn how to spell it and use it one day. Um, all right. So enough about economics, folks. Y’all check out, we have dropped a link, uh, to that article right there in the chat. Y’all one click away. Let us know what you think. Uh, a couple comments here. T squared says, price gouging is alive and well, uh, Catherine says, I’ll say, nothing’s going down. It’s still $2 for a can of beans at my grocery store. Hey, same. I feel your pain. Uh, let’s see here. Greg, Greg Studer from the, the pride of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I believe says, ask 10 economists the same question, and you’ll get 10 different answers with the same data used. Greg, great to have you here, Greg. I think you, Greg, I think Greg’s right?

Greg White (28:23):

I think all Greg’s are right, especially in this case.

Scott Luton (28:26):

Oh, <laugh>, uh, oh, that’s right. That is right. All right. So Greg, great to have you here. And, uh, let’s keep driving. I wanna share, you know, a minute ago we touched on, uh, Eric, uh, and, and one of his big charitable initiatives each year. Well, folks, this is one of ours, right? And there’s other things that, that certainly we invest in and support. But, uh, this leveraging logistics for Ukraine initiative, which has sadly been going on for over a year. Well, it’s still in need, right? There’s still a ton of need out there. So, the next planning session that really drives these efforts, and when I say these efforts, efforts to get, uh, almost, uh, a million tons of humanitarian aid to families need in Ukraine and Poland, that’s right. Working together, uh, with, with led by Vector Global Logistics and the ecosystem that they’ve really pulled together. Man, the numbers are big eye popping. Well, all of that’s driven by these monthly planning sessions. So we invite you to join us for the next one, May 9th, 11:00 AM Eastern Time. You don’t have to give anything. You don’t have to say anything. You can just sign up and get a sense of what’s going on. Greg, uh, your comments around this program here,

Greg White (29:35):

I’m tired on, right? Um, but I mean, as long as it is, it’s something worth listening to. It’s something worth supporting. Um, and it’s a really good cause. It is. There is no overhead taken. Whatever you donate goes straight to those in need.

Scott Luton (30:00):

Agreed. Agreed. Folks, and you can, we dropped a link in the, uh, the chat. Y’all wanna click away from checking that out. Um, all right, so moving right ahead. Uh, now this is cool. We talked about this on the front end of the show, and I wanna share some of these numbers here. So first off, Greg, mm-hmm. <affirmative>, let’s talk about, um, the world’s busiest airports. Now, this data came out from our friends at the Airports Council, international ACI world. Um, and this came out in early April, right? So number one, as Greg mentioned, was Atlanta ga. Uh, and that shouldn’t surprise many folks. Um, but Greg, one of the things that this surprised me, and folks, when we talk about busiest, this is, as you can see there on the graphic, this is total passengers in Plained and Dpla Passengers in Transit counted once. That’s a little note from the ACI about the data, but Greg, I was surprised how many US airports make up the top 10. Um, and the latest figures here, and, and, and I’ll read these off for anyone, might be, might be listening, uh, to the podcast, replay Atlanta, number one, Dallas Fort Worth, number two, Denver, Colorado. Number three, Chicago. Number four, Dubai. Uh, number five, lax. Number six, Istanbul. Number seven, London. That’s Heathrow. Uh, number eight, new deli. Number nine, and Paris number 10. Greg, your thoughts here around, uh, these busiest airports?

Greg White (31:24):

I’m honestly a little bit surprised not to see Frankfurt in, uh, Amsterdam, in, in the top. Uh, they have always been very busy airports. Um, and it is incredible that there are so many in the states that are, uh, so busy. Uh, but I mean, it, you know, it just goes to, if you look at the change versus 21 against the change, you know, versus, uh, 2019, you can see there’s still a lot of opportunity to come back to volume levels, which seems impossible for me to understand. If you, I mean, if you’ve been on a flight in the last year or so, right? They all seem crowded, and I can only guess that there are fewer flights, and that’s why they’re packed to the brim. Yep. So, I don’t know. What do you think, Scott? I, I, I think

Scott Luton (32:17):

Well, packed to the rim with B brim sounds like, uh, a commercial from the eighties, I believe. What coffee? Yes, it was, it was a terrible, um, and sorry if Brim is still around, I used to drink it as a, as a kid. Cause I couldn’t make coffee, but I could make instant coffee. My mom, let me make that <laugh>. It’s, uh, a little bit different. But, uh, back to these busiest airports, it’s interesting to look at, uh, to your, what you were calling out Greg, uh, the 2019, the 2021, and 2022 rankings. I mean, look at this, uh, Dubai or, um, yeah, look, look at Dubai there, number four mm-hmm. <affirmative> in 2019. They were 27th and 2021, and then back to fifth and 20 22 1. And if you go to Instanbul, uh, Turkey here, they’ve had a more of a gradual progression from 28th and 2019 to 14th in 2021 to top 10, number seven. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> in 2022. Heath Row, of course, is, is no newcomer to this list as, as I think you mentioned, right? You know, it’s one of the world’s busiest airports for, for Millennium, it feels like. But, um, but I would not, and and I’d love to dive in deeper here, uh, with DA with Dallas and Denver, not so much Chicago, but Dallas and Denver being two and three. That was surprising to me, Greg.

Greg White (33:30):

Yeah. I, I can’t, I can’t explain those. Uh, one Dallas, I believe is an American Airlines hub. Hmm. I thought going through it today on my way to the, the, uh, sixth largest airport, lax Yep. <laugh>, um, in Denver, I think is a United Hub.

Scott Luton (33:48):

Ah, there we go.

Greg White (33:50):

It probably has something to do with being a hub for some of the larger airlines. Yep. And remember the good old days when Chicago, or Chicago or Tokyo were the busiest airports in the world. And those were, in some cases, the old days.

Scott Luton (34:06):

Well, and you would know, and I’m not, I’m not gonna put your, your status out there, but you, uh, you have been flying airplanes and have flown a lot of them. So, uh, I bet you could almost write a book on, on your travels, Greg, but, uh, I’m looking forward to hearing your,

Greg White (34:21):

Yeah. If it hadn’t been just for business, I probably could. Yeah. <laugh>, I’ve seen, as, you know, as, as I’ve told many people, I have seen, uh, the inside of airports, taxi cabs and hotels in some of the most beautiful, beautiful places in the world.

Scott Luton (34:36):

<laugh> Bear back in a hurry. Um, well, folks, check it out. We got a link here to that, to this data. You’ll also see, uh, air cargo and its rankings there. And you’re also looking at those numbers. You’ll see kind of the, uh, the market that has been in. But check it out. Let us know what you think from the data that was released, uh, about two weeks ago. All right? So Greg, not only are we gonna cover airports, but we’re gonna cover us container ports, seaports, right? So check this out. So this is from our friends at Supply Chain Dive, one of the, a great source for all sorts of, uh, of content and supply chain. I like the whole dive family of publications. I know we talk about retail dive here a lot, but, uh, they’ve got a whole family. So check out.

Scott Luton (35:18):

This is, um, this is only put here to top five. They put, as you can tell with this graphic, they, they built a top 12 list. But I wanted to, to really look at the top five. Cause Greg, you mentioned this on the front end. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, Georgia Ports comes in number four. So I’ll just read these from top to bottom. This again, shouldn’t surprise anybody in terms of the rankings, but let’s look at the trends. So number one, port, port of la, number two, port of New York and New Jersey. And this, again, is, is, uh, busiest. Basically busiest container ports, uh, uh, in 2022. Uh, number three, port of Long Beach. Number four, Georgia ports, number five, port Houston there in Texas. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. But look at the five year trends here, Greg. Uh, the Port LA has gained about 452,000, uh, TEUs, 20 foot equivalent units, uh, in those five, in that five year. But the port of New York and New Jersey up 2.3 million TEUs, uh, port Long Beach, up a million. The Georgia ports 1.5 million to use gain the last five years. And of course,

Greg White (36:24):

That’s A3 percent increase for those ports for the Georgia ports. That is, man, an incredible lift. Same for Houston. And, you know, a lot of that we’ve talked about over the last, gosh, 30 years, three years now. The, a lot of that was the shifting of goods coming from China to Port Houston and, and Georgia. Yep. Ports as well. And of course, you know, New York, the, um, except for maybe Boston, the nation’s biggest and most long running, uh, commercial ports, right? So, mm-hmm.

Scott Luton (37:01):

Well, uh, fascinating list. Y’all, y’all, y’all can check out the full, uh, top 12 list, uh, clicking on this link here. And again, big thanks to our friends at Supply Chain dive that, um, put out great content and, and data driven content, uh, might be the phrase of today. Um, Greg, we are just shooting through, shooting through, uh, news topics here on this busy Monday morning, April 17th. Tough, tough to believe. We’re already, man, we’re halfway through the fourth month of 2023. Where has Tom gone to your point? Um, alright, next couple topics here I wanna share. Um, a couple of our series, uh, Greg, that folks should hopefully is, are, um, these series aren’t new to our listeners, but, you know, one of the things we are very passionate about, Greg, is supporting our veteran community here, right? Um, one of our longest running series have been Veteran Voices and look at Air Veteran Voices has published their 77th podcast episode.

Scott Luton (38:07):

Uh, this one features David tr, uh, US Navy veteran, uh, great conversation, of course, led, uh, Greg by the, uh, Uber talented Mary Kate saliva, um, and Army veteran doing wonderful work. Uh, but Greg, you know, when we think about the veteran journey and, uh, veteran, overall veteran experience, especially here in the 21st century, when, you know, man, we’ve been at war for two decades and, you know, one of the things we’ve talked about and, and we support regularly dating back to, uh, I was, I was asked the other day, Hey, when did you meet Greg White? And I was like, well, he was on the show early, uh, before we worked together, but we’re really stuck out in my brain, Greg, beyond your wonderful perspective and expertise that I gave a kick out of, um, a couple times a week. But if you remember back with the, the Georgia Logistics Summit, right? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, back in 20, what was that, 2017 or something? Whatever it was,

Greg White (39:06):

17 or 18. Yeah. Right? Yeah.

Scott Luton (39:08):

So, uh, we, uh, had put an effort together to send a hundred veterans at no charge them to this, to this big, um, um, supply chain event. It was George Logistics Summit and modex co-located, right? And, um, we had to put together money to make that happen because I think the charge was, you know, 60 bucks particular or something. And we didn’t want the veterans to come out of, out of pocket to be able to, to network and find jobs and, and gather market intel. Well, Greg, and I know you don’t tout this, but this is, again, I was being asked where we first met. As I started to raise money, uh, as a broke young entrepreneur, I said, Hey, Greg, this is what I’m doing. And Greg, I don’t think I finished the sentence and you had written a check and sent it my way.

Scott Luton (39:51):

And then better yet, you took that donation and you rebel rouses the rest of the board members to see, okay, look here. I can’t be the only one doing this. And, and we, we met our goal. Yep. Not only do we meet our goal, but we got, uh, we, we coordinated with a hundred veterans to get out. And Greg, I think of the, um, the art of creating your own luck. Cause we didn’t expect these veterans to actually have job opportunities at the summit. We knew that conversations may go, you know, may produce a wild variety of things, but Greg is one of the companies I think that you were advising actually wanted to hire veterans. Right? And they offered, they were offering jobs at the event for, to some of these folks that came out.

Greg White (40:30):

Yeah, that’s right. I was running a startup at the time, uh, that was predominantly owned by the same investment group as this group that builds, uh, fulfillment warehouses. And I didn’t even talk to the board about it, you know, I mean, I think it was for 10, maybe 10, you’re right, veterans, right? And I didn’t, you know, so I didn’t talk to the board about it, but then I just mentioned it to one of the board members and they’re like, Hey, we wanna hire vets, so can you let ’em know that we wanna do that, as, you know, as they come in. And Yeah. And it worked out yet serendipitous that, right?

Scott Luton (41:05):

Oh, man. Absolutely. And, and again, all this is kind of, uh, anecdotal, uh, to to, to our listeners and viewers as I was, uh, reflecting on this Veteran Voices program and kind of it’s genesis and all the different things that has have transpired ever since. This was a big early, um, uh, early event in our Veteran Voices programming, you know, finding real tangible ways to support our veterans. Not, um, in not lip service driven, but really, really, you know, trying to, you know, get them into events. And then in this case, as Greg has shared, man, if you can remotely help find jobs, I mean, that’s what it’s all about. So

Greg White (41:44):

The particular motivation for me and you, Scott, is your, your experience with transition, which you were fortunately successful for, but not every, it’s not as se it’s not as not simple, but it’s not as, uh, successful for, for every veteran. And what we’ve realized over time, Scott and I from doing this, is that the, uh, military culture is so insular. They have their own language. They learn logistics in the military and assume that, and, and they have no other, uh, basis of reference other than to assume that that’s how logistics works elsewhere. Cause literally, logistics was defined by the military thousands and thousands of years ago, right? So, so what logistics has evolved to in the civilian realm is far different than what it’s, uh, it, what it exists as in the military realm. And creating that translation between military and the civilian realm is really, really critical.

Greg White (42:45):

Understand, I think Scott really requires companies to understand military logistics at whatever level we allowed to. All right. You know, and what it moves and how, how things move and to what end and, and, and, you know, and that sort of thing. So that you can create a frame of reference for the veteran, because the veteran is not gonna be able to do that. It’s not, it’s not cause of lack of anything except, except frame of reference. When you are in the military, you don’t discuss how civilian logistics occur right? At all. And therefore you have no frame of reference. It’s just like you think your mom’s apple pie is the best apple pie. Cause you’ve never had anything else

Scott Luton (43:26):

<laugh>,

Greg White (43:28):

Although it may be in some cases. But, but I think that that initiative, if I could encourage employers or people who are trying to assist with that transition, is to understand that transition and, and be able to speak both languages, both the civilian realm and the military realm of logistics skills or thing in applies to, to aspect civilian rail. That building that bridge is really, really

Scott Luton (43:57):

Critical. Yep. A hundred percent agree. And folks, as Greg is, uh, is calling out there, man, lean in to the veteran talent pipeline. Cause once they’re given that frame of reference, once they’re charged with their responsibilities, they can figure it out, right? They’re can figured out and, and you know, there’s civilian, um, uh, and I don’t, I don’t wanna be, I don’t wanna typecast, but, you know, because folks more and more hiring managers ha, hadn’t served in the military. Sometimes there can be, since they don’t understand everything that Greg is just kind of sharing there, they kind of pull back. But don’t do that. Don’t, that’s, there’s a human element at play there. Don’t do that. Lean into the veteran, uh, talent pipeline and, um, man, you can really meet or help. It’ll really help you address your overall staffing, uh, needs. And Greg, yes, sounds like being a good leader, reaching out and helping others.

Scott Luton (44:50):

Great story, Greg. Uh, amen. And whether it’s for veterans or, or any other group, man, just, just acting on in a very tangible way, lending a helping hand, regardless, uh, we’re all charged with doing that. Um, all right, so again, I wanna point y’all back to Veteran Voices. A great work that US Army veteran Mary Kate Saliva as Host is doing. Check out the latest episode that we’ve dropped. Uh, we also put it in the chat there, uh, featuring, uh, US Navy veteran David Turn. Uh, Greg also wanna call out, uh, digital Transformers doing great work. Uh, Kevin L. Jackson, the fearless host there, one of a kind, he, he led, uh, a great episode last week focused on cybersecurity network modernization, a lot more, uh, presented in partnership with at and t business. It featured Helen U and Sally e Dr. Sally Eves, I should say.

Scott Luton (45:45):

Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Outstanding conversation. Y’all check that out. Um, wherever you get your podcast from, you can, uh, just like you can with supply chain now, or Veteran Voices or Digital Transformers, you can search that out and, uh, download and subscribe, Greg. Man, a lot of stuff going on. I, I meant to, I meant to make one more point when it comes to veterans, because we’ve got an episode coming out. Greg with, uh, Tom Harvey, who is the Chief Supply Chain Officer with BJC Healthcare, 22 year Army veteran that then transitioned into the healthcare space. And BJC Healthcare is one of the country’s largest nonprofit healthcare organizations. I is the state of Missouri’s largest employer. I think I’ve got that right. Um, and he is a case study of why <laugh>, why there is such a tremendous opportunity with engaging hiring veterans and getting ’em involved in your supply chain and then some, and, and what they can do. And, and not only what they can do, but how they can lead and how they can serve as a force multiplier for your organization. Uh, Greg, we’ve covered a lot of ground here today. Um, and we’ve got a couple more minutes. You’ve got a big trip coming up. You’re going out to, um, can I let the cat of the bag? Sure. Okay. So you’re headed out to la Are you going to get one of those delicious in-N-Out burgers?

Greg White (47:09):

I likely will because there is a enormous in and out right next to LAX airport.

Scott Luton (47:16):

Ah,

Greg White (47:17):

We’re not going out there solely for Wednesday to go get it. Totally kidding. <laugh>. Um, well, I’m not really at liberty to announce, uh, right what I’m going for till later. Alright. But in the next week or two. Okay. We’ll be able to do that.

Scott Luton (47:43):

So I can’t wait. I can’t wait. Who knows, maybe we’ll, we’ll do it. Uh, the buzz. We’ll get first dibs. We’ll see.

Greg White (47:49):

Oh, there you go,

Scott Luton (47:50):

<laugh>. Well, hey, uh, let’s see here. This LinkedIn user and Catherine Mann, let me know who it is. Assist with students finding workforce options. Some want to pursue US Army options, and they appreciate our comments regarding helping veterans and job support. There’s so much opportunity there. Uh, and that’s Susie. Hey Susie, thanks for that. There’s so, so many opportunities to help our veterans with the transition with finding meaningful work. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you know, not work below what they have done and what they’ve got expertise and experience around. We’ve come a long way. It feels, and I’d love to look at St Statistics there, but it feels like we’ve come a long way to addressing that, uh, in the last 20 years or so. But, but in my conversations with veterans from from coast to coast and around the world, we still have a lot more, a lot more heavy lifting to do to, to honor that commitment I believe that we, uh, that we have with veterans.

Scott Luton (48:42):

Um, alright. So Greg, uh, give us out of all everything we, we touched on here today. This was like a, uh, uh, we hadn’t had one of these in a while. It was kind of like a Baskin Robbins supply chain buds here today. Little bit of this, little bit of that, little bit of this little of that look from economy to, uh, e-commerce preferences to veterans, of course, to some of our shows, uh, you name it. So what if, if folks leave this live stream with one thing that they don’t forget about, what would that one thing be from your perspective, Greg?

Greg White (49:14):

I think we’re gonna see the economy. Let me, let me set this up a little bit before I give that one thing. I, we’re gonna see the economy, the markets, um, go sideways for a good while. Probably the next three plus years. Um, growth is gonna be fairly slow. The market, the stock market, the public markets are gonna be fairly slow. We’ve seen slow downs in investment in even successful and well established technology companies. Uh, so we’ll start to see innovation slow down over the next, uh, one to three, maybe even as much as five years. I think people have to pre prepare for, um, kinda a leveling off of things and just recognize that this is part of a cycle. It’s part of a cycle that virtually two and two generations have never been through, right? So it doesn’t signal anything except a cycle.

Greg White (50:11):

And it’s easy in this, uh, time where everything has to be a robust or, um, you know, a breakthrough story to get caught up in, in whatever the hype is. And you can see as we’ve done, done these shows, I’m, you know, as we were talking about the economy, Scott, I was realizing that we see it going up, we see it going down. You see the market doing the same thing, and basically it’s effectively going sideways or, you know, maybe slightly increasing or decreasing periodically. Yep. But to think about this on a longer time horizon and, and realize that there are a lot of people taking the right approach right now, which is to curb spending curb debt, definitely curb debt because the interest rates are so very high. And, um, as someone who got trapped by that during the great recession, I can tell you that debt at a high rate is virtually impossible to get out of.

Greg White (51:05):

And, and I think we have to be aware that now is the time for us to, I, I don’t wanna say buckle down, but to become very, very conscious of how you spend and what you spend and whether you need it or whether you want it. Um, the economy is telling us a lot of that right now with, with prices and, and, um, shipping. You know, the price of everything, the price of shipping, the price of products and that sort of thing. People are starting to get there, uh, in terms of distinguishing between what they need and what they want. Focus on what you need now. Focus on building a solid foundation or maintaining a solid foundation and be prepared when in the next, like I said, three to five years, the economy starts to take off again. Yep. That’s the thing I could say is, is you know, build your, build your house on stone, right?

Scott Luton (52:00):

I haven’t heard that in a while.

Greg White (52:01):

Right? Now is the time to do

Scott Luton (52:02):

That. Don’t build it in a little shifting sands or whatever hymn that, uh, we always reference when we talk about that. Right. A strong foundation that you can spring off of and leverage off of. Will said there, Greg and hey <laugh> Joseph. Marta says, Hey, I

Greg White (52:16):

Just saw that’s

Scott Luton (52:18):

Hilarious. If did go out there solely, out, solely for Inn Out Burger, no one would blame you. He says, love that. That’s

Greg White (52:26):

Shouldn’t it is worth it.

Scott Luton (52:29):

Wow. That’s right. Delicious. Okay. Well, folks, uh, we’re gonna wrap a few minutes early here on today’s supply chain Buzz. Thank y’all for being a part of the programming. Really appreciate all the comments and questions that were put in the chat. Greg, always a pleasure to knock this out with you. Safe travels.

Greg White (52:44):

Likewise. Thank

Scott Luton (52:45):

You. And we look forward to sharing in some good news in a few weeks.

Greg White (52:48):

Yeah, I’m looking forward to

Scott Luton (52:50):

It. Big thanks again to Amanda and Catherine and Chantel and every, all the folks behind the scenes for making, uh, allowing us to make, to make this happen here today. Folks, whatever you do, make sure you listen to The Startup Whisperer one, Greg White, but, uh, hey, take action with some of these things, especially going back on the veteran’s things. I’m gonna pound that until the day I die. And, uh, to my last breath, find a practical way to help out someone in need, especially if they’re a veteran. But you gotta take action deeds, not Words, is what it’s all about. With that set Scott Luden challenging you to do good, to give forward and to be the change that’s needed. And we’ll see you next time, right back here at Supply Chain now. Thanks everybody.

Intro/Outro (53:27):

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

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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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Katherine Hintz

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

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

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Kim Winter

Host, Supply Chain Now

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

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

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

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Adrian Purtill

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Kevin Brown

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Jose Miguel Irarrazaval

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Nick Roemer

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Allison Giddens

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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

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Billy Taylor

Host of Dial P for Procurement

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

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

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

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

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Lori Sofian

Marketing Coordinator

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

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Chantel King

Social Media Manager

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

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

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

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Trisha Cordes

Administrative Assistant

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

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Clay Phillips

Business Development Manager

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

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Amanda Luton

Vice President, Production

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

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Constantine Limberakis

Host

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

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Mary Kate Soliva

Host, Veteran Voices

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

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Kelly Barner

Host of Dial P for Procurement

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

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Enrique Alvarez

Host of Logistics with Purpose and Supply Chain Now en Español

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

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

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Kevin L. Jackson

Host of Digital Transformers

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

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Tyler Ward

Director of Sales

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

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

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

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Chris Barnes

Principal, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain is Boring

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

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

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Greg White

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

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

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

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Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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

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

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