In this episode of the Supply Chain Buzz, powered by OMNIA Partners on Supply Chain Now, Scott and Greg welcome Mike Griswold to the show, as they discuss the top news in supply chain this week.
Intro/Outro (00:00:03):
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 (00:00:31):
Hey, good afternoon, everybody. Scott Luton, Greg White with here on supply chain. Now welcome to today’s live stream, Greg, how are you doing?
Greg White (00:00:39):
I’m doing quite well. How are you Scott? Doing great.
Scott Luton (00:00:42):
I’ll tell you. We’re going to blow Gary Smith.
Greg White (00:00:45):
I know we keep flip-flopping, you know, it’s okay. It’s it’s okay. Where, you know, the seasons are changing times are changing. Uh, have you noticed that the days are getting shorter? I mean, it’s, it’s been happening for like a month and a half, of course, but it’s really noticeable now.
Scott Luton (00:01:04):
It reminds me of the saying, um, let’s see here. The days are long and the years are short as parents and, uh, of course our kids are back in school. The next grade flips into late summer, the seasons continue to evolve. They’re
Greg White (00:01:18):
Heading into a full week back at school. Aren’t they? Tomorrow is a week.
Scott Luton (00:01:23):
Yes, that’s right. It’ll be what may have been two weeks by now. I’m not sure. Um, but regardless before long, we’re going to be going year round. We’re going to
Greg White (00:01:30):
Have to bring Amanda on again. So maybe
Scott Luton (00:01:35):
Today though, Greg. Yeah, the supply chain buzz right here on supply chain. Now every Monday, 12 noon Eastern time, you’re
Greg White (00:01:43):
Saying I’m going to start tuning in for that.
Scott Luton (00:01:47):
Join us for a fun look at fun and an informative look at some of the latest and greatest and most important news, uh, from really across global supply chain across global business. So, uh, today we’ve got a special guest, you know, we’ve got Mike Griswold from Gartner making his monthly appearance today as part of the buzz, he’ll be joining us about 1230 or so, um, to give us some of his key observations in terms of how the Delta variant Gregg is impacting global supply.
Greg White (00:02:16):
Yeah. Delta now Lambda right. Lambda coming out of Peru as well. Um, I don’t know if he’s going to talk about that, but innumerable variants, we will undoubtedly have. Right.
Scott Luton (00:02:27):
But you know, um, Mike is one of our favorite guests across it. Really. We hear from people far and wide about his ability to cut through the noise and tell you what you should be tracking and help you understand it better. And, uh, so we look forward to his appearance here today. Um, today’s show Greg is PowerBar friends over at Omnia partners where they are reshaping the future of purchasing. Tell us more. Yeah,
Greg White (00:02:52):
Well group purchasing organization strong on group. Right? I think that the key thing we’ve seen be so powerful for companies and I think really necessary, especially now is why stand alone. Right? It just seems like having the power of community is so necessary these days. And you know what I like about having haven’t talked to era and all of the other folks, Kevin Heath, of course, all the folks at Omnia is it’s not just about negotiating power. It’s about power to influence vendors. It’s about power to, uh, B get exposure to additional suppliers that you may not have ever heard of before. Right. And, um, and also to just as, as this conference that we’re going to in September is to join up and share ideas with fellow members of the community as well. It’s kind of like what we do here, except they don’t get to get on the air as much as we do
Scott Luton (00:03:56):
Well, right on time. Perfect segue. Greg talked about the conference. We’re going to be out in September, down in Miami, Florida, September 27th to 29th. It is connections 2021. So yes, it’s free to attend. If you’re in supply chain sourcing or purchasing. If you’re a leader in those sectors, keynotes, expos, networking a whole lot more. They’re expecting about 400 plus attendees. Wow. And we’re going to be broadcasting live right there in my Miami. It’s going to be hard for
Greg White (00:04:24):
Us to find a seat, Scott, we better get there early
Scott Luton (00:04:27):
A kid. There’ll be football season by then. Um, which we’ll save that for another discussion. But yes, come join us at a, at a minimum tune in to the live stream. We’re gonna be broadcast in the buzz on that first day and then conducting interviews for the remainder of the week. You can learn more by checking out the link in the show notes and we’d invite you to come join us down there in Miami. Great, great stuff. Put on by our friends at Omnia park.
Greg White (00:04:54):
That’s right. Four things to remember learn network, grow Miami
Scott Luton (00:05:00):
That’s right. New hashtag new hashtag. I love that. Speaking of events, Greg, let’s see here a big webinar coming up with our friends at Quip, talking to you about their omni-channel evolution on August 18th at 12 noon. Join us for that. You’re not going to want to miss Enron Patel’s story link show link to the, uh, registrations in the show notes and wait, there’s more, uh, supply chain and procurement global awards coming up on December 8th, registration, nominations, sponsorships, all open and as we’ve touted quite a bit we’re uh, all nomination feeds for folks that you want to nominate for. These global awards are being donated to our friends at hope for justice, which are working hard to eradicate slavery across the globe.
Greg White (00:05:49):
So that’s right. Not just hoping, acting right. Yes. Great. That was a great discussion.
Scott Luton (00:05:55):
Agreed. Supply chain ords.com. They’re conducted in a special partnership with our friends at buyers meeting point and art for procurement. So check that out and come join us and celebrate the successes across global supply chain. For sure. Okay. So Greg, uh, let’s say hello to a few folks.
Greg White (00:06:15):
You’re getting some props on your threads here.
Scott Luton (00:06:18):
Oh really? Yeah. How, how about there’ll be the only ones I’m hearing good things about my shirts. My kids have been lighting me up for days. I have they really, but you know what? That’s why I do it, Greg. We’ll see when you have me. I love to, um, I love to be the uncle dad with all three of my kids is so much fun, so,
Greg White (00:06:38):
So easy. Right?
Scott Luton (00:06:40):
I mean, it is natural for me, Greg, everyone.
Greg White (00:06:43):
It’s not, it’s not has nothing to do what you do, right. Just that they’re your kids. Uh
Scott Luton (00:06:49):
That’s right. It’s true. Nevus. Hello. Good morning. Great to have you here. Hope you and your family are doing well there in India. Ceria, Sariah. Uh, great to have you here via LinkedIn also from India. Welcome. Welcome. Pedro turned, uh, tuned in via LinkedIn. Hey, let’s know where you’re dialed in from Pedro. Oh. As Aliyah is back, Greg, this is one of our favorites as a layup. Talk about why it’s beyond her years of her comments from these live streams.
Greg White (00:07:16):
Yeah, no doubt. And uh, just remember on your panel today, everyone wants you to succeed. That’s all you need to remember.
Scott Luton (00:07:25):
All right. Hey, good luck. As late. You’re going to knock your head, knock it out of the park, undoubtedly. So let us know how it goes. Mervin is back with us from our Lynn Mervyn. Hello. Great to see you look forward to your contributions today. Jenny Froome, ours are getting hotter and a bit talking about the day.
Greg White (00:07:42):
That’s right. It’s spring in South Africa. Yeah. So yeah,
Scott Luton (00:07:47):
Greg, I think today in South Africa is, uh, Wednesday, I believe. Oh, is that right? And Jenny, Jenny sharing on social and sh and, and Jenny, please drop it in the links here say picks has had, I think four, um, presidents, all the happened to be female and we carefully positioned that, but they were celebrating that, that, uh, pedigree and, and that heritage there. So Jenny congrats, we celebrate with you, uh, love all your leadership and, uh, please share those, uh, uh, related links in the comments today. Gary. I T I knew we’d get him.
Greg White (00:08:25):
Yeah, we did get him. I saw that right away.
Scott Luton (00:08:27):
Great to see Gary. Hey, congrats. Just keeping you on your toes, Gary. That’s right. Uh, congrats on some recent round of interviews. You’ve had all related to that great article. You published a few months back, so hope this finds you. Well, Gary, Venay the NY, uh, uh, Vinay, I bet, uh, via LinkedIn. Great to have you here. Let us know where you’re tuned in from Venay of course, clay and Jayda and Allie, and Amanda are all behind the scenes making production here today. I appreciate all that they do.
Greg White (00:08:58):
Dame-o is back. He is back
Scott Luton (00:09:02):
DEMA. Right? Tell us what you’ve been up to down in, man. Um, Hiraeth via LinkedIn. Great to have you here. Tell us where you’re tuned in from as well. Welcome everybody. Uh, AA Mohit professor Mohib is in the house from Wichita, Kansas. And finally, thank you, Tom. I appreciate that Greg. Wasn’t with me. Yeah. Um, you know, uh, I have, uh, as we have been gardening in the backyard, uh, it’s dawned on me as I really have enjoyed all the different flowers with trying to attract butterflies, how boring, boring as to quote Chris Barnes. My wardrobe is so we’ve tried to live it up so much by we,
Greg White (00:09:43):
You mean you force, right. Kids are not contributing to that. They’re only judging. Yes, that’s right. That’s right. I think you got more prompts than that. It seems like I skipped over a few problems Miguel, on kale. I think he had, yeah. Yeah. Tim that’s right. That’s right. And finally, Hey, it’s a good t-shirt though. It’s old. It’s vintage. Right? So, Hey,
Scott Luton (00:10:07):
Welcome everybody. Including Kim winner tuned in from Dubai, uh, where he says, it’s always something it’s always summer. Yes. I love that. All right. Uh, and by the way, Kim’s putting out some great content via his vodcast. Uh, maybe we can drop the link in the comments with the logistics executive group. All right. So Greg, we’ve got to get to work and the hello, everybody. We got to get to
Greg White (00:10:28):
Work, right? Yeah, let’s do it. We got to get Mike in and out of here. I mean our special secret guests in and out of here relatively quick. So he has got
Scott Luton (00:10:38):
Tufts schedule, but we got 20 minutes to tackle some news of the day. And then we’re going to get to Mike Griswold with Gartner about 1230. So up first, we’re talking about how Vietnam is dealing with a surge in COVID-19 infection. So Greg Vietnam has become one of the busiest manufacturing cities in the world, especially for clothing and footwear. As a financial times reports here, the country is one of the few Asian economies that continued to grow and attract foreign investment. Uh, in 2020, despite the pandemic, a recent surge of COVID-19 has the industry they’re in the country, reeling factories in Vietnam, that supply, uh, companies like Adidas and Nike, where they’ve, uh, suspended production for now Samsung, one of the country’s biggest employers has had, uh, is smartphone supply chain, uh, disrupted extensively in recent months, right? The Vietnam textile and apparel association says that about 30% of all the factories supporting garment and textile sectors in the country have been shut down.
Scott Luton (00:11:37):
So while Vietnam continues to deal with, uh, the, the resurgence of COVID-19, we’re having a come from a mixed bag of news here in the states, Greg, the back to school scramble has begun. Just like we talked about, uh, last Monday as Amanda joined us, right. We’re talking about back to school. So the good news is it’s not quite light last year, you know, a year ago, but we’re certainly not, it’s not normal back to school times either. Um, so CNBC reports that according to a new survey by first insight, shoppers are getting a bit more anxious about going to physical stores for the back to school shopping. Some consumers are also cutting expenses in general, the Delta variant here in the U S may will slow down what was predicted to be a very strong back to school season. Uh, Greg Deloitte had originally projected spending to reach $32.5 billion in 2021. That would have been up 16% from last year. Other companies, Greg has an article points to such as bed bath and beyond say that spending will continue to be there. It just will be delayed and we’ll push into September. So kind of a mixed bag on the front end here between Vietnam and some of the stuff we’re seeing here in the states, Greg, what say,
Greg White (00:12:55):
I think that’s going to be a common refrain. You know, we’re, we’re talking about Delta, but we have this Lambda variant coming out of Peru as well. So w we’ll continue to see variants coming out. And I think, you know, what we’ve got to figure out is how to, how to manage that. But all of that is going to impact the supply chain. We’re going to talk a little bit about that with Mike, when he comes on the impact that it has had. Um, you know, Vietnam has been a key, that’s been a key outlet for companies who want to get out of Jinja province, which Nike and, and, uh, H and M and Audie dos have been, have been at the forefront of that. Trying to do that, which I think I announced yesterday last week that I’m now wearing adios again, since they are out of gen Jong province, no longer contributing to slavery. [inaudible],
Greg White (00:13:48):
um, that’s, that’s, that’s their, that was their original marketing theme, the brand with three stripes, that’s, that’s German marketing at its best. Um, but, but the capacity in, in Vietnam is constrained pretty significantly, especially compared to China and with this happening. Um, it’s, you know, it’s going to be a struggle. There are a lot of companies moving physical production of not just soft lines, like apparel and shoes, but other products and technical products out of China to Vietnam as well. So, and then of course, back to school, which, uh, Amanda, let us know that you all are pretty much through this season and, and, um, thankful for some of the help you got from your school district, which was pretty cool, but other schools, I mean, a lot of schools, particularly in the north, they don’t go back to school until labor day, right? So this is a long season. This isn’t as compact, even as Christmas season in the U S this is a big long peak season and still a lot of, of demand to come. So agreed. You know, I imagine there will be a lot of masks and hand sanitizer going to school with the kids this year, again, for those kids that do go back to school physically. Yeah,
Scott Luton (00:15:05):
I agree. We’re, we’re certainly living live in that for sure. Um, but you know, it is good. Um, early marks, uh, have, uh, you know, we’re big raving fans of educators out there that are finding a way to navigate through these times. I mean, a heart goes out, we’ve all seen the stories of, of, you know, the school boards and educators getting braided, but, you know, they’re, they’re kind of stuck in a, in, in a rock and a hard place, right. Trying to get good scientific advice from, you know, the powers that be while, you know, making sure that our most precious treasures are, are cared for. Right. So kudos to all those wonderful teachers out there doing, doing great work. Um, all right. Really quick, Kelly Barner host of Dow P for procurement is with us today from Boston, Massachusetts, uh, via LinkedIn. Great to see Kelly looking forward to your hearing, some of your comments here.
Scott Luton (00:16:00):
Um, all right. So Greg moving from one topic to another topic, uh, the infrastructure. So it looks like the us Senate is going to pass and give the $1 trillion infrastructure bill to the house. Now, before I turn over to Greg and I need to go grab my fire extinguisher, perhaps before we could get Greg’s take on this. Um, so it’s, it’s been reported that this massive bill is at 27,000 pages already, and the negotiations and amendments are still taking place. Now, what Senate? I’m not sure really anybody knows specifically, except maybe the attorneys that are drafting legislation, but just
Greg White (00:16:43):
The classic. We have to pass it before we can read it. Didn’t we hear that from a prominent representative once
Scott Luton (00:16:50):
Perhaps, but, um, the good news is, you know, the points that most, that most everyone agrees need to be addressed are this roads, bridges, broadband, internet, hope they get some, uh, meaningful action to tackle the digital divide, water pipes, and other public works systems. But beyond that, the jury is still out in some of the most contentious negotiations have been on the topic, of course, how to pay for it all. So, um, but again, I’ll point you to good news here, Greg, turn it over to you. It does appear to be highly bipartisan to this point. Um, so, so some action is going to get done. It’s just, it probably is. What else is in all buried perhaps in the $27,000, 27,000 pages of legislation, but you’re taking care of Greg.
Greg White (00:17:40):
Yeah, I wouldn’t go as far as to say, something’s going to get done. Money will get spent. Um, and you know, as we talked about before, there is an incredible amount of funding for infrastructure already in the states, and it is largely wasted, um, or spent on pet projects. So hopefully part of the bill is to be more directive of these funds because a trillion dollars is a thousand billions, okay. That is a thousand billion dollars or a million million dollars. It’s, you know, we’re getting up there now where it’s real money. So I think we need to put a little bit more accountability into some of these bills, if they’re this big, certainly you cannot argue that we, uh, you cannot argue that we don’t need to improve infrastructure. In fact, I was on a run this morning and I saw this enormous pothole and by enormous, I mean, as long as my leg, that wasn’t there on our road a week ago.
Greg White (00:18:50):
So, um, you know, it’s crumbling and crumbling fast in various areas at the same time, we’ve had a lot of, uh, of progress, but yeah, certainly needed, I don’t know if a trillion dollars is needed. It’s so hard to gauge because the previous money was so either misspent or completely wasted, but it is certainly, um, certainly topical and we know that our infrastructure infrastructure can be improved. Scott, we talk about it all the time. Where are truckers going to sleep? If we spent a trillion dollars on expanding, you know, roadside, um, oh my God, I totally lost, lost my train of thought that, you know, like, like turnouts and stuff were drive, drivers could just sleep safely. Right. It would be worthwhile.
Scott Luton (00:19:43):
He says, you know, I believe the infrastructure bill we pass when he sees it. Uh, Tim says we’ll be big for jobs, but it is about 10 years late. In addition to us, infrastructure requires updating, not just rebuilding and updating. And then speaking of the money, Greg, uh, once the $1 trillion legislation is passed, we’ll see Gary, um, they’re moving to a 3.5 trillion, uh, package for childcare. So we’ll see, um, from here, but Hey, uh,
Greg White (00:20:12):
Where will the money come from? Let me just tell you we’ll just borrow more.
Scott Luton (00:20:18):
Well, uh, we got to keep our act, our pulse, our finger on the pulse to your point, uh, what action gets done, what gets completed. Right. Um, so we’ll see.
Greg White (00:20:29):
Well, and so, I mean, and let’s, I mean, let’s just twist twisted in to some perspective here. And that is right now, the federal government is borrowing money at nearly zero interest rates. So if ever there was a time to, to borrow now, is that right? Because, you know, if, if we’re going to owe money to the citizens who hold a huge proportion of the bonds and, and treasury bills that, that the government, um, issues then better to own it really, really low interest. So,
Scott Luton (00:21:08):
Um, all right. And your FOD says, this is way too much for me to handle Greg on the left of my screen, Scott, on the right. I can’t deal with this change, their font really. I’ve enjoyed your pictures with your family, uh, at the beach on social, uh, this week, when
Greg White (00:21:24):
We come back with Mike, we’ll try to flip it again, just to confuse everyone.
Scott Luton (00:21:29):
How’s that Renee Scott we’ll stay away from these beautiful shirts due to COVID-19, major’s complete shutdown and clothing factory, and they’d be in Vietnam. That’s a disruption of supply chains. Great point. Um, all right. So, uh, and Tim says, as long as we have checks, we have money. Right? Good point, Tim. Yeah, that’s right. So we’ve got we, we are going to move right ahead. Greg’s we’ve got to talk tackle, um, talk about a lot of big topics here today. So the United nations on Monday sounded the alarm big time alarm on the environment. So the UN’s intergovernmental panel on climate change release report that said greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere are currently at record levels that will ensure climate disruption for decades to come. If not, centuries, to come the UN secretary general, Antonio goody Erez called the report, a quote code red for humanity, the app PCC, which is the acronym for that panel draws on more than 14,000 scientific studies and was released about three months in advance of the UN CIP, 26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland. Now, Greg, on a related note, uh, you published, and that was all, that was a coordinator orders. You pull up publish a really neat piece today. What I’m calling them, supply chain, listen up POV on LinkedIn. You drop one about every, every weekday morning. Um, and this has already gotten a lot of response. So give us, give us a couple of fine points here.
Greg White (00:22:58):
Well, I think, you know, we all, whenever we talk about climate change and climate responsibility, we all point at someone else, whether you believe it’s real or you don’t believe it’s real, whether you think something needs to be done about it or nothing can be done about it, we’re all talking about somebody else. And I think the upshot of the article that I published today was really inspired me to think about who is responsible for climate change. And it is we, the consumers, each individual and our actions are what are responsible for it. We want our product faster, cheaper, better, right? We want convenience. We want comfort. We want luxury, right? We want all of those things. Um, and we want it all. And because we want all of those things, it comes from developing economies. It comes from Indonesia and India and China where some have not the ability to, to be more economically and, uh, sustainable.
Greg White (00:23:59):
And some just simply disregarded like in Indonesia and China. So I think when we recognize how much we as individuals contribute to that, um, you know, and you know, it’s funny, Scott is all this stemmed from a box about, or a, uh, an article about corrugated boxes and the recycling of corrugated boxes. And it had me thinking about all kinds of things, not, not even just sustainability, not even just climate change, but also all of the other ESG environmental, um, initiatives that, that, and other initiatives like someone in the comments of it mentioned human slavery and, um, you know, conflict minerals and all of those things. Well, why, why do all those things have to happen? Because we demand that they continue to happen by continuing to buy the goods. We vote with our wallets for unsustainable practices for inhumane practices. And that’s why we have to be very, very careful about what we buy and it’s worth the research.
Greg White (00:25:06):
Somebody said, it’s a virtual impossibility in the comments and it is, it’s very difficult. It is very difficult, but it’s worth it. It’s worth it. I watched an episode of billions Scott, where I love twice, twice, um, Chuck Rhoades said worth it. And he was talking about devastating consequences to himself. And both times he said worth it, it is worth it to, for us to, to think about and to research these companies and whether they’re doing good or not. And, and to vote with our wallets every time we, every time we buy something, we either make a vote for sustainability or for selfishness. And sometimes those two can coincide, but very, very rarely. So we need to be a little bit more conscious and, and, and you know what, it’s not a huge lift. Do what you can. I targeted one company, one company that I knew I could impact, right?
Greg White (00:26:06):
Because I bought, I have a favorite sport brand, ADI dos, they were PR they were bad actors, frankly, performing, you know, a lot of work in Xinjiang province where the workers are slaves. Um, and I chose not to, to use their, or buy their products for a long, long time. And, and they changed not because of me, certainly not because of little old me, but because enough people made them aware by voting with their wallets and they acted on it. So you, you are just one of seven plus billion people on the planet. Just imagine if one, 1000000th of the people on the planet picked, pick the cause or pick the company and targeted them with their wallets, right? Every one of us collectively could have, and it could have an influence on it.
Scott Luton (00:26:58):
Excellent point made. I love, I love the, your sentiment in the post love what you just shared there. It’s absolutely true. And, uh, cherry picking a couple of numbers here, just to check out article and supply chain dab. Now, to be fair, it was built. It was built from the account of the corrugated packaging point of view. However, is a great article and the Greg’s commentary was even better. But in the article, it says that the current recovery rate for plastics is below 10% while I’m falling and falling. It’s right. 90% of corrugated boxes are recycled is what the article states. So, but do your homework as Greg suggest, do your homework. And, uh, and you’re voting whether you like it or not. Um, Gary Smith says, as Pogo used to say, we have met the enemy. He is us. That’s right. Uh, Greg’s got a t-shirt isn’t here. He just said, we vote with our wallet for sustainability or selfishness. As Leah says, our monetary vote, we make everyday should be as important to us as our presidential vote. We cast every four years. In fact, I would say it’s more impactful, amen. To that excellent point, Vinay, the daily requirement of stuff we need in our daily life has increased by several folds. If we compare it to past generations, that is an excellent point. Um,
Greg White (00:28:12):
I think there’s a font. There is a more bright line between need and desire than any of us recognized. Right? And when I, when I think about my original description of supply chain and how simple supply chain is, I have a tomato, you want it? I hand it to you. You give me an Arrowhead beginning of supply chain, right? Hey, cave, dwellers, right? I think much about survival. The same way need is you need that tomato, or you want that tomato. Right. I think we really confuse desire and want with need. A lot of times we don’t need a two car garage. We don’t need a three bedroom house.
Scott Luton (00:28:51):
Well, let me just tell you, we have some delicious tomatoes from the Monroe farmer’s market.
Greg White (00:28:57):
That’s why we want them because they’re so delicious. But also that’s, I mean, that’s much, much more sustainable sky. That’s a small, small, organic farm, right, right. In your backyard. Agreed. So
Scott Luton (00:29:12):
Ginny Froome says you’re right, Greg and a change starts with us as well. Excellent point and one final one from there Fahd, he’s going to make a shoe made of water to avoid getting trashed on by Mr. Gregory White, uh, as Leah excellent point. We are less self-sufficient than our grandparents and great grandparents. That is an excellent point. Okay. So, so much to cover so much going on, you know, always too much for the hour we have here on the bus, but, um, certainly worth the price of admission, Greg.
Greg White (00:29:43):
Somehow we got through that in the, a lot of times, Scott, Hey, sometimes my best efforts,
Scott Luton (00:29:50):
We got to put it in a headlock and keep, keep on fighting through, but, uh, worth the price of admission today, here at the buzz, uh, free. And we offer a money back guarantee, but we’ve got Mike Griswold, vice-president analyst with Gartner joining us. Let’s bring Mike in. Hey, good afternoon, Mike.
Mike Griswold (00:30:12):
I am great. Thanks. Great. Uh, it’s nice to see the, this different, uh, this different format with you guys. It was great. Uh, and Scott put me down for one of those shirts. I bug my kids enough either. So yeah, that’s good. I like that. It’s a good, it’s a perfectly appropriate for the golf course, Mike. Right.
Scott Luton (00:30:31):
Well now getting Mike Griswold’s endorsement on anything is, is, uh, makes my week. So, uh, I’m gonna, I’m gonna share that with Amanda and the kids. So Mike, Hey, this is being
Greg White (00:30:46):
Recorded as a matter of fact. So you’ve got proof.
Scott Luton (00:30:49):
Hey, but uh, much more importantly, might kidding aside. Great to have you back. We love your appearances here. You’re able to cut through the nonsense and really, and help also explain all these, these complicating, uh, developments we see across industries.
Mike Griswold (00:31:04):
Thanks for having me. It’s great to always enjoy spending time with you guys, even you, Greg. Thanks. Did you notice we, uh, we’re flip-flopping and crazy new stuff. I’m just not that sharp. We’re just keeping you on your toes, man. Yeah. As long as I can see both of you, then that’s, uh, I’m off to a good start. That’s right.
Scott Luton (00:31:26):
And Mohib says good to see power
Greg White (00:31:28):
Hour, Mike. I like it. Wow.
Scott Luton (00:31:31):
All right. So Mike let’s, uh, we’re going to keep your appearance today. Pretty simple. I mean, with, uh, the Delta variant, um, raging in different markets, uh, really globally, of course, naturally is going to be impacting, uh, the supply chain industry. What are some of your observations, uh, as it relates to what we’re seeing?
Mike Griswold (00:31:51):
Yeah. And I, I caught the beginning part where Greg talked about maybe yet another variant. Um, you know, I think there were some discussions if we rewind the clock 12 to 18 months, I think there were some preliminary discussions around what happens if, if or when the virus mutates. Cause I think there were people a lot smarter than me, at least who kind of saw the variants were going to come. I don’t think anyone knew that they would kind of look like the Delta variant. And I think the challenge for organizations is we made a lot of really, really hard supply chain decisions at the beginning of the pandemic. You know, Greg, you talked about some of the challenges now in Vietnam, you know, the far east basically shut down, you know, people on the apparel industry in particular, you know, they, they, they cut orders.
Mike Griswold (00:32:41):
They, they told factories don’t make anything, even when factories could reopen, they were reopening with limited people. And I think people still have those kinds of thoughts and those types of actions that they took in their back of their mind. And now the question is, are we going to have to go through that again? And I think the supply chains for a lot of organizations just kind of got their feet under them over the last, probably three to four months. Um, you know, a little bit more recognizable demand signal, right? We’ve talked about that, um, for a couple of months, right? The unpredictability, the demand signal and the havoc that that created, um, during the height of COVID, I think people kind of started to get their feet under them. The demand signal looked a little bit more normal. The supply flows started to be a little bit more normal.
Mike Griswold (00:33:30):
And now all of a sudden we’ve got this Delta variant and I think people are worried, you know, do I need to make those same decisions? Again, are the parts of the world that effected me? Are they gonna affect me again two or three months from now? And I think trying to balance all of that in an environment where people Greg, you talked about, and I think you said it very well from a sustainability perspective, people can vote with their wallets around that. I think people are voting with their careers now around the work environment. What I mean by that is we have some research that suggests about 40 to 45% of a risk of the respondents in a survey that we conducted said, if they have to go back to the office, they’re going to find a new job. I mean, that, that was remarkable that people are voting to say, Hey, we can do the job remotely.
Mike Griswold (00:34:26):
We like doing it remotely. We can be successful. If you make us come back into the office, we’re going to go find someplace else. And I think that’s, if I think about the traditional things, we worry about the supply chain, right? Greg, you talked about demand and supply. I think we still need to work about, we still need to worry about that for sure. But I’ve got what I think I have my eye most on is what are some of the working conditions that people are gonna put in place in their organizations around their associates? Because there’s a lot of people who are looking to those decisions and they will make career choices based on that. And if we have people, I don’t want to say jumping ship, but if we have people bouncing around, I mean, that’s not good if you think about us in the Gardner world.
Mike Griswold (00:35:16):
Right. And I know the analyst world, I joke with clients all the time, the analyst world that I live in, doesn’t always reflect real life. But if you think about the real life world people, you know, changing jobs and having to learn new skills, that doesn’t happen overnight, right? If I’m a demand planner for a consumer products company and I, I, all of a sudden decide, I want to be a demand planner in a high tech company, right. Some of that is transferable, but not all of it. So that to me is what I’m most interested slash concerned to see what happens is how are organizations going to bring people back to work now that we’ve got this new variant? Yeah, we’ll go ahead, Scott.
Scott Luton (00:36:00):
Uh, I was just gonna say a quick blurb. You know, we’ve seen a, um, some across the board policies be put in place when it comes to the vaccinations and, and, but no real massive consensus yet. Um, we’ve also seen when it comes to, you know, just come, when it comes to masks and, and, uh, the ability of, of different, uh, agencies, municipalities, you name it to just even put in place a mask mandate, you know, lots of things are navigating through our courts now. So from a, just a, um, a landscape point of view, um, there’s not been one central, um, policy that we can point to, to benchmark. And, and then I would just add to this kind of this current survey, you know, uh, Greg, we’ve talked about this before that we talked about with Jenny from another day. Um, there’s not been that, that single beacon of truth when it comes to, uh, even some of the scientific reporting, which has been, uh, it’s tough for business leaders, but Greg, what else would you add?
Greg White (00:37:02):
Well, I mean, I think we’re going to continue to see disruption, not, not, I mean, in the supply chain itself, but also in the workplace. I mean, I think, um, Google, uh, not Facebook yet, but Google and apple have been met with a virtual mutiny in trying to force their employees back to the office. Right. Uh, ironic Lee, I think. Um, but I, I think there are so many options open to candidates out there, you know, they’re calling it the great resignation. I think a lot of people have taken stock of their lives and they’ve taken stock of their career and they’ve taken stock of what is reasonable and sensible to ask. And there are so many jobs that could just as easily be done, not all jobs by the way, but there are so many jobs that could just as easily, easily, and maybe more effectively be done at home from a home office and at a much lower cost for a lot of these companies.
Greg White (00:38:06):
Right. So, uh, you know, some of it comes down to, and we saw people talking about this, you know, comes down to tradition or micromanaging or control or things like that, but, or frankly, trust of your employees. And, uh, you know, and I think about really effective organizations like Gartner, where virtually everyone works remote and always has. Right. I think about so many companies that I’ve a part of where, you know, I worked effectively remote either from home or from the road and a few days in the office here and there. And then we tie it back to the sustainability effect. Think about how, how much impact that could have on carbon emissions. If people are staying home three to five days a week, rather than driving the average commute in, in Atlanta, for instance is 34 miles 34 miles that take about 62 minutes to, to traverse on a dry.
Greg White (00:39:12):
Right. And, and that is, I mean, think of the carbon emissions tied to an idling vehicle and a vehicle that is arguably going 20, 30 miles an hour the whole time. So, you know, there are a lot of impacts to think about here, not the least of which is employee satisfaction and it isn’t that the point. Mm. Yeah. Greg, I, I, there’s a couple of things, um, that, that I will always kind of picture in my mind. One is the, the, the, the map of air traffic before September 11th and then on September 11, when there was no air traffic, right. I have another visual that showed, um, one of the, and I can’t remember exactly which cities, but they showed kind of a before. COVID the, the atmosphere quality. And they showed like six weeks into COVID to your point where no one was going anywhere.
Mike Griswold (00:40:07):
And just the clarity of the scenery, the clarity of the sky was just remarkable by not having all those, those people on the road. Um, I think it was Kelly put a comment in there, you know, and Scott, you, you teed up around the vaccine, you know, w we’ve got some major debates here in just little old Idaho where we’ve got some companies that have mandated vaccines, uh, for their employees. You know, I saw a note, CNN fired three reporters who were not vaccinated, um, and tried to come into the office. You know, if you let people work from home, that vaccine requirement becomes, I think, less of a requirement, frankly, and more of a personal choice. Um, you know, and, and I know this show is designed really to talk about supply chain from the standpoint of, you know, moving boxes effectively, right? Your apple and arrow example.
Mike Griswold (00:41:02):
Um, Greg, but I think if we’re not careful, we’re not going to have anybody in these positions to move the apple in the arrow. So to me, I think it is a really important discussion around how organizations are going to go to market with their supply chain teams. And how far do you want to push some of these things like you have to be in the office, or you have to be vaccinated, know I’m not going to turn this into a vaccination discussion, but I think it is a question supply chain team supply chain managers have to ask themselves, is, am I willing to risk? Am I willing to risk losing people for some of these types of decisions? Um, because we are, I think as a supply chain, Greg, you said it very well, people have options, right? I can’t go anywhere. Literally I can not go anywhere and not see a help line inside. And this is, you know, 16, 18, $20 an hour. I was waiting, uh, driving back from the doctor’s office and there’s, um, a warehouse, um, that’s looking for cleaning crew, that’s going to start cleaning a warehouse $20 an hour. It’s like, okay, wow, you need a side hustle, man. I mean, it’s a, for a lot of golf, it would, it would,
Scott Luton (00:42:28):
Uh, Mike talked about Kelly’s comment, read that for anyone that might be listening to the replay, Kelly says as much as they want employees to come back to the office, companies may find that allowing qualified people to work from home is better than navigating the HR minefield. That is vaccine mandates. Excellent point completely. Yeah. Gary does as well now, Charles, you know, and, and, uh, we welcome the discussion and the debate, and there’s lots of smart people on all sides of this, this crazy time we live in Charles says local businesses though, are negatively impacted by work from home.
Greg White (00:43:03):
I wonder if he means retail businesses. Um, from that standpoint, I can tell you that the ACE hardware store near my house has been getting a lot more business because it’s a few minutes from my house. And then all of the small restaurants around that rather than driving so far, even being Scott as we were in the past in Atlanta, at the studio in Atlanta. Right, right. Given all of our money to station side, which was money well spent. I still miss those empanadas, but in the Hamburg. Yes. Right. Um, but you know, it, it, it is a shift. Right. And I, I wonder if it’s a universally negative impact or, or not. Yep.
Scott Luton (00:43:50):
So Vinay talks about, Hey, shutting down for a longer, more permanent time is not a sustainable option. Uh, Vermont says what is going to happen to traditional supply chains? Once people start working from home, more permanently, more disruptions due to shift in demand signals and consumption behavior, a big challenge, but difficult to be influenced. That’s a good point there. Um, all right. But my pick picking back up here, um, and, and thinking about this kind of the bigger picture, the overall impact of, of the latest curveball here in the Delta variant, anything else come to mind?
Mike Griswold (00:44:25):
Um, well, I, I think the other thing that comes to mind and I’ll, I’ll just base it based on my, my inquiry volume. And some of that of my colleagues is there is still an appetite to spend money. And there’s still an appetite for technology. I think when we look at, at companies that have, you know, emerged or emerging through this in a little bit of a little bit better shape than when they started, one of the common denominators is they continue to spend pragmatically on it. And I think it’s, it’s very easy, you know, during the first wave of COVID, I think it’s very easy during this time we’re in now with the Delta variant, for people to, again, want to kind of close the checkbook and, and close the purse and say, Hey, we’re not going to spend any money, but I do think it’s important for some of the reasons that some of the participants have cited around, Hey, we’re going to need some technology to help us understand the demand signal better.
Mike Griswold (00:45:26):
We might need some technology in terms of automation, if we can get people to come to work. Right. You know, we’ve seen a significant uptick with our analysts who I’m sure you guys are familiar with Dwight clappage Dwight is taking more calls than he can handle around automating warehouses. Uh, everyone is now I think wrestling with, you know, if you look at a more traditional warehouse, that workforce was aging to begin with, right? It’s, it’s not, uh, if anyone has spent any time picking in a warehouse, it is not a job for ever. And it, and there’s a certain point in time where physically, it just becomes a job. That’s probably not for you. And I think that’s part of the reason that, that Dwight is seeing such an, an uptick in the, in the robotics inquiries is, you know, people don’t necessarily want to do that work anymore. And maybe people can’t do that work anymore. Uh, and we’ve got some volume issues that we’re trying to work through. So I think Scott has kind of a long answer to a really good short question, but I think the technology and spending technology dollars is definitely something that we’re seeing people continue to do.
Scott Luton (00:46:37):
Excellent point. And in fact, dominant Leo likes your point and Dominic’s with the fourth floor, I believe he says, it’ll be interesting to see if that change management that Mike mentioned it will be considered as part of the equation in ROI for automation projects. You just touched on that Lawrence, Hey, Lawrence, appreciate the feedback and appreciate your service. If that’s you, uh, army, uh, looking forward to kind of hearing your thoughts on supply chain, talk about where it all started in our, in our military right now, for sure. Changing gears, Charles, going back to that clarification, Greg, uh, with banners, and of course the restaurant and services industry has been decimated, right.
Greg White (00:47:15):
I’ve been doing my part. I just want, you can count on me Charles, to be my part. Yeah.
Scott Luton (00:47:22):
You know, and that, that that’s really, I know, I know we’re kind of tongue in cheek there, but it’s, it is so important. I read an article over the, a couple of them now from a couple of sources about how, um, consumers are almost worse now in terms of their behavior at restaurants and in stores now is the time to be very empathetic consumers. Cause these, these companies are fighting for their, their survival and fighting for the ability to pay their own bills. So, um, quick,
Mike Griswold (00:47:51):
Yeah, Scott, that’s a great point. We just came back from vacation. We went to South Dakota and the number of restaurants that had not only help wanted signs, but also, you know, if I, if I paraphrase kind of the beat patient with a sign, cause we don’t have a lot of people, right. When you walk in and it’s a great call out, Scott, the people that are showing up regardless of the job, the people that are showing up every day, you know, that the stress level that they’re under because not everybody is showing up every day or there just aren’t enough people to show up every day. And we need to keep that in mind. And that could be, you know, the, the server that in your favorite restaurant, that could be the cashier. Who’s trying to get you through whatever store you’re in. You know, she may be on a 10 hour shift because someone else never showed up or she may be the only one that’s a cashier cause they can’t fill cashier jobs.
Mike Griswold (00:48:48):
So right. As always Scott, you point out a really a good observation or I would just need to be nicer to each other. Um, especially the people that, that we are, you know, in their businesses. I could not agree with you more, but what else would you add to that, Greg? Uh, I think, well, I think there’s relief on the way 25 states have opted withdrawn from the pandemic unemployment assistance, which is what has kept people staying away in droves from work from the workforce. The uptick in, in jobs, in the economy far outweighs the need. Uh, I mean far outweighs outweighs anyway, where there are plenty of jobs. Don’t try to say it smart. Just say it right. There are plenty of open jobs out there and more and more coming every day. And Scott and Mike, you both know this even before COVID, there were 2 million open jobs out of 44 million supply chain professionals. There were 2.2 million open jobs and that was in 2019 and we were expecting that amount to continue to increase. Right? So, um, there are plenty of places to go to work and I think relief is on the horizon. I like
Scott Luton (00:50:04):
How you think from your lips, the good Lord’s ears. I believe he marries Mohib says, Hey, good thing. The economy’s moving though, because even though odd jobs are entry level, job positions are hard to feel. Uh, he doesn’t mind bagging his own groceries now. And as Leah agrees with that, Kelly has the question of the day, perhaps my Griswold South Dakota, you at
Greg White (00:50:27):
Kelly’s a biker. So the answer matters here, Mike Kelly, Kelly. So we had a fantastic time. Um, and we would definitely go back. We will, we will not go back during bike week. So I was fortunate in that the, the, the Sturgis officially didn’t kick off until Friday. And we were heading, we were heading back on Friday. Wow. But we already saw, you know, I don’t know a thousand bikes. I don’t, I don’t know what the number is. Uh, we drove, um, through literally through Sturgis just to Y so I can say I’ve been to Sturgis. We didn’t stop. Um, but it, it is a spectacle to say the least. Yeah. And there’s not much to see of Sturgis unless it is right during yes, yes, sir.
Scott Luton (00:51:19):
As Leah says, I’m wondering what, what education’s going to play into all of this excellent point. Gary said, he’s getting lots of, uh, practice, uh, bagging groceries, which was his first job,
Greg White (00:51:31):
Canned goods on the bottom thread on the top. Victor
Scott Luton (00:51:36):
Loves all the way. We all like the way, uh, Greg. Thanks, Victor ads.
Greg White (00:51:41):
I appreciate that Victor. I really do. I’m not sure everybody does or should.
Scott Luton (00:51:47):
So over the weekend, uh, w one final question for you, Mike, kind of you’re on a tight schedule, you know, um, in this era of toilet paper and computer chips and all the other disruption we’re seeing over the weekend McDonald’s was reported to be running low own it’s standard paper bags that you put your big Mac in. And one of the reasons why is because even if folks are eating inside at McDonald’s, they don’t want the tray, they want to end the bag. And it really stuck me and stopped me for a minute because that’s one of the, I mean, it’s like, it’s like one of the basic it’s like having plastic bags at grocery stores, you know? Right. It’s just, it’s always there. You assume it’s always going to be there, but just one of the latest curve balls in this, in this air, we’re living through any commentary on that.
Mike Griswold (00:52:31):
Yeah. I think it’s, you know, when we think back to, to COVID one of the things that a lot of people did was, was really look at their supply base and their suppliers, and think about trying to diversify, maybe bring things, you know, back closer to home. And that may be as far as, uh, far away is it may have been pre pandemic. And I think, you know, people were also looking at suppliers from kind of a bill of materials perspective, you know, what used to be maybe a low priority supplier because they were, you know, an insignificant in plentiful times, an insignificant part of your bill of materials. Well, all of a sudden with COVID and maybe that particular component there now, you know, they need to be a high priority supplier because if you don’t have that chip and that car’s got to sit on these on the line waiting for the chip.
Mike Griswold (00:53:20):
Right. Um, so I think, you know, people really need to, to revisit their supplier kind of programming and segmentation and classification. I also think though, there are certain things that we will probably just never get. Right. I mean, I think it’s hard to, it would a bit hard to envision a world where someone doesn’t want their training more and all of the gazillion people, almost as many people that are in that infrastructure bill, right. Go to McDonald’s. So all of them want a paper bag, you know, you just, you just don’t think of those things. So part of what we’ve talked about in our time together over the last several months is responsiveness. So McDonald’s sees this, how quickly can they react and recover to that? Yeah. That’s, what’s going to separate folks over the next six to eight months. It’s Hey, you will not think of everything, but how quickly can you respond to something that you didn’t think of? That to me is, is the key to a really, really good supply chain. Wilson.
Scott Luton (00:54:24):
I couldn’t have said it better. And, and, and Greg arguably could not have said it better
Greg White (00:54:30):
Assay Victor.
Scott Luton (00:54:32):
Right. Well, Hey, uh, I know you’ve got a tight schedule. I really appreciate your appearance here today. Uh, Greg, I’ll give you the last comment before we, uh, bid. I do
Greg White (00:54:42):
Well, two things, one outliers and exceptions will always happen is, is effectively what Mike is saying. And that is true. If we focus on the core things that we can predict and can control and can effectively and rapidly respond to, even in the face of disruption, then all we have to spend time on is around those exceptions and outliers. And the other is Ford motor company talk about a bright spot. Ford motor company is prioritizing chips in cars that are ordered custom ordered by customers, brilliant move. They’re encouraging their customers to order the vehicle that they want. And they are applying the shortage of chips, the few chips that are available to those vehicles rather than randomly dropping them on docks and, and lots everywhere. Love that. That, which is old is new. Again, remember when your grandparents or that 77 Buick with pink interior and an orange folk convertible top, right? Well, that would go with Scott shirt. So that perfect for the golf course. Uh, so huge. Thanks Mike. Thank you.
Scott Luton (00:55:56):
And the whole Gardner family, all the best. Love your commentary here today. And we look forward to seeing you next month. So we’ve been talking to Mike Griswold, vice president analyst with Gartner. Thanks. One of the best, one of the best hall of Famer, for sure.
Greg White (00:56:15):
Yeah, for sure, man. Nailed it today.
Scott Luton (00:56:18):
Well, heap says, I hope restaurants, don’t start asking regular paper plates, say I’m with you, man. Uh, and Charles, I appreciate your comment here. Uh, I love the perspectives. You know, it is about that perspective and POV exchange. We could still do that in a respectful manner, regardless of how tough the topic and, and, uh, evolving that the topic is. Um, but we love your comments and perspective. You bring it down to the sky boxes. Okay. So Greg we’re at 1257. I want to wrap, I mean, I missed something a few weeks ago, my friend, oh, no, miss something now. Uh, um, I still, you know, I like, uh, um, I’m a hard copy person. We’ve, we’ve shifted a lot of that, uh, try and do our part, but I still get the wall street journal on Saturday. Saturday is just that Saturday edition. Right.
Scott Luton (00:57:07):
I can’t afford the full-blown edition, but I really like it. It’s very eclectic in its coverage. And as I found out over the weekend and one of my later, maybe two weeks ago, Ron Popeil passed away. Yes. Now, Ron, I miss that in all the digital, uh, news universe. I missed that. And you know, we talk about set and forget it, of course all the time, but, you know, I had the opportunity to kind of dive into his, his story more. Um, once I found out I started doing some more digging and you know, not only was he, uh, I think self-described one of the best salespeople of all time, you know, everyone knows him for the pitch, but Greg, I didn’t realize he invented a lot of what he was.
Greg White (00:57:55):
Yeah. Oh yeah. The pocket fishermen that is Ron Popeil at his best, the
Scott Luton (00:58:01):
PubMatic, the button near the badass color. Yeah,
Greg White (00:58:04):
Really. I did not know. That was a Popeil thing that continues to live on that is a truly timeless invention.
Scott Luton (00:58:13):
Showtime rotisserie is one where it was the infamous rotisserie where you put a whole chicken in there and time and time again, you set it and forget it. And it’s, it’s become, you know, as part of the, of, of our vernacular that, and, but wait, there’s more that’s right. Romp appeal
Greg White (00:58:31):
As if that isn’t enough and gosh, don’t you think it ought to be right.
Scott Luton (00:58:35):
So I wanted to wrap today, I’ve got this great quote, um, in, uh, in, in kind of getting a better appreciation for romp appeal’s background. Cause he was really, uh, um, pulled him up, you know, self-built individual is who Ron Popeil was and, and he’s a pioneer, you know, the infomercial, he was the king of infomercials. He would developed that new format back in the eighties and nineties long before Amazon, long before you could even Google what you’re looking for right
Greg White (00:59:04):
Back when you had to wait four to six weeks for delivery.
Scott Luton (00:59:06):
Right? Right. That’s right. So, um, Robert Thompson was quoted, uh, back in 1997, as he was talking about Ron Popeil. This is probably the closer to the height, the height of, uh, uh, appeal’s popularity. He says, this is quote, this is the ultimate late 20th century guy. What Henry Ford was to industrial strength and genius. Ron Popeil is to the next generation of American ingenuity. He’s figured out to get this he’s figured out the very complex negotiations that go on between what American culture produces and how we consume it. And people 100 years from now are going to be writing dissertations on him in quote. Wow. How about that? Um, so are
Greg White (00:59:50):
You going to, do you have a Ron Popeil episode on, on this week in business history, if you don’t,
Scott Luton (00:59:57):
We’re going to, we’re going to preface what we dropped today with a quick mention of some of, uh, uh, about romp appeal and, and, uh, he passed away on July 28th at the age of 86 at home and peace with his family surrounding I believe out in California. So, um, so on that note, I’ll tell you Greg white, all the wonderful folks in the sky boxes, Mike Griswold. And then we finish of course, with a legend in that than in business history. But Greg, give me that one thing, if folks didn’t, they ignore and don’t remember anything else that was said here today, regardless who said it, what is the one thing that you would encourage them to take away?
Greg White (01:00:44):
You are in control of the supply chain. We, the consumer are the beginning and the end of the supply chain. And if we want anything to change in supply chain, it comes through us. That’s empowering and it, and yet it’s daunting at the same time, but you can take your little slice of influence and apply it to an area for which you have passion or interest or desire or obsession or compulsion. And you can impact the supply chain individually.
Scott Luton (01:01:16):
I love that. And it’s so, it’s so very true. So folks get out there. You’re going to be voting with your income. You’re voting with your wallet, voting with your decisions you make, listen to Greg, make those smart decisions, do your homework. All right. You never know, um, what you may be supporting or not supporting, but what great advice here. So big, thanks to of course everyone behind the scenes, Jada Amanda Clay, Allie, you name it big. Thanks to Mike Griswold with Gartner for joining us today. Big, thanks to all of y’all in the sky boxes and the cheap seats. So to speak for coming out and bring your commentary, Greg, thanks for your time here today. And folks, most importantly, listen to Greg number one, but most importantly, Hey, do good. Give forward. Be the change that’s needed. And on that note, we’ll see you next time. Right back here,
Scott Luton (01:02:04):
Spot. Thanks.
Intro/Outro (01:02:05):
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.
Mike Griswold serves as Vice President Analyst with Gartner’s Consumer Value Chain team, focusing on the retail supply chain. He is responsible for assisting supply leaders in understanding and implementing demand-driven supply chain principles that improve the performance of their supply chain. Mr. Griswold joined Gartner through the company’s acquisition of AMR. Previous roles include helping line-of-business users align corporate strategy with their supply chain process and technology initiatives. One recent study published by a team of Gartner analysts, including Mike Griswold is Retail Supply Chain Outlook 2019: Elevating the Consumer’s Shopping Experience. Mr. Griswold holds a BS in Business Management from Canisius College and an MBA from the Whittemore School of Business & Economics at the University of New Hampshire. Learn more about Gartner here: www.gartner.com
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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.
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.
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.
Host
Allison Krache Giddens has been with Win-Tech, a veteran-owned small business and aerospace precision machine shop, for 15 years, recently buying the company from her mentor and Win-Tech’s Founder, Dennis Winslow. She and her business partner, John Hudson now serve as Co-Presidents, leading the 33-year old company through the pandemic.
She holds undergraduate degrees in psychology and criminal justice from the University of Georgia, a Masters in Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University, a Masters in Manufacturing from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Certificate of Finance from the University of Georgia. She also holds certificates in Google Analytics, event planning, and Cybersecurity Risk Management from Harvard online. Allison founded the Georgia Chapter of Women in Manufacturing and currently serves as Treasurer. She serves on the Chattahoochee Technical College Foundation Board as its Secretary, the liveSAFE Resources Board of Directors as Resource Development Co-Chair, and on the Leadership Cobb Alumni Association Board as Membership Chair and is also a member of Cobb Executive Women. She is on the Board for the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s Northwest Area Councils. Allison runs The Dave Krache Foundation, a non-profit that helps pay sports fees for local kids in need.
Host
Billy Taylor is a Proven Business Excellence Practitioner and Leadership Guru with over 25 years leading operations for a Fortune 500 company, Goodyear. He is also the CEO of LinkedXL (Excellence), a Business Operating Systems Architecting Firm dedicated to implementing sustainable operating systems that drive sustainable results. Taylor’s achievements in the industry have made him a Next Generational Lean pacesetter with significant contributions.
An American business executive, Taylor has made a name for himself as an innovative and energetic industry professional with an indispensable passion for his craft of operational excellence. His journey started many years ago and has worked with renowned corporations such as The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (GT) leading multi-site operations. With over 3 decades of service leading North America operations, he is experienced in a deeply rooted process driven approach in customer service, process integrity for sustainability.
A disciple of continuous improvement, Taylor’s love for people inspires commitment to helping others achieve their full potential. He is a dynamic speaker and hosts "The Winning Link," a popular podcast centered on business and leadership excellence with the #1 rated Supply Chain Now Network. As a leadership guru, Taylor has earned several invitations to universities, international conferences, global publications, and the U.S. Army to demonstrate how to achieve and sustain effective results through cultural acceptance and employee ownership. Leveraging the wisdom of his business acumen, strong influence as a speaker and podcaster Taylor is set to release "The Winning Link" book under McGraw Hill publishing in 2022. The book is a how-to manual to help readers understand the management of business interactions while teaching them how to Deine, Align, and Execute Winning in Business.
A servant leader, Taylor, was named by The National Diversity Council as one of the Top 100 Diversity Officers in the country in 2021. He features among Oklahoma's Most Admired CEOs and maintains key leadership roles with the Executive Advisory Board for The Shingo Institute "The Nobel Prize of Operations" and The Association of Manufacturing Excellence (AME); two world-leading organizations for operational excellence, business development, and cultural learning. He is also an Independent Director for the M-D Building Products Board, a proud American manufacturer of quality products since 1920.
Host
Tandreia Bellamy retired as the Vice President of Industrial Engineering for UPS Supply Chain Solutions which included the Global Logistics, Global Freight Forwarding and UPS Freight business units. She was responsible for operations strategy and planning, asset management, forecasting, and technology tool development to optimize sustainable efficiency while driving world class service.
Tandreia held similar positions at the business unit level for Global Logistics and Global Freight forwarding. As the leader of the Global Logistics engineering function, she directed all industrial engineering activies related to distribution, service parts logistics (post-sales support), and mail innovations (low cost, light weight shipping partnership with the USPS). Between these roles Tandreia helped to establish the Advanced Technology Group which was formed to research and develop cutting edge solutions focused on reducing reliance on manual labor.
Tandreia began her career in 1986 as a part-time hourly manual package handling employee. She spent the great majority of her career in the small package business unit which is responsible for the pick-up, sort, transport and delivery of packages domestically. She held various positions in Industrial Engineering, Marketing, Inside and On-road operations in Central Florida before transferring to Atlanta for a position in Corporate Product Development and Corporate Industrial Engineering. Tandreia later held IE leadership roles in Nebraska, Minnesota and Chicago. In her final role in small package she was an IE VP responsible for all aspects of IE, technology support and quality for the 25 states on the western half of the country.
Tandreia is currently a Director for the University of Central Florida (UCF) Foundation Board and also serves on their Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Previously Tandreia served on the Executive Advisory Board for Virginia Tech’s IE Department and the Association for Supply Chain Management. She served on the Board of Trustees for ChildServ (a Chicago child and family services non-profit) and also served on the Texas A&M and Tuskegee Engineering Advisory Boards. In 2006 she was named Business Advisor of the Year by INROADS, in 2009 she was recognized as a Technology All-Star at the Women of Color in STEM conference and in 2019 she honored as a UCF Distinguished Aluma by the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems.
Tandreia holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Systems from UCF. Her greatest accomplishment, however, is being the proud mother of two college students, Ruby (24) and Anthony (22).
Host
Marty Parker serves as both the CEO & Founder of Adæpt Advising and an award-winning Senior Lecturer (Teaching Professor) in Supply Chain and Operations Management at the University of Georgia. He has 30 years of experience as a COO, CMO, CSO (Chief Strategy Officer), VP of Operations, VP of Marketing and Process Engineer. He founded and leads UGA’s Supply Chain Advisory Board, serves as the Academic Director of UGA’s Leaders Academy, and serves on multiple company advisory boards including the Trucking Profitability Strategies Conference, Zion Solutions Group and Carlton Creative Company.
Marty enjoys helping people and companies be successful. Through UGA, Marty is passionate about his students, helping them network and find internships and jobs. He does this through several hundred one-on-one zoom meetings each year with his students and former students. Through Adæpt Advising, Marty has organized an excellent team of affiliates that he works with to help companies grow and succeed. He does this by helping c-suite executives improve their skills, develop better leaders, engage their workforce, improve processes, and develop strategic plans with detailed action steps and financial targets. Marty believes that excellence in supply chain management comes from the understanding the intersection of leadership, culture, and technology, working across all parts of the organization to meet customer needs, maximize profit and minimize costs.
Marketing Coordinator
Laura Lopez serves as our Supply Chain Now Marketing Coordinator. She graduated from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente in Mexico with a degree in marketing. Laura loves everything digital because she sees the potential it holds for companies in the marketing industry. Her passion for creativity and thinking outside the box led her to pursue a career in marketing. With experience in fields like accounting, digital marketing, and restaurants, she clearly enjoys taking on challenges. Laura lives the best of both worlds - you'll either catch her hanging out with her friends soaking up the sun in Mexico or flying out to visit her family in California!
Host
An acknowledged industry leader, Jake Barr now serves as CEO for BlueWorld Supply Chain Consulting, providing support to a cross section of Fortune 500 companies such as Cargill, Caterpillar, Colgate, Dow/Dupont, Firmenich, 3M, Merck, Bayer/Monsanto, Newell Brands, Kimberly Clark, Nestle, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Sanofi, Estee Lauder and Coty among others. He's also devoted time to engagements in public health sector work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. At P&G, he managed the breakthrough delivery of an E2E (End to End) Planning Transformation effort, creating control towers which now manage the daily business globally. He is recognized as the architect for P&G’s demand driven supply chain strategy – referenced as a “Consumer Driven Supply Chain” transformation. Jake began his career with P&G in Finance in Risk Analysis and then moved into Operations. He has experience in building supply network capability globally through leadership assignments in Asia, Latin America, North America and the Middle East. He currently serves as a Research Associate for MIT; a member of Supply Chain Industry Advisory Council; Member of Gartner’s Supply Chain Think Tank; Consumer Goods “League of Leaders“; and a recipient of the 2015 - 2021 Supply Chain “Pro’s to Know” Award. He has been recognized as a University of Kentucky Fellow.
Host
Marcia Williams, Managing Partner of USM Supply Chain, has 18 years of experience in Supply Chain, with expertise in optimizing Supply Chain-Finance Planning (S&OP/ IBP) at Large Fast-Growing CPGs for greater profitability and improved cash flows. Marcia has helped mid-sized and large companies including Lindt Chocolates, Hershey, and Coty. She holds an MBA from Michigan State University and a degree in Accounting from Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay (South America). Marcia is also a Forbes Council Contributor based out of New York, and author of the book series Supply Chains with Maria in storytelling style. A recent speaker’s engagement is Marcia TEDx Talk: TEDxMSU - How Supply Chain Impacts You: A Transformational Journey.
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Luisa Garcia is a passionate Marketer from Lagos de Moreno based in Aguascalientes. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes, Mexico. She specializes in brand development at any stage, believing that a brand is more than just a name or image—it’s an unforgettable experience. Her expertise helps brands achieve their dreams and aspirations, making a lasting impact. Currently working at Vector Global Logistics in the Marketing team and as podcast coordinator of Logistics With Purpose®. Luisa believes that purpose-driven decisions will impact results that make a difference in the world.
Host, Logistics with Purpose
Astrid Aubert was born in Guadalajara, she is 39 years old and has had the opportunity to live in many places. She studied communication and her professional career has been in Trade Marketing for global companies such as Pepsico and Mars. She currently works as Marketing Director Mexico for Vector Global Logistics. She is responsible for internal communications and marketing strategy development for the logistics industry. She is a mother of two girls, married and lives in Monterrey. She defines herself as a creative and innovative person, and enjoys traveling and cooking a lot.
Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol
Sofia self-identifies as Supply Chain Ambassador, her mission is to advocate for the field and inspire young generations from diverse backgrounds and cultures to join the industry so that thought diversity is increased and change accelerated. Recognized as Linkedin Top Voice and Linkedin Community Top Voice in Supply Chain Management, as well as Emerging Leader in Supply Chain by CSCMP 2024, Top Women in Supply Chain by Supply & Demand Executive 2023, and Coup de Coeur Global Women Leaders in Supply Chain by B2G Consulting in 2021.
Public speaker at multiple international events from keynotes and panels, to webinars and guest lectures for bachelor's and master's degrees, discussing topics such as sustainability, women in the industry, technology and innovation. Writer at different online magazines on logistics, supply chain and technology. Podcast host and guest on different recognized programs in the industry. Sofia has more than 5 years of experience from academic research and field studies to warehouse operations, demand planning and network design. She has worked in manufacturing, airport operations, e-commerce retail, and technology hardware across Latin America, North America and Europe.
Currently working as Supply Chain Network Design and Optimization Manager at HP within their Global Supply Chain and Logistics team.
Host
Karin Bursa is the 2020 Supply Chain Pro to Know of the Year and the Host of the TEKTOK Digital Supply Chain Podcast powered by Supply Chain Now. With more than 25 years of supply chain and technology expertise (and the scars to prove it), Karin has the heart of a teacher and has helped nearly 1,000 customers transform their businesses and share their success stories. Today, she helps B2B technology companies introduce new products, capture customer success and grow global revenue, market share and profitability. In addition to her recognition as the 2020 Supply Chain Pro to Know of the Year, Karin has also been recognized as a 2019 and 2018 Supply Chain Pro to Know, 2009 Technology Marketing Executive of the Year and a 2008 Women in Technology Finalist.
Host
Vin Vashishta is the author of ‘From Data To Profit’ (Wiley 2023). It’s the playbook for monetizing data and AI. Vin is the Founder of V-Squared and built the business from client 1 to one of the world’s oldest data and AI consulting firms. His background combines nearly 30 years in strategy, leadership, software engineering, and applied machine learning.
Host
Tevon Taylor is a dynamic leader at Pegasus Logistics, where he has made significant contributions to the company’s growth and innovation in the logistics industry. With a background in supply chain management and operations, Tevon combines strategic thinking with hands-on experience to streamline processes and enhance efficiency. Since joining Pegasus Logistics, Tevon has been instrumental in implementing cutting-edge technologies and sustainable practices, driving the company toward a more eco-friendly approach. His leadership style fosters collaboration and empowers teams to excel, making him a respected figure among colleagues and industry peers. Outside of work, Tevon is passionate about mentorship and actively engages in community initiatives, sharing his expertise to inspire the next generation of logistics professionals. His commitment to excellence and continuous improvement has positioned him as a key player in shaping the future of logistics at Pegasus.
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.
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.
Principal & Host
When rapid-growth technology companies, venture capital and private equity firms are looking for advisory, they call Greg – a founder, board director, advisor and catalyst of disruptive B2B technology and supply chain. An insightful visionary, Greg guides founders, investors and leadership teams in creating breakthroughs to gain market exposure and momentum – increasing overall company esteem and valuation.
Greg is a founder himself, creating Blue Ridge Solutions, a Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader in cloud-native supply chain applications, and bringing to market Curo, a field service management solution. He has also held leadership roles with Servigistics (PTC) and E3 Corporation (JDA/Blue Yonder). As a principal and host at Supply Chain Now, Greg helps guide the company’s strategic direction, hosts industry leader discussions, community livestreams, and all in addition to executive producing and hosting his original YouTube channel and podcast, TEChquila Sunrise.
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.
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!
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 Cisco, Microsoft, 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 University, O’Reilly Media, LinkedIn Learning, and Pluralsight. Mr. Jackson retired from the U.S. Navy in 1994, earning specialties in Space Systems Engineering, Carrier 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.
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.
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’.
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.
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.
Vice President, Production
Amanda is a seasoned production and marketing professional with over 20 years of experience across diverse industries, including retail, healthcare, and digital marketing. Throughout her career, she has worked with notable organizations such as Von Maur, Anthropologie, AmericasMart Atlanta, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Currently, Amanda manages, produces, and develops digital content for Supply Chain Now and its clients, delivering modern, engaging solutions for a wide range of audiences.
A former Vice President of Information Systems and Webmaster on the Board of Directors for APICS Savannah, Amanda also founded and led Magnolia Marketing Group, a successful digital marketing firm. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time with her family.
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.
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.
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.
Director, Customer Experience
Katherine is a marketing professional and MBA candidate who strives to unite her love of people with a passion for positive experiences. Having a diverse background, which includes nonprofit work with digital marketing and start-ups, she serves as a leader who helps people live their most creative lives by cultivating community, order, collaboration, and respect. With equal parts creativity and analytics, she brings a unique skill set which fosters refining, problem solving, and connecting organizations with their true vision. In her free time, you can usually find her looking for her cup of coffee, playing with her puppy Charlie, and dreaming of her next road trip.
Chief of Staff & Host
Mary Kate Love is currently the VP of marketing at Supply Chain Now focused on brand strategy and audience + revenue growth. Mary Kate’s career is a testament to her versatility and innovative spirit: she has experience in start-ups, venture capital, and building innovation initiatives from the ground up: she previously helped lead the build-out of the Supply Chain Innovation Center at Georgia-Pacific and before that, MxD (Manufacturing times Digital): the Department of Defense’s digital manufacturing innovation center. Mary Kate has a passion for taking complicated ideas and turning them into reality: she was one of the first team members at MxD and the first team member at the Supply Chain Innovation Center at Georgia-Pacific.
Mary Kate dedicates her extra time to education and mentorship: she was one of the founding Board Members for Women Influence Chicago and led an initiative for a city-wide job shadow day for young women across Chicago tech companies and was previously on the Board of Directors at St. Laurence High School in Chicago, Young Irish Fellowship Board and the UN Committee for Women. Mary Kate is the founder of National Supply Chain Day and enjoys co-hosting podcasts at Supply Chain Now. Mary Kate is from the south side of Chicago, a mom of two baby boys, and an avid 16-inch softball player. She holds a BS in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Host
From humble beginnings working the import docks, representing Fortune 500 giants, Ford, Michelin Tire, and Black & Decker; to Amazon technology patent holder and Nordstrom Change Leader, Kimberly Reuter has designed, implemented, and optimized best-in-class, highly scalable global logistics and retail operations all over the world. Kimberly’s ability to set strategic vision supported by bomb-proof processes, built on decades of hands-on experience, has elevated her to legendary status. Sought after by her peers and executives for her intellectual capital and keen insights, Kimberly is a thought leader in the retail logistics industry.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.