TECHquila Sunrise
Episode 38

"If you don't get your staff on board, then it's going to be tough. And the only way the staff comes on board is if you show them passion that you really mean it. We're in it for a long ride and not for a PR stunt in the media for two weeks."

-Peter Stangeland, CCO, DB Schenker Norway

Episode Summary

You’ve heard of cargo ships. But what about cargo … bikes? When it comes to emissions-free logistics and last mile delivery, DB Schenker is clearing the path to sustainability with repurposed sea containers, electric vehicles and other innovative forms of transport. In this episode, Greg chats with Chief Commercial Officer Peter Stangeland about the exciting progress his teams have made in Oslo, Norway – and we get his advice for companies that want to show real leadership on supply chain sustainability.

Episode Transcript

Greg White (00:17):

Hey, welcome everybody. Sustainability and supply chains impact on it are such an incredibly important topic these days. If you follow my next guest on LinkedIn, you can’t miss the initiatives that he and his company have to, to really contribute with action in, in terms of creating sustainability and all of their practices look waste. I’ve seen it waste carbon footprint, packaging returns, liquidation. All of these things are causing increasing damage to the environment. And we need companies that are, and people who are looking to solve this problem. So today my guests and I will show you how carriers and logistics and supply chain service companies can provide impact positive impact on the environment. And we’re going to show you by way of example. So by the end of this episode, you’ll not only know what’s being done today, but also what you can do right now.

Greg White (01:18):

And what’s planned for the future to increase sustainability in the supply chain. Now let’s bring in our guest, my friend, Peter [inaudible], chief commercial officer DB, Schenker, Norway, Peter has made tackling sustainability, a big portion of his charge. He’s in charge of sales and marketing for the company in that marketplace. And they’ve received a ton of accolades DB Schenker for their sustainability initiatives in the Nordics and continental Europe. So P I don’t even know where he is. Peter joins us from somewhere across the pond. He’s always safely of course, on the move. So let’s have him share his current spot and tell us a little bit about what he’s doing. So thanks for joining us, Peter, where in the world are you?

Peter Stangeland (02:06):

Thanks, Greg. I’m actually situated in Oslo, Norway, one of the best countries in the whole wide world, and that we are hours apart. That you’re biased, right? No, no, no, no.

Greg White (02:19):

I’m quite biased too. I’m a huge fan of Norway and particularly of Oslow, but you’re actually at your home right now, which I feel like could be a little bit lonely because you don’t, you’ve been sort of moving around right. Since you can work from anywhere, you do

Peter Stangeland (02:35):

See no, we haven’t in Norway or in many other countries been able to work at the office. So we haven’t been working from home the last year, but we have been fortunate. So we can alternate between our cabin and a home apartment so we can have a mix. And of course the wife is addressing that. We need to be not at home. They’ll lay it a whole week because she’s usually also traveling quite a bit. So it was her preferred location is at the cabin where she can go skiing and mountain biking or swimming or whatever. Yeah.

Greg White (03:09):

And you are half of what I like to call a supply chain power couple, right? Lorna stung on your wife is big. I don’t want to give away all of that cause we’ll probably have her on the show shortly, but you think she’ll do a show.

Peter Stangeland (03:22):

I don’t know. She might do one after. I have to give her some tequila first and I’ll

Greg White (03:28):

There we go. But you have kind of come into supply chain by way of the companies that you’ve worked with. And of course, and of course, Lorna runs, supply chain has run supply chain at a couple companies there in Norway.

Peter Stangeland (03:41):

Yeah. She has run a supply chain companies for the last, I’d say 20, 25 years, three PL or actually four PL logistics. And on my side, I’ve been, came from a degree with transport economics and logistics, and started working in within logistics. The last, I would say 25 years old. So with the military first and logistics also military. So has it been a good, what’s it called a good red thread through my history also,

Greg White (04:12):

Right. And military service is mandatory in Norway, correct? Yeah.

Peter Stangeland (04:17):

It’s mandatory for, let’s say as a normal soldier, or you can go to a officer’s training school, which is two years. So a training one year of training and one year of practical training where you, where you start as a Sergeant and then you can continue doing that and go to another officer’s training where you can be captain or major and just start a ladder.

Greg White (04:43):

Ah, so that if you go to OCS, it’s probably much like here in the States, you get out of the hard work, right? You just direct people, you direct people how to do things. So that’s an interesting discussion not to get too far off topic, but it’s interesting. I was just having a discussion with some us military vets. And I’m curious your perspective on this particular point, what they’ve found is that some of the logistics companies or supply chain, generally companies that they have applied to, they don’t see the connection between military logistics and manufacturing or physical goods or finished goods, logistics. What are they missing there? It seems like there’s, there is a logical connection. So what do you, what’s your take on that?

Peter Stangeland (05:30):

That’s a strange question because here in, in, on the other side of the pond, military education and military experience is highly validated in, in, in the civilian companies. And it’s sought after it’s difficult to say, but they probably don’t have enough insight in what kind of logistics operations that are done and being planned. It’s not easy to move a battalion from a, to across the world, uh, without, uh, knowing something or planning something a month ahead. We would ships with planes, with trains. And when it comes to an Harbor, you have to do any permits you needed from a to B after from the Harbor tool where the battalion is going to be placed. It’s difficult. I’m not sure what the challenge is.

Greg White (06:23):

It, it seems instinct instinctive that it would be very closely related or at least you could find some relation between those things. Right. I think of it this way, this, this is my thought around military is military people have to make, they have to make instantaneous life or death decisions with inadequate information very often. Right. And to me considering particularly some of the, some of the disruptions we’ve faced in the last year or so, it seems like that’s a perfect set of training for supply chain these days.

Peter Stangeland (06:59):

Yeah. I’m not sure why supply chain is not, uh, from the military side is evaluated, uh, like a great asset, but, um, quite neat.

Greg White (07:09):

It’s just having heard that it’s hard for me to believe that any company would not be able to bridge the gap. Right. Is there something, yeah.

Peter Stangeland (07:18):

They carry a staff, which is well-trained, well-mannered good insight in what and how and why we get all of these things you are trained for only thing you, you don’t know when your train is how and when you’re actually going to use it, but you’re prepared for anything. Right?

Greg White (07:42):

The act on a moment’s notice because off, it’s not like the military is telegraphing, what’s going to happen, right.

Peter Stangeland (07:49):

Smoke signals anymore.

Greg White (07:54):

Well, so let’s shift gears a little bit because I am, I mean, I know you have the sales and marketing experience and responsibility for Norway, but I, I feel like sustainability is such a big part of that. And what’s truly impressive about what I’ve seen and, you know, I’ve been connected with you for a while, but what I’ve seen is that what DB Schenker is doing and what you’re involved in is it’s important and impactful action. It’s not a paper commitment you don’t have. Of course you do. I’m sure have the commitment to be carbon neutral by X date or whatever, but you can actually virtually every day, see what you all are doing to move towards that. You’ve got, you know, what immediately comes to mind is you’ve got, you’ve got battery, uh, uh, electric EVs, right? Doing some of your deliveries around town.

Greg White (08:43):

You’ve got those cool little bicycle that are last mile delivery, um, vehicles. Um, so there’s clearly a commitment and yet it, and it’s demonstrated with after initiative. So having said that, I want to broaden that a little bit bigger. So I’ve been to Norway a few times as you know, my second favorite country on the planet. And sustainability has always been in the forefront of Norway and there some of the biggest purchasers by capita of electronic vehicles, people use scooters. They’ve used electrics for why, why do you think that the Nordics has so readily embraced sustainability?

Peter Stangeland (09:24):

Very, I think from a Nordic perspective, uh, the sustainability focus came in very early because all our income in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Norway, and let’s say are based on what mother nature gives us. It’s either water, power, wind, power, oil, gas, fish, forestry, and we are seeing closely very often what the challenges of nature is with, uh, changes in the nature, ice melting and so forth. As you mentioned, the governments have had our eyes on this changes in nature for a long time. And they have also understood that we need to stop or delay the changes in the nature. So with the creation creation or focus on sustainability, it has come to help our next. Let’s say grandchildren to even have a great place to live in. As you know, as you guys might know is also that the Nordic countries by themselves are quite small. So the path from political talks to actions are quite short and fast. If the politicians want to. And in this case, they have wanted to be a part of the change and the solution. So the government in the, especially in Norway have put in a lot of, let’s say, lower taxes or taken away taxes, especially on electric vehicles, the country buying the most Teslas for the last X number of years have been Norway. And that’s based on no taxes on, on, uh, on, on the Tesla. It doesn’t matter what model.

Greg White (11:12):

Yeah. And I think there’s a couple of great call-outs there one your country has the population of some of the smaller States in the U S right. I think your population is about the same. It’s about 4.4 million. Is that right? Is it okay? Okay, so that, so that makes you about the size of, and not, not that makes you about the size of Alabama in the States in terms of population. So you’re right. That creates a lot of efficiency. I mean, I’ve stayed in Oslow, I’ve stayed near the state house and the palace, and it’s all very, very proximate there. If you want to go talk to someone in government, you could literally knock on a door and do that. Yeah, you can. Right. And I think I, and as you stated, I think it’s interesting, as you can imagine, like, so many of us I’m watching, watching all of the sort of Vikings shows on that’s why I have the beard on Netflix. Right. Well, and I attempted it. I did attempt it that’s as good as I got right there, But, you know, you can see that in the history of the Danes and the Norwegians, particularly that they were seeking places to be able to plant and grow more than more than any thing else. Really. So you are in the forefront. I had not really thought about it. That perspective you are in the forefront of nature. And there’s a little bit of irony because a lot of your GDP comes from fossil fuels, right? Comes from oil.

Peter Stangeland (12:39):

We are pumping a lot of oil and a lot of gas out of the Northern sea. And that’s actually, what’s making Norway one of the richest countries in the world. Right. And if you, if you see the irony in that, that we are funding a lot of the other countries in the world, and with oil and gas, we have taken this next leap to be self-sufficient with the wind power or solar power will not be able to, there is a target from the government, not have fossil fuel cars in Norway within some years. And based on that, that’s how we’re funding our democratic socialism. That, that it’s, it’s, it’s an interesting perspective to have.

Greg White (13:22):

Yeah. The only beef I have with Norway is they stopped selling beer at eight, eight o’clock in the stores, in the stores. Yeah. I remember

Peter Stangeland (13:32):

Have a good supply chain upfront, Greg, then

Greg White (13:37):

The store was completely stocked with beer. It was just, uh, it was at eight Oh five on two Homan where I was staying in an Airbnb that I realized I was already too late. So I had to take my box of cereal and my jug of milk back up to my room. And

Peter Stangeland (13:54):

Like when it’s bank holidays in Norway, you can’t even buy anything or alcohol then in the stores either. Yeah. Yeah.

Greg White (14:03):

That’s similar in the States. And of course it’s state by state here, but it’s very similar here. So you have to plan ahead. And I think that probably lends by the way to your ability in terms of logistics, excellent. Is having to plan ahead for things like that. So let’s talk a little bit about, about you and about DB Schenker and, and your sustainability initiatives. So tell us about your team, your, your role relative to sustainability and why you, you know, tell us a little bit about your enthusiasm around that as well.

Peter Stangeland (14:39):

Yeah, sure. As the chief commercial officer for DB Schenker in Norway, my main goal is, or objective of the day is sales and marketing. And we discussed in the management team and back in, uh, 2017 to 18 that we wanted to be make to make a difference, to be a front runner, as you said, within sustainability in the Norwegian market, because we had seen what the government were looking for and we thought we were aiming for the what’s the position we can be take as a front runner within the sustainability in the market, within sales. It’s, it’s a positive thing to have something that the other competition doesn’t have. And then leading the sales team in Norway was, it was, let’s say it’s been a good pleasure for us to have the, the example of sustainability actions and a focus we had from ourselves, our achievements, and not at least the, the election that we were election elected, the European ambassador for the European green capital in Oslo with 2019.

Peter Stangeland (15:52):

Wow. Nothing we paid for. There was a achievement and, and, um, a phone call I got after we introduced the, the electric bikes, as you mentioned, the electric cargo bikes in 2018 and the, the municipality of Oslo, they saw how we were working and our let’s say, and they were, they were involved in our future plans for making the world’s first emission free distribution center in Oslo. And, uh, in 2018, Oslo was the European green capital of Europe elected by the European union. And they had three big ambassadors. And one of them was us. The biggest CO2 player in Norway was elected and the ambassador, which made us very proud. And at least we all were proud. And I was fortunate also to be an ambassador and myself to be a part of different congresses and team members or team meetings. So we could discuss sustainability on the bigger scale with bigger companies and smaller companies. They even started a carpenter carpenter companies in Oslo in 2019, which don’t use any trucks anymore. They only use cargo bikes. So the steps have been, been a huge help

Greg White (17:19):

Carry lumber to your job site on your cargo bike. I’m curious about it,

Peter Stangeland (17:24):

Stack them up high and, or take them on the long. Let’s say you stack them long because you don’t, you’re not building new houses, you’re reading houses or apartments in the city.

Greg White (17:40):

Well, and I mean, Oslow has no shortage of traffic constrictions and that sort of thing. I mean, I’ve, I’ve driven in Oslow right? So I try never to, but I have, and there are so many physical barriers in Oslow mountains and fjords and, and, and shoreline and whatnot. So I could see where you, where companies have have adapted. And, and in fact, you guys have used some quite interesting techniques for building. I mean, they’ve repurposed old containers for buildings in parts of it.

Peter Stangeland (18:16):

Well, the new distribution center in Oslo, the Oslo city hub is built a 40 foot containers, all use sea containers that was put together like the game of Tetris. And it was built and opened in May, 2019. We’ve had press and visits from over 40 50 countries during 2019, even the transport authorities in New York has been there to see what we have done in little Norway, but since we made it, uh, open it in may, uh, in may, uh, 19, we have doubled the size since, because we have now introduced a hundred percent emission free distribution in Oslo as the first capital in the world, DB Schenker is delivering emission free to all customers, all kinds in, in Oslo now in 2021. So we are very proud of that.

Greg White (19:11):

That’s, that’s an incredible accomplishment because that not only goes to the, to the delivery vehicles, but also how you produce and consume power in, in the distribution center. Correct?

Peter Stangeland (19:22):

Yeah. This whole, this whole sustainability part from our side was a management decision, which was bold. We plan to have, we wanted to be a hundred percent emission free in a city by city and take city for city. They experienced first that the electric cargo bikes was the way to start. Because as you mentioned, Greg, traveling in, in bigger cities with congestion, it’s, uh, it’s difficult to have a delivery van. Yeah. Cargo bikes. They can go on the sidewalks and go down all areas where you can park a car. You don’t have to look for parking, you have to pay for parking. You can just drive your bike to the shop or store and or the apartment and deliver the goods there. So after we got, uh, many of these bikes, we also needed some electric mats. So we bought some, uh, Mon TGE mans in 2019, we bought eight of them first in Oslo. And then in 2020, when we doubled it, uh, the Oslo city hub, we doubled the size in, in also made 2020. We also had the orders for the first Volvo electric trucks in, in the world. So we, we received in the fall in 2020, uh, the three first electric, uh, full city distribution trucks from all low. And, uh, it was actually, the ribbons were cut off by our prime minister in Norway, right. And our company is global CEO in service. So that was a great day for us.

Greg White (21:04):

So clearly you, you take a lot of pride in that, because I recall when you posted about that, right, you were giddy frankly, about it. I mean, it was, it was, it was clearly, you were having fun with it really obviously proud for your company, but I think just generally proud about this, these sustainability initiatives. So what I mean, what kind of, I mean, were you brought up this way? I mean, did your parents introduce you to this? Was it kind of the gradual?

Peter Stangeland (21:31):

Oh, I think I was brought up in a car family. My family owned a car dealership. So perhaps I’ve seen too much emissions change.

Greg White (21:44):

You’re rebelling against your roots.

Peter Stangeland (21:48):

I think that the change for me has been that the see that we are in a position that our, our act actually makes a difference. And as a manager in the company, you are able to set a target, a stretch target that can change and help for the future for the, our kids. And, uh, to, to be able to be working for a company that has such a high focus on sustainability and invest in sustainability and to see actually how that makes my girl, baby girl, um, 12 proud to see that the company is actually doing something and it’s noticed in Emedia and it’s the whole, her whole class knows that, uh, what company her father works for because they are working with sustainability and putting environmental focus on, on the agenda.

Greg White (22:45):

That’s outstanding. What a great example for your kids, right. To be able to do that. And I think to see your parents contribute to that has, is of course, encouraging to her, but just such a great example. So much of that is learned at home, right. Or it has to be relearned outside the home. So, um, I’m just impressed by watching you do that, watching you report on that clear clearly it’s, it’s as much about the sustainability aspect of it as it is about promoting DB Schenker. I mean, and I think that’s an important aspect of it because you clearly take a lot of joy in, in what you guys are doing. Um, and DB Schenker. I mean, I think you all are, you’re performing above and beyond the legal requirements, right? This is your initiatives are well above. What’s required by

Peter Stangeland (23:36):

It’s above and beyond there. Uh, especially if for Norway, DB Schenker globally has been using Norway as the front runner and the area for what is possible. And as we are active, then here representing Norway, the municipality in, in, uh, in Oslo have been putting a lot of higher and higher demands on the procurement of pens and paper. And how are these pens and paper delivered to all the municipality office all around the city. And so if you’re doing medical supplies, furniture, how are the, all of these things delivered to our offices? And when the municipality comes in and put in, in a procurement situation, all your goods have to have to be delivered a hundred percent emission free the way to, to reach a higher, let’s say, carbon neutral place for our cities in the future. It has to be a demand and, um, and has to be a demand. And today’s situation is that the challenge is to get enough emission free vehicles, because produced enough all the, on the electric side, all the power, all the investments by the car manufacturers are going to the hour, your car or my car and not on the distribution side, um, bigger goods. So, uh, Volvo and Scania are now doing Amman are doing a lot more now, but they are, they are five, 10 years behind in capacity, not in the solution, but in capacity

Greg White (25:22):

That makes your initiative with the bikes that much more important, right? I mean, obviously you can’t, you can’t haul semi size goods with those things, but being able to, to kind of handle the last mile and work your way back, at least you’re, you’re doing what you can.

Peter Stangeland (25:39):

All we have been doing in Oslo is cities. Eh, hub is the last mile deliveries. And now that we have been able to get more and more electric vans and trucks, we are now taking this to other cities in Norway as well. It’s not also the whole is not finished, but we are at the level we are very proud of and satisfied with, and then we’re taking it to the other cities in Australia. And then

Greg White (26:05):

So obviously the seeking out of sustainability is not perfect. And as you said, it’s not even, we don’t have the capacity to enable everything we want to do today, but you are doing a lot and you have progressed significantly. So share with us a little bit about what other companies can learn and how they, how you’ve created success and, and are continuing to move forward in sustainability. And, and, you know, tell us a little bit about what, what, what you think is required in a company to sort of break through, to enable a sustainability mindset and initiatives. I think

Peter Stangeland (26:44):

The, as I mentioned, Harris earlier to one of the biggest targets is to make a target, which is not a paper target. It’s going to be an actual target that you will want to reach and preach to your staff. You have to be showing them and that we are actually meaning something, what it does it, does it take a new resource? Does it need for you to hire some new people, to put the extra focus on it, to keep it focused on a daily, on a daily basis, do it, but put targets, which is probably not reachable within the first year or two, but you have to have a stretch target that you perhaps might in a year have to move because you moved further ahead because you are developing too fast or faster than you expected because you get your staff on board. If you don’t get your staff on board, then, then it’s going to be tough. And the only way the staff comes on board is that you have to show them by passionate that you really mean it. We’re in it for a long ride and not, not for a PR stunt in the media for two weeks

Greg White (27:53):

Deeds, not words, right? So do you all have sort of a tiger team or a focus team on sustainability?

Peter Stangeland (28:03):

We have a team, uh, sustainability team working, uh, from the team has been developed more in 2020 from the beginning. It was some people doing it next to their normal job, but they did a heck of a job. And, uh, they got the very good result for us in your land team in Norway. But now we have, you need to be putting more structure in it. Now we’re developing two more cities because this, uh, Oslo city health is next door, biggest terminal and headquarters in Oslo. So it was easier to, to let’s say, play with resources, but now we’re going to more and more cities than way we need a structured approach and a structured team that is working on it, dedicated everything.

Greg White (28:55):

So basically you’ve kind of built a franchise model. It seems like you you’ve got this group of people with a playbook, right? You send them out to some of the literally hinterlands of PR. I’m assuming you’re selling

Peter Stangeland (29:09):

The challenge is that when we started, we didn’t know where to go. Yeah. We just had a target. We, we didn’t have a clue clue. Someone will beat me for that, that sentence where, where, and how we were. We were going, we wanted to be the best on sustainability in Norway. We wanted to be the front runner. That was our target. Why or how and how we will get there. We didn’t know, but we managed to get there because we let the team have a bride and Biden scopes and were able to do it. Now we’re going to do more cities. And then the structure, we know what we know what we have done, and now we can build on what we’ve done and take the good, good steaks out and develop that further to a new system. Or perhaps it’s the same. We don’t know, but it’s not too many cities where we get a possibility to have a huge distribution hub. That city center on Schulman.

Greg White (30:11):

Yeah. Oh, it is there. Wow. I think if people knew the sort of remoteness of that, they would understand too Holman used to be a prison. Right. And now it’s quite a posh resort area. Correct. And, and there’s their actual actually some physical barriers, a canal because it’s effectively an Island. I think

Peter Stangeland (30:34):

It’s a, it’s a created Island. And if you remember, you saw some big passenger ships going there. That’s where the hostile city hub is

Greg White (30:45):

Outstanding. Help some of our community out there who hope to develop an initiative. I think you’ve given them some great takeaways here, but what were some of the struggles or the learnings that you guys had that you think would be valuable to share with, with folks who listen to this?

Peter Stangeland (31:04):

The struggles we had was, um, uh, that first struggle was what are we going to do? Do we have the equipment? Do we, how are we going to set up a distribution center in, in, in closer to closer to, to let’s say the recipients of the last mile, because on, when we started with the electric bikes in the distance, they could travel every day, couldn’t be extra or exceeded during the way. And, and, um, I would say the biggest struggle was to, to, to actually set the target and how, how bold do you want to be? That was our, that was the biggest struggle because anyone can say, put a target that, Oh, we didn’t reach the target, but we want to have a ball target that we wanted to reach. We wanted to struggle for it. And, uh, we, we made a home run because everyone was behind it, behind it and supporting it.

Greg White (32:06):

That’s classically Norwegian. Isn’t it to want to struggle for something. I mean, I w I wonder if, well, I mean, truly, I think culture comes, comes significantly into these kinds of initiatives. And I wonder if other companies, they need to have that kind of level of commitment. They need to know that they’re going to struggle. They need to accept that they’re going to have some pain, some missteps, some delays, some disappointments,

Peter Stangeland (32:30):

Right? You said, you said, you said a word. I should have mentioned culture. Yes. It’s a culture of team. You have to create a culture that you’d want to be, you want to be a partner that others look up on. I think while we want to be like them. Yeah. And that’s a culture part. You have to, all companies have a culture, even if there is good or bad or perfect, or developing here and there. But if you want to go on to introduce something, a new way of thinking and new way of working, then you have to change the culture. And if the company is not motivated to change for change their culture, then it’s difficult.

Greg White (33:11):

Yeah. It’s you’re right. And as you said, culture, you either, you either have an intentional culture or you have an accidental culture either way. You have a culture, but cultures that are truly productive, I’ve found are very, very intentional. Like you’ve described. Is there someplace that folks can learn more about what you all are doing? I just feel like the framework that you all have and the initiatives that you all undertake and the method by which you go after, it would be really valuable. Is there a particular site or a playbook or something like that that you all share?

Peter Stangeland (33:46):

Uh, we, we share on our, uh, global websites and the national website for DB Schenker, Norway. And I can also put out, give, send you an, a link, so you can put that in the text here.

Greg White (34:00):

Okay. Outstanding. Yeah, that’d be great. You’ve given us some great takeaways, I think. Is there anything in particular as kind of a last salvo that you would like people to take away from this, or to know that as they tackle these, uh, sustainability initiatives,

Peter Stangeland (34:18):

Stop talking act

Greg White (34:21):

Really? That is brilliant. It seems like you all did that. As you said, you didn’t know exactly what you were going to do. You just knew you wanted to be best and engage the team, empowered the team, built it into the culture and enacted, do something. Even if you do it wrong. Right.

Peter Stangeland (34:44):

Well, we didn’t do the same. They didn’t do the things right. At first time, as you mentioned, also, it has, it has to be an option to fail. If you don’t fail, you don’t learn. And if we don’t learn, we don’t develop. And then if we don’t develop, then we could lock the door and throw away. The key has to be room to fail.

Greg White (35:05):

Outstanding. I want to, I want people, I want to share with my takeaways with folks and that is have a target and decide how bold do you want that target to be, as Peter said, write real physical targets, not paper, not a plan, real physical targets, pick something that you want to do and work towards that, engage and empower your team to be able to tackle those initiatives, build it into the culture and then go do it. What was the last thing that

Peter Stangeland (35:38):

You said? You said not talking those toppings. Yeah.

Greg White (35:43):

Very good. Well, thank you. I appreciate you joining us. Where can folks connect with you as if I don’t know, but they may not.

Peter Stangeland (35:51):

You could find my profile on LinkedIn then push connect or link.

Greg White (35:58):

I think it’s a great idea. First of all, it’s uplifting what you post around that. It’s great to know that you are, I would argue possibly in the forefront of the world, certainly in the forefront of Europe, in terms of doing things and promoting and continuing to push forward in creating sustainability initiatives far above what is required. And I think that is incredibly commend commendable as well. Thank you for joining us, Peter. I really, really appreciate it.

Peter Stangeland (36:29):

Thanks Greg, for having me.

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Stop Talking - Act: Building Sustainable Logistics Initiatives with Peter Stangeland

Featured Guests

Peter Stangeland is the Chief Commercial Officer in Schenker Norway. DB Schenker is one of the world’s largest logistics providers within Land transport, Ocean Freight, Air Freight, and Contract Logistics. DB Schenker is present at more than 2,100 locations around the world and has more than 77,000 employees around the world. Peter was born in Fredrikstad, Norway, but also has an American family in Hershey, Nebraska. He studied and received his degree in logistics and transport economics at Molde University College. He has trained and worked within logistics since 1997, both in the Norwegian Army and in his civilian career. He’s worked and lived in Germany, Finland, Sweden, and Norway. Peter’s personal goal is to be the best father and husband for my family at all times, by being the best version of himself. He’s still sorting out his professional goal since he actually currently has his dream job! He’s proud and humble of the privilege it is to have his awesome job. Peter loves to spend time with his family, and for hobbies, he scuba-dives, drives my motorcycle, mountain biking, and skiing. Connect with Peter on LinkedIn.

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Greg White

Principal & Host

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Demo Perez

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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Mary Kate Love

VP, Marketing

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

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

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Joshua Miranda

Marketing Specialist

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

Donna Krache

Director of Communications and Executive Producer

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

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Vicki White

Controller

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

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Katherine Hintz

Creative Director, Producer, Host

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

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Kim Reuter

Host, The Freight Insider

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

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Kristi Porter

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Sofia Rivas Herrera

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

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

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Katherine Hintz

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

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

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Kim Winter

Host, Supply Chain Now

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

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

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

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Adrian Purtill

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Kevin Brown

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Jose Miguel Irarrazaval

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Nick Roemer

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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Allison Giddens

Host, Logistics with Purpose

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

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

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Billy Taylor

Host of Dial P for Procurement

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

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

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

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

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Lori Sofian

Marketing Coordinator

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

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Chantel King

Social Media Manager

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

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

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

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Trisha Cordes

Administrative Assistant

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

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Clay Phillips

Business Development Manager

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

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Amanda Luton

Vice President, Production

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

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Constantine Limberakis

Host

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

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Mary Kate Soliva

Host, Veteran Voices

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

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Kelly Barner

Host of Dial P for Procurement

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

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Enrique Alvarez

Host of Logistics with Purpose and Supply Chain Now en Español

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

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

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Kevin L. Jackson

Host of Digital Transformers

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

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Tyler Ward

Director of Sales

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

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

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

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Chris Barnes

Principal, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain is Boring

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

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

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Greg White

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

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

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

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Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

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

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

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