Many large companies have individuals or teams who are responsible for sustainability, but, in the end, sustainability is everyone’s job. It is truly a cross-functional initiative.

Joy Hicks is the Senior Manager of Sustainability with the Home Depot. She and her team are responsible for everything from the products Home Depot sells in their stores to their operations. They make sure that the company is on the cutting edge of what needs to be done to do the right thing for the planet.

In this episode, part of the Reverse Logistics Series on Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton is joined by special co-host Tony Sciarrotta, Executive Director of The Reverse Logistics Association, to talk to Joy about what is at the top of Home Depot’s sustainability agenda.

• Why consumers should be just as concerned about the chemicals present in their homes as they are the chemicals they consume

• Materials formerly seen as ‘waste’ that Home Depot is using as the basis for other useful goods

• How taking a multi-faceted approach to investing in sustainability can increase the program’s results

Intro/Outro (00:03):

Welcome to supply chain. Now the voice of global supply chain supply chain now focuses on the best in the business for our worldwide audience, the people, the technologies, the best practices, and today’s critical issues. The challenges and opportunities stay tuned to hear from those making global business happen right here on supply chain now.

Scott Luton (00:31):

Hey, good morning, Scott Luton and special guest host Tony Shroder here with you on supply chain. Now, welcome to today’s show Tony, how you.

Tony Sciarrotta (00:39):

doing great today, Scott. Good to see you again.

Scott Luton (00:42):

You’re always doing great. I gotta, I gotta figure out what you’re having for breakfast and, and still some of your best practices there, but great to have you here once again. And we have an excellent conversation teed up talking with a retail leader. That’s doing big things, especially when it comes to, to, uh, sustainability. As we continue our reverse logistics leadership series here at supply chain. Now, Tony, you ready for this?

Tony Sciarrotta (01:05):

Ready for this Scott? We had a great one last month with Tom Mar from Dell. And, uh, as you said, we’re gonna get into the retailer side of things on the, on the dark side of the retailers, New York times quoted us. So the dark side.

Scott Luton (01:22):

I saw that I saw that great guest, uh, tee up. We’re gonna, we’re gonna shine some light into the dark side of global business, that being reversed logistics and returns management, but let’s formally welcome in our guests here today and welcome in joy Hicks, senior manager of sustainability with the home Depot, joy, how you doing?

Joy Hicks (01:40):

Doing great, doing great, glad to be here.

Scott Luton (01:42):

Well, you know, we were talking pre-show a little bit, Tony. Uh, I had met joy and of course you’ve known joy for quite some time at one of the, uh, tours and, and events. They hosted at one of the return centers at the home Depot and found it learned a ton that was probably about four years ago and just really appreciate, uh, a lot of what joy and her team shared there and a great learning opportunity, you know, powered by a RLA huh?

Tony Sciarrotta (02:05):

It, it was, I let’s confess it was a newer center, so it didn’t have all the dirt and, uh, grim that maybe some of the, uh, centers out there have, but, um, and eye opener for us as well to see what a newer center looked like and, uh, and joy in her team. Uh, and others really did a great job putting that new facility, uh, out there in place, McDonough, Georgia. Let’s give it a little shout out to McDonough Georgia today. Okay. Nice little place south of Atlanta.

Scott Luton (02:33):

That’s a perfect segue, Tony, and I really appreciate that. And then by the way, the square in McDonough, Georgia, uh, Georgia, a great place for all kinds of restaurants and shopping, but, uh, the segue being joy, I’d love to know where you grew up and, you know, tell us some anecdotes about your upbringing a little bit.

Joy Hicks (02:51):

I am from east Tennessee. So I’m in the foothills of the smokey mountains. Um, that’s the accent <laugh> um, and, uh, yeah, it’s a beautiful place to grow up and, uh, look forward to going back someday. Even

Scott Luton (03:04):

You have a bunch of family still in east Tennessee, is that right?

Joy Hicks (03:07):

I do have family in east Tennessee as well as a lot of friends. Sure.

Scott Luton (03:10):

So, uh, growing up in east Tennessee, uh, and for our listeners, uh, you know, Chatanooga is the east Tennessee, Knoxville’s east Tennessee, what other, uh, couple, maybe landmark cities would you put there on east Tennessee side?

Joy Hicks (03:23):

Well, the one that I think most people would probably know about would Beville where Dolly Parton is from. So Dolly wood and, and all of that, uh, is, is right in the right in the backyard. So yeah, we, we grew up with that as our backdrop

Scott Luton (03:38):

Love that joy, Tony, you ever been to Dollywood?

Tony Sciarrotta (03:41):

Uh, not that I can admit to, but, uh, um, I’ve been to Seville and, uh, that’s also right next to Gatlinburg, another beautiful city pattern after a, a Swiss village. Um, and I’m so glad joy picked that instead of suggesting that that little NASCAR track down the road from her was, uh, a backdrop. I, I like the, uh, severe Villa, uh, uh, Gatlinburg

Scott Luton (04:04):

Vibe, right?

Tony Sciarrotta (04:05):

Backdrop. Yes. The vibe. Yes.

Scott Luton (04:07):

<laugh>, you know, one last comment about Tennessee. So, um, my oldest daughter went with us and we drove through Tennessee, uh, probably five or six years ago. And we still talked today about how, uh, just the beauty of that state driving through it’s one of the prettiest states that drive through. Uh, so I’m sure you took full advantage of the outdoors, joy growing up in that neck of the woods. Uh, one last question about your, your, uh, your background. Um, so food always comes to mind, you know, we were just talking about Tony’s power breakfast and how he never has a bad day. What was one food dish that was inseparable from your upbringing? Joy?

Joy Hicks (04:43):

It was pretty simple. It’s actually, um, a Grainger county tomato. So just like maybe people that are listening have heard of Vidalia onions or, or other, other, uh, such vegetables from my iconic places, we had a very small town, but it’s the best tomato, uh, I would say in the region had a festival that, that, uh, celebrated it.

Scott Luton (05:06):

All right. So a lot, one more question about food. You, you get going. So, uh, are you, are you a fan of tomato sandwiches? And if you are, what is your go-to mayonnaise?

Joy Hicks (05:15):

Oh, well, I’ve been converted. My husband will only eat Dukes, so he’s in North Carolina boy. So I let him have that one. It’s all about compromise and marriage.

Scott Luton (05:24):

It is, I love that Tony, only about you, but, uh, uh, families have, uh, uh, picked some serious fights about which mayonnaise is used, uh, at dinner time. So, uh, tomato sandwiches. So I’m gonna have to check out Grainger county tomatoes, and we’re going to get back to Tennessee soon. So thanks joy for sharing some of your background there, Tony, where are we going next with joy?

Tony Sciarrotta (05:48):

Well, joy and I have known each other a while. We’re not gonna talk years here. And, uh, uh, we always kid about, uh, she came out of, uh, uh, uh, grade school and, and started with Phillips. So we go way back a ways. And, uh, and joy was in the service organization. I was in sales. We weren’t always, uh, on the same side of things in the beginning, right, because sales and service clash a lot. But, um, um, and this is Phillips consumer electronics, which was based in Knoxville, Tennessee for a while. And then Phillips decided to move us all down to this, uh, great city of Atlanta and, um, pulled us all down in, in waves. I was one of the first waves. Joy was one of the last waves as we brought service together with sales. And, um, for a while they didn’t know where to put reverse logistics people.

Tony Sciarrotta (06:39):

I was the returns director. They really didn’t know where to put us. And, and most companies still don’t know where to put these people. Sure. Um, so I started in sales operations, then I was assigned to service. Um, and then I get back into finance and then I wound up in supply chain when they were going through the rider transformation project. And then I wound up back in service and so joy and I crossed path because joy was one of those great support people that when you wanted to fix something for somebody or prevent a return, which we all forget about doing cer um, service and people like joy Hicks and especially joy had such a great way of convincing somebody. We’re gonna take care of your problem on your big screen TV, we’re gonna take care of it. And she did to follow through was amazing. So, um, we go way back and it was, um, it was a lot of great experiences I think, and some rough ones, but a lot of great experiences

Scott Luton (07:39):

<laugh> so Tony did all, but tell us where the bodies are buried their joy. Um, so <laugh> so in particular joy, so here kinda getting Tony’s prefacing there, and clearly y’all have a, a, a long rich history together. What’s a couple of previous roles. Um, you know, prior to your current one that really shaped your worldview joy.

Joy Hicks (08:00):

Well, I would say that, um, well, to, to Tony’s point all of the roles that, that I’ve had have generally been in support roles after the point of sale, um, after we would, um, take a TV back from a customer, if it weren’t was not working, or it was a return of some sort, they would be refurbished and we would have to sell those on the secondary market. And I was new to sales. Um, I had people like Tony Sheroda that teach me the ropes fortunately, and learning how to sell those, those televisions was refurbished televisions on the secondary market. Really taught me how to sell myself internally because all roles really are sales roles. Whether no matter what the product is you’re selling. Right, right. I think I, I learned, um, probably the most from that role,

Scott Luton (08:49):

Uh, Tony, uh, so true. All roles are sales roles, right. It’s just to the degree of, of, to the extent of what you’re selling, maybe would you agree, Tony?

Tony Sciarrotta (08:59):

I, I would tend to agree with that. And, uh, and joy isn’t, uh, being, uh, clear enough about how great that role was. She got to do road trips with me, <laugh> we actually, uh, I J it just reminded me joy about the road trips. We took to some of these, um, infamous liquidators around the country trips to the east coast, to California, um, meeting with people that you sometimes didn’t wanna shake hands with. <laugh> um, let’s say that’s that secondary market. It is, it is the true dark side. And, and there are liquidators in that industry that joy got to know, and, and, and as she said, was able to take it with her to home Depot. That was a, a, a great transition I thought, and I love the way she, uh, she made, made that work. It was just terrific to watch.

Scott Luton (09:46):

And that’s a great lesson learned. So listeners out there as, as you’re trying to figure out how to progress and, and how to move into new roles and, and move into new leadership roles, man, being, uh, confident and comfortable selling yourself. And what in your accomplishments and your talents, uh, that clearly was an early lesson learned for joy and, and for all of us really. Um, okay. So let’s move into your role now at the home Depot, uh, and what you do as senior manager of sustainability.

Joy Hicks (10:12):

Sure. So our department, um, is, uh, responsible for setting the strategy of sort around sustainability for, uh, home Depot. And that is everything from the products we sell to, um, our, our operations, as well as, um, making sure that we are, are, um, listening to all of the different stakeholders to make sure that we are at the cutting edge of, of what we need to be doing when it comes to, uh, doing the right thing for the planet.

Scott Luton (10:46):

Yep. Well said, and, and that’s, you know, as we’ve all seen, fortunately, you know, customers are putting a, a much bigger, or our, um, consumers are putting much bigger emphasis on that. And, and of course they’re voting more with their wallet. So it’s really cool to, to hear, um, retailers like the home Depot, which everybody, and brother and sister knows, you know, goes without saying how they’re, uh, acting on that proactively and reactively, and now proactively. So we’re gonna dive more into that in a moment. Uh, Tony, um, your take on that. I know you, those, this is one of the areas you’re really passionate about before we get into some of the trends in general, uh, your thoughts.

Tony Sciarrotta (11:23):

So Joy’s move from selling reefers, which I thought was the best life on the planet into a role like sustainability and the vagueness about that. How do you, how do you accomplish that and being involved in strategies important, but ultimately it’s that it’s that feet on the ground? What do you do with some of this stuff to make sure it doesn’t impact the environment? And, and I love being in this industry, right? Scott we’ve said it before you get to be a tree hugger, and it doesn’t matter what your politics are. Everyone recognizes. At some point we have to do something about this stuff. And, and I think about those paint cans sitting in my garage that I’m not supposed to throw in the dumpster, but I want to, um, but then people like joy has to deal with thousands of these situations on a regular basis.

Tony Sciarrotta (12:12):

And, uh, and I know that Joy’s learned a lot and she shares it with the members of our community about best practices here, uh, from a leading giant lake home Depot. It’s, it’s so important. Uh, you know, Scott, we talk about, um, everything that happens after the sale falls into our world of rev, reverse logistics mm-hmm <affirmative> and it’s true. So even the sustainability and the handling of hazardous materials, which also falls into Joy’s lap and what’s being done there, it it’s, there, there aren’t really classes at any colleges for this stuff. Are there joy? <laugh>

Joy Hicks (12:45):

No, they’re not. Um, it it’s, it’s definitely, um, a, a, a, um,

Tony Sciarrotta (12:52):

Try by fire.

Joy Hicks (12:54):

It is that yes. And it, it was a, it was a seamless, uh, transition, I think from, or, or at least an intuitive one to go from working in those reverse logistics centers, to your point where it all comes back. And what do you do with that? And then going into sustainability, because that was where the rubber, uh, you know, hits the road. It really is.

Scott Luton (13:13):

Yep. And, you know, one of the, my favorite trends out there, and before I ask you some of yours, joy is how popular that secondary market that Tony’s been, uh, referring both of, y’all been referring to, uh, you know, that remarket, you know, that, that how consumers are really rallying spending a ton of money on, you know, used stuff, uh, remanufacture, refurbished stuff. That is a great sign. Um, so speaking, that’s one of my favorite trends we’ve been, uh, Tony, I think I’ve shared with you, uh, one of our gifts to our kids last holiday season was a refurbed. Uh, we, right. So my kids could beat me at tennis and bowling, and then whatever else is on that. We, um, so joy for you though, on the macro level, what’s two or three sustainability trends, topics you see as important ones for our listeners attract.

Joy Hicks (14:03):

I think that as a consumer, um, we should be concerned about the chemicals that we are putting, uh, in our homes, uh, as well as, uh, you know, uh, in our bodies. So I think making sure that the products that, uh, you are buying are safe and, and understanding, um, uh, what chemical policies, uh, companies have. Um, I think carbon footprint is big right now. Um, we’re all trying to reduce, um, and we can do that in our homes and we can do it in our businesses. So I think that’s, that’s one of the things that, that, um, should be, um, on top of mind. And then I really feel like circularity is, is something that, uh, we should all, uh, be, be, be thinking about. And I really think that’s where reverse logistics and sustainability really come together. Right? That’s where we can take some of those, those materials that, that are coming back and, and repurpose them, repurpose them back into the world.

Scott Luton (14:58):

You’re talking our language for sure. And Tony, I know she’s talking your language, especially when it comes to circularity your thoughts.

Tony Sciarrotta (15:04):

I wanna, uh, add on to what joy is saying. She’s being very careful and, and great wording. Scott, you blew it. You’re calling this stuff used. <laugh>, she’s calling it repurposed <laugh> that’s, that’s an important marketing distinction, vintage pre loved certified repurposed. Let’s go with the important buzzwords here because that’s, what’s gonna help. Um, young people do respond to those terms. They are buying repurposed goods. They are buying vintage clothing, um, which are used air Jordans, as far as I can tell what is vintage come on. So I love the way that joy is learning the language, uh, of circularity and in the world of circularity, as joy knows the most important, uh, trend these days, Scott, is we no longer talk about recycling, right? We’re trying to even get away from recycling. And that’s where home Depot’s really driving it too. It, it is repurposing because recycling, ultimately unfortunately can be bad because it uses more energy sometimes than to create new. And I know Joy’s learn that. And again, these are not things you learn in school very easily, right? Joy. It’s just, <laugh> we, we gotta get out there and find out more

Scott Luton (16:15):

That’s right. And, and, you know, uh, as we all know, we could have a whole series on how the recycling landscape has changed so much in the last, just two or three years. Yep. Um, but we’ll save that for another time. Um, you know, joy, I love the comment you made, uh, as you sharing some of the trends, the track, you know, more information to the consumer, right. Empowering the consumer to make better, more informed decisions. I love that. Um, Tony, yes. Thank you for the, um, the, the verbiage, uh, lessons learned, right. Uh, vintage is man. Uh, everything is cool. That’s vintage these days, right? That’s right. Um, alright, so <laugh>, so let’s drill down a little more. So that’s kind of the macro level, right? Joy sharing, some things, some trends, some, some topics to keep on your radar, let’s kind of speak directly to the home Depot. So when it comes to some of the environmental initiatives that been plenty that have been rolled out in recent years, joy, what’s a couple that you believe have been most impactful.

Joy Hicks (17:13):

I’m gonna go back to circularity here. Um, one of the projects that I am most proud of is we take all of the shrink wrap or L D P E from our supply chain. So think all of the shrink wrapped pallets that flow through, um, our logistics, um, program. And we, uh, sell that to trucks, the composite deck manufacturer, uh, and they make, uh, the trucks decking and they’re able, and, and then it’s a product that we sell in our stores. So, uh, it’s a great circularity story. Um, we are working, uh, right now we, we densify styrofoam and, uh, all of the styrofoam that comes with the appliance deliveries that we do. Um, we, we densify that and we sell that to different companies, including those that make, uh, some of the French drains that we sell in our stores. So trying to find these areas that we have, we have a waste product essentially, but can that be somebody else’s raw material? And it, you know, it’s, it’s, this it’s certainly be good for the environment, but it usually has a good benefit with the company as well. It, um, keeps the landfill costs down and frankly, you’re, you’re, you’re making a buck on it.

Scott Luton (18:28):

Uh, Tony, she’s talking about one of my favorite aspects of circularity, um, and that is, uh, designing products either to use, um, you know, what someone else’s refuse is, or designing products that produce less waste and, and can be used longer or better or more efficient, uh, efficiently you name it, that proactive approach. Right. Uh, but Tony, your thoughts.

Tony Sciarrotta (18:50):

Well, exactly the design for reuse is a new part of, of the world’s, uh, vernacular and a new part of the world’s learning design for reuse. And that’s what the Allen MacArthur foundation has been pushing for a long time. That’s what circularity is all about. Uh, but I love the story. The example joy gave, of course, that track that decking is a bit more expensive, but you don’t worry about getting splinters in your foot ever. <laugh> things like that. It’s exciting. And, um, and, and joy, I actually ran across, uh, an organization that, that, um, reached out to us. I think it’s, GLB, uh, paint company and they have recycled paint. They have, they take the paint back and they’ve recycled it, and it’s being resold under the brand name, uh, Volvo, something like that. So it’s out there and it’s just, you see something like that.

Tony Sciarrotta (19:44):

And you’re like, wow, somebody thought of a way to recycle, paint and make it available for consumers again, at a value. Um, and, and it’s just, it’s very cool that there’s these things coming up that Joy’s alluding to and many more out there, we’re not gonna teach all the consumers about it. They’re gonna have to find someone by themselves like myself running across it, accidentally on a website. It’s like, how cool is this? And I’ll bet joy already knew about the recycled paint. So I’m, I’m behind the eight ball. I’m sure on that one, but, uh, yeah, it’s just cool stuff.

Scott Luton (20:15):

So you mentioned earlier, Tony, uh, that it may be more expensive, but you know, data after data study, after study have shown that oftentimes consumers are willing to spend more on more sustainable products, right. Uh, products with, with that have baked in circularity, you know, uh, when it comes to development and design and whatnot. So, um, you gotta get to people what they want. Right. Um, before we move forward, joy, give you a chance just to respond to Tony’s comments, any, any last thoughts about, um, uh, what, what takes place at the home Depot when it comes to sustainability initiatives?

Joy Hicks (20:49):

You know, there, there are new, um, things, uh, or, or processes that we’re looking at to, to try to drive sustainability. Um, we’re, we’re looking at recycled glass for, um, you know, insulation and then, you know, on the other side of the world, um, we’re making sure that the wood that we are are purchasing from around the world, um, is coming from sustainable places. We don’t buy wood from the Amazon or the Congo basins, and there’s other areas that we, uh, make sure that we protect too. So sustainability really is just a global view and how you can do better by the planet. So

Scott Luton (21:29):

Love that responsible sourcing. Um, I’m glad, I’m glad you brought that up. Um, okay. So now we’re gonna kind of segue as we kind of move into the last segment here with joy Hicks from the home Depot, of course, joining by my dear friend, Tony Sheroda with the reversal logistics association, uh, joy, uh, let’s pick your brain a bit and get you to take, give our listeners some, all of us, some advice. So for any of us that wanted to implement new sustainability focused projects at their own organization, what advice would you offer to them based on your journey ex and, and expertise

Joy Hicks (22:02):

Seek out internal partners? Um, it is, uh, it’s easy for sustainability person to go into a room and try to sell a sustainability. But if you can get your legal team or your compliance team or your merchandising team to go in with you to help you sell it, it goes a lot further. The more people you can get on your side, when you go in to make your pitch to leadership, to change policy or implement a process, the better. So it goes back to that internal selling thing I was talking about earlier, right?

Scott Luton (22:34):

So true. Tony, add on to that.

Tony Sciarrotta (22:36):

Well, joy knows from our days at Phillips, that was the, the biggest thing that the service organization had to do. Because again, from the sales side, their buck stops. The minute the product is bought by a consumer, goes out the door, they’ve made their money, they’ve made their margin, they’ve made their bonus figures and things like that, all that magic happens. It’s all that stuff that happens afterwards, that those organizations have to learn to cut across the silos service, had to anyone in the aftermarket support. You have to learn to cut across the silos. And I think that’s why the returns group kept getting shifted around it. Isn’t just that they didn’t know where to put it, but there was a recognition that it is part of supply chain. It is part of finance. It is part of market, product introduction, uh, joy, maybe, uh, at home Depot.

Tony Sciarrotta (23:27):

I’m not sure if you’re as actively involved in a new product launch, um, whether it’s it’s safe, whether it’s viable, what are gonna be the hazards of it. And that’s something that really is important to cut across those silos. And joy knows again, back at Phillips, I would have to go and enlist the aid of the service organization to prevent a product from coming to markets, just because we knew it was gonna result in high returns. Mm. Because it wasn’t quite ready for prime time. And, um, uh, I think joy also knows from our Phillips days, we were fighting the six Sigma engineers for a long time joy, right? They were in the room beating us up, saying there’s nothing wrong with this stuff. You’re taking back. And for years we had to fight six Sigma people and say, it’s not the technical perfection. It’s, you know, when you make a car, you want it to be technically perfect granted.

Tony Sciarrotta (24:27):

But when you make a consumer product, you want it to be nice, friendly, easy to use, exceed expectations, easy to turn on. We learned about quick start guides, joy. Remember we used to put in the stop sign. And what an experience is that if a, if a customer buys a product at home Depot and opens the box and there’s this red stop sign and says, don’t take it back, call us <laugh>. Well, the message is important, but it’s not the right way to do it. So the gold star took over from the stop sign, congratulations on your purchase. And this is stuff that the merchants at a home Depot also influence, right. Joy. And you’re part of those teams. I know,

Joy Hicks (25:07):

Yeah. Getting in on the front end and making sure that we are, are sourcing the right products is half the battle for sure. Absolutely. And especially, you know, we’ve got, um, we’ve got some, some, some pretty, um, aggressive goals when it comes to the environment. And in order to, to, to make sure that we hit those, we have to make sure that we have the buy-in of the people that are picking the products for our shelves.

Scott Luton (25:32):

Mm, okay. Uh, joy. Thank you. Uh, I, as I’m listening to what Tony’s last segment, it was about 17,000 directions. I want to go with, with all that he shared yours was pinpoint and succinct, and I’m never those things, those words don’t describe me, but, um, yeah, the six Sigma engineers, right. I, I gotta, I gotta speak to that for a second, Tony, cuz if I I’m hearing you correctly. Right. And, and of course we wanna love when all of our continuous improvement listeners, right. Six Sigma is an important methodology. Um, but I’m what I’m hearing you say is a, a good bias for action over the perfect strategy is important. Right? Uh, you don’t have to have the perfect strategy at the initial launch, you know, that action and what you learn along the way as you tweak the strategy is an important approach. Is that right? Tony? Would you say?

Tony Sciarrotta (26:20):

Absolutely.

Scott Luton (26:21):

Okay. And then secondly, going back, George, to your initial, you know, where we started about, you know, getting your advice on, on how to get projects going. Um, we’ve had a lot of, you know, these types of conversations here at supply chain now, and one of the big common themes, and it kind of goes along the lines of your advice. Joy is especially for our leaders and managers that are listening, right? And you, you do these initiatives, whether they’re sustainability or technology or you, whatever, do it with your people, don’t do it to your people. You know, the, the people oftentimes aren’t scared of the project or the new technology or the new initiative or whatever. They’re more fearful of change as all humans are. Right. So if you do it with folks, you know, find that, um, what you call it, joy find that kinda an internal allies, right?

Joy Hicks (27:08):

Absolutely internal partners for

Scott Luton (27:10):

Sure. Internal partners. And you can go faster, farther, sooner. I think if I said that, right. Uh, a lot of good stuff, joy and Tony man get y’all two together. It’s like the wonder twin powers activate here. Um, let’s uh, I’m gonna ask this next question to both of y’all Tony. I’m not even gonna let you ask it. I’m gonna ask, cause I’m gonna ask you both. So joy, uh, again, picking your, uh, brain a bit and getting your, some of your expertise. Let’s envision the, uh, Walldorf Astoria up in New York city. I’m not sure if it’s still open or not, but it’s this grand hotel. It’s a big grand ballroom. And, uh, you’ve got a room full, um, at the, uh, how to advance in your career conference. And you’ve got the captive attention of a, of this full room of new college graduates that all want to enter global business and move up the ranks, just like you have, what would be as you take the stage, what will be your best advice to them,

Joy Hicks (28:07):

Be curious and don’t be afraid to take, or, or make sure that you take roles that are that interest you, um, it doesn’t always necessarily have to be up to go onward. Sometimes you will take a lateral role because it has a, a, a new skill that you need, uh, a new passion you wanna explore. Um, don’t, don’t go for the role, go for the, um, go for the experience, go for the skills that, that you need to learn to make sure that you have, um, uh, the, the toolkit you need to, to move ahead,

Scott Luton (28:42):

Big picture advice, uh, from joy there, Tony, I think that was excellent. Uh, your thoughts, Tony?

Tony Sciarrotta (28:49):

I think that, uh, joy expressed it so well. And by the way, I love the fact that I, I believe in my board companies of which home Depot is one of them. I have some of the smartest people on the planet in this area that includes joy and her colleagues, uh, Trish beam and Ryan Holden, and Troy Campbell. And, and there’s a whole list of them. Now, Katie baker that think like this, they think about not just limiting, uh, what they wanna do and focus on. They know they have to reach out. And I think that’s a part of the culture at home Depot as well. That’s, that’s a big factor is that they encourage people to figure out other ways to do things and joy hit on almost the exact same words, addressing the audience that Tom Mar did the last month that we talked, right?

Tony Sciarrotta (29:37):

Tom said the same kind of things work across boundaries, get to work in other areas and, and joy just reiterated the same words. And, uh, you know, we get, tell the story again and again, uh, Scott about Mike coming out of being a happy go, lucky sales and marketing guy, you know, and they just decided one day he said, Hey, Tony, go fix the returns problem. I’m like what <laugh>. And then it becomes a passion. Um, and joy, uh, you know, she was in service, she was a, a, you know, a service support person. And then she gets involved in selling refurb and she doesn’t stop there. And now she’s involved in sustainability and things that save the planet. Mm. So you just being curious is a nice way to say it joy, but it’s, it’s more than that. It it’s, it’s, it’s curious and a passion and a desire to make a difference. Mm. And, and joy makes a difference every day at home Depot. And most of her colleagues do too. So I get to say that plug

Scott Luton (30:36):

Too, Tony, you you’re way in Shakespeare today, I tell you what, um, the, uh, blessed are the volunteers. I is, um, a phrase that, uh, I’ve, I’ve long, shared, uh, over the years, you know, folks joy to your point, willing to raise your hand, you know, move into their UN you know, discomfort zone, you know, working new muscles, you know, learning new experiences, joy. It really is, uh, a great piece of advice because that’s how you can uncover whole new trajectories for your, your career. Uh, so thank you so much for sharing. Um, okay. And by the way, joy, I gotta give a, a shout out. Uh, I visit, uh, the, the home Depot store in Monroe, Georgia. You know, you have all different kind of pronunciations of cities here. Uh, it’s Monroe, Louisiana, but it’s Monroe. I think, uh, Georgia, I always get this messed up, but love, uh, the team there and the work they do. Um, okay. So before we make sure our listeners can connect with joy in the home Depot, Tony, uh, let’s make sure to touch on the next big RLA event coming up, which is,

Tony Sciarrotta (31:40):

Well, there’s, there’s a couple of things going on. One is that we, um, uh, we have a private event by invitation only for the RLA leadership summit, and that will be in Nashville, September 7th and eighth. And that includes, uh, an all day session with the board companies, with myself and my operations team. Um, and, uh, I had asked joy to be there, but she decided to go on vacation instead. <laugh> so, you know, um, so instead we have a new board member from home Depot who will be, uh, participating with us. So that’s a very special event cuz day one is, is the leadership dinner with the board companies. Uh, again, again, home Depot will be there for dinner and others. Uh, then the next day kind of, uh, following along the lines of what Joy’s world is, we’re gonna have some morning sessions about market intelligence and a couple things, but the afternoon’s exciting because we’re gonna have a tour of a, of a recycling facility.

Tony Sciarrotta (32:39):

One of our board companies is Sims. They have three facilities in a Nashville area, and they’re allowing our guest, our, our major members to, at, to visit one of the, uh, the recycling facilities. I’ve been lucky enough to be through it. Uh, you have to wear hard hat and earplugs, cuz it’s a bit noisy to see these machines that are turning it into something right. And, and glad to see that. So that’s our leadership event. And then Scott, we’re hoping that the whole world is with us in Las Vegas, right in February seven to ninth at the Mirage hotel, which will be the north America conference and expo, uh, with, with, well, we had over 650 people including yourself and Amanda this year and we plan to grow it. There’s no plans, it’s already going to be a bigger event.

Scott Luton (33:29):

<laugh>

Tony Sciarrotta (33:29):

Um, and the

Scott Luton (33:30):

Only, the only bigger event in, in Vegas is, uh, what’s the love, Beatles, love musical, <laugh> Beatles love, or David Copperfield, baby, uh, but a home run event and it’s grown every year. This is gonna be the biggest, um, you know, we have to start referring to as a spectacle because that’s how big it’s getting Tony. I appreciate what you and the team do is, uh, an event not to miss. So appreciate that. And I,

Tony Sciarrotta (33:54):

And I covered the dates because I want joy to fix your calendar right now. So there’s no vacation in February for joy Hicks. She has to be in Las Vegas with us. Joy also should know Scott. She is part of, of our, our committee, the recycling and sustainability committee. She’s one of the co-chairs along with Sims and along with Hewlett Packard and she’s excellent. She’s actually run a session, uh, completely by herself, meaning she gave a presentation to the committee members and that’s a member benefit, but you get to hear from incredibly smart people like joy telling you what their company’s doing and not only giving you best practices, but giving you indications of how to make other best practices happen. Sure. So, uh, very proud of joy and, and her commitment and support to that committee and to the RLA Scott had to put that plug in.

Scott Luton (34:46):

So joy you’ve got, I think Tony must be the, uh, Atlanta chair, the chair of the Atlanta joy Hicks fan club. <laugh> joy. So you gotta respond to that joy.

Joy Hicks (34:56):

Oh, Tony, um, has been a mentor of mine for, uh, a number of years. And uh, like, like, like he mentioned earlier, we won’t disclose exactly how many, but it’s a, it’s a pleasure to, to, to work with the RLA it’s an organization that, um, I’ve been familiar with and a part of for, for a long time now, and it’s done wonderful things, um, um, under, under, uh, Tony’s guidance for sure.

Scott Luton (35:21):

Love it. Okay. So how can, uh, joy, of course we’ve seen you in action with your, uh, uh, presenting and, and sharing your expertise. Uh, we mentioned an event on the front end where, um, you played a role in that. Uh, clearly love how you’re giving back to what you’re just talking about, helping others, um, when it comes to returns, sustainability, environmental, you name it, you know, it’s really important and beholden on all of us in the industry to, to proliferate that knowledge so that we can move all everyone forward. Uh, so if anyone wants to connect, compare notes with you and may have a question for you, how can they connect with you and the home Depot?

Joy Hicks (36:00):

I think, um, especially with regards to, to our discussion today, a, a good place for people to go to learn more about the home Depot and, uh, sustainability practices is our website dedicated to that. It’s eco actions dot home depot.com, and there’s a newsletter there, a sustainability newsletter that that folks can sign up for and, and hear about the, the things that that we’re doing, uh, uh, on a, on a month, on a monthly basis. And you can reach out to me personally, um, at joy_a_hicks@homedepot.com.

Scott Luton (36:35):

Wonderful. It’s just that easy. And do you wanna, and I’m putting you on a spot here and you don’t have to share, you’ve got a vacation around the corner, uh, where you wanna shedding light and where you’re going, what you might be doing and inspire the rest of us.

Joy Hicks (36:49):

Um, headed out west, going to, um, gonna go to Sedona. Uh, oh man. Yeah, Sedona and Flagstaff gonna gonna get out into the desert, but try to get a little bit cooler by going up in the, up in the mountains.

Scott Luton (37:01):

Love that. And you, I learned from a dear friend, uh, Corey who may be listening, uh, that the locals refer to Flagstaff as flag. So little insider knowledge there, joy as your, in the Flagstaff. Uh, but anyway, have a wonderful, wonderful vacation. Uh, and Tony folks can connect with you at,

Tony Sciarrotta (37:22):

Uh, Tony R a.org.org and LinkedIn. Uh, you’ve got the spelling of my name, usually on the screen, cuz it’s not an easy one. Uh, and I know, uh, joy happens to be over there on LinkedIn as well. So LinkedIn is usually a good tool to reach out and, uh, send a message. Uh, don’t ask us to give consulting advice via LinkedIn. That’s lately been the trend, Scott. I think I’m doing too many of these with you because I’m getting all these people asking, uh, how do we, uh, how do we do this and this and this? And that’s like, no, we don’t consult on LinkedIn, but if you wanna connect, uh, to join, I that’s a good way. Uh, joy is also featured again on the RLA website in a couple of places as the committee chair for, uh, the recycling sustainability committee. And then as, uh, one of the member board member companies, uh, is home Depot as

Scott Luton (38:13):

Well. Love it. Uh, well huge, thanks to joy Hicks with the home Depot, joy. Thanks so much for car. Some time out here today,

Joy Hicks (38:21):

It’s been a pleasure

Scott Luton (38:23):

And Tony, Sheroda always a pleasure. Uh, I appreciate, uh, some of your back stories of, of, uh, you enjoy working together and, and, and, you know, she seems to be a very humble person. So I’m glad that we were here to get, get the full story of how she’s been contributing to industry.

Tony Sciarrotta (38:38):

Absolutely. And, uh, I’m, I’m very glad to see supply chain now, continuing this focus on reverse logistics to dark side, Scott, you’re bringing some light to us to joy and I, and all the work that all of the members are doing. So we, we really appreciate you’re the only global voice, uh, doing this. And that’s important. Thank you.

Scott Luton (38:58):

Uh, I appreciate that our team appreciates that and really enjoy, uh, producing and promoting this episodes and, and conversations. Uh, again, big, thanks to joy and Tony, Hey listeners, hopefully you enjoy this conversation. We had a, a mix of all kinds of things, the journey, uh, some of the best practices, some of the trends to, uh, make sure on your are on your radar. Some of the ways that you can advance your career, got some great home run advice there, both from joy and Tony. Um, but whatever you do, it’s about as, as both joy and Tony were talking about, it’s about taking action, deeds, not words. So on that note for on behalf, our entire team, Scott Luton signing off for now, but challenging you to do good to give forward and to be the chain, Hey, be like joy and Tony. And with that said, we’ll see next time, right back here at supply chain now. Thanks everybody.

Intro/Outro (39:44):

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