For our November episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby were live at the Fall 2024 Supply Chain Forum, where they spoke with Robert Martichenko, board chair for TrailPath Workplace Solutions, and Sunland Logistics Solutions' CEO Arch Thomason and VP of Human Resources Diane Lowman.

With fundamental forces, from population demographics to shifting societal attitudes, shifting the nature of work and the relationships between people and their employers, the challenge of attracting, recruiting, developing, and retaining talent is greater than ever. Our guests provide an in-depth case study for how they've partnered to build a Meaningful Employment Environment where trust has been established, fundamental needs are being met, the environment is participative, and the work is meaningful.

These are the kinds of relevant projects being tackled by University of Tennessee partners and shared through our extensive networks. Learn more about becoming a member of our renowned Supply Chain Forum today.

The episode was recorded live at the Marriott Knoxville Downtown on November 13, 2024. Watch a video of the episode.

Related links:

• Listen to our Season 1 episode featuring Robert Martichenko, "Is Lean Dead?"
• Read our latest white paper, "Unlocking the Potential of the Gen XYZ Labor Force," released at the forum.
• Listen to our Season 2 episode with Sunland's Chief Customer Officer Elijah Ray, "It's All About People."
• Become a Supply Chain Forum member
• Learn about SCM Academy programs, including upcoming virtual courses on Leadership (Jan. 29–May 6), Finance (March 3–April 27), and Planning (March 17–May 11)
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

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For the first episode of our third season, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby speak with Haslam College of Business lecturer Paul Fortunato and partners from his Supply Chain Project Management (SCM 430) course at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Fortunato, a former executive with Dow Chemical Company, invited Lori Maurer, director of the center for supply chain excellence, and Riley Clayton, logistics and supply chain manager, from Albemarle to talk with Ted and Tom about the corporation’s three-year involvement in his course.

UT’s top-ranked supply chain management programs are held up by their real-world relevance and the close work with corporate partners such as Albemarle, a leading provider of lithium, bromine, and other essential chemical elements.

Don’t miss this exciting discussion on talent identification, university and business collaborations, and real-world supply chain challenges addressed by UT students. To open the episode, our hosts also talk about the impact of U.S. port strikes, economic growth numbers, the upcoming presidential election, and more!

Is your company interested in partnering with the University of Tennessee? Learn more about becoming a member of our renowned Supply Chain Forum.

The episode was recorded virtually on October 28.

Related links:

• The U.S. economy remains engine of global growth in latest IMF forecasts
• Election-year effect: scenarios that could impact the supply chain
• Don Maier on understanding the impact of organized labor on the U.S. supply chain
• For the fifth year, UT ranked No. 1 in the SEC and No. 4 nationally for SCM programs by U.S. News and World Report
• Register for the Fall 2024 Supply Chain Forum, Nov. 12–14 in Knoxville
• Become a Supply Chain Forum member
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

Text the Tennessee on Supply Chain Management team!

In between Seasons 2 and 3, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby were at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Conference, where they caught up with Kate Vitasek, a GSCI Fellow and internationally renowned business leader, educator, and founder of Vested, a model for creating highly collaborative business relationships in which both parties are equally committed to each other’s success.

Vitasek and her Vested model were nominated for the CSCMP Supply Chain Innovation and Teaching Innovation awards.

Later this month, she will operate back-to-back courses on UT’s campus: Vested Executive Education (Oct. 28-30) and Collaborative Contracting (Oct. 31-Nov. 1). She also offers virtual courses and opportunities worldwide. You won’t want to miss out!

***Vitasek is offering a full scholarship to Ports and their management to send a group to Knoxville to attend either course***

The episode was recorded live on September 30, 2024, during the CSCMP Edge Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Related links:

• Learn more about Kate Vitasek and the Vested business model
• Download Vitasek’s full library of white papers and case studies in English, Spanish, French, Swedish, Dutch, and Portuguese
• Dockworkers go on strike, snarling traffic at East and Gulf Coast ports
• Hurricane Helene may devastate tech and health supply chains
• Register for the Fall 2024 Supply Chain Forum, Nov. 12–14 in Knoxville
• Become a Supply Chain Forum member
• Download GSCI’s latest white papers for free
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

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In the final episode of Season 2, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby speak with Elijah Ray, chief customer officer of Sunland Logistics Solutions about the evolution of third-party logistics, the importance of company culture, employee retention, and creating trust with clients.

With nearly four decades of experience in logistics and supply chain management, Ray has contributed to a culture of continuous improvement and big-name brand engagement at Sunland. He is a member-at-large and former president of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

Don’t miss this exciting discussion on great workplace environments, thriving business partnerships, creating value for both parties, leading with care, and more.

The interview with Elijah Ray starts at 5:40.

The episode was recorded on August 15, 2024, during the GSCI Advisory Board meeting at the Haslam College of Business.

Related links:

• US unemployment claims fall in sign of resiliency in job market
• Inflation dipped in July, Fed expected to cut interest rates
• Canada rail strike, lockouts slated to start this week
• Register for the Fall 2024 Supply Chain Forum, Nov. 12–14 in Knoxville
• Become a Supply Chain Forum member
• Download our latest white papers for free
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

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For our July episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby speak with Dave Clark, former CEO of worldwide consumer business for Amazon.

In two decades at Amazon, Clark, a graduate of UT’s MBA program, helped build one of the most extensive supply chain operations in the world, with hundreds of fulfillment centers and transportation facilities, a fleet of several dozen dedicated aircraft, 100,000 delivery vans, and more than 1.5 million employees. Clark is a member of the American Red Cross Board of Governors and served as CEO of Flexport from 2022 to 2023. He is regularly sought out for his expertise in tackling logistics issues related to national security and global affairs.

Don’t miss this exciting discussion on the evolution of Amazon’s consumer business as well as current warehousing trends, the state of the economy, retail consumer habits and expectations, and much more.

The episode was recorded virtually on July 8, 2024.

Related links:

• How consumer demands drive warehousing trends
• Ocean freight rates are spiking again
• Inflation continues to slow in the U.S. opening door to Fed rate cut
• U.S. labor market adds 206,000 jobs, unemployment rises to 4.1%
• Amazon plans to launch discount store to fend off Temu and Shein
• Gartner ranks UT’s graduate SCM programs No. 1 in North America
• Read/watch Dave Clark’s fireside chat at UT’s Haslam College in April
• Become a Supply Chain Forum member
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

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For our June episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby speak with University of Tennessee colleagues Joe Buckley executive education director for supply chain management, and Dan Pellathy, assistant professor of practice for SCM.

Buckley, who spent three decades in industry (including seven years as director of materials management and transportation for the Tennessee Valley Authority), is the mastermind behind UT’s highly acclaimed virtual learning academies. After the success of the Leadership and Finance academies, he and Pellathy collaborated on the Planning academy launching Fall 2024 and are working on a Procurement academy for 2025. More than 1,500 students, ranging from managers to VPs, across every industry have participated since the first Leadership academy was launched three years ago.

In this conversation, they discuss talent development efforts, the mid-level manager crunch, pairing hard- and soft-skill development for emerging leaders, delivering education flexibly and in digestible forms for busy professionals, and more.

Ted and Tom also talk about the reopening of the Port of Baltimore, the Container Port Performance Index Global Ranking of Container Ports, labor scarcity and automation, and more.

The episode was recorded virtually on June 11, 2024.

Related links:

• Baltimore’s busy port fully reopens after bridge collapse
• The Port of Charleston (53) is the top U.S.-ranked port, ahead of Philadelphia (55), Miami (74), and Boston (75), in CPPI’s 2023 rankings
• Potential strikes at East Coast and Gulf ports threaten further disruption
• Sudden container crunch sends ocean freight rates soaring
• Understanding America’s labor shortage: state-by-state analysis
• Tom Goldsby on the Dynamo Future of Supply Chain podcast discussing the complexities of global trade and logistics
• Learn more about SCM Talent Development programs at UT
• Download (free) Dan Pellathy’s white paper on supply chain planning talent development and leadership
• Become a Supply Chain Forum member
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the

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For our May episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby speak with Martha Buffington, chief procurement officer for SC Johnson, about all aspects of effective business leadership.

They touch on company culture in global organizations, advancing your career and finding success during times of transition, the importance of empowerment over delegation to drive team achievement, balancing double standards for female leaders, and more.

A member of the GSCI Advisory Board, Buffington spent more than two decades with Coca-Cola, rising to the position of chief procurement officer for its Bottling Investments Group before transitioning into senior procurement positions with DSM in the Netherlands. She joined SC Johnson, a Supply Chain Forum member, in 2022.

Listen in as our hosts discuss current consumer sentiment, import numbers and new tariffs, the latest in rail transportation in North America, the Port of Baltimore’s removal of the cargo ship Dali, and much more.

The episode was recorded virtually on May 13, 2024.

Related links:

• US consumer sentiment at six-month low, inflation expectations rise
• Cargo ship Dali that struck Port of Baltimore being removed
• Canada seeks ruling on mandatory shipments during potential rail strike
• US plans to impose major tariffs on EVs, other Chinese green energy imports
• Container import volumes rise in rebound after China's Lunar New Year
• How women manage the gendered forms of leadership
• Become a Supply Chain Forum member
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

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For our April episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby were live at the Spring 2024 Supply Chain Forum speaking with Peter Anderson, chief supply chain officer for WestRock, and Jeff DiLullo, chief region leader for Philips North America.

Both Anderson and DiLullo are senior industry leaders and members of the GSCI Advisory Board. Together with our hosts, they discuss all aspects of sustainability in the supply chain, including carbon footprint, scope emissions, regulatory practices and their influence, technological innovations, and more.

The episode was recorded live at the Marriott Knoxville Downtown on April 10, 2024. Watch the video of the episode.

Related links:

• U.S. economy adds 303,000 jobs in March, unemployment down to 3.8%
• Inventory expansion, more efficient us of warehousing and transportation drive economic activity in logistics sector
• Inflation remains a concern as March consumer prices come in above expectations
• Manufacturing activity contracts in February following 2.5 years of growth
• Sustainability at WestRock
• Sustainability at Philips
• Professor Alex Scott talks sustainable logistics and future-proofing supply chains on the Sustainable Supply Chain podcast
• Become a Supply Chain Forum member
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

Text the Tennessee on Supply Chain Management team!