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

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 latest news and insights from GSCI

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

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

For our March episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby spoke with father-and-son supply chain researchers Dale Rogers and Zac Rogers, the proprietors of the Logistics Managers’ Index, about diversifying supply chains, global redesign, friendshoring, and much more.

Dale is the ON Semiconductor Professor of Business at Arizona State University, where he directs the Frontier Economies Logistics Lab and the Internet Edge Supply Chain Lab. Like Ted, he is a member of the Supply Chain Hall of Fame and the recipient of numerous awards and grants. He is a leading researcher in reverse logistics, sustainable supply chain management, supply chain finance, and secondary markets.

Zac is an associate professor of operations and supply chain management at Colorado State University. His primary research areas include the financial impact of supply chain sustainability, emerging logistics technologies, and supply chain cybersecurity.

To start the episode, Ted and Tom discussed the positive February jobs report, consumer sentiment, the impact of the election cycle, manufacturing activity, international trade, and more.

The episode was recorded remotely on March 8, 2024.

Related links:

• U.S. added 275,000 jobs in February but unemployment rate climbs
• Inflation rate ticks up to 3.2%, hotter than expected
• Consumer sentiment retreats slightly in February
• SEC approves rule requiring companies to report greenhouse gas emissions
• No end in sight to Red Sea shipping diversions
• Manufacturing activity contracts in February following 2.5 years of growth
• Attend the 2024 Spring Supply Chain Forum in Knoxville (partners only)
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

For our February episode, co-host Ted Stank was joined by guest host Lance Saunders, associate professor of supply chain management. They spoke with Jen Kelly, vice president of planning for North America at Schneider Electric, about shortening supply chains, nearshoring and supplier capacity challenges, adding visibility into planning, generative AI for forecasting, and standardizing practice across a global organization.

Kelly was in town for a meeting of the GSCI Advisory Board. Schneider Electric, ranked by Gartner as No. 1 for best supply chain in 2023, is a longtime partner of the Supply Chain Forum and a member of the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative, which brings together industry professionals and UT faculty to tackle issues of critical importance to the discipline.

To start the episode, Ted and Lance discussed U.S. job growth, freight surges, disruption of global trade, regulatory constraints, tensions with China, and much more.

The episode was recorded on February 8, 2024.

CORRECTION: At 11:05 in the episode, our host says that Target acquired Whole Foods. It was Amazon that purchased Whole Foods in a $13.7 billion deal in June 2017.

Related links:

• Job growth surges in the U.S., 353,00 jobs added in January
• US container import volumes surge amid global supply chain challenges
• Mortgage rates jump back over 7 percent
• Consumer sentiment races to two-and-a-half year high
• Why are the Houthis attacking Red Sea ships
• Walmart growing, adding 150 stores across US
• China’s 17-year run as top source of US imports ends Mexico rises
• Download our latest white paper on Advanced Supply Chain Planning
• Register for the SCM Finance Academy
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

In our January episode, Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby speak with maritime expert Don Maier about the state of international shipping, including shifts in trade lanes, the challenges of forecasting and capital planning, and the industry impact of issues from the Panama Canal to bubbling international conflicts.

Before joining UT’s faculty as an associate professor of practice, Maier served as dean for the Maine Maritime and Cal Maritime Academies. As the founding dean of the School of Maritime Transportation, Logistics, & Management at California State University-Maritime Academy, he oversaw programs in marine transportation, international logistics, and naval science. He serves on advisory boards for the International Association of Maritime and Port Executives and the Containerization & Intermodal Institute.

In their opening recap, Ted and Tom also discuss holiday season spending, reports on U.S. jobs and manufacturing, and more.

This episode was recorded on January 5, 2024.

Related links:

• Americans spent a record $222 billion shopping online this holiday season
• Major retailers offering returnless refunds this holiday season
• U.S. employers add 216,000 jobs in a sign of continued economic growth
• Manufacturing increased in December while warehouse availability surges to highest levels since pandemic
• Congressional leaders reach a deal to avert shutdown
• Red Sea attacks pose another threat to global economy
• Panama Canal enmeshed in a crisis disrupting global trade
• Don Maier writes in The Conversation about global shipping climate strategy
• Progress on U.S.-Mexico rail-ferry service
• China names a new naval chief as maritime tensions climb
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI
• Register for the 2024 SCM Leadership Academy or SCM Finance Academy

• Hans von Steiger, Director and Team Leader of Clinical Supply Strategy and Management
• Patricia Covington, Executive Director of Global Integrated Aftermarket
• Rebecca Ann Perreault, Director of Global Capabilities and Compliance

• By the numbers: Black Friday and Cyber Monday achieved record sales
• Holiday inventory is balanced, no concern over stockouts or overstocks, per NRF
• Consumer confidence ticks up in November after months of decline
• Q3 growth rate for GDP was fastest since fourth quarter of 2021
• Solid US job growth, drop in unemployment underscore labor market resilience
• Consumer return fraud a growing concern for retailers
• Logistics Manager’s Index Report for November 2023
• Panama Canal drought to delay shipments into 2024
• Watch: Why the EMBA-GSC makes sense for senior supply chain leaders
• Learn about the Executive MBA for Global Supply Chain (EMBA-GSC)
• Register for the 2024 SCM Leadership Academy or SCM Finance Academy
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI