Articles
Case Studies

Steve Ahern: Supply Chain Strategist
Steve Ahern is manager of supply chain operational design with BASF, a leading chemical company with global sales of $67.8 billion. He has held this position since October 2014. Responsibilities Optimizing BASF’s North American network of 100-plus warehouses and distribution centers, and designing supply chain services and upgrades to its transportation process and system. Experience […]
Read More
The Son Also Rises
Chuck Wall never pressured his son Ryan to enter the family business, FHI (Freight Handlers, Inc.). But in 1998, as the young man’s college graduation drew near, he asked his father for advice about the future. Chuck Wall painted a tempting picture: “If you apply yourself, within a year or two you could be a […]
Read More
Online Purveyor of Artisanal Goods Finds Uncommon Solution
Online retailer UncommonGoods needed a way to provide extraordinarily fast shipping times to sell and transport goods to the other side of the country.
Read More
Tim Miller: Serving It Up Fresh, Fast, and Casual
Tim Miller is vice president of supply chain with Smashburger, a fast-casual burger restaurant. Based in Denver, Smashburger has more than 350 locations in 38 states and nine countries. Responsibilities: Commodity management, relationships with suppliers and third-party distributors, contract negotiations, program management; item changes, price validations, and distributor service to the restaurants, including on-time delivery […]
Read More
From Top Waffle to Top Rhino
MORE TO THE STORY: Racing to Make A Difference Kevin Nolan fell in love with the excitement of the freight brokerage floor the day he walked into a C.H. Robinson office, as a college senior, to interview for a job. “I loved the energy, the camaraderie among teammates,” he says. Having played lots of team […]
Read More
Billy Duty: Formulating a World-Class Supply Chain
Billy Duty is is head of North American supply chain with BYK USA Inc., a division of Altana, a specialty chemicals company. He has held this position since January 2016. Responsibilities: Production and replenishment planning, forecasting, customer service, warehousing, and logistics. Experience: Director, supply chain center of excellence, director, SIOP, Momentive; global supply chain manager, […]
Read More
Better Routing Takes Root
By switching from a manual to an automated routing and scheduling system, flowering plant seller Weatherford Farms puts the petals to the medal.
Read More
New Pallet Program Better by Half
Fun food manufacturer Jel Sert finds pooled half-pallets provide full supply chain benefits.
Read More
Leadership: Fashion Leader
How does a retail supply chain resemble the infrastructure of a nuclear submarine? We don’t know, but Brent Beabout sure does. He spent 13 years as an active-duty U.S. naval officer, a career that culminated in the role of engineering officer on one of those powerful undersea vessels. Then he moved on to some major […]
Read More
Marianne McDonald: Stand and Deliver
Marianne McDonald is vice president, global transportation for Avnet, a $17.4-billion global technology distributor headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Responsibilities: Global transportation services, carrier selection, contracts supporting 40 warehouse locations (owned and 3PL), day-to-day global trade compliance operations, and import/export execution. Experience: Global transportation leader, Avnet; director of global logistics for Coca Cola, Toys “R” Us, […]
Read More