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Case Studies

Ivan Figueroa: A Man Who Plays Many Parts

Ivan Figueroa leads a double life. As global logistics manager for Radiant Systems in Alpharetta, Ga., he keeps distribution centers throughout the world supplied with spare parts for his company’s point-of-sale systems. In his other role as council member of the newly formed city of Johns Creek, Ga., he wrestles with zoning and planning questions […]

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Michael Mahon: Rolling in Dough

When the music store he managed went out of business, Denver jazz bassist Mike Mahon needed a new day job. He found one driving a delivery truck for Otis Spunkmeyer, a manufacturer and distributor of frozen cookie dough and ready-made bakery products. Soon, Mahon spotted an opportunity that looked too good to pass up. Otis […]

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Mark Smith: Remaking SC Strategy, Again

It is amazing how much can change in a mere 18 months. When Mark Smith left his job as head of operations for GTSI in early 2005, the company focused mainly on reselling information technology products—such as notebook computers and software packages—to government organizations. But in September 2006, when Smith returned to the Chantilly, Va.-based […]

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Milton Young: A Tree Grows in Houston

Milton Young is in the Christmas tree business, but not the kind you decorate with tinsel and twinkling lights. His employer, Houston-based FMC Technologies, manufactures valve assemblies that control the flow of product pumped from undersea petroleum fields. Called “subsea Christmas trees” for their branching shape, these systems are engineered to withstand rough usage one […]

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Melissa Grant: She’s in Hot Water

“Most people don’t think about their water heater until they don’t have hot water,” says Melissa Grant. As demand planning manager at Rheem Water Heating, Montgomery, Ala., Grant spends her days figuring out how many people will turn their thoughts in that direction, and how their visions of soothing baths and spotless dishes will translate […]

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Keith Anderkin: Keeping Fast Food Fast

When you see an ad for a limited-time offer on a special sandwich at Arby’s, it means Keith Anderkin and his team have been busy. Anderkin is vice president of procurement for ARCOP, the Atlanta-based nonprofit purchasing and distribution co-op that serves Arby’s franchisees, and he oversees procurement of nearly all the food and packaging […]

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