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Steve Lash: Loco Like A Fox
“A chicken is actually corn with feathers,” Steve Lash says. He should know. Lash is director of supply chain management for El Pollo Loco, a restaurant chain that built its success on citrus-marinated, flame-grilled, Mexican-style chicken. With more than 360 stores in seven states, and a 12-state expansion underway, El Pollo Loco (Spanish for The […]
Read MoreJohn Rickard: Logistics With a Human Touch
Try this logistics experiment: Drop packages of food from a helicopter onto a field filled with football and rugby players and see if anyone gets hurt. That’s the exercise John Rickard and his associates at the relief agency International Rescue Committee (IRC) conducted in 1999 while laying plans for a humanitarian mission in the mountains […]
Read MoreDebbie E. Jackson: Life at the End of the ERP Tunnel
Debbie Jackson is starting to get her life back. It has been on hold since late 2003, while she and her colleagues at Johns Hopkins University endured one of the truly harrowing ordeals of business life: a major ERP implementation. As supply chain procurement team lead for HopkinsOne—the initiative to move all the Johns Hopkins […]
Read MoreBrent Shinall: Bursting with Energy
When Brent Shinall grew bored with his job as manufacturing engineer for hypersonic engine maker Pratt & Whitney, he started exploring new career opportunities. “I saw people in the purchasing department working with suppliers and negotiating contracts, and thought, ‘That looks like more fun,’” he recalls. So when the company’s purchasing manager needed an engineer […]
Read MoreIvan 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 […]
Read MoreMichael 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 […]
Read MoreMark 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 […]
Read MoreMilton 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 […]
Read MoreMelissa 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 […]
Read MoreKeith 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 […]
Read MoreAmilia Pickerill: Go With the Flow
Swagelok Company’s fluid system components keep liquids and gases flowing, and Amilia Pickerill keeps those components streaming to customers around the world. Pickerill is logistics program manager for Swagelok, a Cleveland-area firm whose fittings, valves, filters, hoses, and other products play important roles in research and in the pharmaceutical, oil and gas, power, petrochemical, alternative […]
Read MoreDon Dickey: Living the Wi-Life
Don Dickey keeps an eye on his product, and his product keeps an eye out for you. Dickey is vice president of logistics and customer support for WiLife, maker of the LukWerks Digital Video Surveillance System. The Draper, Utah, startup markets LukWerks to consumers and small business owners, who use the package of video cameras, […]
Read MoreHarry Miranda: The Paper Chase
Every time you pick up a copy of Inbound Logistics you’re touching the work of Harry Miranda. As director of logistics for St. Ives, South Florida, he is in charge of moving paper and ink into the plant where this magazine is printed, then for getting finished copies into subscribers’ hands. Since August of last […]
Read MoreJames Renaud: Getting Ready for Liftoff
When work goes well for James Renaud, rockets soar into space. Literally. As director of development operations for Boeing Company, Renaud is in charge of the group that builds prototypes of Boeing products, such as the Delta IV launch vehicle that blasts satellites into orbit. “Having a successful launch makes my day,” Renaud says. Renaud’s […]
Read MoreShane Grutsch: Oil’s Well That Ends Well
If your next order of french fries, chicken nuggets, or onion rings is cooked to a golden crisp, you might have Shane Grutsch of Restaurant Technologies Inc. (RTI), Minneapolis, to thank. More than 10,000 U.S. foodservice establishments use RTI’s patented system to manage their cooking oil. RTI provides and maintains equipment that automatically feeds oil […]
Read MoreJohn Depew: High-Flying Logistics
As manager of distribution for a magazine publisher, John Depew faces an odd concern: his display racks won’t stand still. That’s because the “racks” are seatback pockets on commercial aircraft. Working for American Airlines Publishing, Depew’s job is to move newly published in-flight magazines from the printer in Jonesboro, Ark., to some 200 airports, making […]
Read MoreHeather Fryar: Life on the Strategic Side
Airplane components, laundry detergent additives, offset printing equipment, and men’s formal wear have one thing in common: Heather Fryar. As logistics manager for St. Louis-based Sequa Corp., Fryar oversees inbound and outbound transportation strategy for the parent company’s seven business units. That means improving transportation processes and cutting costs among operations that manufacture a diverse […]
Read MoreSteve Inamorati: Moo-ving up the Supply Chain
Talk about the pressures of supply and demand! With consumers clamoring for natural and organic dairy products, Stonyfield Farm, Londonderry, N.H., has grown by 20 to 30 percent each year. But the company has had a hard time keeping up with growing demand for organic foods. “We’ve experienced an organic milk shortage,” explains Steve Inamorati, […]
Read MoreKevin McNelly: Delivering Medical Products, Stat!
Kevin McNelly always keeps an eye on the future. As vice president, supply chain at biotechnology company MedImmune Inc., he must keep materials and finished goods flowing to meet demand for the company’s current products. But he also must make sure that, when the time comes, everything will be in place to satisfy customers with […]
Read MoreDennis Sheldon: Leading a Plush Life in Logistics
It’s no wonder Dennis Sheldon gets all warm and fuzzy about his job. Since May, he has been deep into plush and stuffing in his role as managing director, logistics for St. Louis-based Build-A-Bear Workshop. Build-A-Bear Workshop gives visitors the chance to make their own teddy bears or other toy animals. Customers stuff and sew […]
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