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James Bradley: Supply Chain Management is in His DNA
Is there a gene for supply chain management? If so, James Bradley must have it—his father worked in logistics and supply in the Air Force, and Bradley has been focused on the field since college. If scientists do discover such a gene, chances are they’ll be working with technology from Bradley’s employer, Affymetrix, a Santa […]
Read MoreSteve Schad: Navigating a Career in Supply Chain Management
As a college student studying business management, Steve Schad thought a lot about links, but not the ones in the supply chain. “I thought I’d be on the PGA tour,” says this avid golfer. “But that didn’t work out.” What did work out was a 30-year career in supply chain management and operations. And for […]
Read MoreShawn Surber: Going Whole Hog
Farmers feed the world, and Shawn Surber moves the feed. As logistics manager for Premier Feeds in Wilmington, Ohio, Surber coordinates ingredient flow into three feed plants and product delivery to distributors and farmers in his region. He manages a 26-truck fleet, occasionally hopping into the driver’s seat himself. When needed, he also lends a […]
Read MoreJose Flores: Zooming Right Along
On April 24, 2008, Jose Flores broke a record. That day marked his 45th year at Yamaha Corporation, and with that milestone he became the Japanese company’s longest-serving U.S. employee. Since Flores joined Yamaha in 1963, much of his work has had a strong logistics component. Currently, he’s administration manager in Yamaha Motor Corp. USA’s […]
Read MoreAutumn Bayles: Taking the Cake
Autumn Bayles has a big job, but it’s also a sweet one. Most people who grew up in the mid-Atlantic region know the Tastykake brand as a popular lunchbox staple. Bayles’ employer, the Tasty Baking Company, has been turning out snack-sized cakes and pies under that name in Philadelphia since 1914. During three tough years […]
Read MoreFred Clark: Just What the Doctor Ordered
In January 2003, Army sergeant Fred Clark was on leave at his home in Fort Hood, Texas, when his colonel called him into the office. Clark, a senior logistician, learned that the Army was moving him to a different unit, which would deploy to Kuwait in 10 days. For 48 hours, Clark and his new […]
Read MoreBarry Schap: Pumping It Up
The United States is expected to produce 13 billion gallons of ethanol in 2008, according to the Renewable Fuels Association. Barry Schaps, senior vice president of logistics at VeraSun Energy in Brookings, S.D., moves most of that supply. By the end of this year, when it completes a merger with U.S. BioEnergy and opens some […]
Read MoreMichael Strauss: Putting Military Training On the Line
In the early 1990s, artillery officer Mike Strauss was leading an Army convoy down a German country road in the middle of the night when he got word of a breakdown three-quarters of the way back in line. The stopped vehicle blocked the road so completely that nothing behind it could squeeze past. One of […]
Read MoreKathy McCurry: A Wild New Ride
More people would swap their cars for motorcycles if only they knew what to wear. That’s the premise behind Classy Rider Apparel, a business that makes motorcycle jackets with mainstream appeal. In the five years she has been running Classy Rider as a one-woman operation, Kathy McCurry has learned to manage suppliers in China, coordinate […]
Read MoreJamie Meadows: He’s Got Your Back
Jamie Meadows was still completing his college degree when he reported for a summer job at ConAgra Foods in Newport, Tenn. The plant was adding a new ketchup production line and needed some reorganization. “The plant engineer called me into his office, threw a blueprint on the table, and said, ‘Design our warehouse,’” Meadows says. […]
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