Intro – Amanda Luton (00:00:05):

It’s time for supply chain. Now broadcasting live from the supply chain capital of the country, Atlanta, Georgia, heard around the world supply chain now spotlights the best in all things, supply chain, the people, the technologies, the best practices, and the critical issues of the day. And now here are your hosts.

Scott Luton (00:00:28):

Hey, good afternoon, Scott Luton here with you on supply chain. Now welcome back to the show on this episode. We’re continuing our today in manufacturing series in conjunction as always with the Georgia manufacturing Alliance. Today we’re talking with a business leader that has been leading initiatives and operations in the manufacturing and supply chain world for years in a variety of sectors. So stay tuned for practical insights and observations. It’ll will certainly raise your leadership IQ. All right, before we get started, it’s important to note that our series is brought to you by HLB, gross Collins, a top 25 Atlanta CPA firms specializing in manufacturing, distribution and supply chain operations. The firm has extensive insight in the industry and understands the specific needs that these organizations face. Uh, one last quick programming note. If you liked today, today’s episode, be sure to find us and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts from.

Scott Luton (00:01:27):

All right. When a welcome in my fearless esteem co-hosts on today’s show. First up, Jason Moss, CEO of the Georgia manufacturing Alliance. Jason, how you doing? Nays God man, I’m doing great. Glad, glad to be on this call. It’s going to be a fun one. Oh, great to have you back. We’ve really enjoyed this series. We’ve, we’ve had a, a solid string of hits, you know, in terms of great guests and I think we’re going to, this is going to be at least, uh, an off the wall double. No, no doubt. A grand slam. We’ll see. Uh, and also we couldn’t do this without Laura Madejski, principal and leader of the manufacturing distribution and supply chain practice at HLB. Gross Collins. Laura, how are you doing?

Laura Madajewski (00:02:07):

I’m doing good. Scott’s excited to be here today. It’s a gorgeous day out here in Atlanta and I finally can get outside and enjoy some of this beautiful weather.

Scott Luton (00:02:15):

Yes, we have been spoiled with the exception of some of those bad storms I’ve come through in the last few weeks. We have really been blessed with this, this early spring weather continuing into may. Mmm. Alright, well great to have you back. Looking forward to the conversation. We’ve got teed up. Let’s walk them in our featured guests here today. Rebecca Bowman, group manager, D C operations for North America at the Clorox company. Rebecca, how are you doing? I’m good. Scott, how are you doing? You know, given the challenging set of circumstances that we all we are facing, you know, I think we’re as good as can be. So, uh, appreciate all of y’all carving out some time. And Rebecca, you’ve got one heck of a story we’re gonna be diving into.

Rebecca Bowman (00:02:59):

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I’m glad to be here to be able to share a little bit of my story.

Scott Luton (00:03:05):

You bet. Okay, so let’s start by getting to know Rebecca Bowman a little bit better here. So tell us, where did you grow up and give us a, an anecdote or two about your upbringing.

Rebecca Bowman (00:03:18):

Alrighty. Um, I am a born and raised, was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. Um, so I am a, uh, Buckeye, right? Ohio state Buckeyes fan did not go to Ohio state. It was just a little too close to home. But, um, I ended up going to college in Washington, D C so a little bit more about my family, um, mom and dad, um, and a younger sister. So I was that oldest sister guidance watching out for everything as well as, uh, as as dad’s right hand. So my dad was a, uh, a skilled tradesman and, uh, in the Glazer industry. Um, and so I was right there with them all the time. Right. Understanding different tools, very hands on, you know, dad, what are you doing? What are you doing? So,

Scott Luton (00:04:10):

so, Hey, real quick, Rebecca. Um, I think I’ve got, and I’m usually the slowest one in these conversations about things. I’ve got an inkling of what glaze ring is, but for, or our audience members that may not in, in a nutshell, what is w what do you do when you’re glazing?

Rebecca Bowman (00:04:28):

Yeah. So a skilled trade and that he was responsible for installing glass. Right. So whether it’s storefronts, um, windows mirrors in both industrial as well as residential projects.

Scott Luton (00:04:43):

Wow. I bet that is a super skilled trade, steady hands expertise. I love that. And I love that you were right. Yeah. As you, as you said it, you’re right. His right hand, uh, man, you’re taken care of, you know, learning right along with him. I bet you are, uh, involved in some of the, the jobs and saw it firsthand. That’s uh, those were some special experiences. I bet.

Rebecca Bowman (00:05:10):

Oh yeah, for sure. And I think, um, very instrumental and, and, and what I decided to do career wise, right. So, um, had an opportunity or just, you know, asking a lot of why and how is this glass made that you’re dealing with. I think that’s one of my fondest memories growing up is I believe it was middle school where we had a science project and I, you know, dug into the encyclopedias at that time. No Google, um, dug into the encyclopedias of just what is going to ask, how has it made, you know, even though my dad was installing it. So I’m just trying to get to, to the history of the process of things.

Scott Luton (00:05:50):

I love that. And then we’ll, we’re gonna talk about your professional journey before Clark’s in a moment. But you mentioned you went to

Rebecca Bowman (00:05:57):

a school in DC, I believe that was at Howard university, right? Howard university? Yes. Right there in the heart of a Northwest DC.

Scott Luton (00:06:05):

How was that going to school in the nation’s Capitol?

Rebecca Bowman (00:06:08):

It was, it was great. It was great. I again, grew up in a suburb of Columbus, so I’m a little sheltered, right? Uh, the positiveness of what the suburb gives to you as you’re growing up. And then to, uh, head off to Washington DC and at that time in the late eighties, you know, DC had a, had some history to it or had some action to it. Right. Um, but it was great. It was a great, um, four and a half years. Right? A wonderful university as well as, as a city in itself. So,

Scott Luton (00:06:38):

so do you take part in the reunions and, and st in touch with your classmates?

Rebecca Bowman (00:06:44):

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. A lot of, a lot of real good lifelong friends made right in the engineering program as well as, um, just living the dorm life and the college life. So, Oh yeah. Every year we are, we are back on, on our campus and, and celebrating our homecoming every year.

Scott Luton (00:07:01):

Love that. Alright, so did I hear you right? You graduated with an engineering degree?

Rebecca Bowman (00:07:07):

Yes. Chemical engineering.

Scott Luton (00:07:09):

Chemical engineering. All right, so you’re already above at least my pay grade on this interview. I’ll let Jason, Laura speak for themselves. Um, tell us about your first job and then kind of give us a reader’s digest version of, of that first job leading up to

Rebecca Bowman (00:07:24):

your role, Clorox. Sure, sure. I, uh, um, started off with some internships, um, and my sophomore year going into my junior year, I, uh, got an internship within an oil company. Um, and it was a great opportunity, great experience. And I tell folks all the time, it was an opportunity to understand what am I going to be doing for the rest of my life based on what I learned for the last month, nine months. Right. So, um, started off with an internship at an gas company. Um, and I will say through that experience was able to say I don’t like sitting in an office. Um, then then the GRA, uh, the last internship I did before graduation was with Eli Lilly and company in Indiana. And that in itself was at a manufacturing facility. A big plants. So pharmaceuticals, right? Yeah. Pharmaceuticals. Exactly. So that was an opportunity to say, okay, you didn’t like office work, let’s see what the plant life leads and how you adjust to this. And I was hooked. I was hooked. So ended up going with them full time and my, my first, uh, the first couple of years out of college.

Scott Luton (00:08:40):

Mm. So th th did you inherit that from your dad who I’m assuming didn’t also didn’t like to be in the office. He liked to be out making stuff happen. Right, right, right. For sure. So what came after the pharmaceutical industry?

Rebecca Bowman (00:08:56):

Um, I had a couple other, um, jobs with some other companies, not as long in duration. I did some, uh, materials production. Um, I did, um, actually some car manufacture, part part manufacturing, and then I landed at Anheuser Busch. Mmm. They’re in Columbus is where I started with them and had experience in management as well as um, process engineering and project engineering and um, got a real good role with them and uh, stuck there for about 11 years. Wow. Seven great years. Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:09:34):

Mm. Uh, and that was at Anheuser Busch, right?

Rebecca Bowman (00:09:38):

Correct, correct. I started off in the Columbus, Ohio brewery and then I moved around a little bit. Um, went from Columbus to st Louis, um, then from st Louis out to Newark, New Jersey, and then from Newark, New Jersey down here to Cartersville, Georgia.

Scott Luton (00:09:54):

Right. And small world. Jason, I bet you have led GMA tours at the Cartersville brewery a couple of times in the last 10 years or so. Right. As a matter of fact, we have, and we have, that’s one of our, one of our most favorite tours. People recall, we tell lots of stories around that, but it’s an amazing facility. And, and you know, uh, Rebecca, uh, all Jason, Laura and myself all have a big appreciation having been part of those tours of how, uh, Anheuser Busch pivots during times of disaster and, and national emergencies and converts over to making, um, canned water. Yep. That is a, I think they’ve been doing some of that here in the last, no, I’ll take that back. I think they’ve been finding ways of making hand sanitizer with some of their, uh, access raw materials in recent months. And that’s just, I think that’s a hallmark of a great company, right?

Rebecca Bowman (00:10:51):

Oh, absolutely. I mean, those, those two examples plus plus videos anymore, but you’re exactly right. We’ve got an opportunity to, um, support in that, in that water canning process, right. As different natural disasters occurred across, across the globe. And, um, it was, it was wonderful to realize, right, that we’re making beer one day and biller is one of those luxuries. Right. And most of our lives, but then to be able to turn around and make water, which is so vital to, to just survival. So, yeah.

Scott Luton (00:11:24):

Okay. So what followed, uh, your 11 years at this iconic brand being in hazard Bush? What, what came next?

Rebecca Bowman (00:11:32):

Came next was the Clorox company. Okay. So yeah. Yeah. Stayed right here in Georgia and, uh, enjoyed joined Clorox.

Scott Luton (00:11:41):

So we’re gonna dive into that more in just a moment. Hey Laura, I’m going to bring you in. I know you’ve got a couple of questions for Rebecca, but before you get to those, Laura, what, what stands out to you? What’s your favorite part of the journey that Rebecca has kind of laid out there?

Laura Madajewski (00:11:59):

I think for me, it’s hearing the story from the intrigue and, um, the desire to learn from what her father was doing, which is kind of what drove me into this. So it speaks a lot to my story. Um, my father was an engineer. Well, it still is, but, um, I want to say why is he’ll listen to this and they’ll all get in trouble with that was, um, but, uh, yeah, it’s, it’s really a bit what drives us to kind of, uh, find that passion that, that, you know, feeds our, our desire to get out there and do and, and really kind of integrate ourselves in something that’s going to be a part of the, the bigger process, the better. Good. However you’d like to describe it. So that certainly was something that I thought was really intriguing to hear. Rebecca, Shera, I’m learning all sorts of new things today.

Scott Luton (00:12:50):

I love that. I love that. All right. So, uh, I know you’ve got a couple of, of curious questions for Rebecca.

Laura Madajewski (00:12:56):

Yes, I do. Um, the first one is Rebecca, what is one thing that most folks may not know about you, um, that you’d love to share with our listening audience?

Rebecca Bowman (00:13:11):

Um, I, that’s a really good question. And, um, I think one would be my sense of adventure. Yeah. Yeah. And you can think about that in a couple of different ways, right? So I’ve lived in 12 different States since graduating from college and, um, being able to make those moves across country, different States, um, solo, right? As well as the leisure side. Um, I am scuba certified. I snow ski, I kayak. Um, I used to do triathlons. I used to own a motorcycle. So just that spirit of adventure is pretty high in, in me.

Laura Madajewski (00:13:59):

Amazing. Have you done Everest yet or is that on your leg?

Rebecca Bowman (00:14:04):

That one is not on the list. I think skiing and some of these mountains are all around the, around the States is about as high as I’m going to get

Scott Luton (00:14:12):

Laura, before you move to your next question. Jason, you’re a felon. Laura, you may be too. I don’t know. I know Jason is a, is a motorcycling hobbyist and, and passionate about that. Did y’all know you had that in common, Jason? No, that’s pretty cool. I tell you anytime that it’s, it’s sunny out, uh, we’re, we’re, we’re trying to fire the backup up. Are you still riding?

Rebecca Bowman (00:14:32):

I am not, actually. I have not, but uh, I still have the, the M on my driver’s license.

Scott Luton (00:14:43):

All right. So Laura, we’ve got one more before we talk more about the Clorox company. I know you’ve got one other question.

Laura Madajewski (00:14:49):

Absolutely. Say Rebecca know I think there’s something that we like to tune into each of our guests and get some ideas of where you find sources, um, for information that kind of feeds your day to day. You know, maybe it’s, it’s both a combination of personal and professional or one or the other, but do you have any go to sources for content or news or business insights that you’d love to share with us?

Rebecca Bowman (00:15:15):

I think from a business insights perspective, I do keep, um, uh, in tune with what’s the competition, right? So just understanding the consumer goods industry, what others are doing and how they’re approaching some things. Um, just to understand what’s happening in, you know, in somebody else’s four walls and how they’re approaching different opportunities or situations. Um, so just trying to stay inside full of, of what others are doing. Um, on the, on the professional side, I think on the personal side, I work a lot with people, right? Even with an engineering degree. And some folks may think it’s very much a technical, I work with people, I work to get things done through people. So there’s a sense of how do you communicate, how do you interact and how do you motivate and influence others? So I tend to always pick up my book on, on, um, and just understanding the psyche of people and what motivates them and how they respond to change is a, is a big one for me. So, uh, there are definitely some go to books that I, I, I read and reread right to stay and then tune with those techniques and things to keep in mind about people.

Laura Madajewski (00:16:40):

Fantastic. Fantastic. Yeah, leadership is huge. I think that’s been a, an even bigger presence in, uh, business management, business leaders of the past, you know, couple of months as we’ve been going through everything in the, in the, uh, in the environment right now with the virus. Um, so yeah. Yeah. I just picked up a good book on myself, uh, called pretty good advice, uh, uh, by Leslie Blodgett. And so, yeah, I’m doing the same thing. So it’s great to hear, uh, that you continue to feed that, that part of yourself as well too. Cause it is all a big psychological, uh, yes it is.

Scott Luton (00:17:15):

Uh, Laura, uh, Jason, our beginning to pick up just how much of a voracious reader you are in doing this series together. You, you got a couple of different books each time it seems like we reconnect.

Laura Madajewski (00:17:25):

I know. Yeah. I’m not sure where I’m exactly finding the time. So maybe that’s a whole other conversation.

Scott Luton (00:17:34):

That’s right. Well, um, Rebecca, good stuff. And, and going back to what you mentioned about, um, you know, best practices from what other folks are doing. We’ve seen a lot of the demand in that, uh, specific, you know, in general that, that that never goes away. But we’ve seen a lot of organizations and business leaders really crave to figure out how other organizations have been navigating through these challenging times. And, and, and also, fortunately we’ve seen a lot of sharing of that and finding new ways, digital ways to share that here in recent months. Um, want to shift gears, let’s talk about the Clorox company and look, everyone probably listening to this podcast has heard of and, and is used plenty of products that is a part of the Clorox family, but for the three or four people that aren’t familiar, Rebecca in a nutshell, what does the company do?

Rebecca Bowman (00:18:28):

So you’re right, I hope it’s just about three people out there listening to this that are not familiar, but, uh, Clorox is a multinational manufacturer, um, and a marketer of consumer and professional products, um, wide stream of, of products there. We’ve got about 9,000 employees worldwide and we operate in 25 different countries,

Scott Luton (00:18:52):

big footprint, big footprint, big family of brands that are probably in our listeners maybe in their hands at work right now, keeping things clean and safe and orderly. Um, alright, so let’s talk about your role within the Clorox company. And in a moment, Jason, we’re going to share just how small this world is. Uh, and, and some of the ways that we’ve seen and connected with the Clark’s company locally here in Atlanta. So Rebecca, what is your role and where do you spend your time?

Rebecca Bowman (00:19:23):

So my role today is I’m group manager with responsibility over our distribution center operations in North America. So, um, once product is produced, I, uh, ensure that we have accurate inventory and we’re managing that inventory to then put against orders that our customer has put in, um, and requesting and for our products. So we have about 44 distribution centers in the United States and Canada and they all fall under me. So that operation, whether it’s day to day, um, different innovations that can happen in our distribution centers as well as managing our three PL relationships.

Scott Luton (00:20:06):

Hmm. I am not envious of, of your leadership role at the Clorox company and we, we’ve, you know, we have, as we’ve covered the global pandemic environment, we’re all in a, we’ve uncovered some of the, um, stark differences from regionalized disaster, right? Where it might impact, you know, the, the retail supply chain in a, in a, a town or a state or even a couple of States. But in this environment where there’s a global impact, it’s got to be incredibly challenging to, to, um, carry out and, and constantly, you know, adjust to, to information as it comes in and, and how the situation I’m sure evolves day in and day out. So, uh, on that note, Jason, uh, you’ve got an interesting question I think to pose to Rebecca.

Jason Moss (00:20:59):

Yeah, I’ll tell you, we, we toured Clorox a few years ago and, um, I got, had the opportunity to meet Pauline Nana’s water. Great guy. The whole whole crew after get Clorox, um, welcomed us with open arms, would learn, learn a lot about what was going on, but, um, but I did want to ask you, you know, what is something that folks might not know about, uh, about the company?

Rebecca Bowman (00:21:21):

I hope that’s very minimal, honestly, as we hear. Um, I hope it is, but, but I think there are a few things about the brands that fall under Clorox. It’s interesting when I talk to people just in different social circles and they find out that I worked for Clorox, um, they, they, they know the bleach brand, right? And some of the cleaning disinfectant, but when I name off some other brands, for example, um, hidden Valley ranch dressing, right, or Kingsford charcoal or Burt’s bees products and they’re all looking at me like, no, that’s not you. So yeah. Yeah, very wide brands. Um, and portfolio for us.

Jason Moss (00:22:09):

Yeah. It was really pretty surprising as we walked through the factory, seeing so many different brand names and, and, and, uh, you know, logos that we’re so familiar with in our day to day life. So it was pretty cool to see that, see the diversity there.

Scott Luton (00:22:22):

Absolutely. Uh, and, and you know, to your point, Rebecca, all the different brands, a lot of folks, uh, don’t always make those connections back to, to, uh, it all been under the same umbrella. It’s been fascinating as we’ve had a couple different folks on the show through the years. Um, all right, so with that said, we want to pivot over to manufacturing at the Clorox company, which is, you know, part of the, the, the, the global supply chain operations and footprint. Um, so Rebecca give us a few observations around, uh, manufacturing and what it’s like and, uh, and how it takes place at the Clorox company from your experience.

Rebecca Bowman (00:23:01):

So, yeah, as I started with Clorox, um, I started at the Atlanta plant, um, Paul United and are my paths crossed there for the first time. And, um,

Rebecca Bowman (00:23:15):

it’s pretty typical manufacturing, right? So in terms of raw materials, right being procured, um, processing them together with, with different recipes and different formulas of, uh, of how the final product is produced to ensure effectiveness and efficacy, right, of what the product’s intended for. And then there’s various packaging that we then put the product into. So, um, sometimes we’re actually making some of the packaging materials, mostly the or bottles, and sometimes we’re not. And then I’m configuring a different case configuration, so how many bottles are going to be in a case and then shipping it to our distribution network. So, um, very insightful. But again, it’s, it’s different based on the variety of brands we have. Um, the number of components or raw materials that go into the product. Um, the packaging obviously, but, um, yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s great stuff. Great stuff.

Scott Luton (00:24:16):

Absolutely. Well, you know, Jason, I’m not sure which facility you toured. Was it the forest park manufacturing site? It was very, uh, we toured there probably three or four years ago. Rebecca and I, and we didn’t talk about this in the prep conversation, but the, um, the lean and just the general continuous improvement showcased at that facility was really, it still stands out. Um, you know, three or four years later, uh, uh, Jason, Jason’s you have the same experience.

Jason Moss (00:24:44):

Yeah, yeah. Paul. I mean, you know, we were, yeah, when you go on these tours you can really don’t know exactly what to expect. You know, we’ve, that’s always fun to, uh, kinda experience those. But one of the things I was prepped for, you know, I mean, you’re going into a factory that manufactured blades and we walked through the door and there was like zero odor. I was thinking that you would be like overwhelmed with, you know, fumes or whatever. NAMI. I knew it had, you know, there’s going to have to be safe, but it was so cool. I mean, the, the lean operations and the, the clueless cleanliness and that operation still stands out and we get lots of comments about it, even to this day.

Scott Luton (00:25:19):

Love it. And you know, I know we all can’t wait until we, we can do some of those plant tours again in person. I, I’ve heard of folks setting up digital plant tours these days, which is, is pretty innovative, you know, but I look forward to, yeah, just like Rebecca pointed out on a, on the front end of the conversation of how she liked, you know, being out of the office and seeing things and being a part of things. That’s, that’s one of the coolest elements of the plant tours I’ve been on. Mmm. All right. So Rebecca did, you know,

Scott Luton (00:25:52):

uh, that the Clorox company, I received the manufacturing excellence award, uh, at our second year Atlanta supply chain awards in March, just before the whole world, you know, at least, at least here in the States changed. Um, they received that award. And actually just this is how small the world it is. Paul United, Jason and Rebecca and Laura RESA accepted the award at the the show, right? Oh yeah. Yeah. And it was neat. A six second utero need to have the GMA part of that and, and sponsored that award. Um, now Jason asked me what, what was behind some of that excellence at the Clorox company. That’s when you’re supposed to ask me, Jason.

Scott Luton (00:26:39):

Really what was behind all of that. There we go. Alright. So Rebecca, um, I’m probably, this is, this is, um, yeah, you already know, rough, familiar with this stuff, but what we found and what our, our judging committee found the incredible cultural focus on safety really stood out. Uh, just how few incidents the company has, uh, amongst its non thousand employees. Uh, incredible and constant dedication to talent and leadership development. Mmm. Uh, Rick McDonald talked about some of the leadership development programs that the company has been, um, collaborating with Georgia tech to roll out, which was really incredible. Um, the commitments to, to sustainability. I think barons had named the Clorox company on its list of the hundred most sustainable companies here recently. And of course what Jason and I spoke to a minute ago, the long standing commitment and more importantly their proven track record for continuous improvement. Rebecca, yeah. Being part of the team now for a while at the Clorox company of those or, or other qualities of the culture, what, what, what has meant the most to you?

Rebecca Bowman (00:27:48):

All of those points? Um, it’s, it’s really truly an honor to be a part of an organization that, um, is so focused on people, um, in any situation, in any circumstance, right? So I’ve been with Clorox now 10 years and I would say the first nine years were kind of business as normal, right? We produce a product, folks buy it and, and love. That’s how it works. Mmm. As a company, we’re focused on our employee safety and our manufacturing facilities and our office locations in our, in our warehouses and, and, and we speak it as well as acted every, every day. And I think here in this last year now with the response to the covert virus and the opportunity to really put our product out there to help combat it, um, we have not taken our eye off of off of our people and ensuring that, um, as we are serving the broader consumer, we’re also keeping our own employees and team members, um, forefront of, of everything. So, um, again, this 10 year journey with Clorox has just been phenomenal because of their commitment and their, um, really consistency around the talk as well as action of PD, putting people first.

Scott Luton (00:29:16):

Love that, love that. And that’s what we’ve seen firsthand, both in the plant tours and in, in, in the interactions of, uh, members of the team coming on and sharing their perspective. So, uh, it’s not lip service and you know, I can’t tell you how much we’ve talked Jason, Laura on previous shows about action focused leadership. It means it is, um, it is so important these days not to have as little lip service leadership as we can. Yeah. It stands out in the marketplace, I guarantee you that. Absolutely. Okay. So Rebecca, uh, now we’re going to kind of broaden back out on a couple of topics, but, uh, I want to, you know, as you, uh, you know, survey the landscape of global supply chain, uh, there’s no shortage of challenges, very unique times we’re living in. Mmm.

Rebecca Bowman (00:30:07):

Okay.

Scott Luton (00:30:08):

Whether it’s related to covet 19 or if it’s related to other, other things taking place and impacting global supply chain, what’s a topic or two or issue or impact or development or two that you’re tracking more than others here lately?

Rebecca Bowman (00:30:25):

I think to your point, right? [inaudible] and as we’re in Kobe, um, in my role right now, it is truly about, um, customer service, right? So as our customer base is requesting product, how are we quickly responding to that demand, um, and efficiently, right? Responding to that demand. So one of the things kind of top of, of my, let’s improve, let’s get better about it. Let’s understand what other opportunities exist out there. It is truly shortening up that distribution channel to, um, from, from manufacturer to consumer. Um, we’ve got a lot of efforts, whether you think about it in terms of, um, efficiency in a warehouse and how quickly we can load a truck for example, or how quickly we can Mmm. Yet a individual case or unit to the end consumer, right through the eCommerce channels. Right. Um, so, so that’s just shortening that lead time from manufacturer to consumer is, is pretty big for me right now.

Scott Luton (00:31:36):

Yeah. I bet. Living in every day. And you know, the demand for the, the, the historical, uh, I’m not sure, I, I can only speak from, uh, the research we’ve done in the food industry. Some of the historical levels of demand they’ve seen there and we’ve seen it, you know, spill over in other sectors. Um, just what an incredible job that, that folks in the manufacturing force, logistics, supply chain, warehousing, fulfillment, uh, you name it, even the folks in the retail environments that are, you know, showing up and stocking shelves and, and selling product to customers. I mean, those folks are, you know, uh, are, are brave and, and, and integral parts of, uh, of how the whole ecosystem works too. So, so much to be grateful for there. Mmm, no. Before we move on to this next, any other, Rebecca, I’m not sure if you had any other um, trends or topics you’re tracking before we talk about, uh, talent and industry. Anything else you wanted to add for move the talent? Okay.

Rebecca Bowman (00:32:37):

I think one more thing to add is, um, uh, an initiative and an effort that we’ve got going on across our full supply chain and it’s what we call the digital supply network. And so focusing again on our end to end supply chain, how we become more efficient with it in, in, in, in executing it. And one of the tools really that we can utilize to make sure we are, we are hitting, you know, new and stretch goals and new targets, um, in every way. So we are fully focused again and then supply chain, what digital, um, tools are there, right? And then what those digital tools mean for our workforce. Uh, we’re doing that in, in, in, in concert with each other, right? Because again, with our focus on people, right, we’re not going to just bring in tool sets, but we’re also going to help them get their, their skillset to, um, to fully operate, understand and guide the tools that we can find in our, in our supply chain. So that’s a lot of fun. Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:33:45):

That, you know, I just, just this morning I came across a quote from our friends over at the effect of syndicate. Uh, I’m not sure who they cited, but basically the gist was if you involve people and planning the battle plan, uh, those people are less likely to battle the plan once it’s put into place. So, so to your point, Rebecca, when you bring the people that, you know, that the most valuable component of the organization to the table to help figure out what that plan is in this case related to the tools that you were mentioning, that’s not to be missed. Right. That’s a big part of the, seems like a big party all success. A recipe over at the Clorox company.

Rebecca Bowman (00:34:25):

Absolutely. It ensures a win every time.

Scott Luton (00:34:27):

Mm. Love. That ensures a win every time. That’s, that’s a T shirt, Rebecca, we were going to have to owe you some royalties. Um, alright, so let’s talk about, uh, talent and Mmm. You know, for years, uh, getting talent into the manufacturing industry. Uh, the, the, in the, in supply chain industry as you put it, Rebecca, you know, that that’s been a challenge, especially as our industry is now. It has to have top talent, you know, due to all the complexity and the global nature of business these days and, and the technology that’s involved. Mmm. Let’s, how do we, Rebecca, what do you have a couple of best practices when we talk about ensuring that global supply chain provides opportunities for all and that we’re really effectively bringing in not just top talent but a diversity of talent into the industry. What, what are some initial thoughts you’ve got there?

Rebecca Bowman (00:35:28):

I, I think that, um, you mentioned a couple of the programs that the company has in terms of leadership development. Um, so those are at least three that roll off the top of my head, plus quite a few others, um, that we have in place and, and once and somebody is with us. Um, so, so that’s again a focus on our leadership skills, a focus on people development and development of our skillset there. Um, I think the other piece is recognizing the, being able to recognize what are the skill sets, right? That success needs or what success looks like when you’re in the supply chain end of, uh, of manufacturing or of, of, of an industry. So, um, or definitely, you know, very high, very dedicated, very deliberate with a lot of the people skill sets, right? So your communication style, your, your experience and how to influence your experience and how to lead. I think those are tools that um, you can develop in many different aspects of a career, right? It doesn’t have to be in an engineering role and being able to, us being Clorox, being able to identify those skillsets no matter what the situation or example is in your past. Right? And then being able to help you once you’re with Clorox to further refine those skills.

Scott Luton (00:36:59):

Love that. So if I could, let’s go upstream for a minute. Uh, so when you were mature court matriculating, easy for you to say through Howard university and the nation’s Capitol in the, in the chemical engineering program. When you think about any other fellow female members of that class and what got them into engineering programs, what can we do more of there?

Rebecca Bowman (00:37:25):

That’s a great question because it’s, it’s one that has been on my mind and in front of me and a focus area, I think since day one. So Howard university is a historically black college and university, right? So the engineering program is very, very good. Um, the engineering program and when I was going through was mostly men, mostly, um, male dominated area. But my chemical engineering classes extremely unique and that we had 11 students and 10 of them are women.

Scott Luton (00:37:57):

Wow. Yeah, that is, that is a, you’re surprised at me with that curve ball, Rebecca. That is outstanding. 10 of 11. What’s the secret sauce there?

Rebecca Bowman (00:38:09):

I’m sorry,

Scott Luton (00:38:10):

what’s the secret sauce? What, what, what was there,

Rebecca Bowman (00:38:12):

I don’t know that it’s been repeated. Let’s, let’s, let’s be clear. I don’t know that, that number and in that ratio it’s been repeated, but, um, I think coming through that program with those 10 women was, and then seeing the other programs in engineering, right? So electrical and civil, um, that they were more male dominated. Um, put a sense of pride and, and, and realization into our minds that we can do this too. Um, and getting the opportunity to, Mmm. Lead different organizations, right? So whether it was AIC, HG or, um, you know, national society of black engineers or any of those organizations and in the chemical engineering wing, um, just validated for us that we can do this. And I think as I have progressed in my career, making sure that others have the opportunity to say, at the end of the day, I can do this. Sometimes it’s about what is this? Right? What is it? And so giving them exposure and opportunity and experiences, but then at the end of that experience, for them to be able to walk away and say, I can do this. It’s been so instrumental in my career and in my self worth and my satisfaction of how do I give back? How do I help others?

Scott Luton (00:39:31):

Love that. You know, we talked about Rebecca in, in the appreciative conversation about, uh, something that I think we both hear a lot of and, and see a need for. And that is, uh, making, uh, female leaders, not just in supply chain, but really across business, more visible, which helps, um, women that are going through college or, or even, you know, in high school or even earlier in elementary school, they can identify and help them identify what and define what that, to your point, what did this is that they can do is that you see that as a critical,

Rebecca Bowman (00:40:08):

absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think it’s the experiences and exposures, right, of, uh, there are so many, this is out there, right? There were so many opportunities and things you can get into. And, and especially again in the, in the STEM side of things where, where my career has been science, technology, engineering, math, um, I think once you get exposed, sky’s the limit.

Scott Luton (00:40:36):

That’s right. Yup. Experience, experiences and exposure. That’s a great way of putting it. And Jason, I’m going to come to you in just a second. I’d love to get your take on some of the things you’re seeing companies do to really make sure that everyone has an opportunity and, and, and more importantly, that awareness piece. But Laura, you’ve got an interesting tie in here that we’ve learned over the last couple of years. Uh, you know, HLB, gross Collins again is not a manufacturer, but you know, the challenge in some ways stays the same and in other sectors and, and then, um, the accounting industry, HLB, gross Collins really stands out because y’all got a commitment two, uh, to, to insuring women are coming into the tax and accounting industry. Right?

Laura Madajewski (00:41:20):

Absolutely. Scott. Yeah, Amy. And I think, you know, it’s, it’s been a particular passion of mine, um, just in growing, um, that awareness and bringing in the next and the next generation, et cetera, um, for that. But our firm absolutely has, we’ve been recognized, uh, for, uh, that growth and a women leadership in our firm. And we’re particularly proud of the fact that we’re kind of helping to truly lead the pack in that front. Um, because it has been, um, a fairly male dominated industry. And so opportunities for us to be able to share forward and continue to, to provide educational and leadership resources to two females, to get them to understand that they have just as much of an opportunity to be extremely successful in this world. And so that kind of ties in very closely to my passion within the manufacturing and distribution supply chain space.

Laura Madajewski (00:42:22):

Because there is, um, you know, there still tends to be this, this larger factor here, but, you know, how can we continue to do best practices and bring the right people to the table and provide those educational resources and opportunities? I guess some people tend to think we fall into the the M side maybe of STEM and as accountants and in the math side of things, even though, you know, I think I did all right now in Jabra, but I couldn’t touch what Rebecca does with a 10 foot pole. But it did revive me of, of when my father was at tech for his masters. And the fact that when my mom came to visit him when they were engaged, she said that she’s never seen so many, um, of the male, uh, party join into a teeny tiny dorm room as she had to experience because she was practically the only female on campus at that time. So he, yeah. Yeah. So I think from that perspective, it’s, it, to kind of sum it up is it’s truly an important side that we feel a strong part of our initiative, not only just in our firm, but through our hob international group as well, that we’re very fortunate to continue to drive the initiatives towards bringing more women into the profession.

Scott Luton (00:43:33):

Love it. And I love that you lead the manufacturing distribution supply chain practice. At HLB, gross Collins. I want to see a lot more of that. So, uh, Rebecca and Laura, thanks for, for sharing your experiences and, and well experiences and exposures. Uh, you know, again, it goes, it goes back to what Rebecca shared. We’re gonna yeah, we’re big believers of trying to use our little spotlight here at supply chain now to help in that awareness piece as best we can. Um, all right, so Jason, um, yeah, weigh in on what you’ve heard here. What, what, what resonates to you or what, what have you seen out there in the industry that, that really, um, is helping us get it, get all the top talent and the diversity of talent into the industry? Right. I tell you, you know, that’s a, um, that’s a great topic to, to always talk about is trying to get the right talent in the manufacturing. The more that we work on manufacturing, we’ve got to make sure that we bring more awareness to, to the industry as a whole because by default, people think that manufacturing is that dirty,

Jason Moss (00:44:32):

dangerous, dead end job that you do when you can’t do something else. Right. I mean that’s just the, um, you know, I’ve got a son that’s in college now and in a lot of our peers, you know, and this, this, this age group are looking around and you know, and I talk about, you know, potential opportunities in manufacturing for careers and, and again, it’s really, for a lot of folks it’s frowned on because they don’t understand what modern technology is and in manufacturing is all about. And that’s one of the reasons we’re so passionate about doing live events and bringing people in so that they can walk through. If we go walk people through a factory to see what’s really going on in those environments, it kind of kind of peels back the curtain a little bit and they see that they’re safe, good, solid, stable jobs where people have an opportunity, you know, for a solid career.

Jason Moss (00:45:20):

You know, the, one of the things that, that just continues to ring through on everything that I heard Rebecca share with us is talking about longterm career opportunities in this industry. And it’s, you know, for men and women and no matter, you know, kinda what the, what the status is, we’re able to bring them in and provide some really cool opportunities, but we’ve got to just increase the exposure and the opportunity for people to see what that looks like. So, uh, you know, and with that, one of the things that we love to do is, you know, and we’ve been, um, um, supporting, uh, whim, which is women in manufacturing. I know you guys are very familiar with that, but, uh, for the past several years we’ve been inviting and, and, and, um, donating a booth at our big event to be able to, to help bring awareness of the whim, um, association in the state of Georgia.

Jason Moss (00:46:07):

So when Georgia, you know, it’s not a huge organization yet, but you know, and, and you know, w we want to be able to support as, as, as GMA that share our platform with, you know, bringing more awareness about the women in manufacturing and the successes that they’re having. You know, I mean, I couldn’t ask for a better partner in business in MGMA than, than I, than I have with Laura because she really understands the engineering side, you know, the manufacturing community and is so well respected in that. And it’s really cool to be able to, you know, staff up our team, do, you know, with, with successful leaders in that space. And we’ve got a couple other females that are, that are helping us in, in leadership, um, and you know, but in pretty much anybody else to shame. I mean, yes, I’ll bring along a little bit, but you know what I mean?

Jason Moss (00:46:50):

And I think the more that we can give opportunities, um, and, and kind of just get out of the way and see, see the magic happens. So, you know, you know, this is really cool, I think. I think with this reset with the Krone buyers, a lot of people are reconsidering what the options are out there. And, um, I think it’s a great, great, um, uh, th th the future looks pretty bright ahead. Absolutely. Well, you know, we conducted an interview, uh, Rebecca, Laura and Jason with three supply chain students at the university of Georgia a few weeks back. And I gotta tell ya, I’m still blown away from, I haven’t

Scott Luton (00:47:30):

quite put my finger on it yet, but the level of practical knowledge that they had and, and, and I think, uh, I can’t remember the exact mix. I think we had one junior and two, two seniors, I believe. [inaudible] just the practical level of knowledge they had, but how well-spoken, how measured, just how, how strong, how effective they were at communicating their insights and their, their observations and what they wanted to do. To your point, Jason, the future is very bright. Mmm. But as we all know, all four of us here on this, on this podcast, we’ve got to keep, keep putting, keep doing the heavy lifting so that we continue to, to bring the brightest in a diverse mix of talent into the industry so that we can have, you know, that beautiful thing of varied perspective and, and which helps, you know, solve problems differently and, and helps drive innovation and new product development and it helps us solve old problems and new problems.

Scott Luton (00:48:29):

Um, alright, so we’ve covered a lot. If we could, that conversation could be a a three week episode. Uh, there are so many different components there, but um, Rebecca, I want to give you right before we ask you, uh, how our audience can get, can connect with you and certainly learn more about the Clorox company. I want to give you the last word on that. Uh, yeah. Maybe give you the opportunity to challenge business leaders or, or, uh, or for that matter, students just coming into the industry, right? Maybe they just graduated or are graduating and yeah, they’re about to embark on their path. They still have, like we all do, uh, uh, an obligation to kind of give back and help others and pull them up the ladder. Your final thoughts?

Rebecca Bowman (00:49:16):

Yeah, Scott, I heard that podcast of, of um, supply chain now a couple of weeks back with those students. And to your point, I was so impressed. Um, they were so much further along than I was at that point in my college career. Right. Let alone professional. So I agree a hundred percent and that it really is about continuing being focused on, um, exposing others to what’s available. Um, Jason, you mentioned it too that um, manufacturing has got a lot of rewards and a lot of personal satisfaction from a career standpoint and a personal perspective and to be able to walk in a store and point to something that you can say, I know how that was produced, right? I know how that made it to the shelf. It’s something a lot of people can’t do. So if, if folks have that, that um, level of, I like to be able to say, I know something than somebody else doesn’t. Manufacturing supply chain, that is a way to do it. Um, and then now to your point with, with the COBIT situation, a lot of folks are being appreciative of it even though they may not understand it, right? But they’re appreciative of what it takes, um, to, to get that product, whatever the product may be, um, on to their homes. So, um, just continue to expose people, um, and, and, and, and help share, um, what your experiences have been and, and what you love and what your passion is around supply chain.

Scott Luton (00:50:47):

Love that. Um, and then that is part of the silver lining that we’ve talked about to a variety of shows is that, um, you know, new folks are understanding, not only are they saying the word supply chain, but they’re understanding what’s behind it and why that’s important. And hopefully that’ll be a boon, you know, in the years to come. Uh, in this, in, in building out the talent pipeline across the board, all walks, all walks of life. Um, impacting, you know, manufacturing, procurement, uh, reverse logistics, which is also, uh, an aspect of, of global supply chain that, that more and more consumers are appreciating these days. Um, all right, so Rebecca, really I have enjoyed your perspective. I wish we could make this a double hour episode, but tell us how can our listeners connect with you on some level and how can they learn more about the Clorox company?

Rebecca Bowman (00:51:38):

I, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this so thank you for the time. Um, I can be reached on LinkedIn at uh, Rebecca Bowman and I’m in the Clorox company as well. We have a website, the, the Clorox company.com. All one word and then we are also on LinkedIn.

Scott Luton (00:51:58):

Outstanding. Well, really appreciate what you shared and your perspective and taking, I’m sure you’ve got a hectic day, uh, taking, uh, an hour out or so with us to spend time and, and sharing your insights. So thanks so much, Rebecca. Bowman group manager, DC operations for all of North America. Holy cow. The Clorox company. Thanks so much. All right, so we’re going to wrap up here today. Uh, Jason and Laura want to get some of your observations and, and Laura, uh, we want to start with you. Give us, you know, in the world of manufacturing, um, what is one thing that you’ve been keeping your finger on the pulse of?

Laura Madajewski (00:52:36):

All right. Yeah, Scott. Well, gosh, it’s always comes to this point where I have to pin it down to one thing. Yeah. That could be like a few weeks and weeks of conversation. So I think what I’m seeing right now, and it kind of touches on, I think a point that was really prevalent through the show today is, um, leadership. And what we’re seeing is we’re seeing on the fly people that honestly, uh, you know, didn’t realize the integral part. They, they play through the supply chain and their manufacturers and they’re stepping up to the plate and they’re, they’re basically becoming leaders right on the spot. You know, it bringing in new ideas, working side by side, even more so. And so when we’re talking about businesses coming up with these projections of what is my next quarter going to really look like now, how are we bringing everything back on board to what our new norm is going to be?

Laura Madajewski (00:53:32):

Um, these people that were out on the floor out that might’ve thought they were behind the scenes or even more crucial than ever, now they’re helping to bring all the data and all the interesting information and insights and all those relationships that they’ve worked to maintain and build and they’re bringing the thought leadership to the table to help invigorates and come up with the better, more efficient, safer, whatever you want to kind of label it as ways to to take that manufacturing business, um, or distributor, whatever it might be, and bring them back online even more invigorated than they were before. So there, there’s just, I’m not seeing any lines. The lines are all blurred. Um, which is really exciting for people because there’s even more investment now in what it meant to be a part of the culture of that organization. So that’s really my one big observation I’m seeing right now is, is leadership is, is shifting, shifting for the good. And there’s a lot more integration and, um, listening and, uh, implementation of, of things that are going to be really for the longterm, some exciting, um, new angles and, and, and insights that we’re gonna continue to see from manufacturers all over the U S here as we’re going through it. And then also internationally as well too. And, and how the dynamics of those are all changing the positive things that are coming up.

Scott Luton (00:55:00):

Great point. Great point. And you know, that’s, that’s another big part of the silver lining to this challenging time is, is it fuels innovation. Now we’ve got, uh, automotive manufacturers making ventilators. We’ve got, uh, uh, breweries making, helping to make hand sanitizer. Uh, we talked yesterday with a technology firm that’s, that’s coming up with a way and, and, and partnering with the healthcare industry to track down where all this equipment goes. Uh, evidently, and talking with my mom who’s a retired nurse, uh, there’s a tremendous lack of visibility sometimes with some of this critical care, uh, PPE or ventilators or other equipment in, in, in healthcare. So it does, you know, Mmm. Fuel innovation, new ideas, new solutions, and looking forward to, um, as we move into the aftermath of this pandemic has Gartner calls it. Looking forward to seeing a lot more stories around that, uh, that uplifts us all. All right, so if it’s challenging for Laura to share one observation, we’re now moving to the challenge of the day and that is for Jason to pick a update or two from the wide world of the Georgia manufacturing Alliance and the manufacturer news network. All right, so Jason, what, what do you have your finger on right now? You know, um, I will, I’ll share, share the, uh, the observation is community and relationships. And it

Jason Moss (00:56:24):

is really interesting to see that, how the general population is now seeing the importance of manufacturing and the supply chain, you know, from Clorox to toilet paper to understand that we may have the product, but we’ve got to get it to the consumer and you know, in, in, in what that supply chain really means. And I believe, you know, that it will have the opportunity to challenge people to step up to say, I want to be a part of making sure that, you know, that we find solutions, longterm solutions, so that if we ever get impacted like this as a country again, that we won’t have the gaps that we’ve seen. I think the opportunity is fantastic. I think it’s going to challenge the right people to come to the table to play and you know, and so that plus the excitement, exciting opportunities to see, you know, uh, more manufacturing being reshore to the U S you know, that’s, that’s, that’s what I see on the, on the radar.

Jason Moss (00:57:20):

Um, and, and as far as updates for GMA, we’ve been doing, um, at least one, if not two conference calls and round tables, educational sessions every day since the first of, since the 1st of March. And, um, uh, w our goal was to help support manufacturers across the state and provide them information and opportunity to learn best practices from each other. Oh, we used to do that lab, but now we’re doing it all virtually. And all that information is on a, on a page that we’ve got listed on our site called manufacturing news network. We got some really cool interviews. I actually had opportunity to interview Scott not long ago, last the last week or so and did a great, great job. Kind of tell him about what was going on in supply chain, you know, uh, radio and, and, and it’s really cool to see, you know, how, how, how this is fitting in in the supply chain and supporting the supply chain community and um, mean in partnering with the manufacturing, you know, challenges that we’re facing because you can’t manufacture products unless you’ve got your supply chain intact feeding you.

Jason Moss (00:58:21):

And then getting it to the customer. So, um, um, you know, it’s going to be gonna be interesting to see how things shake out over the next few months. I know that, you know, we, uh, we are a very resilient, um, okay country and the leaders that we’ve got that are stepping up to the table to take on the challenges we’ve got ahead. I don’t, I don’t know that we’re out of the, out of the woods yet, but, uh, but I know I’m glad I’m on the right team and working in the right area. Hopefully, you know, the things that we bring to the table from GMA or, or making a difference. Um, and uh, we had encouraged everybody, if you’re interested in plugging in, we’ve got a variety of calls to, to plug in. We’ll do a wow. Well, town hall on Monday and then of erotic all through the middle of the week on Fridays at four o’clock. We do a fun Friday. Uh, so it’s a social hour, so anybody’s welcome to come join us for the, for those calls. So, but it’s all on a manufacturing news network calm. And it’s just a, again, a page of GMA outstanding. That’s a lot of plug into a lot of resources best and

Scott Luton (00:59:22):

a little bit of a departure from the stresses of the current environment, which we’ve heard a lot about as well. All right, so just a real quick, uh, Laura, how can they connect with you and HLB? Gross Collins?

Laura Madajewski (00:59:35):

Absolutely, Scott. So, um, uh, I echo Rebecca’s comments so you can absolutely reach me on LinkedIn. Please do. Um, I’m on there. Oh gosh. All the time it seems like. So, um, you can also find me on my firm’s website. Uh, HLB gross collins.com or you can email me at L [inaudible] M a D a J E w S K [email protected]. Uh, happy to connect with you, answer any questions that hopefully makes them positive impacts and uh, and uh, get a chance to no, some new people.

Scott Luton (01:00:11):

Outstanding. And Jason, of course you’ve mentioned, uh, the, the uh, manufacturing news network. Uh, I know you can be tracked down on LinkedIn and the GMAS website is Georgia manufacturing alliance.com. Perfect. Nice, neat, easy. Well, this has been a pleasure. Um, what a great guest, Jason and Laura that we got in Rebecca Bowman today. Really enjoyed her perspective. We’ll have to have her back, um, maybe towards the end of the year and we’ll see how 2020 plays out for both her and the Clorox company. Uh, Jason and Laura, thanks for your time. This series has really been enjoyable by such, no, the leadership insights in particular and anecdotes and thoughts on action-based leadership that that common theme that weaves its way throughout these, these today in manufacturing episodes has been one in particular I’ve really enjoyed. So hopefully you have as well. Um, alright, so I want to thank Rebecca Bowman again with the Clorox company.

Scott Luton (01:01:09):

Jason MOS, CEO of the Georgia manufacturing Alliance and Laura Madejski, principal and leader of the manufacturing distribution and supply chain practice at HLB gross Collins. As we mentioned, uh, this series wouldn’t be possible without the support of the, the great team over at HLB gross Collins. So as we wrap up here today, want to invite our audience, check out all of the industry thought leadership that you can find that supply chain now, radio.com or email us. If you can’t find somebody looking for them, it’s always, always seems to be my problem. You can email [email protected] and we’ll do our best to serve as a resource for you on behalf of the entire team here at supply chain. Now, Scott Luton wishing all of our listeners a successful week ahead. Hold the faith brighter days. Absolutely a lie ahead in the weeks and months to come and we’ll see you next time here.