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 today’s episode, we’re speaking with bright members of the next generation of supply chain leadership. A big thanks to Fred Tober and the team over at Southeast demand solutions. We’re speaking with three supply-chain students from the university of Georgia, go dogs and gaining their critical insights on industry and a whole lot more. So stay tuned as we look to increase your supply chain acute quick programming note before we get started here, if you enjoy today’s conversation, be sure to find this and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts from. Okay. Want to welcome in my fearless esteem co-hosts here today on today’s show, Greg white cereal supply chain, tech entrepreneur and trusted advisor. Greg. Good afternoon. Hey Scott, how are you doing? [inaudible]. I’m on cloud nine. We’ve been looking forward to this, this episode here today and I’m ready to dive in, but we’ve got a, we’ve got a new co host for today’s episode.

Scott Luton (00:01:27):

Yes. Who would that be? Let me think. None other than, uh, mr Fred Tolbert principal with Southeast demand solutions and really, uh, a supply chain hall of Famer, at least in my book. Fred, good afternoon. Hey, you good at names, Scott and Greg, great to have you here. And you know, Fred, um, you and I’ve had the good for at least I’ve had the good fortune of collaborating with you for four years now. Webinars and keynotes and some other things. This is, um, this is a really neat extension of that collaboration and I appreciate all you do to make stuff like this happen.

Fred Tolbert (00:02:01):

Hey, I’m, I’m, uh, glad to be here and, uh, you know, me sharing was, do you guys the, a UGA students that I’ve gotten to know here during the spring semester, I think we’re really in poetry.

Scott Luton (00:02:14):

I agree with you. And so what we’re going to do, we’re going to, uh, welcome in our featured guests here and then we’re going to bring you back home Fred, cause we want some interesting kind of a background level setting on the front of this conversation. So, um, first up, welcome in our three feature guests here today, Maggie Hume. Good afternoon, Maggie. Hey Scott, how are you? Are doing fantastic. Welcome to supply chain now. And then we’ve got [inaudible] [inaudible] good afternoon. Hey, good afternoon. How are you doing? Fantastic, great to have you. And then finally, uh, Tanner foster who also joined us for a livestream or two in recent weeks. Tanner, how are you doing? Doing good, Scott, how are you doing? Doing fantastic. Great to have you all right. He’s that Tanner foster. Yeah, that is right. Uh, no one, Greg doesn’t miss a thing. I can, if you are learning this from me, he does not miss a thing. So you’re right. Um, all right. So Fred, I want to bring you back on and, and if you would, uh, give us a little bit of background on these students and your work with them. And then of course, tell us more about teams supply chain.

Fred Tolbert (00:03:27):

Well, this got started, uh, almost a year ago. Uh, Scott, I heard a podcast back maybe this time last year with you and Chris Barnes and Marty Parker and Marty was, uh, had with him, some of the UGA students and they were describing their, uh, intern opportunities that they had. And it was an education to me even then about UGA supply chain program. And, uh, from there, uh, I got onto the, uh, supply chain advisory board and as we, uh, had a couple of the meetings there with the advisory board, then there was the discussion about it. And I knew that that UGA always had a mentor program, a pretty formal program. But I approached Marty about potentially having, um, a mentor ship with maybe a supply chain, uh, student. And so at a speed networking session, nom, I think that’s where Naaman, I got connected. And then I spoke to one of the, uh, Dr. Montgomery supply chain class. And out of that came a connection with, uh, with Maggie and with Tanner. So we formed a group, we named ourselves team supply chain. And so during the spring semester we met every couple of weeks to discuss, uh, a variety of supply chain topics.

Scott Luton (00:04:53):

Love it. Uh, lots of passion from what I understand, uh, and a lot of the things that you described and those conversations. So I appreciate that backdrop. Um, and this is really our first official interview with members of team supply-chain. I feel like there should be, uh, all of, uh, the justice league or the hall of justice around the corner where we’re, we’re having all these conversations. Let’s dive right into these conversations for it. How’s that sound?

Fred Tolbert (00:05:20):

Hey, that sounds right. These are a UGA supply chain superstars here. We’re about to talk to.

Scott Luton (00:05:27):

I love that. All right. So, um, Maggie and nom and Tanner, welcome again to the show. Let’s, we’re going to dive right in. First off, like we like doing with any of our guests here on our program, we like to kind of humanize who you are and have our audience, uh, give them the opportunity to get to know you a better before we start talking shop. So for starters, I want to ask Maggie, tell us about where you’re from and tell us about something about you that a lot of folks aren’t aware of.

Maggie Hume (00:05:58):

Sure thing. So little bit of a complicated life story here, but I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and um, spend the first nine years was growing up in England. So that’s kind of where I have my, my childhood. And then in 2008, uh, my family moved back to Georgia.

Scott Luton (00:06:16):

What part of England?

Maggie Hume (00:06:19):

We’re just West of London in a small town called Maidenhead.

Scott Luton (00:06:22):

Mm. And, uh, your folks careers took the family there?

Maggie Hume (00:06:27):

Yeah. So my, my dad actually, um, grew up in England. That’s where his whole family is. My mom’s OB moved here.

Scott Luton (00:06:35):

So you had a, an early appreciation for the global business world, which is a great leg up by the way. I, I’m jealous of you there. Um, and what’s one thing that most folks don’t know about Maggie Hume?

Maggie Hume (00:06:49):

Uh, let’s see. So one thing someone people don’t know about me. Um, last year I spent, uh, three months in Northern Italy and I was teaching English to more than 500 Italian students.

Scott Luton (00:07:02):

Wow.

Maggie Hume (00:07:05):

It was an interesting experience to say the least.

Scott Luton (00:07:07):

I bet. So, um, well we’ll, we’ll circle back on, on more where you’d like to be in a couple of years. I’m looking forward to kinda hearing about how those global experiences have shaped where you want to go with your career. So, um, want to move right along to nom nom. Same question. Tell us about where you’re from and tell us about something that most folks don’t know about you. All right. So, um, it’s a little complicated as well. Um, I [inaudible] grew up in Germany. I am Vietnamese, but I’m originally from Germany. My parents kind of post war post Vietnam war. They were a design that was kind of hard to live there in Vietnam. So come 89, they decided to move to East side Germany. Ironically, the wall fell. So one communist country back to you. I don’t know the area with, uh, where it’s kind of social determinants as well.

Scott Luton (00:08:00):

Hmm. Mmm. When I was born, I lived there for a little bit. Pretty much lived different my entire childhood, uh, moved to the U S in 2004, uh, ended up in Georgia. And that’s kinda where I’m at now. All right. Well, you know, life’s never simple. I love it already for starters that have the, the level of international expert, um, experience and perspective. I can only imagine how that factored in in, in a very meaningful and positive way into the, the supply chain classroom discussions. Uh, and what’s one thing, um, you might have already shared a couple, but what’s one thing, um, about you that you’re, you’re maybe even your friends don’t know? Uh, I mean that, that’s kind of the fact too. Um, just that I am, I am from Germany originally. I’m getting, uh, so the interesting fact though is I am a first generation student. So kind of doing this all for the first time ever, not really anybody to

Nam Pham (00:08:56):

kind of showing me the way here. Wow. Hey, quick question. What did your parents do in, it was East Germany you said? Correct. Yes. So my dad was, um, working as a mechanic for a little bit and then he ended up just opening up a restaurant. Outstanding. My mom was helping him with that. Very cool. Wow. And were you there through the time? Sorry, I’m in college. Got, you know, were you there through the time in, uh, when the wall fell or, Oh, no, no, no, no. So they moved right after the wall fell. So that was in 89, but I wasn’t born until 96 anyway, so got it. Got it.

Scott Luton (00:09:37):

Wow. You just blew my brain with, with that, I, I keep forgetting just how much further away from the college age is I get Greg and Fred. Um, um, all right. So, uh, appreciate you sharing nom and I bet I’d love to interview your folks, but they’ve got some incredible stories during those times in Germany, you know, in what followed, you know, the months that followed 89 and, and the the fall of the wall. Um, moving right along. Uh, Tanner, let’s talk about your background. Tell us about yourself. You know where you’re from and, and give us that one thing folks don’t know about you.

Tanner Foster (00:10:15):

Um, so I’m a little bit less traveled than my colleagues here. I’m a Georgia boy. Born and raised. I lived in Calhoun, Georgia my whole life up until the point where I moved down here to Athens to go to school. And, um, my parents had been there pretty much their whole lives. My dad’s been a small business owner there since 96. And then my mom works in the County school systems there. Um, probably one thing a lot of people don’t know about me is for a two or three years at the end of high school, I was a goat showman and I, uh, had a couple of goats that I would have to travel around the state with and um, go to competitions and things like that. Wow.

Scott Luton (00:10:52):

I love that. You know what, you’re the first goat showman we’ve ever interviewed over 330 episode. So you’re, you’re, you’re a trailblazer to Tanner. Hey, what, what was, uh, your [inaudible] your most, uh, the good that one of the most process. What was his or her name?

Tanner Foster (00:11:11):

Um, I had one, his name was Bobby. Um, he’s really the only one that I ever showed, but they’re, uh, to have more than one there, uh, where they pack animals. Yeah. So you have to have more than one, but I really just had the one that I showed and um, I took him to some smaller show. It was through the FFA, the County and city FFA chapter, which came in when I was a, uh, a junior. So I got pretty involved with that. And then, but the biggest show I went to was the, uh, the state fair down in Perry on, Oh, if any of y’all are familiar with that, but it’s a pretty big, uh, get together down there

Scott Luton (00:11:45):

and the FFA being the future farmers of America, which if, if I heard right, it’s kind of seen a resurgence in recent years. Is that what you’ve seen as well, Tanner?

Tanner Foster (00:11:55):

Um, yeah, I would think so. I know, like, like I said, um, the, uh, city schools where I went to school in the County, the County had a program, but the city got one when I was in there. So I got to be on the charter for that in 2015 and then I was okay. I became president of it and, uh, 2016 in my senior year. And, uh, I know we really did a lot to expand our program of the two years and I know the programs surrounding us were having the same kind of growth.

Scott Luton (00:12:23):

Well, you know, um, we can all, I’m sure we’ve all, all of us here on this, this episode have heard plenty about the food supply chain, including the, the, the meat supply chain here in recent weeks. And, um, it’s such a critical part, uh, of, of the mission that supply chain leaders, you know, our own to keep shelves full and, and, um, um, refrigerated, um, shelving full as well. So, uh, hopefully we’re getting some good news in the weeks to come and see more, see things kind of get, get a little more stable. Uh, I know Fred’s got some passionate comments around that because it has been very resilient, uh, for quite some time. But we’ve got to protect that workforce that, uh, keeps our manufacturing and food production facilities moving. Um, all right, so Maggie, nom and Tanner. Great start. They just a level of diversity here in Greg. We’re going to kind of dive into, um, more of a academic, academic. Yeah, I love that I’m taking this section

Nam Pham (00:13:24):

because one, I didn’t major in supply chain. In fact, the term supply chain did not exist when I graduated, which was a thanks for reminding me now I’m seven years, uh, before you were born. So, and also the only class that I ever took that even remotely approached supply chain was economics of transportation. And all I needed to do was get a D in that class to graduate, which I did.

Scott Luton (00:13:55):

Been there, done that growing up,

Nam Pham (00:13:59):

uh, political, uh, uh, uh, political science specialist in supply chain. Um, so, um, interesting. You know, and we’re constantly fascinated by the fact that not only are there supply chain practices, but they continue to two proliferate and, and they are so advanced and so specialized. Um, and you know, so and there are so many of them. So I’m interested, um, you know what Maggie, let’s start with you. What drew you to the supply chain program at UGA?

Maggie Hume (00:14:32):

Sure. So I’m studying kind of a hybrid of things here, but my major is international business and supply chain management. Um, and I’m also pursuing a certificate in sustainability. Um, so I’ve kind of just found that I wanted to find an a cross section of sustainability in business and I found that supply chain really kind of hit that on the head. I’m kind of focusing on a process efficiency, reducing waste and trying to do things in the best way we possibly can. So that’s sort of how I fell into the supply chain field. I’m sort of happenstance, honestly.

Nam Pham (00:15:12):

It’s really interesting that you brought that up. A lot of our discussions, Maggie, especially these days, are around circular economy and supply chain and how supply chain plays into sustainability, starting with the design of products, um, all the way through the reuse, recycling, um, process, but, but also around, you know, other issues, ethical supply chain, um, you know, things like that. I mean, there is so much that this business touches virtually every, well literally every product that is produced touches the supply chain in some way. And it’s all the way from the kid who grows a goat who hopefully Tanner produced great goat cheese. Mmm. All the way through the register operator that helps you at your local Kroger public store or to the delivery person who brings it to your front porch and Mmm, no, that is 44 million people in the States. So you’ve joined an elite group.

Nam Pham (00:16:20):

Um, and, and you know, I think it’s a great field to be in and it is one that can have a major impact on goodness and light in the world. So thanks for joining. Now tell us a little bit about you. How did you wind up at UGA? It sounds like you took a maybe slightly more circuitous route. Well, it’s kinda similar. I also kind of fell into this kind of thing. So when I, uh, I got accepted to UGA, I was still exploring kind of my options and, uh, I noticed that, uh, supply chain management was probably the most natural thing that came to me. Um, it was just, it’s very much in line with kind of how I live my life. I like to live efficiently. I don’t really like wasting time or ever thrilling. The majors is kind of, you know, talk that same thing and it kind of, my mindset of thinking is very useful with this type of field. Very cool. So were you living in Georgia at the time that you applied or, yes, so I lived in Georgia since 2004. I kind of just stayed in the state since then. And um, yeah, I’ve just gone through school here and lived in Warner Robbins for a little bit. Mmm.

Nam Pham (00:17:30):

Move to Statesboro and then now I’m [inaudible] and Athens. Oh, very cool. Much cooler summers in Athens than stinks. Oh, absolutely. Um, all right. Um, so Tanner, tell us your story. How’d you wind up at UGA? I mean it’s almost a commute from where you live.

Tanner Foster (00:17:50):

Yeah, it is. Um, well I just, I applied a couple of schools here in Georgia, but, um, I just knew that a UGA was one with an established reputation. And then I had an older brother who’s 14 months older than me and, uh, he was here already, but actually came in. Um, I went into the ag program, I was doing an ag, a pod, economics and uh, I mean that was just kinda building off the, the background that I started there in high school and just being around agriculture growing up. But, um, I just [inaudible] wasn’t really getting any kind of fulfillment in the ag school and not that, not to put the ag school down, but it just was an a, I just wasn’t happy with what I was doing. So I switched to Terry because my brother was already getting his finance degree. And, um, I think I remember it.

Tanner Foster (00:18:37):

I got like a pamphlet or maybe it was like some sheet of paper with the info session talking about supply chain and, uh, I had already selected the management major because it was something that was broad and I went and checked out the supply chain and, uh, it’s just kind of fallen into place naturally from there. It’s, it’s something that really, um, holds my attention and, um, they’ll enough what nom said about, um, being efficient. And I think a, I kind of shared the same mindset with him in that manner. So it’s something that, uh, really just, I’m naturally drawn to.

Nam Pham (00:19:11):

You’ve got to do what you’re passionate about. Right. I mean, and good to find that passion while you’re in school, they’ll have the option to choose your academic track. All right. I’m going to reverse direction a little bit then since we just wrapped up with you, Tanner. Um, tell me what it is about supply chain, um, that makes it interesting to you.

Tanner Foster (00:19:34):

Um, I think it’s, for me, it’s, it’s something that’s concrete and, um, supply chain and studying supply chain. It’s, it’s less about, um, theories and things that can’t be proven and more about, um, practices that have been put in place and, and refined to be the best they can be. So to me it’s just something that’s more tangible and, um, really, really yields results. Um, are, he’s more easy to see then that a lot of other areas of study.

Nam Pham (00:20:06):

Yeah. That’s well said. Um, all right. So now I’m [inaudible] tell us a little bit, I think you, you identified efficiency is one of the things.

Nam Pham (00:20:13):

Tell us what else about supply chain

Tanner Foster (00:20:16):

[inaudible]

Nam Pham (00:20:17):

trips your trigger.

Nam Pham (00:20:19):

Um, so I, I find the supply chain really, really interesting because, um, I just kind of see it as like a backbone that nobody really sees. I’m just kind of how our society runs and everything. It’s very heavily based on supply chain, but nobody really understands kind of, or, or just like if you don’t study the field, you don’t really understand what goes into like kind of Mmm. What it takes to really keep it running and stuff like that. So I think it’s really cool knowing something, some things like that, that you know, you can teach other people.

Nam Pham (00:20:45):

You know, it’s interesting isn’t, especially in these times. Um, it seems like just last year you started to hear government officials and even consumers mentioned supply chain and I think everybody is getting a crash course in supply chain right now.

Maggie Hume (00:21:03):

Absolutely. It’s definitely in the forefront, kind of everything going on right now. Yeah.

Nam Pham (00:21:09):

Yeah. When you hear it spoken about every day in a press, the press briefing, you know, that it’s in the forefront. All right. Tell us a little bit about, uh, where you’re at.

Maggie Hume (00:21:19):

Sure. So sort of a same kind of, um, appreciation that the nom mentioned there of kind of this behind the scenes action that’s so vital for, um, performance in all industries. I think that’s really interesting. Um, but also the fact that, uh, we can kind of study the end to end process. That’s really fascinating to me to be able to see something all the way through to fruition. Mmm. That’s kind of, that’s, that’s been something that’s really interesting for me.

Nam Pham (00:21:51):

Well, and you, uh, your area of study is an area that I’m fairly familiar with and maybe Fred is too, I’m not sure, but I think he might be. Um, so you’re studying inventory planning, right? And so, so as nom said, not everybody knows exactly how supply chain works. It’s a little bit of black magic I think to a lot of people. Can you, can you give our audience, um, your description of, of what that is, inventory planning and, and um, and you know, uh, what, what you particularly like or want to do with that?

Maggie Hume (00:22:32):

Sure. So this isn’t really, um, nailed down for me yet. My first co-op experience was with production planning. Mmm. And that kind of sort of just fell into place there. I applied for a general supply chain internship and was placed in the production planning group. Um, and then my, my next internship is going to be focused on inventory planning. Um, so it’s sort of two different pieces of the same puzzle there of the upfront, um, planning that goes into making sure that product is on shelf and it’s arriving to the destination on time. And in full. Um, that’s I think the best way I can describe inventory planning. Uh, although I haven’t yet. How’d that hands on experience yet? And that’s kind of what, what’s coming down the pipeline for me.

Nam Pham (00:23:24):

Hey. Yeah, that’s, that’s fantastic. Um, you, you just made me think of something that um, is interesting. There are different views of what is coming down the pipe, what demand is right based on where you land in the supply chain. So Fred and I have had this discussion, passionate discussion, uh, before it’s important. I hope you guys have have discussed this, but I think a lot of a supply chain professionals don’t get to hear this until they get into the field. It’s important to recognize. We will talk a lot about when we talk about planning and forecasting and that sort of thing. We’ll talk a lot about this item. This items attribute, this item, seasonality, this items demand, it’s forecast, it’s trend, whatever it is. The truth is, and this is important as you go through supply chain, you’re not forecasting items at all. Because as we’ve all been having this discussion, look at what the items on, on the table in front of you have been doing, right. What we’re forecasting is the consumer, the customer, the person who will act on and buy or even pill for that item that’s demand.

Nam Pham (00:24:36):

So,

Nam Pham (00:24:37):

um, hopefully that’s a valuable tidbit for you. It’s something I often share with folks and it’s, uh, you know, it’s a foundation of forecasting that I don’t think we talk about it now. Yeah, absolutely. Fred, did you want to jump in?

Fred Tolbert (00:24:54):

Well, Hey though, uh, they’re really on a row. I will say that. Mmm. Maggie, when I spoke to, uh, professor Montgomery’s class, I was, I was droning own. It was an 8:00 AM class. I, I told the group that I always avoided a first period class, but there was a class full of blokes and there was Maggie right in the middle of the room and I was droning own around my, uh, uh, forecasting concepts and she raises her hand and asked a question and I was just forward. And my response was, how in the world did you even know to ask that question? I mean, it was a very good question about constraining the sales forecast. And I said, Hey, most people would be sound asleep at 8:00 AM. And she’s asking me questions about, uh, uh, you know, constraint constraints, supply chain planning. So

Nam Pham (00:25:45):

you mentioned that too. I didn’t realize that was Maggie. Okay. Maggie. So now we know what the world is up against. That’s good. Exactly. Uh, all right, so, uh, warehouse operations, I hear no, I’m, that’s uh, that’s where you’re putting your focus. So your pension for efficiency, uh, will, will play well there. Tell us a little bit about that.

Nam Pham (00:26:12):

So, um, kind of explored this area just because of, based on the experience I’ve had as well. Uh, I had an internship at a warehouse, um, and just going in there first time seeing a warehouse operation, you’re just kinda like, wow, a lot of things are going on right now. And you just see a bunch of potentials of better ways to do things. And you know, regardless of how efficient is supply chain in the world is right now, it’s always going to have room to improve, especially with this new tech coming out. So, uh, I think it’s a great opportunity. Uh, it has a lot of potential to kind of just do

Nam Pham (00:26:43):

better work and just be more meaningful in terms of kind of how you, how you contribute to it. That’s why I like warehouse operations. Yeah. Efficiency. You will fit very well in that segment of the supply chain because there is, as you saw, a lot of opportunity. You’re probably too diplomatic to say it, but I’m not, I bet you walked in that warehouse and thought, how do they ever get anything out the door?

Nam Pham (00:27:10):

Um, uh, but, but yeah, that’s fantastic. Look, there’s a lot of technology, there’s a lot of manual intervention and there’s a lot of process that’s required and a lot of analysis to determine how to make a warehouse, uh, work efficiently. So I think you’ll really enjoy that segment of the supply chain. And, and, uh, it’s good to have somebody who’s got a bit of an engineering mind get in there and, and help to improve that. So yeah, for sure. And Tanner, the guy with the shortest commute commute to college, you’re in, uh, you’re, you’re pointing towards the transportation management, right. But I know up in Calhoun you might’ve seen one or one or two, uh, semi trucks drive around the area, right?

Tanner Foster (00:27:58):

Absolutely. Yeah. There’s a ton of them. That’s actually kind of how I got into, into the area. I took an internship with a Mohawk industries up in [inaudible] and um, so it really, my experience is more with the private fleet transportation side. I know there’s like a common carrier and things like that too, but my, my experience is more private. Um, I, I just like the, the idea, it’s almost like problem solving. [inaudible] it’s something simple. It’s

Nam Pham (00:28:25):

going from [inaudible]

Tanner Foster (00:28:26):

from a to B or a to B to C. but, um, dealing with those problems, it’s, it’s almost like a finding the best fit.

Nam Pham (00:28:39):

Yeah. And I think, you know, you’ve got to find, you’ve got to find the best fit for the, for the transportation provider and for the shipper and, and for the driver, frankly. And you know, the, I, I don’t think that it’s been in the news lately, but there’s been a lot sad about, um, you know, the issues that drivers are facing right now with, uh, you know, the closing of rest stops and things like that. So

Tanner Foster (00:29:09):

I saw an article about that before this. They’re, uh, they’re interviewing a trucker and he was speaking about how he was, uh, he said you can only have so many subway sandwiches in a row. So he’s, he was frustrated.

Nam Pham (00:29:20):

No, I bet people don’t think about that as, as one of the downsides or upsides depending on your taste. I wonder what the overall industry, speaking of truck drivers, you know, we’re working on one of our neck, one of our episodes to come hopefully next few weeks, interviewing several truck drivers to get their perspective. Because

Scott Luton (00:29:42):

I would argue, at least from where I sit, a lot of folks in supply chain don’t even understand what truck drivers have to endure, much less folks that are outside supply chain. So looking forward to a work with our friends over at Georgia Pacific to make that episode happen. But um, love here. You know Greg.

Nam Pham (00:29:59):

Okay.

Scott Luton (00:29:59):

The, the thing that strikes me and Fred warned us and we knew coming in that we were going to be talking with three very sharp individuals, but have you noticed how all three Maggie nom and Tanner have such a measured steady way of communicating that that came, um, that wasn’t the prevalent when I was in college. Um, and, and communication is so important these days. Did you, have you picked up on that?

Nam Pham (00:30:26):

I have. You know, it makes me think, you know, we had it, we have a, we talked frequently with Mike Griswold from Gardner who is a big time supply chain, particularly retail supply chain analyst. And he said for so long, and you know, this is when we all started in it. All of you. A gray haired cats along with me when we started in the industry, um, supply chain took pride in almost re rewarding the arsonist because we, we, we took pride in putting out fires, but we never changed anything that stopped those fires from starting. And you know, what I see here and I S I’ve seen this transition over the decades, couple of decades that I’ve been in supply chain that we are trying to get on the front end of these problems and predict and preempt these problems. Um, so it’s not always firefighting.

Nam Pham (00:31:18):

And I’ve got to tell you the way that the supply chain has shown its resilience and responsiveness in the face of this coronavirus situation and frankly, paper towels and toilet paper to recover so rapidly and so frequently to what is by any stretch of the imagination, unheard of. Demand on those products gives you an idea of how efficient the supply chain and is becoming. Um, and you know, and one of the things you’ll face gang as a frustration is you will want to try to predict and preempt everything and you’ll get frustrated when, when you can’t or when some segment of the supply chain fails. Just accept that that responsiveness and recovery is a big, big part of supply chain. Try to preempt everything you can. Um, but be ready to, to respond. Always have a plan B. Love

Scott Luton (00:32:13):

that.

Fred Tolbert (00:32:13):

Scott and Greg, Greg, if I might could add something there, a Scott, what you said about their, their poise in their communication skills. Um, uh, we had our, one of our sessions and nom wasn’t there because he was, uh, he had a job interview and, and uh, communicated with him a little bit about the, the interview process and I was interested about it and we pass some ideas back and forth, but, but his whole attitude was, now I’ve got this. And uh, uh, so he went into it very competent. He spoke well. You can hear how these, how these guys spoke. And so it sounds, why keep he, uh, knocked it out of the park in the, in the interview? Like, like I knew, I knew that he would not sanding.

Nam Pham (00:33:00):

Hey. So a couple things I’m going to, I want to shift gears just a little bit here. I’d love to get a bit of a view into the future as Scott says, let’s talk about predictive analytics, um, or look into that crystal ball and see what the future holds. I, I’m really interested on that, on that point, Fred, in what the team is going to do after college. I mean, maybe you haven’t landed that next job, um, or maybe you have. So Maggie, tell us a little bit about, uh, what’s next for you after you get out of school.

Maggie Hume (00:33:38):

All right. So I still have, um, one semester of classes left to tell me I think a 12 hour, um, semester, so it shouldn’t be too bad. Um, but hopefully after that I’ll be in a company, um, that, like I said, I, I really care about sustainability. So hopefully I’ll, I’ll land a spot in a company that really values and prioritizing sustainability. Um, and I, I really hope that I can make some impact, like you said, and not only putting out these fires, but in helping build and rebuild processes to prevent these fires in the first year.

Nam Pham (00:34:15):

[inaudible] much better about supply chain knowing that you three are going to go out into the world. If I can, I want to interject here because clearly, um, and, and w it’s coming from the group, but Maggie, clearly your passion for, uh, sustainability and then circularity, I’m thinking stands out. Why is that so important in your words?

Maggie Hume (00:34:39):

That’s a great question. Um, I think it’s, I mean it’s to say it’s important for the world is I think an understatement. Um, but in the business world, I think large corporations that have access to resources, I think they, they bear a certain responsibility in taking a stance on sustainability. And, um, I really think that with the, with the access to resources that some of these corporations have, real change can be made. Um, in terms of reducing carbon footprint and reducing waste and improving efficiency. Um, all for the benefit of the world.

Nam Pham (00:35:24):

Maggie, you would be, I really appreciate that perspective. I got to tell you, you would be doing me a personal favor if you would also keep eyes on fair trade and ethical

Nam Pham (00:35:34):

practice as well. Um, you know, there’s, there’s some big opportunity, there’s some companies, I know that Scott, he didn’t say this, but I know there were probably a half dozen companies going through his mind. As soon as you said a passion for sustainability, so maybe three does get close to the graduation, feel free to reach out. Um, so now I’m okay, I got to know now. Did you nail the, did you nail the interview and is that where you’ll be going? Did you pick somewhere else? Tell us a little bit about what’s coming for you.

Nam Pham (00:36:10):

All right. So the interview was with Manhattan

Nam Pham (00:36:12):

and associates. Okay. Yeah,

Nam Pham (00:36:16):

yeah. And so, um,

Nam Pham (00:36:18):

pretty difficult interview. But um,

Nam Pham (00:36:20):

Fred, he really helped my confidence. He kind of just gave me a good rundown and a good warmup. Mmm. And I went in there and did the best I could and they liked me, so definitely got hired. I accepted the opportunity there. And so I’ll be working there after everything dies down a little bit.

Nam Pham (00:36:36):

Outstanding at what and what are you going to be doing there now?

Nam Pham (00:36:40):

So I’m going to be on their support side of things. Um, I’m going to be a software consultant, so essentially I’ll be working primarily with clients that have already implemented the [inaudible], uh, softwares and stuff like that and just kind of help them and, and maintain with the relationships and stuff like that.

Nam Pham (00:36:54):

Outstanding. That’s a great company. Um, so Scott and Fred and I all know a number of people that are there or who have been there. Um, if technology, you know, if, if supply chain technology is where you want to be, it’s a great place to be. It’s a great place to start. It’s a great place to end up, frankly. But, um, that’s a, that’s a fantastic company. So congratulations.

Nam Pham (00:37:21):

Thank you. I appreciate it. Very excited about the opportunity.

Nam Pham (00:37:24):

Yeah, you’re, you’re going to love it. First of all, there’s some great food around where their corporate office is. My former company’s corporate office was very close, noted. Um, alright Tanner. So Tanner, I have to, I have to, uh, expose this. Um, this is something that not many people know about clay and that is that his father worked at Shaw. So not only are you from Calhoun and he’s from Dalton, so you might’ve had a bit of a rivalry in high school, but Mmm. But Mohawk and Shaw are competitive flooring companies in Northwest Georgia as well. So, um, you know, don’t let that slip out at lunch if you haven’t already.

Tanner Foster (00:38:12):

It was funny. Their, uh, their corporate offices are actually directly across the road from each other. It’s pretty funny. But, uh,

Nam Pham (00:38:20):

it works there. He’s a product engineer, designer, something like that. So we’ll tell us what you’re going to do next. Have you, have you found that next stage yet?

Tanner Foster (00:38:30):

Yeah, so I’m going to be returning to Mohawk as a, I’m a supply chain analyst and um,

Maggie Hume (00:38:36):

I get to keep the, uh, the manager that I worked under during my internship, which I’m really excited about. Um, he’s a, I feel like he does a really good job of, uh, listen to, so the concerns that people blow em. So I’m really excited to get to work for him. Mmm. Just like a over a medium term goal. I guess. I’d like to move into some sort of management after, yeah. Three or four years of being in the industry there and I’m just, just trying to, uh, Fred’s kind of instilled, um, being lifelong learners and to us and he said that experience where it’s gotten him so longterm. I try to, I hope to keep that, that mindset and um, just see where that takes me.

Nam Pham (00:39:22):

That’s great. I think you’ll, I don’t think it’ll take you three or four years, Tanner. That’s just my prediction. But bold, bold prediction predicted. Well, you know, just like on ESPN, no one will be around to hold me accountable for it.

Maggie Hume (00:39:40):

I agree with you, Greg. I’m from a little bit, we’ve seen from Maggie nom and Tanner. Okay. Uh, we want to shift gears a bit. Um, as Greg and Fred and myself have shared a couple of orients sites as we’ve been interviewing, uh, these three, uh, future supply-chain leaders, current future, who knows, um, there’s not as much of a defining line these days. Uh, but clearly three folks that have, uh, have a, um, an aggressive trajectory into industry. So now we want to pick your brains, a Maggie nom and Tanner on, on what you’re observing and, and, and we’re what you’re tracking the most. So, Maggie, I want to start with you. So, um, if you had to pick one global supply chain trend or development or innovation, you name it, that you’re following more than others right now, what is it and why?

Maggie Hume (00:40:33):

Sure. So I, I know you said, um, pink one, but I’m afraid I have to pick two right now given the current climate. Uh, I think it’s going to be really interesting to see how supply chains react to, but kind of the [inaudible] the closing of the Corona virus to see how, um, I think it’ll be interesting to see how suppliers respond to and that sort of thing, immediate transition out of this, um, this chaos that we’re currently in. Mmm. But beyond that, Mmm. Ms kind of, um, shift or innovation, I guess you could say too, like I said, companies becoming more sustainable and kind of an increasing prioritization of sustainability. And longevity. Mmm. That’s something that I’ve been following now and I, I foresee becoming the Norman probably and then the next five, 10 years, hopefully. Mmm. So that’s, that’s something that I’m really interested in following closely along, uh, to see how companies are reducing waste and practicing, reusing and there’s kind of, there’s this movement towards and were usable packaging that I find really interesting, um, particularly for home goods.

Maggie Hume (00:41:51):

So a lot of households applies. Um, all right. Starting to join this, um, this transition to see how they can reduce waste and, uh, we’re gonna producing packaging that’s reusable and that can be, um, you know, Washington sent to multiple customers, um, to kind of reduce that footprint of, of waste. And, uh, I think that’s really interesting and definitely something that’s going to be very prevalent in the next few years here. Love that, Maggie. All right, I want I wanna uh, before we go to nom, I want to ask y’all all three of you a question and put it on a scale of one to 10. So very simple answer. So we were talking in the earlier episode and in the last week or so about how consumers more and more are voting with their wallet, own, uh, own companies that have more sustainable practices and sustainable products and communicate. That’d be their branding. So if, if one being on the scale of you’d never spend a dollar with them and 10 would be on a scale of, you wouldn’t be able to buy enough of their products, companies that aren’t sustainable, how, how would, how would they factor into your spend each month? And Maggie, let’s start with you.

Maggie Hume (00:43:06):

So you’re saying companies that are not sustainable, correct. Yet, one means you don’t spend a dime and 10 means you can’t find enough ways to incorporate their products into your life. Uh, close to one here. [inaudible] ma’am, um, I want to say close to one as well, but it’s going to be very dependent on kind of what are the products are, you know, if it’s products I really can’t live without, I might have to, you know, bump it up a little bit. But, um, if, if, if there’s a possibility that you can be more sustainable, I definitely prefer that, uh, the companies explore that route. So I would say a two. I love that nom and, and you know, you illustrate a great point that I think even going back to Maggie’s point about seeing what changes come out of this pandemic environment. You know, we’ve talked a lot, Greg and even a Fred’s been a part of it in a couple of years. Will price be creeping back and be still number one and how will that factor into consumer choices? But Hey, well we’ll table that for later. Tanner. A scale of one to 10, what’s your vote?

Maggie Hume (00:44:09):

Yeah. Oh, I’d probably go more like a three or four myself and for the same reason that nom said like, uh, if I’m, if there’s no other alternative and then I guess I’d be forced to, but uh, if there is an alternative that would probably go ahead and go with the one that is more sustainable. Excellent. Okay. Good stuff. Yeah. I’m sorry I have to intervene here. So, because

Nam Pham (00:44:32):

these guys are [inaudible]

Nam Pham (00:44:33):

about to go out into the world, right? I think it’s important to recognize, especially from your standpoint, Maggie, as you try to champion this cause to recognize that there is no, um, there is no substitute for economics.

Nam Pham (00:44:50):

And even though consumers say they will vote with their wallet in regards to sustainability and even fair trade, the truth is they don’t, they go right to what is there, their preferred or very desired product if there’s not a lot of options or if it’s a hot, uh, very, um, cost-effective item or if it’s just so important. So one of the things that you all want to work into your Mmm, dealings as you, as you think about supply chain is that economics still and probably always will drive everything. So if we want sustainability, we want fair trade, we’ve got to make it economically feasible.

Scott Luton (00:45:35):

Absolutely. Great point. I completely agree. I think that’s why the burden sort of falls to some of these, um, large corporations that do have those resources to, that’s some of the, um, the changes into place to in order to [inaudible] guess, says more sustainable products at a reduced cost as well. Yeah. And, and as we all know on this call, there is a huge bottom line play for more sustainable, uh, practices. So really curious to see how the, the, the sustainability, the, the circular economy movement kind of more bigger picture. Okay. Continues to evolve and take root and get more practical and more baked into the global supply chain world that we know. All right. So want to keep driving here. Uh, nom picking your brain on, you know, one big global supply chain topic. What, what are you tracking the most right now?

Nam Pham (00:46:27):

Okay, so recently I’ve been looking more and closely into cloud computing. I know it’s kind of already a thing. Uh, it’s, but the thing I’m mainly focusing on is security side. I’m trying to see kind of what’s, what’s the development in the security sort of tall computing because, uh, when it comes to cloud computing versus like legacy systems, I think, um, the risks that comes with cloud computing is still fairly high considering, um, the security approaches, the frameworks that people use for a fairly new structure like cloud. Mmm. Isn’t it? I don’t know if it’s adequate and I’m not confident in it yet, so I’m just kind of watching the news, seeing how it develops and, and that’s kind of the trend I’m looking at right now.

Scott Luton (00:47:10):

Love that. And we’d love to bring you back on in a couple of years, especially as you join the industry leader like Manhattan associates as you continue to, to, to, um, be a part of those conversations. So there’s stuff there. Nom, um, Tanner, same question. When you look at the global end to end supply community, what sticks out?

Tanner Foster (00:47:32):

Oh, something that I find really interesting is, uh, the concept of the internet of things was just basically is like, uh, just the, the millions of, of smart devices and, and the, the web of information that they are sharing with each other and create, um, while they’re operating. And, um, just with my time in middle Mohawk, I spent time in, um, manufacturing facilities and, uh, warehouse facilities outside of just sitting in the corporate office. And it’s just amazing how much, um, how much you can have going on and how efficiently you can do it when you have a, these automated systems communicating with each other and you can get this information in real time. And, um, I think, I think investments in those, in those sort of things will, um, break some ceilings and allow smaller to mid range companies to grow and do the things that, uh, some of the big players are doing.

Scott Luton (00:48:31):

Hmm. You know, uh, in your time in those plants and then all of your, did the, everyone on this episode, uh, time spent in manufacturing plants and warehouse facilities. You know, despite all the technology gains, what I always really have appreciated is the people and just how hard working, how, uh, the problem solving nature of it. Uh, the, the sense of mission you’ve got and a lot of these plant floors, that’s certainly one of the things that, uh, amongst my, you know, 320 or so plant tours, I’ve always enjoyed interacting with the folks making it happen.

Tanner Foster (00:49:06):

Yeah. There’s some camaraderie there too. My first summer after, uh, after our freshman year in college, I worked at a filter if they manufacture artificial turf and uh, we did, uh, six days, 12 hours on and I was with the same group of guys the entire time. And uh, that camaraderie was the only thing that really kept us going,

Scott Luton (00:49:28):

Hey, we all appreciate hard work when we, when we do it ourselves. And, and some of the folks who’ve been doing that 30, 40 years. So, absolutely. What a great experience. Tanner. Um, as much as I hate to start wrapping up the conversation, as each of you answered questions from Fred and Greg and myself, I know that the three of us had a lot of different followup questions. We’d love to get you to weigh in on and maybe maybe after you graduate and you get your first year under your belt, um, in your first role with, to have you back on and, and share those, those reflections. But let’s talk about as we wrap up the kind of the impact of your participation as part of team supply chain and how that has made a difference not only in your learning experience but, but overall. Um, and so, Maggie, we’ll start with you.

Tanner Foster (00:50:19):

Everything. So it’s been awesome to be part of this team supply chain. Fred’s done such a good job with us, um, throughout the semester, you know, keeping on track and coming up

Maggie Hume (00:50:28):

with a good schedule and, um, providing us with awesome contacts. Um, but one thing that I think has really stuck out to me is just being able to, Mmm.

Nam Pham (00:50:38):

Talk amongst

Maggie Hume (00:50:40):

ourselves and with other people. That bride introduces us to about what it actually looks like to from a firsthand perspective to work in supply chain and all these different fields kind of across the spectrum. Uh, you know, we’re limited by our internships and, um, time we have of what firsthand experience we can get prior to graduation. Mmm. But I think this has given us all an opportunity to kind of pick each other’s brains about, well, what does it look like to be in, um, your field, you know, and how did your internship kind of affect the way that you perceive things? And it’s, it’s been really interesting to kind of learn from each other, I think just as much as being able to learn from these contexts that, but Fred is, uh, provided us with

Nam Pham (00:51:23):

love that [inaudible] and Maggie, a great point made about internships. Even though, um, we’d love to see more and more internships continue to proliferate out and give more students that opportunity to get that real world experience. To your point, oftentimes it is kinda dedicated to one segment of supply chain that, um, Greg and Fred, it’s been neat to see companies like Cisco who has got a big presence in Atlanta, create, uh, internship, Mmm. Intern rotation programs with its upstream and downstream supply chain partner so they get a more well run, well rounded internship opportunity. I’ve always thought that’s a, a really neat thing to do. Um, okay. So Maggie, I appreciate you sharing same question, not talk about the impact of participating in a team supply chain, own your experience.

Nam Pham (00:52:13):

Well, um, I really liked that Fred is, has been an awesome, awesome mentor. He’s, he, I really liked that he’s kept us on track when going through all of this, um, pandemic stuff right now. I know definitely it threw me off into, off my schedule a lot, but keeping this pretty regularly, um, keeping the meetings regular has really helped me kind of stay on top of things. But, um, some of the other benefits that I got from this was, uh, just the people that I meet, right? They, they kind of tell you how it is. Uh, in a real perspective. They keep it real. Um, you know, you, you can’t learn a bunch of stuff. Oh, you can’t, you can’t learn everything about supply chains in the classroom. You kind of need that firsthand experience. You kind of need people to really tell you kind of how it is outside. And, you know, I think it’s very valuable to see that kind of experience and, uh, the experiences that these professionals, um, have given us the perspective that they give them to us. Love it. I’ll tell you, it feels just in talking with you and hearing how each of you pick your words and, and, and it’s clearly evident that you’ve already made certain observations that many students, uh, certainly those that were graduating during my time and even in recent, you know, last five,

Scott Luton (00:53:26):

eight years [inaudible] you’re ahead of those. Um, and that’s gotta be such a valuable position to have. So thanks for sharing. Um, Tanner, same question. Talk about the impact of your involvement with team supply chain and how that’s had an impact on your experience.

Tanner Foster (00:53:42):

Um, it’s just been a great opportunity for exposure that I think, um, would have been a, I would have been worse off without. I’m really glad that, uh, Fred came and talked to us that one day and he’s just gotten us in these positions that otherwise never would have been in like such as being on this program that you guys have built up here and then, uh, you’re hitting on the communication. I think definitely the exposure to the communication that we’ve gotten through Fred, whether it’d be on here or speak into the other contacts in our other meetings and just seeing how things are done and um, uh, the right way to communicate. And, uh, having, having the team atmosphere between us and having lines of communication between ourselves has really been great.

Scott Luton (00:54:30):

I agreed and it’s again, so evident. Um, it’s amazing how much you can pick up on even a remote one hour or so conversation. So really appreciate that Tanner. Um, as we start to wrap up here, we’ve been speaking with Maggie Hume, non-farm and Tanner foster all, uh, upperclassmen at university of Georgia, uh, will be graduating really soon. Some have roles already identified, others are really close. Uh, [inaudible] you know, um, the future supply chain is certainly in good hands and look no further than the last hour long conversation we’ve had to here. So I want to bring Greg and Fred back in. Greg, I want to start with you. Uh, and I want to get your key takeaway other than the fact that I continue to bungle those scale questions, one to 10. I can’t make that simple enough. Can I?

Nam Pham (00:55:18):

I’m not sure that, yeah, I about that. I’m thinking it’s on you. I think one to 10 is just confusing. I agree. I might, we’ll get that on off switch, you know, that’s right. Um, yeah, that’s, that’s a tough one. Uh, look, aside from that, um, you know, the takeaway that I’ve got is one, Fred, thank you so much for um, catalyzing the experience of, of these, uh, young people and you know, helping to accelerate their growth in terms of knowledge in supply chain. I was thinking about what an effort that is, especially as nom said, you kept the meetings regular and, um, had an agenda. I thought there is no way that I could possibly do what, what Fred has done. So, uh, first of all, thank you for doing that. It’s no small effort and I can see that, uh, everyone appreciates it. Uh, the other is the future of supply chain is bright. If these three people are any indication. Hmm. Um, we definitely going right direction. Um, Maggie, I love your passion. Um, now, um, I, I, I think you might might change how warehouse operations work, uh, at a root level. Um, and Tanner, you know, I, I feel like you, you have the

Nam Pham (00:56:45):

both passion and compassion for the people in the transportation industry that to make sure that things go the right direction in that industry as well. So, yeah.

Scott Luton (00:56:54):

What was that noise for me? I love that good stuff. I just couldn’t,

Fred Tolbert (00:57:00):

I just continue to be totally impressed with the, uh, with the knowledge that these guys have, the poise, the confidence they have in, uh, talking and that and that these, uh, uh, young folks are about to begin their career. You know, let, uh, uh, let, let an old man hang out with them every now and they, and I have certainly, uh, in your, in Jordan a lot. I, I had an observation, I’ve told something no, Maggie and own a nom, but in one of our meetings there at, um, uh, the business learning center and I said, you walked through there through the coffee shop and you know, these guys have their heads down in their books. They’re talking quietly. And I said, man, you guys are so serious. And Tanner just said, Hey, it’s competitive around here. And I tell you what, these, these, these, these guys, these guys can compete with anybody. And you know, that’s my take away from, from hanging out with these, uh, uh, future supply chain leaders here.

Scott Luton (00:58:01):

Agreed. Hey Fred, real quick, um, I’m sure if some of our audience members may want to compare notes with you, whether it’s about what you’ve been doing for quite some time or, or even what you’ve done, you know, leading the team, supply chain effort, UGA, what’s the easiest way folks can reach out?

Fred Tolbert (00:58:18):

Sure. Well, uh, LinkedIn, uh, is a good way. Um, you know, it’s very easy to connect with, with, uh, folks on, on LinkedIn, uh, F [email protected] as a way to reach me through email. But I certainly enjoy, uh, uh, trading information and trading ideas with, uh, other people in the industry.

Scott Luton (00:58:41):

Love that and really admire the folks that give back in such a meaningful way. We can’t say it enough. Um, Maggie nom and Tanner. Excellent job. Really. Um, I knew we were going to enjoy this conversation. I think I surpassed how much I would enjoy it. Uh, there’s a thousand of the questions. I know all three of us on our end would love to pose to you, but we’ll save that for next time. If I can just challenge each of y’all with a very simple concept. Um, you know, one of the, the bane of our existence is here at supply chain now is lip service leadership, right?

Scott Luton (00:59:17):

And there’s so much of that industry, uh, I would just challenge all of you to have to wrap your head around this notion of GSD and that’s get stuff done. It’s all about action and that’s my first impression and hearing each of you, there’s a lot of action and intent behind your perspective. So I’m, I’m really looking forward to tracking your careers and seeing the big things that you’re going to do once you leave. Uh, beautiful. Athens, Georgia. All right. Thank you, Maggie. Thank you nom. And so just to read it one more time, we’ve been talking with Maggie Hume, non-farm and Tanner foster all set to graduate soon from the university of Georgia and Athens, thanks so much. And we’ll, we’ll be back in touch soon. Uh, also one thing my coast. Yes sir. Yeah. Before you do that, can we get, um, can we get a little go dogs?

Scott Luton (01:00:12):

Hello, dog dog. Oh, dog. All right, now we’re done, Scott. We’re done. All right, well good. We’ll air by. Um, thanks so much. Uh, well, I also think once again, my cohost Greg white and Fred Tolbert, Fred of course with Southeast demand solutions, really enjoyed this conversation with each of you, um, and look forward to doing it again. So to our audience, hopefully you’ve enjoyed this as much as we have. Uh, this is this one of the highlights of our week. So, um, to our audience, be sure to check out a wide variety of industry thought leadership at supply chain now, radio.com find us and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts from. On behalf of the entire team here, Scott Luton, wishing you a successful week ahead, stay safe. Please follow the expert advice and precautions that have been distributed and know this at brighter days. Certainly lie ahead. We’ll see you next time on Supply Chain Now.