2 Babes Talk Supply Chain

We’re continuing to put the spotlight on our incredible family of Let’s Talk Supply Chain live shows, bringing you special guests and exclusive content that you don’t want to miss. Last week, we featured First Things First, with Mercado in episode 262 and Coming In Hot, with Abby Baird in episode 264. And now it’s Sarah’s turn with Thoughts and Coffee. Known as "The Best 30-Minutes on a Tuesday", this weekly show brings you the hottest supply chain topics currently brewing in the industry, every Tuesday at 10am EST. In this episode, Sarah is joined by special guest Brad Blomstrom, Chief Financial Officer at Emerge, to talk about increasing corporate social responsibility through procurement, 2022 supply chain predictions – and to share the best-kept secret for better vendor relationships.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [08.27] Sarah recaps on recent episodes, and shares what’s new with Let’s Talk Supply Chain, Blended and the LTSC family of live shows. [11.43] An introduction to special guest Brad Blomstrom

This is the fourth and final episode of our mini-series in partnership with Quickbase. Last week in Episode 3, “Connect,” I was joined by Jacob MacIntrye to explore the complex world of construction; the challenges of keeping projects on time and budget, amidst supply chain and labor disruption; the importance of building stakeholder trust; and exactly how Quickbase can equip your team with real-time information to streamline processes, ensure compliance and improve communication. Today in Episode 4, “Level Up,” I’m joined for the second time this series by Peter Rifken. We’ll be discussing the ins and outs of complex project management; explaining how you can level up information to leadership, so you can make the best decisions for your operations; and exactly how Quickbase can help.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [01.54] The landscape of project management in a post-COVID environment: how companies are working, and how a focus on this area can help businesses to thrive in this period of recovery. “You’re

Today I’m joined by Mark Raffan, serial entrepreneur, procurement veteran and expert in negotiation, influence, and persuasion. He’s the founder of Negotiations Ninja – designed to improve performance with training and improve results with coaching, the company develops and delivers engaging negotiation training to world-class procurement and sales teams. Mark is also the founder and host of the Negotiations Ninja Podcast, the number one negotiations podcast in the world, in which he interviews negotiation, sales, and procurement thought leaders and shares the tools, strategies and tactics you need to succeed. Today Mark joins me to chat all about Negotiations Ninja: what they do; the importance of negotiation in supply chain; procurement and supply chain collaboration; and his top tips for navigating a post-pandemic work environment.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [06.48] The landscape of negotiation, why it’s so important and how it fits into supply chain. “We’re living in such a strange time when it come

This is the third episode of our mini-series in partnership with Quickbase. Last week in Episode 2, “Control,” I was joined by Alex Pederson to talk all about the solar industry. We discussed the increasing importance of generating renewable energy sources; the challenges of ensuring efficiency and connectivity, whilst meeting high demand; the power of low-code development in complex industries; and exactly how Quickbase can centralize scattered workflows to help scale your operations quickly, safely and securely. Today in Episode 3, “Connect,” I’m joined by Jacob MacIntrye to explore the complex world of construction; the challenges of keeping projects on time and budget, amidst supply chain and labor disruption; the importance of building stakeholder trust; and exactly how Quickbase can equip your team with real-time information to streamline processes, ensure compliance and improve communication.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [02.05] An introduction to Jacob, his background and experience in the construc

It’s episode 20 of Blended: I’m joined by another fantastic panel of guests and we’re talking about the business benefits of DEI. Previously on the show, we’ve talked to underrepresented groups and specific communities – whether it be women, people of color, trans folks – and, as part of our discussions, we’ve heard them passionately share their stories and illustrate why, of course, they’re such an integral part of successful teams. So we thought it was time to really put a focus on that and dedicate a whole show to the importance of embracing DEI in your business. Today, our guests will be exploring what DEI means to them; sharing their own personal experiences; reflecting on issues such as creating safe spaces, ongoing education and authenticity; and discussing the importance of supplier diversity. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [00.49] Introductions to our Blended panelists. “DEI encompasses the relationship, philosophy and culture of acknowledging, embracing, supporting and accepting those of all racial,

We are absolutely loving showcasing our incredible range of live shows! Last month, in episode 257, we put the spotlight on Action Items with Dyci Sfregola. Last week in episode 262, it was Mercado’s turn with their show, First Things First. And, today, we’re bringing you Coming In Hot, with Abby Baird. The industry is always changing, so what’s in store for the next generation of supply chain professionals? Supply chain management student, Abby, brings her passion and enthusiasm for the future of supply chain every fourth Thursday at 12.30pm EST. In this episode, Abby is joined by special guest Lydia O'Neal, supply chain and logistics reporter at The Wall Street Journal, to talk all about the memefication of supply chain; how supply chain management is being shared; and the popularization of the industry.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [07.43] An introduction to special guest Lydia O'Neal, her background and how she transitioned to reporting on supply chain. [10.20] How Lydia came to write Sorry, the Global

This is the second episode of our mini-series in partnership with Quickbase. Last week in Episode 1,  I was joined by Peter Rifken to take a closer look at people. We talked about the workers on the front line of the industry right now, the challenges, the opportunities, and exactly how Quickbase can optimize and automate to connect people and workflow together. Today,  I’m joined by Alex Pederson to talk all about the solar industry. We’ll be discussing the increasing importance of generating renewable energy sources, the challenges of ensuring efficiency and connectivity, while meeting high demand, the power of low-code development in complex industries, and exactly how Quickbase can centralize scattered workflows to help scale your operations quickly, safely and securely.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [01.46] An introduction to Alex, his background and role at Quickbase. “I ran into Quickbase… and it blew my mind – how customizable it was, how flexible the platform was and what you could do with it.” [

Today we’re featuring one of our amazing live shows on Let's Talk Supply Chain. Last month in episode 257, we put the spotlight on Action Items with Dyci Sfregola and now it’s the turn of First Things First with Mercado! We live in a consumer driven world. $2.5T worth of products are imported annually, representing 15% of U.S. GDP. It’s time companies become fully connected to the people who make and move our products, and look for ways to improve the way we plan, buy, and move them around the world. Join Mercado CEO Rob Garrison and special guests every second Tuesday of the month at 12pm ET as they explore the future of the supply chain in 2022 and beyond. And this episode is all about the first, and last, mile. Rob is joined by special guest Edward Hertzman, Executive Vice President at Fairchild Media and Founder and President of Sourcing Journal, to talk all about ensuring you have a first mile strategy; the growing importance of traceability; building more equal supplier relationships; and the evolution

This is the first episode in our brand new four-part mini-series in partnership with Quickbase. Quickbase helps customers see, connect and control complex projects that reshape our world. Whether it’s raising a skyscraper or coordinating vaccine rollouts, the no-code software platform allows business users to custom-fit solutions to the way they work – using information from across the systems they already have. Today in Episode 1, See, we’ll be taking a closer look at people: the workers on the front line of the industry right now; the challenges; the opportunities; and exactly how Quickbase can optimize and automate to connect people and workflow together.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [02.01] A reminder of who Quickbase are and what they do; and an update on what’s changed since they were last on the show. [04.01] From labor shortages to staff retention, the main challenges that businesses are facing when it comes to front-line workers, and how those challenges have changed from just a couple of years ag

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by experienced and strategic logistics operations professional, Maggie Petrovic. A business and communications graduate, Maggie honed her skills at global third-party logistics provider Coyote Logistics, gaining deep knowledge and experience across operations, sales, strategy and customer experience. As a leader at Emerge, she’s helping to save shippers time and money by operationalizing game-changing products. Today Maggie will be talking to us about her career so far; her talent for operations strategy; the excitement of start-up culture; and Mom guilt. Plus, she’ll be sharing her experiences as a woman in the industry, as well as her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.   SHOW SPONSOR:   This Women in Supply Chain feature was made possible by our sponsor, Emerge. As a company focused on empowering and growing meaningful supply chain relationships, Emerge is proud to sponsor Women in Supply Chain. Through its freight procure

Today I’m joined by Prompt, a customer-focused logistics software business who are on a mission to unlock your digitization and automation potential – to drive cost savings and revenue improvements – without changing your underlying software platforms. Prompt helps supply chain companies to easily expand the functionality of their Transportation Management Systems without changing or replacing any of their existing software. As the only logistics technology company with all the major global data privacy and security certifications, Prompt work with more than a third of the top 25 freight forwarders, providing visibility, automation, and payment processing solutions that all safely and seamlessly connect back to their system, or systems, of choice. Today Kai Timmermann, Chief Operating Officer at Prompt, joins me to chat all about the company: what they do; the biggest challenges in logistics today; putting customers at the core of their solutions; and the importance of visibility and data integration to the f

It’s episode 19 of Blended: I’m joined by another amazing panel of guests and we’re talking about sexual harassment. It’s another tough subject because the reality is, so many people, particularly women, have a story. And we need to tell those stories if we’re going to expose just how prevalent this problem is. Today, our guests will be discussing exactly what sexual harassment means and where and when it happens; sharing their own personal experiences; reflecting on the differences between harassment and assault; and the panel will be sharing their advice for tackling the issue and creating safer workplaces.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [01.37] Introductions to our Blended panellists. “Young adults and children need to learn about boundaries: what they mean, how to uphold them and how to resolve a conflict around them.” Christina Kristy – President and Owner at Knichel Logistics Carl – CEO at Carl Shawn Watkins Consulting, LLC Christina – Writer Charlene – Website Architect & Full-Stack Web Develop

Today we’re shaking things up and, instead of our usual guest interview, we’re featuring one of our fantastic new live shows on Let’s Talk Supply Chain – Action Items with Dyci Sfregola. Each month Dyci, CEO of New Gen Architects, is joined by a special guest to discuss key issues in the post-COVID supply chain; actionable steps businesses can take to prepare for scalability; and how to leverage supply chain technology and process redesign to upskill or reskill teams to provide meaningful, purposeful work for their employees while improving the bottom line. And this episode is all about stability and supply chain – two words that we don't see together very often! But Dyci has a few key action items up her sleeve to do just that – to ensure supply stability to support demand plan. Dyci is joined by special guest Atia Yarbrough, Director of Demand and Supply Planning at Mason Dixie Foods, to talk all about sales and operations planning, the importance of dual sourcing, how to reduce uncertainty, start-up fundin

Today I’m joined WorkStep, a people-focused provider of hiring and retention technology for supply chain teams. WorkStep is the market-leading provider of Frontline Workforce Retention solutions, purpose-built for the modern supply chain. With customers including manufacturing, warehousing, retail distribution, and transportation employers across North America, WorkStep solutions provide HR, operations, finance, and c-suite executives with what they need to hire frontline workers, engage them throughout their employment journey, and seamlessly act on critical insights to drive organizational change and ultimately reduce turnover. Today Dan Johnston, Co-founder & CEO at WorkStep, joins me to chat all about the company: what they do; the ins and outs of hiring and retention; the truth behind the current ‘talent shortages’; and the upcoming workforce trends to look out for.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [07.03] Dan’s founder story, and how his experience as an ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ gave him the time

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by Mardi Tegmeyer: a passionately customer-focused supply chain leader. An experienced logistics professional, Mardi’s knowledge and experience covers sales, operations, account management and customer success. As a leader at Emerge, she’s helping to reinvent freight procurement by putting customers firmly front and center. Today Mardi will be talking to us about her career so far; her passion for customer success; and the importance of collaboration and inclusion within supply chain. Plus, she’ll be sharing her experiences as a woman in the industry, as well as her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.   SHOW SPONSOR:   This Women in Supply Chain feature was made possible by our sponsor, Emerge. As a company focused on empowering and growing meaningful supply chain relationships, Emerge is proud to sponsor Women in Supply Chain. Through its freight procurement platform, Emerge offers solutions that enhance the spot and contrac

Today I’m joined by Zenov BPO, a customer-centric and results-driven outsourcing business, who are laser-focused on solving their clients’ toughest challenges through their range of expert services. Zenov are dedicated to ensuring efficiency in their customers back office operations, and to delivering the best savings, by providing unmatched services in strategy, technology and operations. With expertise across industries and most business functions, they deliver transformational outcomes for a demanding new digital world. Today Joseph Wilson, Senior Director & Partner at Zenov BPO, joins me to chat all about the company: what they do; the role of outsourcing in contemporary business; and the importance of a customer-focused approach.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [07.23] An overview of Zenov BPO – what they do, and how they help their customers. “A lot of organizations hit that hump, where they can’t grow exponentially… so we’re saying ‘how can we help these organizations climb and reach their pinnacl

Today I’m joined by Motion2AI, an exciting and innovative tech company offering machine-learned solutions for warehouse mobility operations, covering monitoring, dispatch, safety, and autonomy integration. Founded in 2018, Motion2AI is a fast-growing start-up providing intelligent solutions for warehouse efficiency and safety. It offers AI platforms for warehouse mobility fleets (such as forklifts, carts or robots) by providing services of safety, monitoring, optimization, and autonomy. And the ecosystem supports manned labor and robots seamlessly, providing practical and scalable solutions for warehouse operations. Today Byungsoo Kim, Founder & CEO at Motion2AI, joins me to chat all about the company: what they do; the benefits to be found in harnessing the power of AI within operations; and the relationship between people and technology.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [07.00] Byungsoo’s background and how he came to found Motion2AI. “Not every warehouse is taking advantage of that new technology and I

It’s episode 18 of Blended: I’m joined by another amazing panel of guests and we’re talking about workplace discrimination. It’s a sensitive subject: something that a lot of people have actually experienced, but not something we like to talk much about. So, of course, it’s a topic we want to tackle head on! Today, our guests will be discussing exactly what discrimination means and why it happens; sharing their own personal experiences; reflecting on the differences between discrimination, micro-aggressions, victimization and bullying; and the panel will be sharing their advice for creating more supportive and inclusive workplaces.

Today I’m joined by R2 Logistics, an award-winning third-party logistics provider offering industry-leading supply chain management services to shippers of all sizes. Founded in 2007, R2 Logistics is a global provider of market-leading transportation services and logistics solutions. As a third-party logistics company, it provides access to thousands of transportation providers and has the capacity to resolve all of your shipping needs. Backed by game-changing technology and its culture for reliable service and relentless passion, R2 Logistics has built a strong reputation as an industry leader. Today Frank Dreischarf, Vice President of Supply Chain Solutions at R2 Logistics, joins me to chat all about the company: what they do; overcoming challenges in the midst of disruption; and the importance of collaboration and visibility in supply chain.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [08.28] R2 Logistics’ background and how they’ve evolved into the company they are today. “That expedite mentality, that sense of urge

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by Mary McNelly: industry powerhouse and logistics and supply chain expert for leading global shoe brand, Crocs. An experienced and talented leader, Mary’s knowledge and experience covers all aspects of logistics and supply chain. In her 13 year career with leading retailer Crocs, Mary has risen through the ranks to become the Senior Director of Global Logistics & Supply Chain Network Design. Today Mary will be talking to us about her career so far; her passion for logistics; and the role of innovation, automation and agility amidst major disruption. Plus, she’ll be sharing her experiences as a woman in the industry, as well as her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.   SHOW SPONSOR:   This Women in Supply Chain feature was made possible by our sponsor, Emerge. As a company focused on empowering and growing meaningful supply chain relationships, Emerge is proud to sponsor Women in Supply Chain. Through its freight procurem