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Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening wherever you may be.

Scott Luton and Marty Parker, the one and only here with you on Supply Chain now.

Welcome to today's livestream.

Hey, Marty, how you doing today?

Awesome.

Beautiful outside.

Thrilled to be here with you, Scott.

It is, it is.

I'm looking right out my home studio window and I tell you, it is a picture, a beautiful picture.

You know, it's kind of still like early fall because the temps hadn't really gone down as much as I.

Hopefully they will later, but it's like a 72 degree day and it's just, it's bleached with sunshine out there.

So we got to get outside and get some fresh air soon, right, Marty?

Absolutely.

Gotta love Atlanta.

Goes from 102 to 60 in like three days every time.

That's right.

That's right.

And our sinuses can serve as witnesses to that fact.

But folks, great episode of the Buzz here today where every Monday at 12 noon Eastern time, we discuss a variety of news and developments across global supply chain and business.

And today we've got some great stories to get into.

We got some more workforce challenges for Canada, especially at the Canada Post.

Just how is Unilever finding growth in a tough CPG market?

And Marty, a delicious donut supply chain news story.

Can we sign you up for that, Marty?

Yeah, I am hungry and that is not going to help me at all.

It is not.

Plus, folks, we have a big time, wonderful guest joining us in a few minutes.

Maria Villeblanca, CEO and co founder of the Future Insights Network, host of Transform Talks, podcast, founder and host of T Fest, a recent gathering of global supply chain leaders.

All that and a whole bunch more.

We're going to be gaining Maria's key takeaways from T Fest.

So stay tuned for all of that.

Two things, Marty, before we keep moving.

Number one, folks, be like Gino, right?

A new Gatorade marketing slogan.

Be like Gino right here.

Good morning, folks.

Better enjoy it.

It's changing Wednesday to Thursday.

That's right.

Weather's going to be changing again.

Gino, let us know.

I know that you're tuned in from north Alabama, but folks, just like Gino shared that, we want to hear from you throughout the session whether you're tuned in via LinkedIn, YouTube X, Facebook, Twitch.

Let us know what you think.

And secondly, if you enjoy the show, we'd love for you to share it with a friend and your network.

They'll be glad you did.

Okay.

So, Marty, you ready to dive in?

We got a lot to get into before Maria joins us.

You ready?

Absolutely.

Let's do it.

All right.

I'm going to start by my highlight over the weekend, right?

So me and my son Ben, we take these bro trips, we like to call them, where it's just me and him doing small things, big things.

What?

This was his first Atlanta Hawks game last Friday night.

They even won for us.

And Marty, have you been to a Hawks game?

I have.

It was a long time ago and we talked about it.

I can't wait to get there because the Hawks are looking really good.

That's right.

We gotta get you back.

We did talk about that last time we got together.

Well, I'll tell you this, whether they win or lose on the court, the experience that the organization puts into game day, there is always something.

I don't think Marty, I don't think my son Ben broke out his cell phone for the entire game.

That's how much is going on.

So, Marty, me and you, next we're going to get a picture of it so we can prove we did it.

How's that sound?

Let's do it.

All right, so moving right along, also over the weekend, we dropped our almost weekly newsletter.

We bake in a little bit leeway for us there.

So this edition was powered by Enrique Alvarez and our friends at Vector Global Logistics.

We just had to touch on the Jake Paul, Mike Tyson, I'm going to call it Debacle.

Marty, did you see this fight?

You know, I only saw highlights and I only saw funny TikTok videos about it.

Well, it deserved it.

Folks, let me tell you, if you missed the.

I can't even call it a fight.

I can't even call it a fight.

It was eight rounds, two minute rounds.

So 16 total minutes.

I think Mike Tyson walked away with reportedly $20 million.

So, hey, if I'm getting paid $20 million, you know, and I don't have to get hit or be knocked down or I don't have to hurt someone else.

And it's got to be a good night if you're Mike Tyson.

Am I right, Marty?

Yeah, absolutely.

And I have to say, at his age, you know, we're.

We're about the same age.

He's a little younger than me.

That's just crazy.

What good shape he's in.

But the TikToks were great.

Scott.

It was like kitty cats just tapping a dog in the face like really gently like this.

That's what it was like.

And as David, so good to see you here today.

David's nailed it.

Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson versus Netflix.

Yes, Netflix had, I think reported 60 million viewers, but it's like their network wasn't quite ready.

David, great to see you here today.

I've enjoyed catching up a little bit with you as well.

Okay, so back to our with that said, other than that debacle, we included intriguing perspective from a variety of sources across our ecosystem, including Corinne Bursa, on why we got to convert CFOs to become supply chain super fans.

We touched on us consumer spending was up considerably in October year over year versus October last year.

Vin Vashista, the one only talks about which jobs AI will be coming for.

We talked about the rise.

Have you heard of this term, the exurbs, not the burbs, but the excerpt.

Have you heard this martyr?

Yeah, yeah.

And folks are just driving forever to get into cities these days.

I know a lot about that, don't I?

You and I both do.

And I think that's a highly quantified term.

We're driving forever in terms of mileage, so well said, Marty.

Folks, check out this edition.

We also included, of course, our upcoming shows, plenty of other resources.

It drops just about every Sunday and we conveniently added the link to it right there.

Let us know what you think.

And David, I'm with you.

He says, I fought with Netflix to see anything.

You and about 59 million other people, David, but there were some prior to that title fight.

One last thought.

There were some good fights on the overall card that bout right before the title fight.

Oh my gosh, the female with the eye gash.

And they let the fight continue.

They were warriors in that fight.

But nevertheless, nevertheless, y'all check out what that said.

Marty, did you get a chance to take a look at that on your Sunday?

Absolutely.

It was terrific.

It's terrific.

You know, one of the things we included was a recent video you produced on how to build a more fulfilling and happier leadership experience.

So if you had to boil that down into a quick blurb, Marty, I know I'm putting you on the spot a bit, but what would be your Monday morning suggestion to folks out there?

Yeah, there's a lot of things I would say read about it, follow podcasts, but practically, you know, learning your purpose and meaning, doing things like meditation, taking walks connecting with people.

One indicator of happiness at work is finding a best friend at work.

So doing all of those things, it'll make you a better leader.

I like it, especially now, I think the power of connecting the folks in person.

It sounds simple.

Many of us have appreciated it for years.

But after the pandemic, I think it's added a ton more value and awareness of little things like that in this life.

So well said.

Okay, one more quick resource before we get into our three stories.

Marty, from our friends at Omnia Partners.

And we invite you to check out the latest edition of the Procurement Insider, where they offer up actionable insights on how a GPO can help you maximize your purchasing process, amongst other things.

And Omnia Partners would know they're one of the world's most successful and fastest growing group purchasing organizations.

Gpo, we love our acronyms around here where membership is still free.

So we're dropping that link right there in the chat and make it really easy.

Y'all check that out.

All right, Marty, Maria is joining us in about 15, 16 minutes or so.

We got three great stories to work through.

You ready to go?

You buckled up and ready to go?

Absolutely.

All right.

Let's get into the first one here.

Want to start with the latest workforce dispute up in Canada?

As reported by our friends at the Wall Street Journal, Canada has seen workforce issues at its ports this year, then its railroads.

This time around, it's the mail Service as about 55,000 unionized workers at Canada Post went on strike Friday, freezing the processing and delivery of mail and parcels across the country.

And Marty, you may know they've been negotiating for a year, but it's failed to deliver a solution.

Sticking points appear to be one of the usual suspects.

Compensation.

Other workforce demands include pension protections, protection for wages against inflation, and improved leave for current employees.

However, Much like its U.S.

cousin, the U.S.

postal Service, get this, the USPS lost $6.5 billion in its latest fiscal year, fiscal year 2023.

Wow.

The Canada Post has lost 3 billion Canadian dollars since 2018.

Let's say all this together, folks.

There is no such thing as free shipping.

Someone's got to pay for it.

Of course, with it being a critical holiday shopping and shipping season, the strike is paralyzing for many business owners.

One small business owner and e commerce retailer was reported as saying this Canada Post is the only game in town so small business owners to have to pause during the most important time of the year for selling.

Now, back in 2018, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used legislation to end A strike by Canada Post workers.

Thus far though, the Canadian government has only appointed a special negotiator.

But you know, this was just Friday that this strike started.

Pressure is expected to dramatically increase on Trudeau and the government as days of the strike pass.

So we'll see.

I'm hoping for a quick end negotiating breakthrough.

But Marty, what are you expecting here?

So what we've been talking about during COVID and since COVID we're going to just continue to face supply chain disruptions like this, and we're going to have to build out resilient supply chains and we're going to have to be ready for it.

You know, it's hard to argue with the things that the workers want, but you know, it has a very negative impact on the supply chain and potentially on the economy.

That's right.

We got to find that balance.

We got to find that balance.

Excellent points there, Marty.

All right, so we'll see.

One other thought related to workforce disputes here in the US So the ALA and the USMX negotiations have hit a big snag recently, breaking down, y'all guessed it, on the topic of automation.

They have until January 15th to finalize a new labor contract.

And I gotta tell you, Marty, that's quite a New Year's gift that the Biden administration has presented to the incoming Trump administration.

Administration.

I'm sure the Trump administration would probably rather have had a membership to the Jelly of the Month club rather than this situation.

Would you agree, Marty?

Yeah, absolutely.

I read that Denmark has been through this and automated, and the way they addressed it was helping the older workers go ahead and do early retirement and transition.

And so the automation's coming, right?

It's just a matter of how we figure out how to transition the folks that are negatively impacted by that.

That's right, Automation.

We gotta find practical, successful automation in our ports.

U.S.

ports all have opportunities to strengthen how they operate.

They're gonna have to.

So we'll see.

We'll see how it goes.

But you know, I'm kind of like you.

Let's not leave folks behind.

You know, let's get creative and find ways of making it work for our wonderful workers that keep global supply chain moving forward.

All right, want to shift gears to a more upbeat, positive story, Innovation story, leadership story.

So, hey, when you are a $60 billion CPG company, it can be very difficult finding new growth avenues.

But as Retail Brew reports, Unilever continues to find ways to drive volume growth, especially as this story talks about in a personal care market.

So the company has achieved, Marty, four consecutive quarters of growth, while many of its competitors in the CPG industry have been flat or even losing revenues and market share.

So just how is Unilever doing it?

Well, this is going to be the Reader's Digest.

This is going to be the TikTok version of this.

There's a whole bunch more to the story, but they talk about the premium ization strategy.

Marty had to slow that down so I could pronounce it correctly.

The premiumization strategy, which offer enhanced products at elevated price points.

They talked about better niche targeting.

And so in certain pockets of trends, especially that show promise for big time growth, this should surprise nobody.

Lots of testing and experimentation to see which new product ideas could be more broadly scalable.

And in this area, they're especially leveraging artificial intelligence to address the speed of change and innovation, where, you know, that velocity continues to get faster and faster and faster.

One Unilever executive says, quote, you need to predict the future a lot faster than you've ever done, end quote.

But it's not all about new products, as Unilever regularly invests in its current core products, such as improving formulations and packaging.

We don't talk enough about packaging.

We're talking a little bit more about packaging these days than say, 10 years ago.

But it's amazing what's going on when it comes like packaging science and global supply chain.

And I should add, speaking of supply chain, supply chain optimization and performance is also critical to Unilever success as the company is widely lauded across industry, including at Gartner, who placed Unilever atop its supply chain top 25 in the master category way back in 2019 with the likes of Amazon, Apple and Proctor and Gamble.

So, Marty, when you hear these stories of, you know, companies, especially in highly competitive and mature markets, but they're still finding new ways of doing new things and finding new revenue, I think these are great stories to kind of dive in on and benchmark.

What do you see here?

No, absolutely.

And they have to do it because they're under intense competition with their cash cows, their commodity products.

And having these new products that make more money start with a higher margin makes a big difference.

I have to add that if somebody gave me the whole body deodorant, I'd be a little concerned.

But apparently there's a.

There's a market out there, Scott.

There sure is.

I see more commercials about whole body deodorant than perhaps any other these days, other than Christmas and holiday advertisements.

But, Marty, it's so interesting to see what they're doing at Unilever and how they've excelled for quite some time.

So y'all check out that we're dropping a link to each of these stories in the comments where y'all can, you know, don't take our word for it.

Read for yourself.

Let us know what you think.

Okay, folks, let's see here.

We got one more hot and fresh story before Maria joins us.

And this is a story that had me at the top it look at those delicious, delicious Krispy Kreme donuts, folks.

If you've never tasted a hot Krispy Kreme donut right out of the oven when that light goes off, right?

Hot and fresh, please, please, please, for all things that are good in this journey, add that experience to your bucket list.

Now the company wants to make it easier for more and more folks across the US to have that delicious donut experience.

As reported by our friends here at Supply Chain Dive, Crispy Cream is looking to ramp up its use of third party deliverers to bring donuts to a lot more retail outlets far and wide as it see build up its aptly named Delivered Fresh daily network.

Now I love this.

Company executives say that outsourcing logistics and delivery will allow them and the company to, quote, focus on what we do best.

There is a universal lesson to be learned there for sure.

So Marty, lots of mornings are going to be made brighter if they can pull this thing off.

And I bet they will.

Your thoughts?

Yeah.

One, you need to get those 12 donuts off the screen.

It's killing me.

Scott.

That's a serving size here in the south, right?

Oh, that's so true.

So you know, the trade off, I'm a little skeptical to be controversial.

The trade off is loss of control.

If you remember about a year ago Chick Fil A launched Chick Fil A supply chain and so they took it over so they could control the whole thing and share the data.

But there are providers out there that are really, really good at this sort of thing.

So if Krispy Kreme is struggling at it, switch it out switches somebody that can do it and focus on sort of their core business.

So I've seen it both ways and it seems to go through phases back and forth.

Yep, great call out.

You know, I've forgotten about Chick Fil A's move and of course for most folks, me and Marty live in the metro Atlanta area, which is like 3,000 counties.

But of course Chick Fil A being based here and their move about a year or so ago to create its own supply Chain network and distribution.

We got to check back in on that story, Marty.

We'll have to feature that on a future podcast so we can get an update from our friends at Chick Fil A.

How's that sound?

Yeah, it sounds great.

And it's trying to get you back for showing me those donuts.

Make you think about a delicious, buttery, yummy, pickle covered Chick Fil A sandwich.

I'm gonna do it one more time just for you folks.

Check out if you see Krispy Kreme because they're still opening locations up everywhere.

And once they flip on that Hot and Fresh sign, you gotta experience these things just melt in your mouth.

It is amazing.

And they have beautiful Christmas donuts too.

I'd encourage people to get out and get some of those delicious things.

Oh, so true.

So true.

All right, one more special.

Leah Luton's tuned in from Aiken, South Carolina.

Hello, mom.

Love you and great to have you here as always.

Okay, so Marty Parker, we have got an outstanding guest friend of the show, global business rock and roll star joining us here today.

You ready to welcome in our friend?

Absolutely.

All right, so folks, I want to welcome in CEO and co founder of the Future Insights Network, host of the popular Transform Talks podcast, and founder and host of T fest.

T Fest 2024 just took place where it gathered global supply chain leaders from all parts of the world to talk about how we can innovate and move this industry forward.

And that's just some of the things that she leads.

So let's welcome in Maria Villablanca.

Hey, Maria, how are you doing today?

Hello there, Scott and Marty, Nice to see y'all.

So nice to see you.

Marty had a great time with Maria in the pre show discussion where we talked about, I think all of our affinity for hounds.

Is that right, Marty?

Absolutely.

I'm in the market and Maria has several four dogs.

Yeah, I'm a crazy dog lady.

Crazy dog lady.

Well, we need more people like you in this world because all these wonderful hounds need a home.

And you're the proud mother of Timmy, Poppy, Luke and Luna.

Is that right, Maria?

That is correct.

Rescue dogs, all of them just decided to give them homes.

And I am stopping at four, though.

I am stopping at four.

You've done your part.

I've done my part.

Well, great to have you here today.

So here's another fun one question.

So now we've established all of our love for hounds and dogs.

And Marty can't wait to get an update as you and your family decide to bring a new Family member home.

But I want to ask you all about this.

You know, holidays, man, they're wonderful.

But hustle and bustle and stress and pressure and friction and you name it, it brings a lot of wonderful things.

But oftentimes I think we put a lot of this stuff on ourselves as we're trying just to have the perfect holiday season.

So I want to ask you this, and Maria, I want to start with you.

What is one of your go to ways, whether it's during a holiday season or any other part of the year, of really decompressing and fighting through all that?

Well, I've got two.

One is to walk the dogs.

I mean, I live near some really nice forests, so I live in the uk.

There are a lot of really lovely forests here in the uk.

But there's another one which not a lot of people know.

I go and play my PlayStation.

I'm a big Call of Duty fan.

I'm not good.

I will set that out for the record right now.

According to my nephews, who are, you know, young guys, they think I'm not very good, but I consider myself good.

And there is nothing better than just getting on Call of Duty and just shooting the bad guys.

You know, you can't do that in real life, but you know, or at least you shouldn't if you're not in the armed forces or something like that.

Right, right.

But yeah, I love to do it.

It's one of my go to things.

It just relaxes me.

Some people meditate.

I shoot people online.

Well, Maria, I would follow you into combat.

I just want to thank that out there.

And I can't wait.

I got to see this firsthand.

So we're going to have to tee up something maybe after the show.

Marty, between walking the dog and those gorgeous forests that Maria was talking about, we're in her neck of the woods and PlayStation and decompressing that way.

What's your go to, Marty?

I've got two as well.

We live near Kennesaw Mountain, so Beth and I love to go for long hikes and get out in the sun.

But the Parker family is all about the Kindle and readings.

We will cozy up in front of a fire or if things get stressful, go hide somewhere with our various Kindles.

And we just love getting that time away and time alone.

Oh, it's so important.

And Amanda and big thanks, Amanda and Tricia for all the wonderful production work helping to make things happen.

She is with you, Marty.

I think Amanda read.

I'm gonna get the count Wrong.

Amanda, let us know.

I think like 89 books in 2023.

So she is a Kindle and hard copy.

She is shooting through it.

And I would just add Maria and Marty, I love that both of y'all.

In your responses, you talked about getting outside and you know, on the most stressful days, on the toughest days, turning all the electronics down and getting outside and breathing the fresh air and seeing the green trees or the changing color trees and just maybe even people watching.

You know, oftentimes we'll go in the neighboring town and I sit on the bench in front of the courthouse and just watch people.

You know, whatever it takes to get you to disengage from all that creates stress in your life so you can unplug a bit.

So, Maria and Marty, thanks for sharing your tips.

Hey, Greg, tuned in from Wisconsin.

Hope this finds you well.

Great to see you.

Thanks for your news tip on the cool thing that the Wisconsin manufacturing.

I think there's.

It's mep.

I think it's a manufacturing extension partnership.

Every state has one and they're doing some really cool things to match suppliers with.

Manufacturers need stuff there in Wisconsin.

So great to see you, Dick.

Greg, I'm a dive in.

More on that.

Okay.

Maria, great to have you here with us.

Congrats on what I've heard.

From all accounts, I'm hoping that Corey Coze usually pops in here at least for a minute or two on the bus.

We'll see if he does that here today.

He's one of your vice chairs, I think for T Fest you had several.

And from all accounts, I Hear T Fest 2024 was roundly successful.

So for starters, congrats.

We are honored to be a media partner on that event.

I look forward to maybe attending in person next year.

But if you would, for context, tell us briefly about how the event started.

What was the genesis of T Fest?

Well, you know, I have been having conversations with supply chain leaders about transformation for a long time.

You know, hence the Transform Talks podcast.

And what we wanted to do was celebrate transformation because it's hard.

It's hard to transform your business.

It's hard to make some big changes.

And these, whether you're a small business or a large scale multinational enterprise, it's a hard thing to do.

And so the purpose of TransformFest, which began as an online event during the pandemic, was to demonstrate stories, successful stories, as well as, you know, learning areas, you know, where people could learn from other people's mistakes about transformation.

Initially, it was all about digital Transformation, because that's all we were talking about.

And then it became transformation of supply chain, whether that's the business model transformation, supply chain redesign.

And we just wanted to bring people together to connect.

And so it really was, to use some of the words, a buzz, because it was very buzzy environment.

I've got to say, what really I loved about TransformFest was all the hugs.

Because I got to see so many people that I have known, whether it's online only or in person for so many years.

And just to walk around getting so many hugs from, you know, supply chain leaders was fantastic.

Oh, I love that Marella, the picture you painted and the pictures I've seen from beyond the presentations and discussions.

But it's all the sidebar, you know, join a cup of coffee and camaraderie and leaning in, getting some hugs, but also exchanging, like, personally, what we're seeing, the mistakes, the good stuff, the bad stuff, all points in between.

We have such an opportunity to serve as connectors of making that happen.

It seems like y'all really nailed that AT T Fest.

Martyrs.

That's kind of, in part, that's kind of a theme of what you were talking about earlier about people getting connected.

But I love the information exchange that Maria shared.

And one of my favorite parts about that, especially when you could maximize transparency in these types of events, is when you get business leaders to open up the kimono, so to speak, and share what hasn't gone well and what they learn from that, that's when you get the really powerful discussions.

Your thoughts there, Martyrs.

Yeah, absolutely.

And, you know, you've got all those different industry leaders, all those different products and services, and, you know, companies get blinders on with just their products and services.

So a chance to share with other people, learn what they're doing, is really going to help accelerate that transformation that Maria is talking about.

Well said.

That's right, Maria.

I didn't connect your emphasis so long on transformation.

It may all make sense now, Maria, I'm looking at things differently now.

I love how you've really put a big spotlight on that in so many different ways through your career.

And T squared.

Hey, my friend who hails from Baltimore, what a great city.

This is good supply chain management nourishment here.

I agree.

T squared.

Just wait.

The best is yet to come, but great to have you here.

All right, so, Maria, from all those conversations, I think I got some images right here.

Almost forgot my visuals.

That's right.

So you'll see there, Maria, leading some of the conversations.

I think that is with the Unilever business leader, Maria, that we were just talking about.

Is that right?

Yeah, that's Reggie Ecclesiato, who is the chief supply chain officer.

I mean, one of the big transformations that Unilever did, and that's why they're one of the Gartner top supply chains to admire.

And I loved this transformation and I got a chance to interview him on stage, which is to put supply chain at the center of their business.

So it's no longer chief supply chain officer.

He's the chief business operations officer.

So they moved supply chain, although they have supply chain in many functions.

I've interviewed a lot of their chief supply chain officers for beauty and for other divisions, ice cream, et cetera.

But they changed Reggie's role to be the chief business operations officer.

To me, that is symbolic of how important supply chain is for this business.

It's at the dead center of how they operate their business.

And that tells you everything you want to know.

And so I got a chance to interview Reggie to hear about that transformation, hear about the things that he, you know, wished he would have done differently.

Some advice that he gave people.

And one of the first questions I asked him was, all right, what kind of actionable insight can you give us here?

What worked, what didn't work, what would you have done?

And what are the key takeaways that people can get from this transformation?

Wow, talk about going a thousand miles an hour right out of the gate before we keep going because we're going to get Maria's key takeaways in just a second.

But I want to point something out.

It looks like you had some packed sessions, by the way, Maria.

And this is our friend, folks.

I mentioned Corey Coz it looks like he's in action there.

I've heard so much about all the various presentations and it sounds like the one for Unilever was Marty.

You don't always get a chance to hear, as Maria put it, the chief business leaders.

Right, Supply chain, you name it.

And really get a frank and transparent.

And I hate to use the word vulnerable because it's not vulnerable, but it's just that refreshing honesty.

We don't hear that often enough, do we, Marty?

No, I love that chief business officer because, you know, having been a COO for much of my career, the supply chain touches on all these different aspects.

But a lot of companies have product management separate from channel management separate from sales separate from supply chain, and they don't coordinate that well.

So I think that's fantastic.

We got to break down the silos.

What's old is new again.

It's amazing how all the different ways we can connect these days around the globe, and we arguably have more silos than ever before.

Greg says.

Always great to hear stories and case studies.

I'm with you, Greg.

I love good case study.

Always important to keep learning.

Things are constantly changing.

One thing that isn't changing, Maria, I think this kind of leads right into your first batch of key takeaways is uncertainty is here to stay.

That's one of the constants in a weird way.

So tell us, give us.

We're going to batch up your key takeaways.

Give us the first batch, if you would, Maria.

Well, I think we've been hearing this for some time, which is uncertainty is the new normal.

Right?

It's here to stay.

And building the kind of supply chain that's agile, responsive, that can deal with whatever unknown the world is going to throw at us, is just key to not just staying alive, but thriving during these difficult times.

So we heard from Reggie giving us his insights on that.

We also heard from Professor David Simchi Levy from mit.

He leads the Data Sciences Lab, who talked about how data and analytics are key to really mapping the supply chain and being able to predict, if anything, the kind of things that will throw your supply chain off course.

And there's so many things that can throw our supply chains, our teams, our technologies off course.

Marty, what'd you hear there in the first tranche of takeaways from Maria?

I heard your quote from, with that said, right at the beginning, Mike Tyson.

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

And so the war planning meets the first battle.

Right.

And so like Maria said, we've got to be responsive.

We've got to do contingency planning.

We've got to be ready and be strategic in how we do that.

That's right.

And I also think with what comes with all of that, be incredibly frank and honest with our organizational strengths and our weaknesses.

Right.

I think that's one of the lessons that we learned for the millionth time through the pandemic that will keep teaching us in so many ways.

And I keep saying that probably because I think if we keep those silver linings of that really difficult time in front of us, industry would be better off.

And hopefully the next time because there'll be more massive global disruption like that soon.

We'll be better off to navigate through it.

We can't forget these incredibly important lessons that we've been taught.

Okay, so first batch down, no single Piece flow here today, folks.

We are batch processing Maria's key takeaways from a very resoundingly popular and well attended T Fest 2024.

So what's the next batch of takeaways, Maria?

Well, I think I want to talk and this kind of leads on from the Unilever being at the center, you know, supply chain at the center of their business.

There was a study done by Ernst and Young earlier this year, I think September actually recently, where they talk about how CEOs are seeing supply chain falling back into pre pandemic cost cutting.

You know, we talked about how during the pandemic supply chain had a big light shine upon it, saying this is you're important, you're strategic, you're now got a seat at the board table.

This study talked about how we're slipping back.

However, everybody in the room and all the speakers sort of verified that they don't really feel that way.

They feel that they are a strategic imperative.

You know, a strong supply chain is strategic for business survival.

And so the key challenge though is to embrace cross functional collaboration.

You know, really learn to speak the language of finance and, and finance really learned to speak the language of supply chain.

So embrace the cross functional collaboration to continue to hold that seat at the table.

Oh, Maria, I love it.

And Marty, one of the things, especially in the first part of Maria's response there that I can really relate to with the CEOs talking about how in some ways supply chain management was regressing, right, like as if we hadn't learned anything.

One of the things that I feel in all these conversations we've had this year is that leaders, you know, going back to the people, right, the people that make it all happen, leaders are, from what we're seeing, leaders are really managing by leading with that work life balance in ways that I think we haven't seen in years.

And especially in 2024 here as we're about to flip into a new year where technology follows our kids home, they follow our workers home, they follow all of us home.

You know, we've always got that digital tether.

I think management's ability, leadership ability to really lead with work life balance and create those critical boundaries is one of the most important tasks that we're charged with.

But Marty, what'd you hear there in Maria's batch of takeaways?

Number two?

So I was with Leadership from Kings Hawaiian last week and attended their supplier summit a year ago.

And I've done supplier summits and we've got to be more strategic.

I Teach my students.

Look, we don't want to just cut people and cut costs willy nilly.

We want to look at processes and how we can make things better, more resilient, more customer centric.

And cost savings will come with that often along with higher revenue and higher profit.

But just to go in cutting things willy nilly, because we used to do it, is not strategic at all.

Yes.

You know, you use one of my favorite words phrases there, willy nilly twice there.

I feel like that's Christmas movie somewhere, Scott.

That's where my brain was going.

Where is the origin of the phrase willy nilly?

We'll get to maybe 60 minutes can figure that out for us.

All right, Maria, We've covered a lot of ground already and I'll tell you, I know we're just going to kind of scratch the tip of the iceberg.

T fest was what, two and a half days?

Yeah, two and a half days.

Oh my gosh.

You're going to have to write another book, Maria, on all that was covered.

But what's the third round of takeaways you can share with us here?

Well, you know what, it wouldn't be a supply chain conference without talking about AI.

And we were really good about trying not to, you know, go all out about AI is going to solve the world's problems.

But there's a lot of enthusiasm about the technology that's coming in, whether it's a Gentec AI, whether it's generative AI.

So there's a lot of hope on how we can implement that within the supply chain.

But also it's not just about implementing technology for the sake of technology.

It's about making sure that the data is in the right place, the processes are in the right place and the people are in the right place.

So we were very quick to say AI, generative AI, all this great stuff.

But you've got to have that basis all covered.

You've got to lay the groundwork with solid processes, solid people and you know what, solid data.

Quick follow up and would love for both y'all to weigh in here.

It is exciting that in this day and age of technology and supply chain and otherwise, it is an exciting time to be in global business.

And I think with a lot of folks coming in industry, they expect organizations to, maybe tech first is too strong of a way to put it, but they expect to use innovative technological ways of getting business done.

But Maria, do you see?

I think from what I see at least, if we don't communicate the why, if we don't put Together especially the broader, more strategic technological transformations.

If we don't do that the right way, the trepidation, the technological trepidation we'll have, our alliteration around here really starts to increase for some folks, for some components of the workforce.

Would you see that, Maria?

And is that an important thing to call out?

You know, there's a lot of cynicism about AI.

You know, there's been a lot of talk, a lot of hype.

Equally, some of us here can remember failed ERP implementations and technology that's come in that's been sitting on shelves that, you know, we've been there, right?

We've had someone from senior management come in and say, hey, we've got this new tech.

It's going to make all your problems go away.

And it doesn't.

So there's a lot of cynicism.

But the pace of technological change is different, far greater than it ever has been before.

If it's not led from, say, the suppliers down here, the bigger companies are already embracing so much change with generative AI.

So much investment is going into generative AI.

So you're going to be pulled in that direction.

Whether you want it or not, it's happening, it's.

And it's happening very quick.

So a lot of people felt you may not be on board with it, you may still be debating it, you may still be thinking about it, you may still not even know how you feel about it, but it's happening.

Yes.

And for every day that you kind of describe in a really interesting phrase, thinking about it, talking about it, not sure about it, you're losing ground to those industry leaders that are using artificial intelligence and other technologies and really focused, targeted outcomes producing ways.

Marty Parker, Whether it's something about some earlier takeaways Murray was talking about, or if you want to weigh in on this technology imperative on so many different layers, Marty, tell us, what are your thoughts?

So technology helps us be more efficient and effective.

My students are using it every day and teaching me, you know, sort of that reverse mentorship.

And so I'm seeing it.

You know, personally I'm able to do more things and I'm able to do it more effectively than I did before.

So all of these technologies viewed in the right way, will help us.

And yes, they're scary.

They're always scary when they come.

But like Maria said, it's coming faster and faster.

So you better get on board because if you're one of the people that don't, you're going to be left behind by the people that do.

Well said.

And you know, it's easier for folks to get on board if leadership can communicate the why and the wiff them.

What's in it for me?

Right?

What's in it for me?

How does it make my day easier?

How does it make it easier for me find success in what I contribute to the organization?

There's something else, Scott, if I might say, and that goes back to the earlier point I made about supply chain having a strategic seat at the table.

We don't have a lot of conversations about supply chain value, the value that the supply chain brings.

And if technology can help us demonstrate that value and contribute and maybe even in our personal lives as well, you know, give us more chance to spend time on the value adding things, then it's a winner.

Yes.

And how can technology protect that time we spend with our families?

And we had a guest not too long ago, Marty and Maria.

And Marty, I can't remember if we talked about this maybe over our dinner of the night, but he talked about the notion of a new type of dashboard with this board he was reporting to.

And the dashboard was all about work, life, balance.

And it reported on how many recitals were missed, how many ball games were missed, how many trips to the bowling alley.

You know, if there's any, then there's a short list of real powerful factors that is driving the technology imperative.

And I think one of those in that short list that's really important is how can we leverage technology to do technology things and protect our people's time and make their days better and more meaningful.

All right, I know we could talk for days and days maybe on this last one.

I want to share a couple quick comments.

Sardine.

Hey, you didn't miss anything and you can always get it on demand.

But great to have you here.

Let us know what you think as you're tuned in from YouTube.

Gino says, hey, drive value first.

You can't cross cut your way to prosperity.

That's right.

Now look at Mom.

Mom is tracking down the origination of Willy Nilly.

And she says it originated from the middle English phrase, will I nil I, which means I am willing, I am unwilling.

I love that it makes me sound so much smarter.

Scott, now we know that's right.

Now we know.

Greg says keep it simple and common sense.

Yes.

And unfortunately, that's not easy to do.

And so often, as important as that is, it's not always easy to do, is it?

T squared.

Learning is forever, even when you're no longer.

Let's See here, Sarnique kind of makes me curious on my job.

I distribute paint to stores.

AI can do my job, but there are aspects that AI can't cover, but it could interesting way.

And things are evolving fastly.

You know, AI is developing much like people, though.

AI is developing new skill sets and things that can do by the hour.

There's hope for people.

I mean, you know, to the people that are listening out there.

The only thing I'll say about this is 100 years ago or 150 years ago, all our ancestors were working either in fields or maybe getting ready to work in the industrial revolution.

Right.

But yet they didn't have jobs like nail technician, social media manager.

Humanity always finds a way to find ways to contribute to society, and so we will find jobs.

Yes.

And, Maria, the latest technological revolution, look at any study out there, is going to create more jobs than it does eliminate.

And I think we got to be really honest and wrap our heads around that message, because that's reality.

It always has.

And to your point, Maria, humans will find a way.

And as Gina says, yes, we have to evolve with it.

That's right.

Learn by the hour, new things by the hour.

Okay, so, Maria, any other key takeaways I want to touch on your podcast.

I want to touch on one of Marty's top voices and one of those posts there.

Any other key takeaways that you'd like to share with us, Maria?

Well, that the supply chain function is at a key inflection point, a crossroads right now.

But it's an exciting time.

It's a really exciting time.

We contribute to so much value in the world.

And so I think there was a positive, this optimism about the function and the value that we can bring to businesses and to humanity.

So I was really blown away by how exciting that things are.

And then equally, because we have this skills gap, there's never been a better time to bring people into the supply chain to talk about how exciting things are.

I'm with you.

I think all that we've gone through, all that we've learned, had to unlearn, perhaps in some ways, it is so intriguing to see where we are and where we're headed as an industry.

I think there's all the reason in the world, Marty, to be very practical, practically rather optimistic, and I think appealing to all sorts of talent from every walk of life, you know, from art students to supply chain students to data scientists to engineers to packaging pros, to, you know, folks that like to solve problems.

I think the industry appeals to everybody Your thoughts there, Marty?

Before we shift gears and talk about one of Maria's favorite recent podcasts, I'm also optimistic.

Like Maria, I teach my students about Mad Men and Don Draper and what marketing used to be like, you know, with cigarettes and liquor before the Internet.

Think about how amazing after the Internet marketing is.

Well, supply chain is there.

We're right at the cusp of it, and my students have just literally limitless opportunity to leverage that and use that to make society and make life better.

Yes, I was watching Perfect Strangers, me and Amanda, with all three of our kids.

Right.

Way back in the day, during the pandemic, as a matter of fact, because we were all binging on stuff because we couldn't go anywhere.

And there was a rotary phone that cousin Larry dialed a number on.

And one of our daughters is like, what is that?

And it's amazing.

You know, we grew up to some extent with rotary phones and sometimes you would call in to find out what the temperature was or what the official time was.

But long gone are those days.

And it's so interesting to hear from our kids and how they perceive those really old ways of doing stuff.

Exciting times, modern supply chain management.

Okay, hey, before we talk about some of the cool things both y'all are involved in, Maria, my hunch, because we love the plan and supply chain, I bet the wheels are already turning for 2025.

Is there anything you can share that's not top secret about what next year may look like?

Yeah, TFS, 2025 is going to be bigger and we're going to be addressing the whole end to end value chain.

So we're going to be looking at all elements of that value chain, whether it's procurement, sourcing, manufacturing, transportation, logistics, supply chain.

We're really going to embrace the cross functional collaboration, bring some finance people in, some IT people in to see how we can knock heads together and get transformations to really happen.

Wonderful.

I can't wait to be a part of that.

And you know what we got to do, Maria and Marty?

We got to create a supply chain band.

Right?

Let's get some supply chain pros.

Some play the drums.

I'm talking to you, Brian, out there here in Georgia.

Others the guitar, maybe some handbells.

I don't know.

We'll get creative.

I'm your karaoke guy.

Can't wait.

Can't wait.

But Maria, I can't wait to see how y'all build off the success that clearly 2024 was.

And as need to collaborate with you and the team on this.

I'VE got a couple more questions for you both.

Maria, I want to talk about Transform Talks, very popular podcast series.

You've been doing quite some time, I think well over 200 episodes.

And now we know your genesis on all things transformation.

That makes so much more sense.

Now, Maria, I'm looking at you in a different way.

What's been one of your favorite episodes you released this year?

Well, you know what?

I've thought long and hard about this question.

It's kind of like asking me which one of my dogs I like best.

I can't choose.

They're all amazing, they're all different.

But I can do this.

Maybe not this year.

I can tell you one of my all time favorite podcasts that I recorded where I was fangirling.

How about that?

I properly fangirled.

I got a chance to interview an ex Top Gun pilot who was a.

Yes.

Former Joint Chiefs of staff of the U.S.

you know, this is like a really senior person.

But what I geeked out most about was that he'd been an advisor on the Top Gun movie.

And that for me was probably.

Yeah, I interviewed him right at the start of the pandemic when we were talking about leadership during crisis.

And what more do you want than someone who's a retired former Joint Chiefs of Staff and someone who was a Top Gun pilot?

How do you stay cool under pressure?

Oh, I've listened to most of them.

I missed that one.

I'm gonna go track that one down.

Maria.

Top Gun, of course, Marty.

Talk about good movies.

That was.

We were on the front end.

It's not necessarily a Christmas movie, but an all time classic, I think from 1986 when that was released.

Got a Need for Speed martyrs.

You and I are going to go check that out.

Marty, have you ever flown a Top Gun jet?

That would be.

No, but you could.

I'm convinced you could.

I don't even think I could do it in a game like Maria was doing.

I don't think it would go well for me, Scott.

But you know, kidding aside, to learn from those that can maintain a sense of order and nothing but sheer chaos, because war, conflict, oh, it's just uncontrolled chaos.

You know, the fog of war is a phrase for a really powerful reason.

So Maria, I can't wait to go back and listen to that one.

And yes, David, he says, he laughs and says, scott is so jealous right now.

Maria, you are right, David.

T squared says repeated statement.

Supply chain management isn't an appetizer, it's an entree.

Well said.

T squared.

Appreciate you stopping by.

Tom Valentine.

Tomcat, who holds down Fort Force on Twitch, says, great show, gang.

We appreciate that.

Great to have you.

As always, Tomcat comes up with haikus from time to time.

So Tomcat putting the pressure on you.

All right, Maria?

Of course, folks can find Transform talks wherever they get their podcast.

Obligatory disclaimer.

Marty, on a similar note, as one of the newest top voices on LinkedIn, and by the way, I'm known, you've been a top voice ever since we first met forever ago.

So I was one of the cool early kids of the Marty Parker fan club.

What's been one of your recent messages that's elicited with an E the most responses or reaction lately?

You know, I think mental health as a leader, I think was one of the biggest, where we face all these things like generative AI and robots and complications and supply chain disruptions, and we just can't always just, just look like we know what's going on all the time.

And sometimes we need help with that.

And whether it's meditation or taking walks or seeing a counselor or whatever it is, I think that was one of the more popular leadership videos that I put out there because I, you know, I've struggled with that as a coo, as a very busy person.

I don't have four dogs, thank goodness, because I think that would put me over the edge.

But, but I think, you know, leaders need to do their best to stay like this, not like that, while the world is doing that kind of stuff around them.

Well said, Marty.

And you know, speaking of aircraft, I think one of the more powerful and visual and easy to understand and analogies that's out there is, you know, imagine when the oxygen things drop in an airplane ride because things are going crazy.

Well, until you help yourself and put that oxygen mask on yourself, it's next to impossible to help others.

And Marty, I think enabling folks to raise their hand and saying, hey, I need help, I think is one of the greater movements we've had in modern society.

I think a lot of folks are benefiting from it.

So well said there, Marty.

I appreciate you sharing that.

And Maria, thank you for sharing that related podcast with that Top Gun pilot and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

How incredible that is.

All right, so let's do this.

Let's make sure folks know how to connect really with you both.

Maria, how can folks track down the one and only Maria Villablanca and all the cool initiatives you're part of?

Well, just follow me on LinkedIn.

Maria Villablanca, if you connect with me on LinkedIn, I also am quite active there.

I post about all things related to leadership, to my own experiences as an entrepreneur, as someone who succeeded and failed.

So connect LinkedIn.

Awesome.

I appreciate that.

Folks, you want to check out the frank, transparent and inspirational content that Maria drops on LinkedIn regularly.

And Tomcat, he delivered in every supply chain shift.

Maria's wisdom, Scott and Marty's wit podcasts inspire the left Tomcat.

I hope I did that justice and how we delivered it, but always a pleasure to have you here.

Marty.

Two part question before we wrap here today.

How can folks connect with you but also one of your favorite key takeaways from our time here with the one and only Maria Villablanca.

So I'm also on LinkedIn.

Just Google Marty Parker LinkedIn or Marty Parker UGA.

I'm also supply chain Dog Dawg on all the other channels if you want to follow me there.

In terms of takeaways, I have to go with Maria's comment about optimism.

Despite all the scary stuff we've been talking about strikes and uncertainty and disruption and generative AI, I am optimistic, just like Maria.

And I think leaders have to be.

Leaders have to look to the future and have to lead people to that place.

I think Rosalynn Carter said leaders take people not where they want to go, but where they ought to be.

And so as leaders in this space, we all need to take people to where they ought to be.

Well said, Marty, you and Maria both.

I really enjoyed Yalls perspective learning from you both here today.

Maria, it's great to have you here on the buzz for the first time and to hear all the outstanding conversations and impact y'all had most recently here with T Fest.

So folks, we're going to try to make it really easy for you.

We dropped Maria's LinkedIn list so you can follow her right there.

You want to click away from doing that.

You can also find Marty right there on LinkedIn as well, so check that out.

You can find Transform talks wherever you get your podcasts from.

Maria.

Where can folks learn more about T Fest?

Is there any URL that you want to direct people to?

Just future insights.org futureinsights.org Y'all check that out.

All right, folks, big thanks to first off to our audience out there.

I know we couldn't hit everybody's comment and question.

There are some good ones out there, a lot of great ones.

Thanks for being here.

The smartest, smartest, almost at the smarty, smartiest after your name there, Marty.

The smartest audience in all of global Supply Chain.

Thank you all for being here.

Also, big thanks Maria Villeblanca, CEO and co founder of the Future Insights Network, host of Transform Talks podcast, and of course founder and host at T Fest.

Stay tuned for more information ON T Fest 2025 coming to you soon.

Maria, thanks for being here.

Thank you.

Big thanks to Marty Parker, the one and only, one of the newest top voices on LinkedIn.

Folks, you gotta connect and follow Maria and Marty across social.

Marty, great to have you here as always.

Thrilled to be here.

Thanks for having me, Scott.

Also, big thanks Amanda and Tricia behind the scenes producing and all the great work they do to keep us moving forward.

Lord, folks, thanks for being here.

Hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I have, but you've got homework.

I know, I know.

If you like my kids, you don't like homework.

This homework is more rewarding because Maria and Marty both offered up tons of actual insights, especially what I think leadership best practices that we can put in action the hour after we're done here today.

But you got to do that.

So take one thing they drop here today, put it in action.

It's all about deeds, not words.

That's how we're transformed this industry.

That is global supply chain management.

With all that said, on behalf of the entire supply chain now team Scott Luden challenge you do good, get forward, be the change that's needed.

We'll see you next time right back here at Supply Chain Now.

Thanks everybody.

Thanks for being a part of our Supply Chain now community.

Check out all of our programming@supplychainnow.com and make sure you subscribe to Supply Chain now anywhere you listen to podcast and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

See you next time on Supply Chain Now.