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

Scott Luden with you here on supply chain now.

Welcome to today's show.

Now, today we're continuing one of my favorite series, one that we like to call the now generation, not the next generation, the now generation, because they're already, these folks, these bright folks, these bright leaders are already making their impact felt.

Now we sit down with students and educators from some of the leading supply chain management programs around the world.

And today, folks, we meet with what some call the best supply chain undergraduate program across the land.

It's the University of Arkansas, home to the JB Hunt department of Supply chain management at the Sam M.

Walton College of Business.

Gartner ranks the program number one for, I think, three years in a row.

We're gonna find out here best in land.

So stay tuned for a great conversation featuring brilliant minds that will be setting out to change how supply chain is done in the decades ahead.

But again, they're not sitting on their hands already doing it.

Joining me is my special co host.

Here today is Doctor Stephanie Thomas, associate professor of supply chain management and executive director of wise, that is women impacting supply chain excellence.

Hello, Stephanie.

How you doing?

I'm doing great, Scott.

Thank you for having me.

And these amazing students today.

Amazing indeed.

We've already done our homework on them.

They are fearless.

They're already kicking butt across the business world.

And as are you, Doctor Thomas.

You enjoy incorporating your previous work experience with Lowe's companies, IBM and Stanley tools into the class discussions that you lead.

You lead all sorts of research, especially in the areas of buyer supplier relationships and supply chain negotiations.

Those are two great, great topics.

You're also founder of the Wise Future Leaders Symposium, which we're going to talk about more later in the show.

Again, great to have you here, doctor Stephanie Thomas.

And you've brought an incredible SWAT team here, huh?

Yes, absolutely.

If we're going to be the best, we got to have the best, right?

That's right.

It can't be.

Lip service isn't good enough.

And that's what I think we're going to find here today.

So I want to welcome in our three student panel, and we're going to start with Ethan Helm, who's a sophomore in supply chain management student there at University of Arkansas.

Now, he spent the past two summers interning at Haribo of America, a delicious candy maker.

I may have enjoyed those gummy bears a time or a thousand times in my lifetime.

There, he worked on building analytical tools, managing retail partnerships, amongst other things.

He currently serves as retail sales campus ambassador for general meals, where he helps with university talent outreach and recruiting.

Ethan, how are you doing?

I'm doing fantastic.

Thank you for having me.

You bet.

Great to have you here.

Can't wait to learn your perspective.

Now you're joined by Madison Simpson, who is a senior, also a supply chain management student.

This past summer, Madison interned at Sam's club in a supply chain analyst role.

And the previous summer, she was a customer service intern at JB Hunt Transport.

Hey.

Hey, Madison, how you doing?

I'm doing great.

Excited to be here.

We are, too.

Great to meet you and Ethan and, hey, two's not good enough.

We got three powerhouses.

Kelly Henderson, a senior at the University of Arkansas studying finance and monitoring and supply chain management.

That's quite a dynamic duo.

Kelly also serves as a director of operations for women, impacting supply chain excellence.

That wise group we spoke about a minute ago, and you spent your summer interning at Target as a supply chain operations manager intern.

Kelly, you like staying busy too, huh?

Oh, yes, for sure.

Thank you so much for having me.

Well, glad all three of y'all are here.

And Stephanie, thanks for all of your, not only your great work and facilitation and making today happen, but all of your work really engaging this now generation of students that are going to make global supply chain better.

Huh?

I got the best job there is.

I believe that based on the last conversation we had, I really do believe you love what you do.

And it is certainly one of the best jobs out there.

Stephanie, let's do this.

I want to dive in a little bit deeper to each of our panelists backgrounds, and one of the things they love to do, maybe a couple things they love to do outside of supply chain stuff.

But, Stephanie, we're not going to let you get out of that question either, because I know you've got a hometown, and I'm sure you've got something outside of supply chain.

So we'll, we'll wrap with you, but we're going to start with Ethan.

So, Ethan, you are the pride of Bentonville, Arkansas, not too far from where the university of Arkansas is, right?

And you love golf.

So tell us a little bit more about what is one terrific restaurant that you've grown up eating in in the Bentonville area and then tell us how good, or if you're like me, how bad your golf game is.

So a restaurant downtown Bentonville called Table Mesa, that's where kind of grown up eating.

They have mexican food, chinese food.

It's a really fantastic restaurant.

And my golf game, if I can call it that, is in need of some improvement.

But I'm getting better by the day.

So just like a supply chain, right, Ethan?

Yep.

Exactly.

That's right.

One quick follow up question with your golf game, what is the strength like?

Some folks are great drivers, but they can't putt to save their lives.

Other folks, their drive is everywhere, but their short game is pretty good.

What's one of your favorite, best parts of your game?

Absolutely.

I'm from the fairway with my irons there.

I got you from the tee box.

We need to work on it.

Putting we need to work on.

But to give me an iron, I can figure it out.

All right.

Love that.

I love that.

And I love my seven iron.

That's been one of my favorite clubs my entire life.

Hey, Stephanie, are you a golfer by chance?

I did a lot of golfing when I was younger.

I'm trying to pick it back up.

Okay.

Man, it is a great business skill to have to be able to make your way somewhat competently around a golf course.

It's so true.

And you know what?

One of my favorite things to do, since I'm not a great golfer, is captain's choice tournaments, right, where you get.

Those are the best?

Yeah.

You get a whole team.

You get, take the best, one of the best four shots each and every shot.

That puts lots of pressure on my, on my awful golf game.

Um, all right, so let's talk to Madison.

Madison, you're also from Bentonville, is that right?

That's right.

All right, so you get the same question.

Uh, give me a really cool place that folks that visit Bentonville and take in, whether it's a symposium we're going to talk more about, or they're visiting all the cool things that Doctor Thomas is up to.

What's a place that they've got to eat at?

And where do you spend some of your non supply chain time?

So one of my favorite places to go out to eat, I would definitely say, is this place called capricios.

It's actually in Rogers, and it's right by top gulf, actually.

And it's just a great place where you can go get, like, any sort of food.

They have pasta, they have fish, they have seafood.

It's definitely one of my favorite choices.

Okay.

And then in my free time, I like to go, and I'm slowly picking up golf.

We'll see.

We'll see how it goes.

So much to ask about.

So, Capricios, what's your favorite dish there?

I think last time I got, like, a seafood dish there, it had like, clams, oysters, like, and shrimp.

It was really good with some pasta.

Sign me up.

That sounds delicious.

And with that sand volleyball.

Are you a setter or are you a spiker?

Cause you gotta be one or the other.

Some folks, I guess, can be both.

Where do you specialize in?

So I'm actually a passer.

I am not tall enough to be a hitter, and I do not have the hands to be a setter.

I.

I wish I did, but no, I like passing in the back row.

It's definitely my favorite part.

Well, much like Stephanie, much like global supply chain teams, it takes all sorts of specialists that come together to get the job done, huh?

Absolutely.

Athletics are a great proxy to get people ready for a career in supply chain.

Agreed.

Agreed.

And, you know, I wasn't tall enough ever.

Do we all have to play volleyball in 6th grade?

I think it was required and at least the state of South Carolina where I grew up, and I could never.

I hated serving because everybody's watching you.

All 50 eyeballs, and I hit the net all the time or went under the net.

So we'll have to get some lessons.

But great to have you here with us as well, Madison.

And then finally, Kelly.

Now you kind of call two towns, two great american towns, your hometown, St.

Louis and Chicago, right?

Yes.

I won't put you on spot and ask if you're a cards fan or a Cubs fan.

I won't do that to you.

And you also outdoor, all things outdoors, hiking, pickleball, which is taking over the world.

I need to start a pickleball supplies company.

I'll tell you what.

So you got a tougher question because those towns are really big.

There's lots of great places to eat.

I happen to found some good places in both of those.

So give us one insider tip for folks that are visiting one of those two towns and tell us more about pickleball.

What are the rules in pickleball?

Okay, so my number one tip for anyone visiting St.

Louis is to definitely go to Ted Drew's.

I'm a huge ice cream fan addict.

They have the best custard ice cream in the area.

So anyone going to St.

Louis have to visit the arch in Ted Drews.

And in pickleball, I'm still learning how to ease into it, especially since I grew up playing gymnastics.

So definitely having to work on my hand eye coordination.

But my best advice for you is just to do not play on a windy day, because you'll be running around that whole court chasing the whistleball.

It's got such a unique sound to it as it's hitting back and forth and back and forth.

But I gotta go back.

Was it Ted Drew's?

You said Ted Drews.

Ted Drews.

Okay.

And I agree with you.

The arch is fascinating.

A couple years ago, I actually went in it, you know, like tourists do.

And it is fascinating how it's constructed.

I saw a documentary other day about all the.

The incredible engineering that they had to figure out to go into just a sheer construction.

So as you're driving across I 64, it just is so captivating as you see it there and you see the rest of downtown.

As Kelly mentioned, if you're going to St.

Louis, you got to check out the arch.

Stephanie, you're nodding your head.

Have you been in the arch?

I have.

You know, when your kids play travel sports, you end up in a lot of different cities, and you do a lot of different things.

And so for soccer, for my son, we ended up in the arch one time, man.

And up at the top, on the windiest days, it'll sway a little bit.

I got all my feel of swaying in tall buildings in my visit to the arch, but it really is this fascinating engineering.

And what an incredible global landmark.

Okay, so now we've got some culinary tips from everybody.

We've got a little better sense of what y'all do outside of global supply chain conversations.

And now we're going to jump firmly inside supply chain conversations.

But, Stephanie, I didn't ask you, what's your hometown?

And give us a little inside tip there.

And what do you do outside of helping light bulbs go off on bright?

Supply chain mines everywhere?

Oh, there's a lot there.

So I grew up in a small town an hour south of Nashville, Tennessee, called Shelbyville.

But if you're a local, you say Shebville.

It is known as the Tennessee walking horse capital of the world.

So we have big national celebration there.

But small town Tennessee gal here.

That is awesome.

And I love how you pronounce it.

The second go round.

I won't try to get that right here.

What do you do?

Clearly, you're in travel, sports.

I can appreciate that.

That is a.

Gosh.

That is a major investment of time and resources.

But what do you like to do when you've got a Saturday to yourself?

A lot of things.

Because I don't sit still very well when everybody's talking about food.

I love to cook.

When I have, like, some free downtime.

I love to read, and I'm kind of a mystery gal, but if I'm out walking the neighborhood, I'm going to be listening to a true crime podcast.

Okay.

I love it.

I love it.

They are talking about things are taking over the world.

Anything true crime is certainly, certainly really hot.

Has been for years.

All right, so, Stephanie, thanks again for assembling this trio of incredible people here today.

Before we dive deeper with them, I think it'd be helpful and really important context for our listeners out there and those that may be viewing the video version of this.

Tell us about your practitioner background.

We mentioned some of those companies earlier and a little bit more about what you say is the best job in the world.

All right, I could talk about this all day long, and I don't think you want me to do that.

So I haven't always been in academia.

When I went to college, studied speech communication with a minor in business, and then decided to go ahead and get my MBA because I really wasn't sure what I was going to do with my degree.

And my classmate at the University of Tennessee, Peyton Manning, went on to have this NFL career, and that really wasn't an option for me.

So I went on and got my masters, and that's where Tennessee was.

Had a well known logistics and transportation program.

Cause we weren't sophisticated enough to call it supply chain at the time.

I thought my odds of getting a job were better if I went for what they were known for, and so kind of fell in love with the problem solving and the relationship building kind of piece of supply chain.

Ended up doing a summer internship at Stanley Tools in a distribution center in Concord, North Carolina, and just learn so much.

And that's the reason I try to encourage students to take some time and have an operations experience.

I also learned that's not what I wanted to do forever.

That's what internships are for.

And then when I graduated, I spent a little bit of time at IBM in a sourcing position.

And then most of my experience was at Lowe's, the home improvement retailer in merchandising and logistics roles, pretty much in the flooring department.

So if you need fun facts about grout and mortar or tile tools or saws, I'm your gal.

I love it.

And you know what?

Frankly, I'm a big Lowe's fan.

In fact, I've just got some wood paneling for a little basement job that me and Amanda are going to try to pull off later.

My customer experience was seamless.

It was easy, and it was also same day.

I imagine once you wear the blue apron or whatever it is at Lowe's, that you probably are always kind of passionate about the Lowe's organization and Lowe's family.

Is that right?

I, I definitely, and I still have stock and Lowe's, so I care what's going on.

However, I live closer to a Home Depot, and so we end up there quite a bit.

Not in Lowe's land.

Keeping it real.

I appreciate it.

Home Depot has quite the operations.

Well, in fact, it's really interesting.

The whole Ethan Madison, Kelly and Stephanie, the whole do it yourself industry right now, right after the pandemic, it went through the roof, right.

And now it's kind of going through some resetting.

And Ace hardware of all players has been going through a transformative initiative and it's gaining market share on the two big players there of Home Depot and Lowe's.

So it's fascinating things you can learn as a consumer wearing your consumer hat as much as you learn wearing the supply chain practitioner hat.

One more quick follow up question before we dive into some supply chain topics with our panel.

We've mentioned wise a couple of times, right?

Women impacting supply chain excellence.

Tell us, if you would, Stephanie, a little bit about that and how our audience members can get involved and plug in.

Sure.

Wise, as Scott said, is women impacting supply chain excellence.

It started as a student organization at the University of Arkansas and has over the last several years grown and spread to several campuses across the country.

I think we're at 15 different universities that have wise programs right now.

So whether or not you can get in touch with me, there's a lot of groups out there at different universities that would be interested.

And one of the reasons for that growth is that six years ago we had the first wise future leaders symposium, and the idea behind that was to try to bring together top talent from top supply chain programs across the country in the same place and have inspiring speakers, good knowledge, knowledge sharing, openness to opportunities, as well as just network building.

I had done some research that talked about how a lot of young women, even if they found their way into supply chain, kind of question their choice of a major as they finished their academic career, because a lot of times they looked around in their junior and senior year and they were some of the only women in their classes or they would go to internships and be some of the only women.

And they kind of were like, is this really the right move?

Is this what I want to do?

And so this was an idea of, let's show people across the country that there are a lot of amazing, passionate, enthusiastic young women and allies in the field.

And so, yes, it's absolutely the right thing to do.

And so the wise symposium is usually in October every year.

We have opportunities for individuals and or organizations to get involved and support.

And if anyone is interested, and I know we're going to talk at the end about how we can connect, but people reach out to me directly, and I can either plug you in through me or send you to other universities and their programs, because I know there's lots of opportunities for guest speakers and mentors and support in a variety of different ways.

Love that.

And we'll definitely make sure to share your content information at the end so folks can take you up on your offer and get involved in support.

And I love the fact you said 15 universities.

Sounds like a groundswell of more and more participants getting involved.

So I'm looking forward to the symposium coming up in October.

So, Madison, Ethan and Kelly, we're about to ask you some things about supply chains and other things, but if you could, a little bonus question here.

Stephanie has shared a lot of that, really spoke to the why that wise is around and the mission and the need and the gaps.

Whether you're women in global supply chain trying to work your way through your career or just in general, a lot of folks need to see to see it so they have the confidence that they can be it.

They need the networking, they need to connect with other professionals in their functional areas and plenty of things to be learned outside their functional areas.

When you hear that, what's one reaction, what's one thing that maybe you have seen be helpful as you've kind of pieced things together in the supply chain space?

Madison, what did you hear there and what Stephanie shared?

So I think women impacting supply chain excellence has always been like a super exciting opportunity to have at the University of Arkansas.

And I think we've been really privileged with the industry professionals that we get to hear from, whether that be, you know, Sam's, Ulta, Walmart, JB Hunt, et cetera.

We hear from so many, and it just really helps you learn and grow on your information, not only like in textbook, but also what's happening within the industry.

Love that.

And also one things you mentioned is folks that have been doing it and leading it to come in and share that in educational roles.

That is a classic go to best practice.

And I love that about Stephanie's background for sure.

Kelly, what would you add again, just trying to get a sense of the value of the networking, the mentorship, the leadership development themes that Stephanie had touched on a minute ago, so.

Absolutely.

So one time, my introduction to supply chain class with Doctor Thomas and I pulled her aside.

Since I'm a finance major, I did not know if I wanted to continue being a finance major or not.

And she was telling me, hey, come to this wise meeting.

And it has exceeded my expectations tremendously, especially with the amount of learning opportunities.

Networking opportunities has definitely helped me gain my confidence not only within myself as a student, but also overall in the career path within supply chain.

Kelly, love that.

And you know what?

I bet you stuck, you stuck to finance, right?

Yes.

Good, because you're getting the best of both worlds.

You've got all the purse strings, but you also know all about global supply chain.

That's going to be a powerful position to be in.

Ethan, how about you?

You know, again, we all need opportunities and leadership development experiences, mentors and networking, which, you know, a lot of folks sleep on networking.

I think it's critical whether you do it in person or if you do it digital virtually.

Your thoughts here, Ethan?

Absolutely.

So Doctor Thomas always does a fantastic job of explaining the why behind wise, and she really puts it into practice monthly.

So from recruiting events to having industry professionals come and speak to us, it really builds the impact and whys we are able to go out and bring into the supply chain community.

Love that.

Starting with the why.

All right, so I want to shift gears now.

Really appreciate the kind of the first half of this conversation.

I want to get more into global supply chain topics, trends, issues, opportunities, challenges.

Something that really has got your focus, got your interest, something you're passionate about.

I want to start with Kelly.

So Kelly, what's one thing out there?

There's so many across global supply chain that you've been tracking more than others lately?

Most definitely.

Overall, the changes in supply chain transportation and logistics, especially within retail companies.

Seeing how we've learned throughout classes, like how Walmart and Target have been competing with each other in their e commerce standing, but then also within their next day delivery operations.

So overall, seeing how these companies can improve their competitive against each other and, but also how these e commerce and other operations can affect their store operations as well, especially with inventory holds, et cetera, and things like that, love that.

We can spend the next couple hours on your response there, most definitely because you got the customer experience we were touching on earlier, kind of what I was saying about lowes.

And then you've got the sheer delivery expectations that you touched on, which are not getting any more lacks, as we all know.

And then you've got the competition between these big retail giants.

Now, I gotta tell you, I'm not just saying this because this is University of Arkansas.

I said it on the buzz earlier today, for that matter.

But Walmart has been transforming so many parts of what they do.

All of you are nodding your head.

So to our listeners out there, maybe you're nodding your head, too.

But when you walk into a Walmart store, the experience is different than it was just, say, two or three years ago.

And I find that to be absolutely fascinating.

So that's a great topic.

And again, I love what we learn in the retail world by wearing our consumer hat, which we're all consumers, right?

Some of us are.

Well, all of us here are supply chain practitioners and consumers.

So we're in a catbird seat, too.

But, Stephanie, what'd you hear there in Kelly's response about transportation, really, the retail supply chain competition that's going on out there?

Well, as a recovering retailer myself, I geek out on all things retail, and I personally think it's a super fun part of supply chain to work in.

And ever since COVID I've just kind of, like, grabbed the popcorn and sat back, and I love talking to anybody.

And if I run into them in the grocery store or whatever and just hearing what's going on, because, you know, as Kelly's mentioned, Walmart and Target and you talking about the changed Walmart experience, one of the things, too, to me, that just is mind boggling is that I don't think a lot of people really think about the sheer scale of Walmart and trying to make changes, and yet they've been doing so much and incremental here and there, and big changes, too, that are really trying to continue to lead the way in the retail space, for sure.

Excellent.

Completely and wholeheartedly agree.

And even with the interaction with the associates, that has changed from what I've seen firsthand.

I'm in Kroger about every day.

I'm in Walmart probably, if I have to admit it, probably every three or four days.

Got three kids, they need lots of things.

School supplies.

Goodness gracious.

But even the interactions with the associates have changed dramatically.

And I would argue Ethan mentioned, you know, the why.

I would assume that they've really approached that from a cultural basis and really instilled that in their, in their workforce, because that's one that, you know, that's.

As to your point, Stephanie, that's really difficult to do, especially at the scale that Walmart is.

Another quick bonus question.

And then we're gonna get to Ethan and Madison on some things they're tracking.

If you had to pick one store, retailer, whatever that you're a big fan of, especially based on the experience you have, that's really consistent.

Right.

And you don't have to go into all of that.

It's gonna be easy one, but just pick one of your favorite retailers out there.

I was bragging on Lowe's earlier, and I'm bragging on Walmart now.

Madison, what's one of your favorite retailers or stores or what have you?

Well, ironically, one of my favorite places to go is actually trader Joe's.

Okay.

So we don't have one around here.

But every single time I go to, like, Dallas or Tulsa or something like that, have to make a pit stop at Trader Joe's because they just have such niche products.

And every single time I go in and I interact with their people, they're always super fast and efficient, always know and are always willing to help me whenever I need.

I can't agree with you more.

And they've really clearly invested in high quality sourcing to find some of the most delicious, quality products that are unique.

To your point, the only thing, the three buck chuck is not $3 anymore.

And that's that.

That's a shame, but it's still.

It's still quality.

The dollar tree is not a dollar anymore.

Trader Joe's.

Times are changing.

Times are changing.

That's an excellent call out, Trader Joe's.

Okay, Ethan, how about you?

Absolutely.

I would say Sam's club.

Sam's club.

Okay.

Sure.

For sure.

The emphasis on price and quality, kind of finding those best products in bulk at the best price is something I really enjoy from a shopper standpoint.

Excellent.

I have plenty of family members that are big fans of Sam's club.

We're a Costco family here.

That's an intriguing competition between those two, but that's a great call out.

Kelly, let's round it out.

What's your, one of your favorite retailers?

One of my favorite retailers is Aldi, especially growing up with a big family with four older siblings, my parents always wanted to have, like, the most cost efficient savings.

And as a college student, I love saving money.

So every Sunday I govern all day especially.

They always have the basics and everything that I need for my grocery list that week.

Spoken like a true finance leader to be.

Stephanie, future CFO there.

Stephanie, how about you?

I'm going to go a little bit different.

One of my favorite kind of shopping experiences here, and this is going to be a local, is there's a local thrift store around here called beautiful lives.

And they do a very good job and it's kind of a different twist on supply chain, but they have taken thrift and turned it into a boutique experience.

And so you're getting value while also feeling like you're, you're shopping at a place with a little more of luxury.

And so it's something my daughter and I like to do from time to time.

Let's go do some thrift shop.

Finding love it.

Part of the ever growing re economy.

Re economy.

Billions and billions and billions of dollars.

I love that, too.

I hate the idea of wearing something once and throwing it away or whatever we used to do in the eighties.

I love remanufacturing, recycling, repurposing thrift stores everywhere where other folks can enjoy these items that some folks may not want anymore.

So special times there, Stephanie.

Okay, now that we did kind of a quick flash survey of some of our favorite consumer experiences, let's get more into supply chain.

And Ethan, I want you to go next.

So Kelly started us off talking transportation, logistics, the ongoing retail competition between Target, Walmart and the likes.

What's one topic or trend or issue that you're tracking in global supply chain more than others?

Absolutely.

So I'm seeing kind of like a changing emphasis on omnichannel opportunities of shopping.

So whether it's that last mile delivery like Kelly was talking about, or even curbside pickup, or like at Sam's club, scan and go and kind of just how that shifts the traditional shopping experience as well as adds different steps to the supply chain.

So it's no longer, you know, product hits the store, it hits the shelf.

Well, now, product has to be sorted, has to be stuff over here, stuffed over there for when the consumers come up for curbside pickup or whatever that might be, then, you know, gathering those products and then delivering to the customer, it adds steps to the process.

And it's a really fantastic thing to watch.

I agree with you.

And it is adding tons of complexity to meet the consumers where they want to be met at the prices that they want to be met at locations, service times, and managing all that inventory so that the retailers, based on whatever channel that consumers are making the purchase, they can honor those inventory commitments for lack of a better phrase.

Stephanie, what did you hear there from Ethan?

I'll tell you what I heard is we do a lot of focus on retail around here at Arkansas.

And it's really true of when you look at having Walmart and your, and Sam's club and in your backyard, as well as all the suppliers and transportation organizations and tech companies and stuff.

And that is a thing.

And I know we're going to get into this a little bit later.

That I think makes this program here at Arkansas unique is we really lean into the retail and the consumer side of things because of our history of and where we are.

But I know there's a lot of times that people don't always really think of the consumer as part of the supply chain.

It's kind of like we get it to a store or something and that's it.

And I think that you can see with both Kelly and Ethan and myself, too, with my experience as the consumer, whoever's at the very end is, is uber important.

And we can never take our eyes off of that because we can be really good up to that point.

But if we were providing something that nobody wants, then it was all for naught.

Very well said, Stephanie.

Very well said.

And, you know, I think there's one thing.

I love the retail space.

I love retail supply chain.

I love just the straight up customer experience that's really been a movement, more formal movement in recent years.

And, you know, I never really thought about it, but I think one of the reasons I think so many folks in supply chain love talking retail is, again, it's at that intersection where everyone, you know, you're in supply chain, but you're also a consumer.

You're in and out of all these stores all the time.

I don't know about you, I can't help but to look at things from a engineering or process or a supply chain perspective as part of that experience.

Unlike pharmaceuticals or even like, you know, cold storage or, there are different areas where we, we may not be involved in as a consumer, at least on a regular basis.

I think retail is a fascinating, and there's so many universal lessons, plenty of unique, universal lessons to be learned in retail supply chain management that can be applied all across industry.

Madison.

Okay, you're to clean up here today.

So between what Kelly and Ethan's tracking and some of Stephanie's comments on both, what are you passionate about when you, when you survey global supply chain right now?

What's got your attention?

So, definitely one of the major things that's happening within the supply chain is AI or artificial intelligence.

I'm super curious to see on how that will take an impact and a role within the supply chain network as a whole.

And just in companies in general.

I know that only demand is only increasing and we don't have enough people to be driving all this demand longer wait times.

So I'm really interested to see on how the processes of all companies will become not as so manual, but more, you know, smooth and concise.

And so we'll see how that is in the next couple years.

I'm excited to see it.

I am too.

I think it is fascinating and I love so many approaches out there where organizations are not replacing the human factor with technology to be, to keep it real.

There's some of that going on, right folks, that, as we like to say around here, if you like doing the same thing all day, every day and you don't want to learn anything new, don't want to do anything different, got some bad news for you.

But much more, on a much more positive note, organ leading organizations that are bringing in technology to free up the human factor, the beautiful human factor, kind of what you're pointing out from the mundane things, the blocking and tackling to kind of some of the mindless stuff that a lot of folks don't like to do.

And it's freeing up their brains to really find more fulfilling work.

I think that is one of the most exciting things about this technology age that we're in.

Would you agree, Madison?

Yes, I completely agree.

I think it'll definitely change the way of how people will become more innovative and creative throughout the workplace.

I agree.

And I think one other thing that you mentioned or implied maybe during your response was, you know, certain things we could do that we just can't do, only with the human factor.

Right.

Especially at the scale we were talking earlier, Stephanie, things that we can only get done at the level we need to get them done by leveraging technology.

And AI certainly is already changing so many different components of global business.

But what did you hear there, Stephanie, and Madison's response and what stands out to you?

Well, I'm really glad she brought that up because, you know, AI is a discussion that in your universities, we are having big conversations about because, you know, as faculty, we know it's changing things.

It's changing how our students are approaching their work in the classroom, if I'm being real and honest.

But we're trying to take a step back and go, okay, from a curriculum and course offering and making sure that we are staying current with what's going on, how do we incorporate topics like Aihdenkhdev into the classroom to make sure that our students are leaving here with the very best, most relevant education that we can possibly offer?

And I don't know that we've got it 100% figured out, but I know we're trying to just like, supply chains are trying to figure it out, too, and companies are trying to figure it out.

We're also trying to go, okay, how does education come along and partner to create workers who are ready to go into this space?

Stephanie, that's such a great call out.

Um, I gotta be honest.

Uh, as fast as global supply chain and technology is evolving, it's certainly tough to just cover it enough like we do here at supply chain.

Now, I can't imagine until you just shared that what it's like to educate on such a fast moving business world.

Just starting and stopping with the AI space, which you and Madison both point out, it's already, it's already very successful, and organizations are using already with big impact.

But as you said, I think, Stephanie, it's not perfect, right?

There's lots of our, in fact, have y'all played around with chat GPT or a similar program for the, for the graphic?

There's not a college kid out there that hasn't played around chat GPT.

That's good.

I won't ask you how they've used it.

That's fair enough.

You know what?

I guess I'm showing that I graduated in 2000, which feels right now, as you share, that feels like it's 50 years ago.

All right.

What's interesting is every so often, pretty regularly, really, you'll see that the context that AI is missing.

For example, I use it to produce an image for this blog article I wrote that was focused on music and cds and stuff like that, right?

And cds.

It's been a while since folks bought a lot of cds.

The image it spit out that I end up using, it didn't have a context of size wise.

Like, it drew cds that were.

And y'all know cds are like, that big.

It had cds the size of, like, the room sitting on a couch, because it was, you know, it knew what it was.

It knew what seat compact discs were, but it didn't know in terms of proportionally and in context with other pieces of furniture, whatnot.

And I thought that was just a little tale that I found really interesting.

So there's lots and lots of on the input side that we've got to get better at as we train.

And as eventually, if not already, AI trains other AI on how to play a bigger, more accurate and successful role in business.

Your last thought there, Stephanie, before we move on, AI has got to be a fascinating topic to talk to a classroom about.

And I can only imagine some of the ideas and questions you get back from the likes of Ethan, Madison, Kelly and their colleagues.

I try to say I know enough, but I'm not an expert, and I challenge them to go find the answer sometimes.

That's one of the things I think is fun about being a professor, especially in supply chain, as opposed to maybe some other areas, is there is always so much advancement going on and change that I feel like I have to constantly continue to be a student.

And that's, you know, interacting with industry and having previous students come back and tell me about what they're, they're doing and stuff so that I stay current as well.

Yes, I can talk about stories about what I did when, and plenty of those are still relevant because we keep doing some of the same things.

But there's a lot that's changed, too.

And if I really want the best for my students, then I really, I have to stay up to make sure I'm providing the best.

The challenge is real.

I can, I can only imagine.

But I appreciate your commitment, engagement, and just hearing from Madison, Kelly, and Ethan, I think it demonstrates a lot of your passion and commitment to fulfilling and empowering the right conversations that are up to date and are not rear view, mirror face, but the windshield.

What's ahead?

All right, so, Madison, I want shift gears here.

We want to find out from each of you all what you want to do in industry.

And as Ethan touched on earlier, why?

What's your why?

So, Madison, how about you?

So I think supply chain can be super broad and it's impacting in every single department of any sort of business.

I think you can, you know, specialize in a supply chain role, but I don't think that only limits you to go into supply chain departments.

Obviously, the supply chain impacts any single role.

I mean, whether you're a merchant, you know, you got to make sure that all of your things are coming in at the right timings to make the shelf stable life.

I'm not really too sure on what I've been wanting to do.

I did really enjoy my supply chain analyst role I did this past summer.

I got to really just correlate some of the numbers and what is happening within our supply chain to make it a smoother and a faster efficient process for our consumers.

And that role was that intern roll was at Sam's club, right?

Yes, sir.

I bet.

I bet.

That was a fascinating and fulfilling.

I can only imagine.

Back to scale, Stephanie, back to scale at Sam's club and the ginormous quantities.

And then, of course, once you negotiate successfully and get the deal done, than getting it out to all the warehouses or the stores themselves.

Madison, what was your favorite part about the role?

And especially when you think about the impact it has had on what you want to do in industry?

What was that?

It's actually so funny.

This summer, I really got to work with our pallets.

As you know, all of our fray or products are all palletized coming in through Sam's club.

And so that's where I really came in.

Created a process that would make it much more smoother and efficient, whether that be with our third party, our DC and home office.

I thought it was super cool.

And at the home office, I also got to work super cross functionally with our data analytics team, our transportation team, and our merchants.

So I think the most important thing when it comes to being in business is to always not be afraid to ask for help.

And because you're never going to be the expert on everything, but you need to know the steps to get to becoming successful within the business.

Madison, very well said.

And Stephanie, I love the two call outs she had there, because it's like a perfect illustration of physical supply chain and digital supply chain, the pallets.

I think pallets are cool.

And I love how pallet science has continued to evolve.

And of course, data analytics that powers all sorts of things these days, and certainly digital supply chains.

What'd you hear there, Stephanie?

Well, I think one of the things I heard is how incredible a lot of the internship experiences are at the organizations that are offering them to students.

And as Madison said, you can go a million different ways in a supply chain degree.

And so when you get to have internship experience where you aren't just in a little box somewhere by yourself working in isolation, but you're getting to engage with people in numerous parts of, of your organization and potentially other organizations, you're learning so much about what you like, what you're good at, maybe what you need to work on, maybe what you want to avoid.

And all that's part of the learning process to make sure that when you go out into industry, you're trying to find a company that it is in a role that's a good fit for you.

That same fit is not going to be for everybody.

And so I really love when companies are very intentional about putting together such amazing opportunities.

And it just makes me so happy when I get to hear all about them when they come back in the fall, about all the amazing experiences they had in the summer.

I bet.

I bet you get some great stories and, you know, it's perfectly okay.

Some of my most powerful lessons learned in my entire life have been during some really bad jobs, working for some really not some of my favorite bosses, I'll put it.

Okay.

And that shapes your worldview, I think the lessons you learn there are equally as powerful as the best jobs in the world.

Okay, so, Kelly, same question.

What do you want to do in the industry and why?

So I overall want to be back into the supply chain operations in the field.

So this past summer, I was managing a team of around 15 team members to overall have and within the field, there's so many things I had to do throughout my time with working with a team, such as forecasting how many boxes we were going to process that night, to performing a lot of other KPI's.

And just overall, it was very rewarding seeing how motivating a team led to efficient operations and led to us achieving our goal by, like, approximately, let's say 50% throughout the shift.

So it's definitely rewarding being in the field like that.

And quick follow up forecasting ain't easy, is it, Kelly?

Oh, no.

Oh, no.

Oh, no.

Especially with working with truckers, seeing, okay, if there's a delay time from them going to the stores to hear, how is that going to negatively impact our operations?

I saw a lot of different first case scenarios over the summer, but as we're all mentioning earlier, it's just definitely rewarding to see all these different skill sets that I've gained.

Love that.

Okay, and I'm going to sneak in Ethan's response.

And then, Stephanie, I'd love to get your take on what we heard from Kelly and what we're about to hear from Ethan.

Ethan, same question.

What do you want to do with industry and why?

Yeah, so definitely something in the sales or merchandising kind of hemisphere.

So just kind of walking through any aisle in any retailer.

I mean, you have products coming from any number of countries around the globe.

So, for example, when I was interning at Haribo, we manufacture anywhere from Wisconsin to Germany to Turkey.

So kind of walking through aisles, just understanding that you're touching every country, you're touching every really practice and how you can bring that all together.

Especially, you know, the retailers around here have this large emphasis on price.

And if you can understand the supply chain and understand how to bring down costs, how to manufacture things efficiently, that is something that you can then results in the end consumer and that in price.

Ethan, well said.

I appreciate your perspective there.

The global shifts we've been seeing for years and the winners and losers there, I think I find that to be fascinating.

And I also will add, you had no idea you play a role in our national security deal, because you cannot gum the gummy bear supply chain.

Our gummy bear supply comes.

And, hey, I don't know about you all, but after a hard day, there's a couple things I've turned to, but certainly candy for quick sugar pick me up.

That's a good thing.

Better than the alternatives out there.

Stephanie, we heard a lot there from Kelly and Ethan as well as Madison on what they want to do in industry.

A lot of clarity and then a lot of, I'm still, you know, figuring that out.

And, hey, I'm still figuring it out in some way, shape or form.

What'd you hear there?

Stephanie?

Well, I think it's very interesting when you look at, Madison was at a home office.

Kelly was in a field at an operations facility, and Ethan was in a sales office supporting a retail partner.

Those are all very different experiences that you can have and very different perspectives and very, very different seats to sit in throughout making supply chain decisions.

And it just shows the breadth of opportunities and that you learn what you want.

And you can see, like with Ethan, I know he, from his experience with Haribo and some of the roles that his parents have had, that he really knows he wants to be in that kind of merchandising sales sweet spot, because that's what his influence has been.

And I have walked a store with him looking at Haribo products, so he's very dialed in.

Whereas I think Kelly and Madison have been figuring out more what they potentially want to do and exploring the different opportunities that are out there.

And all of that is normal.

Yeah.

You know, and I think it's.

It's, how can companies continue to help the next generation or the now generation to figure out, here are the options, and, you know, which is the right one or potentially go, we're going to bring you in step one here, but here's the three or four different step twos that you could possibly have and give some clarity on what that career path could look like.

You're going to retain your people more.

And we all know getting access to talent and keeping talent is a huge struggle.

Especially, I feel like it's continued to even be amped up that companies that do it and do it well are going to win.

That's right.

Undeniably.

And all those approaches.

I wish I had the good fortune of taking a methodical approach to identifying what I had the air force waiting on me when I, when I graduated college.

So I had a few lessons.

There's a methodical approach there.

That's right.

You're going to be here on this date.

That's how, that's how that went.

But hey, I wouldn't change it for the world.

In fact, some of my earliest supply chain experiences came loading planes in the air force.

Okay.

A lot of good stuff.

I wish I had a couple more hours to spend with all four of you all.

Let's do this.

Let's go around the horn a bit.

And by the way, before I forget, Ethan, I'm so glad folks are interested being sales professionals, because global supply chain needs lots and lots of sales leadership.

Indeed.

And it doesn't get enough attention, I don't think.

Okay, so we've heard already, both directly and indirectly and implied different elements that makes the University of Arkansas supply chain program successful, as identified by Gartner number one undergrad program in the land.

That's high praise.

And I love the sign.

Did anyone bring the sign?

The famous sign?

Okay.

I'm pretty sure there's one out there in the office if you want me to go grab it.

We got to work on our supply chain plan and that's all me.

So let's two part question.

And Madison, I'm a circle back to you here.

If you had to answer the question what makes the program so successful and how it's prepared you for successful chapters to come, what would your response be?

I think this program has really made me successful because I can tell that the professors genuinely care and want to teach you.

And a lot of our professors have had previous working experience.

They didn't just start, go out from school and start to be a professor.

They really went out in the workforce, had a couple years of experience, and then took that back into their teaching.

And so all their teaching has been super applicable and they want the best for us.

As we said, mentioned earlier, we have literally some of the top companies within our area, you know, 20 minutes away from us, whether that be Walmart, Sam's club, Tyson, JB Hunt.

It just really gives us a lot more resources and insight into what's happening, whether that be retail, transportation or consumer packaged goods.

And it's just really given us a lot of insight on what is happening within the market and like within the supply chain.

So that has definitely been my most impactful time at the University of Arkansas.

Love that.

Madison, I love the front end of your response because clearly folks like Doctor Thomas and other folks I've met that teach on an adjunct level or regularly, more, more engaged, they do care.

They're in, they are also invested in the future, the now, but also the future of where the industry's got to go.

And of course, Ethan Kelly and Madison, you are going to build that story.

You're going to, you're going to design that story and where we're going.

And I can't wait to see what lies ahead.

Kelly, same question.

What makes a program so successful and how has it prepared you to be a very successful CFO?

Hopefully CFO one day.

But adding on to what Madison was saying, especially the fantastic companies within the northwest Arkansas area, has definitely impacted our program, especially with all the professors having their personal experiences and then applying that to the class.

But also alongside that, the professors help us get that hands on opportunity as well.

So a variety of times, even though supply chain is my minority, I've worked on a variety of projects in my classes.

So using and utilizing new skills such as data analytics, Microsoft Power, bi team collaboration.

So all these professors have been really utilizing and driving us to get those skill sets.

And I will definitely apply those skill sets for the rest of my life, no doubt.

I believe you.

And kind of something that Madison mentioned that you're kind of touched on a little bit.

The ecosystem around the University of Arkansas has grown and evolved dramatically.

I've seen a lot of startups, a lot more startups in recent years do some big things there.

So, and of course, you are benefiting from all of it, the whole ecosystem.

Good stuff there.

Kelly, Ethan, bring it home.

Cleanup pitter.

Why is the program so successful and how has it prepared you best for what lies ahead?

Absolutely.

So to talk about the ecosystem in northwest Arkansas, kind of zooming out from the college itself a little bit, there's such an emphasis on supply chain around here.

So you have Walmart, you have Tyson, you have JB Hunt right there.

It's a retailer, it's the largest protein supplier in the world and then a transporter.

So you get a different perspective of the supply chain for each.

And they all put funding in the University of Arkansas and it's created this area of growth and prosperity for supply chain education.

And it's something that the University of Arkansas just kind of took and ran with in terms of how it's kind of setting us up for success, they do something unique.

So if you want to get a supply chain management degree, you have to have an internship.

And Walmart also does something unique in making their vendors and suppliers have an office here if you want to work with Walmart.

And almost all of those suppliers recruit from the University of Arkansas for those internships.

So it kind of gives us an ability to go into the field that we think we want to go into and kind of experience it, kind of learn from it a little bit.

And that kind of obviously makes us better, you know, candidates, employees out of college and people.

Absolutely.

Well said.

Stephanie.

As someone that we touched on earlier, I know you're fascinated and do a lot of research on negotiations.

How about that?

Walmart requires that home office and to be a part of the Arkansas ecosystem to do business.

I love that little twist, huh, Stephanie?

Oh, no, it's great.

And I, you know, I'm looking at my list of things that I was going to throw in for the, and they've hit pretty much all of them.

So well done, guys.

I'll pay you later.

But I think we are so fortunate with the amount of industry engagement here.

And I have been at a number of different universities.

I have friends and colleagues at a lot of different universities, and this is just a very unique environment.

And it is not uncommon for our students to graduate with potentially three and four, and even some cases five internships.

They will do internships during the school year while they're going to school.

It is very easy to kind of hop up the road.

Some of them can do it somewhat half virtual or remote or something.

That, that requirement that we put in place, one, it's good for the students, but two, that keeps us connected to the local industry.

However, one of the things the ranking has been great for is to raise the profile.

So while we have a ton of industry here that's been super fantastic, our student body represents individuals from a lot of different states.

We have a tuition reciprocity plan where you can be out of state and you can basically come kind of like Kelly here for close to in state tuition.

So we got a lot of Texans, we got a lot of people from Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, kind of a whole array of people.

And not everybody wants to necessarily stay here.

We're growing our, and the ranking has really facilitated that.

The organizations literally across the country that we're now partnering with, and they're coming and going.

All right.

There's something kind of cool here at the University of Arkansas.

I also think as a department we have been very diligent.

And I kind of mentioned this a little bit earlier about our curriculum and being very intentional and making sure that we are teaching true in the end supply chain because we think that is super important for our students.

I think it's super important as well because having a fundamental holistic understanding of the whole of global supply chain and how one thing that happens here ripples through an organization.

And rather than seeing things, unfortunately, in silos, like so many of those of us industry have been trained to do previously, years and years ago, really understanding how it all comes together.

So we can find those hidden opportunities that remain hidden because those in functional towers stay there.

And I'm.

I don't know about y'all.

I'm a big fan of silo busting.

Let's break them down.

Let's bring these folks together across indian supply chain.

Let's lean into what we don't know, these assumptions we're making.

Oh, that's what happens if I do this.

Oh, that's, that's, that's the trade off here.

That's where these Eureka moments that will pay off massive dividends.

And I love that.

That's a big, important part of y'all's approach.

Doctor Thomas, as you lead these classroom discussions with the likes of Madison, Ethan and Kelly, one more question, Stephanie, before we make sure folks know how to connect with this whole panel, what's one or two of your favorite aspects?

I mean, I've gotten a taste here today, hearing from Kelly and Madison and Ethan.

Right.

And I kind of know what a round of golf or a pickleball match or a volleyball match might be as we're playing the game and talking supply chain at the same time, I don't know if I could keep up in the classroom.

Stephanie, what's one of your favorite part of this conversations that you have?

R.

I love being around individuals.

In this stage of life, there is an enthusiasm and excitement.

There might be a little trepidation of fear, too, but there's some enthusiasm, excitement about who they can be and what they can do.

And so I feel like, as a professor, I'm in a privileged spot to kind of walk alongside and be part of that, that journey.

They are so excited in that is one.

They want to do a good job.

They want to make an impact, but they also want to make a difference.

And so I really, truly think that this generation has the potential to change it.

All the stuff that my generation may have messed up and I'm a little older than you, Scott.

I think we're got you by a few years.

But I think this, this generation, they've got a lot going for them.

They want a lot of things and they're hungry to make an impact.

And for all the bad stereotypes that sometimes people like to put out there, they're not meeting a lot of the students that are on, and I'm not even going to say the University of Arkansas campus, because I've gotten to know students at a lot of different campuses.

I know a lot of faculty at a lot of different campuses.

There are a lot of supply chain faculty that truly care and they want the best for their students and they are recruiting amazing young individuals who are going to go out, out and really, truly make a difference and an impact.

And I think that in some ways is unique to supply chain over potentially other areas of different parts of the college of business in different places.

And so I think it's a great place to be.

Sounds like it.

We're gonna have to make a trip.

Warm up the supply chain now mobile and head to northwest Arkansas to see it in person.

We'll hook you up.

Yes.

Awesome.

Well, Doctor Thomas, I am so grateful that you and Madison and Kelly and Ethan stopped by.

I've really enjoyed the conversation.

I wish we had a couple more hours.

As I mentioned earlier.

Let's do this.

I bet some of our audience members are going to want to connect with you.

They may want to ask you a follow up question based on some of the cool things you shared here.

Let's make sure they know how to connect with each of you all.

Okay, Ethan, let's start with you.

How can folks connect with you from here?

I would definitely see LinkedIn.

It's pretty easy to find me.

At least I think so.

You know, if you have any questions, any follow ups, you know, please reach out.

I'm more than happy to talk to anybody, so.

And connect.

And if they're curious about candy supply chain, absolutely.

That too.

Okay.

Love it, love it, love it.

All right.

So Kelly, how about you?

How can folks connect with you alongside Ethan?

Definitely LinkedIn by also will be attending the 6th annual wise Symposium.

So I'll definitely be there to connect more with people.

They all should.

Three should be there.

All three will be there.

I will as well.

Yep.

Wonderful.

The six annual wise future leaders symposium, October 24 and 25th.

And I'm sure Stephanie will welcome any inquiries on how to be there.

Madison, same question.

How can folks connect with you?

I'm going to tag along.

What Ethan and Kelly said mine is definitely going to be on LinkedIn.

If you ever want to connect or ask any questions about JB Hunter Sam's club, I'm more than happy to help.

Awesome.

Wonderful.

Thanks for being here as well, Madison.

I tell you, quite the panel, Stephanie.

You're right.

Prior to sitting down and recording this session, you promised to bring the best and the brightest, and you have delivered like your days and lows way back in the day.

So.

But Stephanie, how can folks connect with you?

From the research to the, the educational stuff to the events like the symposium coming up, all the other stuff that you do helping to move industry forward.

How can folks connect with you?

So I, like everyone else, try to be very active on LinkedIn.

I think it's Stephanie Thomas Uark is the tagline URL, but usually I pop up pretty good on a search.

There's more information on how to contact me on my bio page at the University of Arkansas supply chain faculty.

You can find that there as well.

And I'd be happy to talk about wise and how to potentially get involved with that.

If someone's interested, you can also on LinkedIn, follow uofa wise and you can see what the group here has done.

And then a lot of the other universities have their own wise kind of presence on there.

And then the women impacting supply chain excellence foundation is another way you can check things out on LinkedIn as well.

Okay.

No shortage of ways.

Really appreciate what you're doing.

Really appreciate what Madison, Kelly and Ethan, y'all's passion and can do attitude in terms of changing how industry is done.

We're all going to be watching and helping and supporting for sure.

And also, Stephanie, I'm excited you and a colleague, perhaps two colleagues, who knows, will be joining us on the buzz soon to offer key takeaways from the 6th annual Wise Future Leaders Symposium.

Right?

I'm excited.

Can't wait.

And Scott, I want to say for a second, thank you so much for making this a priority to talk to the now generation and give them a voice and let people hear more from them on what they're thinking, because I personally think that's great and important, and I think that's a service that you're providing.

And I appreciate it.

And thank you for inviting us to be part of it.

I really appreciate those kind words.

I'm gonna go share my mom.

Share with my mom what you said here today.

Please do.

Kidding aside, it's so important.

So we've learned so much from this series.

We learned a ton from the three perspectives here today.

And, gosh, if we aren't having those conversations, Stephanie, think of all the things that we'd be missing out on.

So I'm really jealous of your best job in the world because I believe it's got to be one.

Well, if you want to come guest lecture sometime, you let me know and I'll get you in class.

Okay?

We'll talk gummy bears and pickleball and who knows?

No, thank you for that.

And more importantly, thank you all for the conversation here.

So I want to thank all of our panelists for joining us here today.

Ethan Helm, thank you for being here.

Thank you.

Keep doing big things there at Haribo and beyond.

Madison Simpson, thank you so much for being here.

I appreciate your time.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

And Kelly Henderson, thanks for being here as well.

Thank you so much for having us.

It was a great conversation.

We'll have to keep it coming.

Doctor Stephanie Thomas.

Thanks, darling, for being here.

Thanks for what you're doing.

Huge, huge work.

Meaningful work.

Meaningful mission with impact that you lead every single day.

Thanks for facilitating today's episode.

Thanks for the opportunity.

You bet.

All right, so folks out there that are listening to us or they're watching us, the onus is on you.

I tell you, this last hour, hopefully you've enjoyed it as much as I have.

But the challenge is to take one thing and put it into practice, something that our panelists spoke on here, or better yet, since we heard from Ethan Kelly and Madison, what's important to them?

At least some of the things, what they're looking for, some of the change they're looking to make.

Hey, how can we work together as industry and help facilitate and make that change easier?

Right?

And make sure we grab all we capture and engage the brightest and the best minds that come into this global supply chain space so we can all find a whole bunch more success changing how business is done in the months and years to come.

That's big homework here from today's episode, but I know you'll deliver like you do every single day.

With all of that said on behalf of the entire supply chain now, team Scott Lewton, challenging you.

Do good, give forward, be the change that's needed, and 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 at supply Chain now.com and make sure you subscribe to supply chain now anywhere you listen to podcasts and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

See you next time on supply chain now.