Narrator [00:00:04]:

Welcome to Supply Chain now, the voice of global supply chain. Supply Chain now focuses on the best in the business for our worldwide audience. The people, the technologies, the best practices and today's critical issues, the challenges and opportunities. Stay tuned to hear from those making global business happen right here on Supply Chain now.

Scott W. Luton [00:00:32]:

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening wherever you might be. Scott Luton with you here on Supply Chain now. Welcome to today's show, folks. We are continuing one of my favorite series here, one that we like to call the Now Generation, where we sit down with incredibly bright students and professional educators from some of the leading supply chain management programs around the world. And today we meet with one of my favorites with whom I've collaborated in a number of different ways for years. It's the Georgia Institute of Technology, AKA Georgia Tech, home to not only the largest industrial engineer programs in the US but also home to what Gartner ranks as a top 10 supply chain management program for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. How about that? So stay tuned for a great conversation featuring brilliant minds that will be setting out to change how Supply Chain is done in the years ahead, if they aren't already doing it. Now, I've got two special friends and co hosts joining me here today.

Scott W. Luton [00:01:30]:

Great to have them back, starting with Chris Gaffney, managing director of the Georgia Tech Supply Chain and Logistics Institute. He brings more than 25 years of executive practitioner experience to the table, including various leadership roles at the Coca Cola Company. Hey, Chris, how you doing today?

Chris Gaffney [00:01:48]:

Scott, it's great to be with you again. Happy New Year.

Scott W. Luton [00:01:51]:

Happy New Year. Great to see. It's been way too long. We brought in quite the, quite the tag team between you and Chuck Easley, who's director of LEAP and a professor at the Georgia Tech Supply Chain and Logistics Institute, as well as well as the Scheller College of Business. Now, Chuck brings more than 20 years of corporate and consulting leadership experience to our conversation. And amongst other things, Chuck is deeply involved in workforce development across our great state of Georgia. Chuck, how you doing, sir?

Chuck Easley [00:02:21]:

Very well. How about yourself?

Scott W. Luton [00:02:23]:

Doing wonderful. It is so nice to see. I, you know, I don't know how many of those Supply chain days we stood and talked with students and caught up for a number of years. And it's great to have you and Chris back with us here today. Very good.

Chuck Easley [00:02:38]:

Glad to be here.

Scott W. Luton [00:02:39]:

Well, you know what, as if it couldn't get better, it can because Chuck and Chris brought two incredible student leaders with them here today. Right. They're the stars of the show. So I want to Introduce both of them, starting with Brady Clements, a first year industrial and systems engineering student at Georgia Tech. Now Brady is co founder and vice president of development for Georgia Tech's supply chain and logistics organization. We call that slow. Brady is certified in Lean, Six Sigma and Sales and Operations Planning S&OP and also serves as an engineering representative intern at Georgia Power. Brady, how you doing today?

Brady Clements [00:03:20]:

I'm doing awesome. Thanks for having me on. I'm excited to talk to you today.

Scott W. Luton [00:03:23]:

We are too. And I promise you I'll have a couple sips of coffee and I'll smooth out all my, my introductions and my questions. How's that sound?

Brady Clements [00:03:32]:

Sounds great.

Scott W. Luton [00:03:34]:

All right. And then joining Brady is Sam Deckbar, a fourth year industrial and systems engineering student at Georgia Tech. As if that's not enough, he's also minoring in computer science. How about that? Now Sam is a co founder of SKLO and also where he also serves as president in that organization we talked about earlier, a Georgia Tech's supply chain and logistics organization. He's also vice president of project management, which he says he does for fun in the sports business club at Georgia Tech. And I'll tell you, he needs more hours of the day co op at Delta Airlines. Hey. Hey, Sam.

Scott W. Luton [00:04:13]:

How you doing today?

Sam Deckbar [00:04:14]:

I'm doing great, Scott. Thanks for having me on.

Scott W. Luton [00:04:16]:

Great to have you. And Brady and Chuck and Chris. So Chris, really quick, I bet it was pretty tough for you and Chuck. I've enjoyed all of my times on campus meeting all such a wide array of students over the years. I bet y'all had a really tough task of picking a couple folks to bring here to this show here today. Chris.

Chris Gaffney [00:04:36]:

Well, we're blessed, Scott. And you know, I'm a loyal alum and I came back to Georgia Tech to join the supply chain and Logistics Institute last year. And one of the things I was excited about is, you know, I've been a fan of mentoring and coaching throughout my industry career. But the opportunity to work directly with students is just, you know, just a wonderful opportunity. And I have not been surprised by both the passion and the quality and the capability of the, the young people that I'm able to work with.

Scott W. Luton [00:05:06]:

I bet. And then Chuck, to you. You and Chris are very similar, by the way, kind of what Chris described there. But I got to ask you, Chuck, did you establish any calisthenics or exercise requirements that all potential guests had to had to surpass to join us here today?

Chuck Easley [00:05:21]:

Well, I like to believe that every Georgia Tech student is prepared, whether you are current or you're an alum. I think it goes with the DNA. So we're ready for whatever challenge may come that might be mental, that might be physical. We're ready for it.

Scott W. Luton [00:05:39]:

Ready for the present, ready for the future. I love that. Chuck and Chris. All right, so let's do this. Brady and Sam, we're going to get to know you all both on a variety of different levels. I want to start though, with kind of your personal life. Right. You're all.

Scott W. Luton [00:05:52]:

All the non academic, non professional things you're up to. And I want to start with you, Brady. Brady, tell us where you're from. Where do you call home?

Brady Clements [00:06:02]:

Yeah, so I'm from Roswell, Georgia, around 30 minutes away from Georgia Tech. It's a nice little commute home. Whenever it's a snow day, I could go see my family like we just had a couple of days ago.

Scott W. Luton [00:06:12]:

So not too sorry about did snow and precipitation. You know, Georgians are known for many things. Driving during any kind of precipitation is not on our strengths list. But you made it okay, Brady. Is that right?

Brady Clements [00:06:25]:

I did.

Scott W. Luton [00:06:26]:

Okay. Now, speaking of driving here, there and everywhere, or flying perhaps, you love to travel. You and Sam both love to travel. I do too. What's been one of your favorite places that you visited here in recent months or even the last couple years?

Brady Clements [00:06:40]:

Yeah. So a couple summers ago, me and my family made the trip to Italy. Rome, Italy. And that's probably my number one favorite place I've ever been to. We got the chance to see the Coliseum. I'm a big history guy. I love seeing all that and what's left of it, really. Still a ton left.

Brady Clements [00:06:56]:

And also we had a great experience with an Italian. He invited us into our home and we cooked homemade pasta with them. Started from the flour from the very beginning and made it all the way through. That was a great experience.

Scott W. Luton [00:07:08]:

Brady, man, that is a high bar. I appreciate you sharing. I hope to visit. Been to Rome, Georgia. That part doesn't count. But Rome, Italy is certainly on our bucket list as a family soon. So I appreciate you sharing. And I can taste that homemade pasta.

Scott W. Luton [00:07:22]:

Sam Deck bar. That's gonna be tough to top. Let's start with where you call home. Where's. Where's. Where's home?

Sam Deckbar [00:07:28]:

I'm from Nashville, Tennessee.

Scott W. Luton [00:07:30]:

Okay, Nashville. Do you go back often?

Sam Deckbar [00:07:33]:

Not as often as I wish, but, you know, with the co ops and with staying here over the summers and study abroad, I have probably been back, you know, longer than a week, maybe three times since freshman year, so.

Scott W. Luton [00:07:48]:

Man. Okay, you've Been busy. One quick follow up. Do you like country music? Is that a requirement for being from Nashville?

Sam Deckbar [00:07:54]:

It is a requirement, actually. I can't escape it. I tried coming to Atlanta, but I'll always be a Zach Bryan fan. I'll always, you know, remember, you know, some of those vans, they always remind me of them. So.

Scott W. Luton [00:08:08]:

Okay. And. And hot chicken. Of course, man. Of course. Hattie B's, Princes, you name it. Let's ask you about travel because you, you and Brady both love to travel, right? What's one of your favorite places you visited here in the last couple years?

Sam Deckbar [00:08:22]:

That's a tough question because I studied abroad in Europe for a summer and I've been working at Delta for over a year now, which has really come with a lot of benefits in terms of travel. So I've hit about 30 countries in, in three years. I gotta say, Japan was, was really eye opener for me. I really liked the Tokyo area, just being able to travel around and meet, you know, a completely different culture.

Scott W. Luton [00:08:45]:

Okay, I gotta back it up just a second. Did you say 30 countries in three years, Sam?

Sam Deckbar [00:08:50]:

Yes.

Scott W. Luton [00:08:50]:

Oh, man, that is. I'm gonna challenge my kids with that. I've got three kids at home. In fact, my middle daughter is headed to Tokyo here really soon, Sam. So I can't wait to see her experiences there. But man, 30 countries in, in three years. It's good to, it's good to work with our friends at Delta. So we look forward to learning more about you and Brady's travels.

Scott W. Luton [00:09:12]:

Coming up. Chuck and Chris, I want to circle back around to you. I want to start with you, Chuck. I've enjoyed learning about your back. You know, you've been with us. You've made several appearances here. It's been a little while. It's been too long.

Scott W. Luton [00:09:23]:

Great to have you back, but I love hearing about your background and now, of course, how you're sharing that background and that perspective and expertise with the bright minds that are matriculating through at Georgia Tech. So for the sake of our listeners that may have missed those early episodes, share a little bit about your background and your current role at Georgia Tech.

Chuck Easley [00:09:40]:

Sure, I would. I would break it up into three areas. One is graduating from Georgia Tech. I went into consulting. Worked with at the time the. The largest consulting firm focused on personal consumer products, was privately held, subsequently made partner there, then decided to move into industry. Spent time with Lowe's running their business process management department, which is basically a fancy way of saying process improvement, but also managing the strategic initiatives for the firm for that company that actually had more than one business unit involved. You might do something within a business unit to grow or to become more efficient, but then when you start to put those together becomes a little bit more complex.

Chuck Easley [00:10:28]:

Then went and started my own firm for a while and got recruited to go to Walgreens which was quite interesting to help run their labor engineering and process improvement department during the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Had to implement up to 20 different services without adding any more space, any more people. All of that and maintaining high levels of customer service. And then lastly made a transition to still continue consulting but to apply that in the classroom and leading efforts of workforce development with the Supply Chain Logistics Institute focusing on a program that I work with called leap, LEAP Logistics Education and Pathways and also teaching students at Georgia Tech and then also in the community around the state of Georgia to help them upskill to develop the tools necessary for the state of Georgia, which is a huge supply chain hub.

Scott W. Luton [00:11:22]:

It really is Supply chain city is what we have been referring to metro Atlanta for quite some time. That reflects that holistic equation that makes different regions great for the supply chain industry. And really quick for us to over to Chris. Consulting industry, entrepreneur, classroom workforce man, what a holistic way that you have been making life better for companies, individuals. And one of my favorite parts about that LEAP program you mentioned and folks, you're going to learn more about LEAP program. Folks from all walks of life can take advantage of that, but especially my fellow veterans. Yes. That won't that are interested in logistics.

Scott W. Luton [00:11:57]:

Of course the, the credentials and the experiences that it offers. That's a great, great program. So that's a great point because one last thing.

Chuck Easley [00:12:05]:

Do struggle sometimes.

Scott W. Luton [00:12:06]:

Yeah, undoubtedly. And I'm living testimony when I exited from the air force in 2002, it was not easy to make that transition and we, we can do so much better for our veterans that are getting out. All right.

Chuck Easley [00:12:20]:

One.

Scott W. Luton [00:12:20]:

One quick note before I shift over to Chris football. I gotta ask you. You you were a beast on the gridiron back in the early 80s. All, all conference at a minimum that I read. I was refreshing my memory about how you ruined the days of my Clemson Tiger teams back in especially 84. We had incredible game.

Chuck Easley [00:12:39]:

Oh yeah.

Scott W. Luton [00:12:39]:

What's one. What is one supply chain lesson that you're all of your days and years playing football is really, really taught you.

Chuck Easley [00:12:48]:

Oh wow. So one of the one of the things that is is very telling when you look at something like like football or any major sport. There's a lot of logistics that have to happen. A great example is just what happened with the playoff game between the, with, with the Rams and the, the, the Vikings. They, they pretty much uploaded everything from California, moved it to Phoenix. And so I would say, understanding how to be clear from a planning standpoint, what you need, where it needs to be, how much you need to do it in a timely manner, and also take into consideration all the different factors from players getting there to being able to practice and then where they're going to stay, making sure all the equipment arrives. If there's anything that happens and something's broken, you can get it repaired, making sure you're balancing the food that people need, the right uniforms, all that kind of stuff.

Scott W. Luton [00:13:45]:

So orchestration.

Chuck Easley [00:13:46]:

Orchestration.

Scott W. Luton [00:13:47]:

What I'm hearing.

Chuck Easley [00:13:47]:

Absolutely. When you look at what we say a lot of times, the supply chain, the right product, the right place, the right time, the right amount for the right price. And so all of that feeds into whenever you see something around a huge football game. I guess with the college playoff championship coming to Atlanta, there's weeks of work behind that, such that when game time happens, everything goes well.

Scott W. Luton [00:14:13]:

Yep. Supply chain is indeed everywhere. I love your response there. Everybody's in supply chain whether they know it or not. Maybe.

Chuck Easley [00:14:20]:

Absolutely. Absolutely. If you're a customer, you're in it.

Scott W. Luton [00:14:24]:

That's right. I'm with you, Chuck. I'm with you. All right, Chris, great to have you back. You know, you and I, me and you and Greg White sat down and had a great conversation just prior to the pandemic. Man. What we didn't know then, goodness gracious. But I love what all that you bring to the table as you, you rejoin as a Georgia Tech alum and have assumed a manual, you know, leading the Georgia Tech supply chain Logistics Institute.

Scott W. Luton [00:14:49]:

If you could expound a little bit more on your background as well as what that current role, what all that includes.

Chris Gaffney [00:14:56]:

Scott, again, a pleasure to be back. And that story, for those who want to go back and listen to that episode. You know, I, I claim that I started in the supply chain at an early age and I grew up in Washington, D.C. and I delivered the newspaper. And I've told this story so many times, my wife said, you need to get your facts straight. Because I used to say I started when I was 5 years old and I verified with my brother that it was more like 10. But let's just say started delivering the newspaper during the summer and delivered it every summer all the way through grad school. When I was at Georgia Tech, my first paper route was 50 papers.

Chris Gaffney [00:15:28]:

My last was 500. Wow. You know, I had a professor at Georgia Tech say, well, that's why you became an industrial engineer. You had an objective every day you were trying to get it done on time, accurately, and reduce the effort as you went. And so you were in that continuous improvement mindset. So I feel like I came upon the field honestly was fortunate to come to Georgia Tech from D.C. and have lived in the Atlanta area most of my professional life. Like Chuck, got a degree in industrial and systems engineering and went to work in industry.

Chris Gaffney [00:16:03]:

And I went to work for Frito Lay right out of school. And you could choose to go into the plant or you could choose to go into logistics. And I made that fateful decision and I said, I understand physical movement and became a logistics professional. And, you know, many of the top chief supply chain officers in the country cut their teeth at Frito Lay. So it's a great place to start my career. I went from there to work for an Atlanta based food trading company, AJC International, and got exposure to international logistics, selling chicken feet to China. And after a time there, I joined the Coca Cola company and, you know, spent a big chunk of time at Coke leveraging that functional depth and logistics and ultimately getting into supply chain leadership and, you know, having a role in a lot of the structural transformation that Coke went through in North America. So it did that and was fortunate to retire there a few years ago.

Chris Gaffney [00:16:58]:

Tried my hand at consulting and had some fun with that and just felt the call and the opportunity to come back and give back a little bit at tech. And, you know, it's kind of full circle to me. I had passion about the field. I have passion about how we evolve competitively as the US in having globally competitive supply chains and the passion about having people see this as a career path. You'll never starve in the field of supply chain. It's hard work, but it'll always be there. So that's. That's kind of what's brought me full circle.

Scott W. Luton [00:17:31]:

Outstanding, Chris. I really appreciate that. In particular, I love the stories and backgrounds that you and Chuck both have. But I like that last point you're making about the passion for fueling the evolution of supply chain management. Because we. There's so many different ways that we got to change how business is done in that regard and really in the broader sense of global business. So I appreciate that. Brady and Sam, I got a bonus question for y'all both.

Scott W. Luton [00:17:58]:

Right. We're gonna about to get into. We're gonna learn Yalls Insights and perspectives on a variety of topics. But Brady, hearing Chuck and Chris kind of talk about their journeys and their passions and kind of what has, you know, shaped their worldview in their career. Did anything surprise you, Brady, from what they just shared?

Brady Clements [00:18:18]:

Well, I did not know about the newspaper story on Chris's side. That's hilarious. I can't say I've ever done anything to that scale, but I definitely, I definitely would agree. My dad has always taught me you got to take the most efficient route on the road when you're going from point A to point B in a car. So of course, staying safe along the entire way. But I think that's hilarious. Kind of reminds me of that.

Scott W. Luton [00:18:40]:

How about. Yeah, how about growing that route from five, from 50 to £500 papers too. Sounds like he's got a little biz dev expertise in his background too. And Sam, same question. Anything as you heard, Chuck and Chris share their perspective and, and kind of what's formed it. Your favorite parts there?

Sam Deckbar [00:18:59]:

Well, I had no idea that Chuck, you know, was such a baller on the football field. That didn't really come up before.

Scott W. Luton [00:19:05]:

I'm g. Tell you, I can see it. If you ever stood beside him and, and, and kind of you size him up a bit. I tell you, I would. And he was. You were a fullback too, Chuck, right?

Chuck Easley [00:19:14]:

Yeah, played fullback and tail. Correct.

Scott W. Luton [00:19:17]:

Oh, man. I'll tell you what. So, Sam, if y'all do any flag football there on Georgia Tech, make Chuck one of your first draft picks, okay? Or if you're building supply chains, make Chuck or Chris one of yalls first draft picks too, okay? So much get into here with Sam and Brady. Of course I'm gonna get Chuck and Chris to kind of comment on what we hear from these two individuals. I'm going to start with this, you know, picking back up where Chris just shared about passion, right? If you have trust and passion, right, and you're willing to lean into change, you can really move some mountains. So, Sam, let's start with you here. What's one topic or trend or issue across global supply chain that really interests you? Something you're really passionate about?

Sam Deckbar [00:20:01]:

You know, I'd say a trending topic has been sustainable and transparent sourcing of materials and products. Talk about like, trust and, you know, passion for a company itself and their product. I just think there's so many moving pieces, you know, from sourcing to, you know, an item on the shelf. And just being able to track that, I think is very interesting. It's kind of, kind of shows you know, the growth of that very specific market of people who want to understand where they're goods are coming from. And I think that's something I'm really interested in, you know, pursuing.

Scott W. Luton [00:20:35]:

Excellent point, Sam and I would argue and would you agree that in this day and age, in this, the latest golden age of technology, that we find ourselves in the ability to shine a light far beyond what a label might say or what a marketing campaign might say about how stuff are made or sourced or you name it, technology really enables us to shine a really big light and check any claims. And Sam, you see the same opportunity?

Sam Deckbar [00:21:03]:

Oh, of course. I mean there's just so much information and you think about it from like an operations perspective, being able to just send an email that says exactly where each product came from. I mean that's so, you know, new and ever changing, you know, making it automated and making it accessible. I think it's just such a big part moving forward.

Scott W. Luton [00:21:21]:

There's a responsibility for supply chain leaders too as part of changing how business is done, making sure we're much more responsive when it comes to our sourcing practices. This is what I'm doing. I'm going to get Chris to comment there on what Sam just shared and Chuck, I'm gonna get you to comment on what we're about to hear from Brady. Okay. Chris, you heard Sam share his passion about how we can really find new innovative ways of bringing more responsible sourcing into global supply chain. What'd you hear there, your thoughts there, Chris?

Chris Gaffney [00:21:54]:

Yeah, I mean I think the essence of the supply chain is the network of partners and entities that it takes to bring a product to market. So my view, when I was at Coke upstream, Walmart had an expectation of us in terms of our products. But that expectation translated to how we work with our suppliers and we had to do the legwork to go upstream to tier two or tier three. I think that's just part of what you sign up for. And, and I think if you're truly a supply chain professional and you're accountable, you're trying to say how do we do the right thing all the way back to the farm or the field. It doesn't mean it's easy, but I think you've got to have that mindset of accountability and what I would call corporate social responsibility in order to move the needle. It's going to take the big brands and the big names to do the hard work with the smaller players upstream in the supply chain.

Scott W. Luton [00:22:46]:

Excellent point and we're really quick follow up there, Sam. Because the second part of you mentioned transparency, Sam, and whether you're a supply chain practitioner or if you're not even supply chain and you're a consumer like we all are, there's a much greater expectation for transparency out there, Sam, that we got to be comfortable with as business leaders. Would you agree with that?

Sam Deckbar [00:23:06]:

Oh, of course.

Scott W. Luton [00:23:08]:

Yeah. Okay. All right, Brady, I want to shift over to you. I want to ask you again, topic, trend issue that you're really passionate about that's on top of your radar right now.

Brady Clements [00:23:21]:

I think my favorite topic, and it's one of a hot topic in the supply chain world right now, is how AI and robotics are transforming supply chain operations. I couldn't be more interested in this. I haven't really fully dwelled into how they're doing it, but I just know they're doing it. It's something that I find very fascinating, especially in warehouses, with robotics really streamlining efficiency there, allowing worker routines to be more repetitive and easy to minimize waste and defects. I think that's something that's really on the top of mind right now for me.

Scott W. Luton [00:23:58]:

Love that. You know, Chuck, there's a wonderful podcaster out there and friend, Kevin Lawton, and he. He has a mantra that's warehouses are sexy again, and I can subscribe. That sounds like Brady can subscribe to that, too. But whether it's AI, robotics, eliminating waste, driving down defects, you name it, what stood out to you, Chuck, in Brady's response?

Chuck Easley [00:24:24]:

Well, the two things that they jump out to me is the awareness and understanding of the presence of AI and robotics, and then how you can leverage them for a positive outcome. You can buy the equipment, you can install the software, what have you. But in terms of how you're going to apply it, why you're getting it, you can be competitive, you can grow the business, or you can stagnate, because there's a blending that happens. Which is the second thing that comes to mind, which is you have humans, you have people who'll be conducting and performing activities somewhat in tandem, leveraging AI, being directed by or coached or informed. Then you have robotics who are also fed. But then you also have to keep in mind the interaction between human and machine. And so I think that's where you find. I know in my experience in consultant, often when I joined Kurt Salmon Associates right out of Georgia Tech, a lot of the work that I was introduced to was people working with machines in different ways.

Chuck Easley [00:25:26]:

Now, at that time, you were loading a machine, you were editing a machine or catching defects and pulling them out of an assembly line or what have you yet that continuation. And there are even, you know, ways in which you, you measure that. How well can you utilize the machine is really the question because you're not going to outwork the machine per se, as long as it stays charged. And so that nuance, I think is, is one of those things that is, as Brady talks about it, makes me particularly curious on how well you can do that because that to me is going to be. That's where you get the extra benefits that's out there.

Scott W. Luton [00:26:01]:

Yeah. And Chuck, I like how you started your response with that awareness and understanding and the why, as you put it. Because, you know, Brady, going back to, you know, AI and robotics and AI in particular, you know, there's a lot of, I'm a non technologist, right. There's a lot of non technologists in supply chain that, you know, they want to do a great job right. Every single day. And they're also living in this era where artificial intelligence has made us bigger impact than ever before. It's been around a long time, but we're really from an application and results standpoint, we're seeing big time returns. But at the same time, Brady, we're also seeing lots of frustrations for organizations that are struggling to get it right.

Scott W. Luton [00:26:43]:

All right. And that carries right over, over onto the employees, the practitioners, they want to do a great job. But in some cases, what I would say my opinion is executive leaders haven't really gotten that awareness and understanding and the why and the, and the wifm. What's in it for me, for the workforce? Brady, your quick comment on that?

Brady Clements [00:27:04]:

Yeah, absolutely. I think sometimes companies, they struggle to know where to start. And actually Chris just hosted a webinar with the supply chain is to on how generative AI can help in supply chains. And I think that's something that all executives and all companies can do much better at. So I'm really excited to learn about that.

Scott W. Luton [00:27:23]:

Outstanding. Outstanding. And you know, there's always a better way. I think that's the other thing. You know, Chuck, you're talking about process improvement, operational improvement earlier. It's always a better way and we got to subscribe to that. Chris, really quick before I move on to the next question for Sam and Brady, Y'all do all sorts of great programming at Georgia Tech. That webinar that Brady just mentioned, is that on demand? Where can folks go to find similar programming like that? Chris?

Chris Gaffney [00:27:48]:

Yeah, absolutely. We now have a monthly Lunch and Learn series that people can come to our Supply Chain Logistics Institute Website and sign up for also our LinkedIn site is out there and this webinar is actually on YouTube if you hunt us up. We are getting our video up there as well this year, so we look forward to people seeing us, hearing us. We publish articles that if you want to subscribe to our newsletter for free, you get access to all that stuff and know when things are going to be on the schedule.

Scott W. Luton [00:28:16]:

Outstanding. And we're going to try to include a couple links right there in the show notes and make it really easy for folks to find that stuff. Okay, Chris, Chuck, Brady and Sam. I want to move to the next question especially for Sam and Brady and we're going to keep going down the passion, the passion angle here and then Brady, I'll start with you this time. What do you want to do in industry and. And why especially as it relates to the change you want to help make.

Brady Clements [00:28:42]:

I think my priority where I see myself ending up in is to work with integrating that AI and robotics, maybe in the three pl area of supply chain, specifically with warehousing, to automate warehouses. I think this is really, it's happening already, but I think it could be happening more. It's really up and coming field. I know Amazon Robotics and ups, they're on this. But I think there's a lot of other companies with warehouses looking to get into this space and I think that's something that I want to help supply chain streamline in the future with adaptability and reliability in their networks.

Scott W. Luton [00:29:20]:

Outstanding. Outstanding. Brady, I can see you right now transforming the warehousing industry as you speak. It's something clearly you get excited about as you talk about, huh?

Brady Clements [00:29:31]:

Oh yeah, absolutely. And my dad was in the supply chain space as well, so I'd always heard from my parents. They're talking about supply chain. They both work in the supply chain space. I would always ask you questions. It's always fascinating.

Scott W. Luton [00:29:43]:

Oh, I love that. I love that. We're going to talk to your parents and get them to weigh in on some supply chain topics. That's great, Brady. Chuck, Lots and lots before I shift over to Sam. Tons of opportunities. When you think about warehousing specifically. We're seeing tons of transformation, innovation.

Scott W. Luton [00:30:00]:

That space, huh?

Chuck Easley [00:30:01]:

Oh, absolutely, absolutely. You really has three core areas. One is planning. How do you plan the day, how do you plan the work? What amount of equipment do you need? How many people do you need? Even down to what's coming in, how do you plan for it? What kind of unload you're going to expect? I'd Say the, the second thing that that's happening is how do you really construct the work and understand what makes sense? What's, you know, does. Does everything need to go through a particular path within that particular facility, or does it need to bypass that facility? And then the other piece is how do you engage the consumer? Covid changed a model that had been around for a while that people had played with, but couldn't make it economically feasible. Right. You always had pizza delivered to your home for a very long time. It wasn't a real issue.

Chuck Easley [00:30:52]:

Other items they tried, you know, grocery items were attempted, but you couldn't get the critical mass. Covid sort of reshaped that and then also took the concept of buy online, pick up at store or deliver directly, where the, the time got reduced in such a way that the consumer could then have some direction in terms of how they would want to get their product, order it, wait, go get it at a store, have it come to your doorstep. And all of that change in dynamic, change the expectation of the customer, change the capability needs for the business in terms of how do you meet those demands. And I think now what you're seeing is they're spending more time on how do you not only anticipate, but create what that next demand might be? What does that consumer need? How can you use the information you have from AI and predictability and all of those types of things to do a better job and also create more customer loyalty and also gain market share?

Scott W. Luton [00:31:56]:

I love it.

Brady Clements [00:31:57]:

Man.

Scott W. Luton [00:31:58]:

It sounds like we got a webinar just in your last response, Chuck. We have to plan one of those. Okay. And two things you mentioned, you talked about, you know, constructing the work, including possibly bypassing facilities. And that's, you know, survey after surveys looking at North American executives in particular and how they're taking stops or nodes or touches out of their supply chain. So looking forward to see how that develops. And then also the grocery delivery business. Isn't it funny, Brady, Sam, Chuck and Chris, that we sit here in 2025 and we take so much for granted that we can get just by an app on our phone or, you know, Google, what have you get delivered to our doorstep.

Scott W. Luton [00:32:37]:

But I remember as a young married couple, my least favorite thing was going to the store. And man, it took. It was an arm and a leg. Get anything delivered. And how much that has changed. Goodness gracious. All right, so I'm gonna switch gears here. We heard from Brady and what he wants to do in industry and why.

Scott W. Luton [00:32:53]:

We also learned that his parents, both of Them, I think he said, also are supply chainers. I can imagine some of the conversations you have around the table in the Clements household. But, Sam, what do you want to do in the industry and why, including some of the change you want to drive, it might be some related to some of that responsible sourcing you mentioned earlier.

Sam Deckbar [00:33:13]:

Exactly, Scott. I think, you know, we talk a lot about robotics and warehouse infrastructure, but I think on the other side of things, there's still a big missing chunk of, you know, online architecture, online, you know, infrastructure that still needs to be built out. And I'm a data guy through and through computer science minor. And, you know, I've taken as many data science classes as I can, you know, my time at tech, to graduate on time. I just think that to spearhead kind of the process of improvement through, you know, fleshing out these databases and, you know, really kind of connecting all the dots along the way from sourcing to, you know, being on the shelf, just makes it so much more accessible, so much more appealing as a consumer to know that all that is at your fingertips as well.

Scott W. Luton [00:33:58]:

In this day and age where we've got so much data at our fingertips, right. More than arguably ever before. But I think a lot of folks, myself included, can struggle at times with how to use, how to find those signals, those important signals within a tidal wave of data and then how to use it. Do you see that a lot, Sam?

Sam Deckbar [00:34:19]:

Yes. I mean, obviously it can be overwhelming to have too much data at your hands and not know what to do with it, especially if it's missing data or it's unclean, you know, and I think that is kind of the next step. You know, a lot of companies might be trying to jump the gun on, you know, automation and AI without having the right amount of data at their hands and knowing what exactly to do with it. I think what you're mentioning is actually really the most important step is really just understanding the data, making sure, you know, that is accurate and what you need to be doing with it. And that's something that, you know, I really seem to have a passion for in a lot of my classes.

Scott W. Luton [00:34:55]:

Love that saying, everything is not an AI problem, everything doesn't need an AI solution. And I think that to your point about the rush olives can make, from time to time, we all see a shiny new technology, right, that's being used in so many different exciting ways. But we got to start with what are we trying to do, right? What is the problem? As a great scene from that movie Moneyball with, with Brad Pitt is all about. Chris, weigh in on what we heard there from Sam.

Chris Gaffney [00:35:23]:

Well, you know, the good news is we've got, like I said, so many smart folks out here. And as you've heard, these guys, they've already been in industry, so they've had a sense of what's out there. And I think you're right. You know, one of the things that I'm looking at having worked with both big companies and small is we've got to accept people where they are right? And in many cases, the foundations are what needs to come first. I'm a big fan and I, I preach it. We're doing it here. We're teaching in our classes. You got to have a roadmap and there's first things first.

Chris Gaffney [00:35:54]:

And as I look at our student projects, who students are working with industry, we have many name brand companies that are still working on supply chain fundamental issues. Inventory strategy, production inventory planning strategy, sourcing strategy, deployment strategy. You got to have those basic business processes under control and to Sam's point, have the data clean feeding those before you can then digitally automate and then physically automate. So Sam's preaching to the gospel for me.

Scott W. Luton [00:36:23]:

Yes, yes, preaching the gospel, preaching to the choir, all of it. Good stuff there, Chris. And I love your in particular, accepting people where they are. As you mentioned, I think organizational leadership, we all can do a much better job at that, for sure. I want to ask now, and I'm gonna circle back around to Brady. What makes Georgia Tech supply chain program so, so, so successful, if I'm not mistaken, by the way, Chris and Chuck, y'all get me, make sure I got my numbers right. I believe undergraduate is ranked number six on the Gartner rankings. And I believe the graduate at Georgia Tech is number seven on the Gartner rankings.

Scott W. Luton [00:37:04]:

Is that right?

Chris Gaffney [00:37:05]:

You, you got it right. And I think, stay tuned. That's a two year survey and we, we think we're going in one direction, so.

Scott W. Luton [00:37:13]:

Oh yeah, I love it. I love that. Okay. Gauntlets and thrown down everybody for everybody in the top 25, Brady. So let's talk about from your perspective, what makes the program so successful and how it's prepared you for a great professional journey to come.

Brady Clements [00:37:30]:

Well, Scott, I've only been here for one semester. This is my second semester at Georgia Tech. And I tell you what, I've already gotten a heap of support just in the supply chain space. I've been exposed to a ton of high achieving students. That's where I met Sam, obviously. And we got this awesome club started. I've also been exposed to industry leaders where I met not only my mentors, Chuck and Chris, but also my own personal mentor, David Stover, who did some work in americold. And I think lastly, just the opportunity to share my passions with the world, like being a part of this podcast, share my supply chain knowledge and talk with others and the supply chain space.

Brady Clements [00:38:04]:

I think that's what's really geared me up to be successful in my career. That's been enabled by the supply chain faculty at Georgia Tech.

Scott W. Luton [00:38:13]:

Wow. Like a spokesperson in a, in a semester. Chuck and Chris is what we've got here. Love that, Brady. And by the way, Chuck and Chris sounds like a great sports talk afternoon drive home radio show. So we'll look into that. Chuck and Chris. But Chuck, what you hear there from Brady, it's got to make you, you know, put a smile on your face from ear to ear.

Chuck Easley [00:38:33]:

Oh, absolutely. I. What comes to mind is he gets it. Having, you know, gone to Georgia Tech, worked in industry, what have you come back? I fully believe you're going to be unable to find anything close to what we're doing. It's unparalleled. We at Georgia Tech have, I think, a unique approach where the understanding of people processing systems is a core part about how we approach things and therefore it's core part about how we solve problems. And that differentiates you and it positions you well for whatever may happen in the marketplace. You're not leaning too heavily on software, you're not leaning too heavily on something else.

Chuck Easley [00:39:19]:

You're having a pragmatic approach to say, what are the tools that we have? What's the problem we're trying to solve? What are the principles? Let's apply it, let's fix it, keep moving. Progress and service is a core part of our school institution motto and I think we live by that.

Scott W. Luton [00:39:38]:

Oh, I love that. And it seems like somewhere in the DNA at Georgia Tech is the spirit of the doers. You're doing stuff. Brady's been there for a semester and he and Sam founded an organization, you know, and are involved in so many different ways of doing stuff. Right. And those experiences, I think you gain as you do stuff, man, really shapes what, how you see the world and, and how you see the art of the possible. Good stuff there. Brady and Chuck saying.

Scott W. Luton [00:40:07]:

Sam, same question for you. The program there at Georgia Tech, what do you think makes it successful and how it's, you know, you as a fourth year student, how does it really position you to go out there and, and make it happen.

Sam Deckbar [00:40:20]:

I think it's really interesting. You know, you talk about the list of top, you know, supply chain schools in the country and we're on there, but we don't have a supply chain major. You know, it's. It's industrial engineering and it's business. And I think what makes Georgia Tech so special is that we're able to come at it from these different perspectives, the business management side, supply chain engineering side, and really mesh together, you know, and come out with some great ideas and some great research. I don't think anyone's really doing it like that. And with this new club that's really meant to combine, you know, students across campus and bridge it with the industry, I can only imagine these rankings are going to go up. We're going to have a lot more collaboration and really excel on, you know, the stuff I just mentioned.

Scott W. Luton [00:41:02]:

Okay, outstanding. All right, so Sam and Brady, I'm going to get one more bonus question, y'all. We're going to talk about sklow and where do you all think it's going next? But before we do, Chris, would you, you know, both on what Sam said, what Brady said, you got to be tickled.

Chris Gaffney [00:41:21]:

There's no doubt about it. What I would say is the school that Chuck and I attended was a very good school and we were equipped to go out in the world and do our part. I think what goes on today at North Avenue in Georgia Tech is a completely different experience. The kids have much more cross campus exposure. They've all got an accountability for a very hands on capstone in every major. Not just our supply chain, major supply chain focused students. You hear the work experience that these students have. It's a competitive school.

Chris Gaffney [00:41:56]:

I have one child who attended Georgia Tech and they're not going to be a lifeguard their freshman year. They're co opting and interning freshman year. And it's these folks work hard and they do find a way to play hard. Right. They've got good balance in it. I think our alumni in our industry partners have given us a lot of feedback on curriculum and we've listened and you've seen that. And I think our institutional priorities to make an impact in the world really puts us in a good place. And I think we just want to be good stewards of that and equip our students to go out in the world and do what we did.

Scott W. Luton [00:42:30]:

Man, I can't wait to see what's next. Chris and Chuck and Brady and Sam. And we're going to touch on that in just A second. But before we do, Sam, coming back to you as co founder and president of the SKLO organization. And again, let me make sure I get that acronym right. We love our acronyms. And supply chain. That's Georgia Tech's supply chain and logistics organization.

Scott W. Luton [00:42:52]:

Sam, what's one thing that you're excited about? What's next?

Sam Deckbar [00:42:58]:

Oh, wow. Such a good question. I think the biggest thing that's on my mind is the Lean Six Sigma, you know, workshop series. We're really trying to make Lean Six Sigma and other certifications like that more accessible to the student body. Things that can really get you some experience in the supply chain field and really line that up with some actual consulting projects as well. Really pushing to get that started even in our first semester here. And that's probably something I'm most excited about.

Scott W. Luton [00:43:28]:

I love that you're talking my language. I love how you talking about mirroring the certification and learning itself with the. The practice of doing, which is really helps it stick and helps you give you a foundation you can build on. Build off of Sam. Love that. Brady, your quick thought about what's coming next. Exclo.

Brady Clements [00:43:47]:

Yeah, piggybacking off of what Sam just said. I think Sam and I are really excited about the potential for professional development that we can offer at sklo. We're really trying to touch into this case study area for especially the younger guys at Georgia Tech who may not have the same work experience at a fourth year like Sam, with all his pedigree has. Right. So offering a case study with a company to come sponsor and, you know, offer their data for us to learn from and present to them. I think that's something that we really are excited to offer in the near future.

Scott W. Luton [00:44:20]:

Love it. Sam, you gotta take Brady whatever beat you go to, okay? He is a good agent. Amongst other things. He's a good agent. He's touting your pedigree right here on the podcast. I love that. Brady, you and Sam are. Y'all two are quite a one, two punch.

Scott W. Luton [00:44:34]:

Okay, so Chuck and Chris, both of y'all, as we start to kind of come down the home stretch, both of y'all, in your answers and your responses are already kind of giving us some insights into just how you love doing what you do, engaging these bright minds that are involved in the program, feel free to weigh in with one more thought there. But I really want to understand, y'all got some really big news coming. You've got a new facility being built. You got new programs rolling out. So Chris, starting with you, if you want to touch on how you get energized working with the Brady's and the Sams of the world and seeing them grow. And then, of course, what's coming next at Georgia Tech, especially as it relates to all things supply chain.

Chris Gaffney [00:45:15]:

Well, I think the energizing piece is the capability of the students. And, you know, we work with big companies and we work with small companies. And Chuck and I had the opportunity to work with a student in a small business in rural Georgia down in Albany this summer. You know that that student needed an internship and that company needed some help. We matched them together, we helped that student fill a need on their resume. But she had a very rewarding experience because she saved that company a material amount of money that enabled them to grow and invest in their business. So I bet on our students all the time, and I also bet on our ability to help businesses in our state and broader improve what they're doing. So that's kind of my current state and my passion for the future.

Chris Gaffney [00:46:03]:

As you said it, I think we've just scratched the surface. I think we, we undersell what we do and we're going to change that and we're going to do more collectively as Georgia Tech, where we're going to, we're going to play team ball and we're going to raise the impact of what we can do in the field.

Scott W. Luton [00:46:20]:

Oh, that is exciting. Exciting. All right, Chuck, your thoughts again on working with this bright student body and what you're really excited about related to expansion, new delete program and the impact it continues to make. Your thoughts there, Chuck?

Chuck Easley [00:46:38]:

Yeah, I'm really excited about where we are. I think it breaks down to a couple of areas. One is with the new building being constructed, you're going to have something that was a natural environment years before where our business school as well as industrial Systems Engineering school will be. Well, the College of Business and the School of Industrial Systems Engineering will be partnering in a proximity where we can leverage different aspects of how you really impact the business, not only how you design or model, but how do you drive lasting results. I'd say the other thing that's very exciting is as you mentioned, we have the LEAP program, which is focused on opportunities for people to upskill, to gain transitional knowledge to make job transition who typically may not have access to those capabilities. We have a very dynamic way that we deliver the actual program that involves some in person, some online courses that are sanctioned by the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia. And as you mentioned earlier, there's Opportunities for veterans coming back, which is great because oftentimes they have the knowledge, capability, it's the vocabulary, the way in which they talk about the work that needs to be done when in the military translates differently in civilian life. But the concepts, they got it.

Chuck Easley [00:47:58]:

And so this helps facilitate that. And this LEAP program is a part of something else that I think is very exciting at Georgia Tech, which is a part of Georgia aim, which comes out of Build Back Better within the state of Georgia. And within that, we're focused on real supply chain resilience. How do we help increase that capability not only inside I285, but outside I285? And that involves three areas. Helping to upskill and train people in the state of Georgia using the LEAP program around logistics, education. The second piece is how do we help identify agents of change that are at mid level, senior level, which you mentioned earlier, to help them understand the utilization and opportunities using AI and other technologies to grow their business, to compete or differentiate themselves, and then also use pilots, which is one of the examples that Chris gave, where we're actually applying what's being done. That's the little tab that I have here for the Georgia AIM program, and it's about artificial intelligence and machine learning. There's 18 projects going on.

Chuck Easley [00:49:04]:

We at the Supply Chain Logistics Institute are part of one of those projects. It's broken into two areas, community engagement as well as manufacturing in the state of Georgia. And so that's very exciting. We talk about what's now, we talk about what's new, we talk about what's next. And I think in each of those categories, you can see them, you can hear them coming from the students. And I'm very excited about what's in front of us.

Scott W. Luton [00:49:30]:

I am, too. Goodness gracious. You know, upskilling, upskilling, upskilling. We have tremendous opportunities so many different ways, especially with upskilling, in the knowledge of innovative technology that's shaping the art of the possible. Today by the hour feels like some days.

Chuck Easley [00:49:47]:

Absolutely.

Scott W. Luton [00:49:48]:

With the ever increasing velocity of change that we're seeing. Really enjoyed the conversation we've had here. Chris and Chuck and Brady and Sam. Brady and Sam. I cannot wait to see you. We're going to keep tabs on y'all. Okay. And we can't wait to see what y'all do in the weeks and the months and the years ahead.

Scott W. Luton [00:50:06]:

Okay. We'll have you come down, back and. And have you reflect on your first couple years maybe after you graduate, as you do big things in the industry. But let's do this. Let's make sure everybody knows how to connect with each of the four of y'all. Brady, let's start with you. How can folks find you and and have a sidebar conversation with you?

Brady Clements [00:50:26]:

Connect with me on LinkedIn. I'm always happy to start a conversation.

Scott W. Luton [00:50:29]:

Look forward to speaking with anybody outstanding. Brady, Brady Clements, the pride of Roswell, Georgia. Great to see you, Brady. Have enjoyed that. Sam, how about you? How can folks connect with you?

Sam Deckbar [00:50:42]:

Same way LinkedIn. If you just Google my name, Sam Deck Bar, it should be the first thing that comes up. So it's not hard to find and connect with me. I love to chat.

Scott W. Luton [00:50:51]:

Okay, we will. And, and Sam, hey, you got to go back to Nashville and spend at least a week with your family there. They wanted to bring you back home, take a call a time out. Okay. But Sam. Kidding. Great to have you here. Really enjoyed your perspective as well and your passions, especially on the power of data.

Scott W. Luton [00:51:11]:

Man, so many opportunities there. Okay. Chris Gaffney. Chris, all the things you're up to there with the institute now and coming up, how can folks connect with you? Chris?

Chris Gaffney [00:51:22]:

Yep, LinkedIn is easy. I am an active, both a giver and a receiver of the, the goodness of LinkedIn. And you can always reach out to me at the Supply Chain Logistics Institute. We've got many ways on the site to be able to tap into what we're doing.

Scott W. Luton [00:51:37]:

Chris, Love that. And by the way, you're talking about LinkedIn, I took a pseudo social break this past holiday season and it was the best thing I ever did. I'm going to try to make it an annual, try hard to make an annual occurrence. We'll see how that goes. But Chris, great to have you back. Appreciate your leadership there and looking forward to doing this maybe in person next time. And that leads me to Chuck Easley. Chuck, great to see you again.

Chuck Easley [00:52:01]:

Absolutely.

Scott W. Luton [00:52:02]:

Admire, admire what you do, that LEAP program. One of my favorite parts about that is how you bring high school students and other students through and we get them in the pipeline far earlier than wait, after college or after they spend a few years in industry. But how can folks track you down?

Chuck Easley [00:52:18]:

Chuck Easley, you can track me down either Supply Chain logistics institute or LinkedIn. And you know, there's some really cool things happening. The LEAP program, as you mentioned, as a part of Georgia aim, we're able to provide access to that training at a very low cost and in some instances without cost. And so that's something that we're looking to try to expand in the state of Georgia and we're looking forward to what's next and continue to try to make a difference. There's no reason why the state of Georgia should not going back to Atlanta being terminus with the railroads should not continue to be the leading place in the nation for effective supply chain businesses. Should understand supply chain in Georgia is the reason you need to come here.

Scott W. Luton [00:53:05]:

Oh, okay. Y'all hear that? South Carolina and Alabama and Tennessee and Texas. No. It is amazing what goes on here. It really is. And when you look at the variety of elements that make up the supply chain ecosystem, it's easy to understand. So really appreciate Chris and Chuck and Brady and Sam. Thanks for being here, folks.

Scott W. Luton [00:53:28]:

Make sure you connect with our outstanding panel. I'm sure they welcome the opportunity to help you get plugged into whatever program that may have stood out and and appealed to you here today. But most importantly, we heard a lot. I've got about seven pages of notes here today. Actual insights from the whole panel and I hope you did too all our audience members out there. I challenge you, take one thing from what you heard from our outstanding panel here today. Share it with your team. Let's put it into practice.

Scott W. Luton [00:53:55]:

All about deeds, not words will change industry one hour at a time. So with all that said, on behalf of the whole team here at Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton, challenging you. Do good, give forward, be the change that's needed. We'll see you next time right back here at Supply Chain Now. Thanks, everybody.

Narrator [00:54:12]:

Thanks for being a part of our Supply Chain now community. Check out all of our programming at supplychainnow.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.