Tennessee on Supply Chain Management

In this episode, hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby welcome Todd Steffen, market leader at KBC Advisors, to discuss how the industrial real estate market is both a mirror and a leading indicator of supply chain health.

Steffen, a longtime GSCI Advisory Board member, brings a practitioner's eye to the industrial market, drawing on his background running distribution and logistics technology at Walgreens and years advising major occupier...

What does it take to keep a refinery running when the world won't stop throwing curveballs?

In this episode, Ted Stank and guest co-host Lance Saunders speak with Tom Johnson, VP of procurement at HF Sinclair, an independent petroleum refiner with operations throughout the mid-continent, southwestern and Rocky Mountain regions. Recorded live at the Supply Chain Forum, the conversation pulled back the curtain on one of the more essen...

Forecasting has been blamed for supply chain problems for decades. But what if the real issue isn’t the forecast itself? 

In this episode, Tom Goldsby and Scott DeGroot speak with Mike Burnette, Lance Saunders, and Dan Pellathy about new research from the University of Tennessee’s Global Supply Chain Institute examining why forecast-driven planning continues to fall short and how leading companies are redesigning th...

For our latest episode, guest hosts Scott DeGroot and Lance Saunders spoke with Kevin O’Marah, co-founder of Zero100 and GSCI Distinguished Fellow, about structural shifts in global trade policy, the acceleration of agentic AI in supply chain workflows, and the widening performance gap between early movers and holdouts.

The conversation explored how industrial policy and tariff normalization are driving regionalized supply net...

For the third episode of Season 4, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby are joined by Stuart Sandlin, president of Hapag-Lloyd North America, for a candid conversation about how global supply chains hold together when conditions refuse to stabilize. 

Drawing on extensive experience in ocean shipping and global trade, Sandlin shares insights on Red Sea disruptions, Panama Canal capacity, shifting trade routes, and the operational ...

In this holiday-season episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby sit down with incoming department head Yemisi Bolumole to explore how the University of Tennessee’s supply chain management program balances academic rigor with real-world relevance.

Yem and the hosts discuss the program’s evolution from its transportation roots to a comprehensive end-to-end supply chain focus, the opportunities and responsibilities that ...

For the Season 4 premiere, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby sat down with retired Rear Admiral Kevin Sweeney to explore how military leadership principles translate to the business world.  

Throughout his remarkable career in the U.S. Armed Forces, Sweeney commanded the USS Cole during its historic rebuilding and served as chief of staff to Defense Secretary James Mattis. He is now a trusted senior advisor on government ...

In this special episode, regular co-host Tom Goldsby and Scott DeGroot, managing director of UT’s Global Supply Chain Institute, catch up with Mark Baxa, president and CEO of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, at the organization's EDGE 2025 Conference in Washington, DC.

Earlier in the week, Tom was recognized as a CSCMP Distinguished Fellow, while Scott and other UT supply chain management faculty participa...

For the final episode of Season 3, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby spoke with supply chain consultant and former Procter & Gamble senior director Andrew Byer to explore how people, culture, and technology intersect to shape resilient supply chains. 

Byer shares lessons from his long career at Procter & Gamble, where he supported global operations for health, hygiene, and cleaning products. He discusses how licensing,...

For the August 2025 episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby spoke with Doug Gray, VP of integrated supply chain for Trane Technologies, about driving resilience in the aftermarket business, embedding sustainability into strategic decision-making, and upskilling long-tenured employees to create value in a landscape of AI and automation. 

Gray, a member of the GSCI Advisory Board, joined Trane’s executive leadership in ...

For the July 2025 episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby spoke with Amalia Londono, EVP of end-to-end supply chain North America for Colgate-Palmolive, about trends in consumer packaged goods, delivering value to customers, using AI and technology in demand planning, and the importance of personal resiliency for up-and-coming supply chain professionals. 

Londono, a member of the GSCI Advisory Board, leads the North America...

For the June 2025 episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby spoke with Matt Stites, president of Clayton Supply and SVP of supply chain for Clayton Home Building Group, about dealing with disruptions, addressing the national housing shortage, and building growth-minded teams that pursue excellence in operations and customer service. 

Stites, a member of the GSCI Advisory Board, leads the supply chain for the largest builder o...

For the May 2025 episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby spoke with Stephanie Pierce, director of warehouse foods planning for PepsiCo, about wide range of relevant business topics, including the changing work modalities that have impacted talent retention and recruitment, leading hybrid teams, and adapting planning for shifting customer habits in snacking. 

Pierce, a 2011 alumna of UT’s supply chain management progra...

For the April 2025 episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby were live at the Spring 2025 Supply Chain Forum with Colin Yankee chief supply chain officer for Tractor Supply Company, to discuss the supply chain strategies and operational efficiencies that help companies thrive in uncertain times. 

Their in-depth conversation explored Tractor Supply’s transportation and distribution center operations, how to leverage exte...

For the March 2025 episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby are joined by guest host Thomas Deakins, managing director of the Global Supply Chain Institute, and Jason Murray, CEO and co-founder at Shipium to explore how data-driven decision-making fuels modern supply chain success. 

Their in-depth conversation touches on the power of predictive technology and Agentic AI, the complexities of integrating products and software,...

For the February 2025 episode, host Ted Stank and guest host Josh King speak with Barbara Melvin, CEO and president of the South Carolina Ports about everything from U.S. trade and tariffs to the impact of labor and economic development on port operations. 

A member of the GSCI Advisory Board Melvin runs one of the fastest-growing ports in the country, and the fourth-busiest gateway on the East Coast in Charleston, South Caroli...

For the first episode of 2025, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby spoke with UT Knoxville experts Huseyn Abdulla and Seongkyoon Jeong about their research in the areas of returns management and supply chain cybersecurity. 

Assistant professors and esteemed scholars in their disciplines, Abdulla and Jeong’s insights are a deep dive into the challenges and innovations shaping supply chain management. Among other points, Abd...

For our December episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby spoke with Marianne Wanamaker, dean of UT's Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs and a professor of economics and public policy.  

Wanamaker, who served as the chief domestic economist for the White House Council of Economic Advisors during the first Trump administration, is a recurring guest on the podcast and at meetings of the GSCI Advisor...

For our November episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby were live at the Fall 2024 Supply Chain Forum, where they spoke with Robert Martichenko, board chair for TrailPath Workplace Solutions, and Sunland Logistics Solutions' CEO Arch Thomason and VP of Human Resources Diane Lowman.

With fundamental forces, from population demographics to shifting societal attitudes, shifting the nature of work and the relationships betw...