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 program, has spent more than a decade with PepsiCo, where she’s climbed the ladder from project analyst to her current role director-level role in planning. She represents the company on the GSCI Advisory Board, which consists of senior leaders from many of the globe’s leading public and private companies who gather to help UT chart the course for providing relevant, high-quality SCM education, research, and talent development opportunities.
Listen in for insights on how young and high-potential talent can gain visibility into new areas of their company, recruiting top talent in a competitive market, moving to align product offerings quickly to keep customers happy, and perspectives on leadership for hybrid teams spread across numerous sites.
Plus, Ted and Tom dig into the latest news about tariffs, regionalizing supply chains, and more. You don’t want to miss it!
The episode was recorded virtually on May 12, 2025.
Related links:
- Markets rise as US and China agree to slash tariffs
- India expects multi-phase trade deal with US as talks proceed
- Read Ted Stank’s book, Global Supply Chains, which provides a framework for measuring the supply chain potential of geographic regions
- US exporters rethink supply chains amid trade war
- Save the date for the fall Supply Chain Forum, November 4–6 in Knoxville
- Downloaded our latest (free) white paper, “Future-Ready Procurement”
- Join the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative to explore advanced concepts in SCM with top industry experts and scholars
- Learn about our SCM Academy programs, including virtual courses on Leadership (Aug. 18–Nov. 23), Finance (Sept. 15-Nov. 16), and Procurement (Sept. 15–Nov. 16).
- Become a Supply Chain Forum partner
- Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
- Read the
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Intro & Outro (00:00):
Welcome to the Tennessee on Supply Chain
Management podcast.
Listen in as co-hosts Ted Stankand Tom Goldsby set sail into
the world of end-to-end supplychain management, diving deep
into today's most relevantbusiness topics.
They'll share insights inpressing industry issues and
tackle the challenges keepingsupply chain professionals up at
night.
If you're enjoying the ride,download and subscribe to
(00:22):
Tennessee on Supply ChainManagement on your favorite
podcast platform now.
Tom Goldsby (00:28):
Hello and welcome to another edition of Tennessee
on Supply Chain Management.
I'm Tom Goldsby, your co-host,joined by Dr Ted Stank.
Hello, ted, how are you doing?
Hey, tom, how are you?
You know, doing pretty well.
I just got in from Italy lastnight and so I'm kind of in
between time zones, but the jetlag hasn't crashed on me just
(00:51):
yet.
Yeah, didn't I see you Fridayafternoon, or was that Thursday
afternoon?
The first thing I did was havea little touch base on this
podcast, and it went fast.
I was on the ground with ourfriends at the University of
Verona for a couple of days andthen got to spend my Saturday in
beautiful Venice and travelhome yesterday.
(01:13):
So it's been fast and furious,but a great time, a really good
opportunity to get out and aboutand get a little bit of a
global pulse read on the supplychain world.
So I'm happy to share someperspectives if you're
interested.
Ted Stank (01:27):
Yeah, that'd be great , but before that you have been
on a pizza trail, right?
Tell me a little bit about yourpizza trail.
Tom Goldsby (01:35):
Well, I guess it was just last weekend.
My wife Kathy and I had anopportunity to go to New Haven,
Connecticut, and it really was apilgrimage for the tomato pizza
.
We had the four most populartomato pizzas there.
Don't ask me which one was myfavorite, because they each had
their merits in their own regard.
And then we did go into NewYork City to try out some New
(01:57):
York City street pizza as well,and a Broadway show.
And so it's been go, go, go forthe Goldsby's.
Ted Stank (02:03):
And so is that what forced you to get on a plane and
fly to Italy too, is to justsample pizza in Verona and
Venice, or what?
Tom Goldsby (02:09):
It was that pilgrimage.
In fact, I did have some pizzawhile I was there.
Verona is known for the risottoAmorosa, and that was delicious
.
I also had some spaghetticarbonara over there.
I ate and drank very well.
Ted Stank (02:24):
All right, well, that sounds really exciting, and
offline, you and I have to talkall about this food, but for now
, let's get to the business athand.
Let's do it.
A lot of crazy stuff going onthat we're going to touch base
on.
Also, let me introduce ourguest today, stephanie Pierce.
She spent a 14-year career withPepsi and Frito-Lay and proud
to say she is one of our supplychain graduates from University
(02:47):
of Tennessee and Stephanie tellsme it's in the family.
Her sister is also a UT supplychain grad, so very exciting to
have Stephanie with us.
We'll bring Stephanie on alittle bit, tell you a little
bit more about her and get herperspectives on several
different things Some thingsthat are happening in her supply
chain world and also talk abouther career.
She's had an explosive 14-yearcareer, has really moved up
(03:11):
through the Pepsi Frito-Layarchitecture pretty fast, and
we'd really love to get herperspective on managing her
career and guidance for otherswho are managing their careers,
as well as for managers who aretrying to bring on high
potential folks and give them anopportunity to stretch.
Before we get to Stephanie,though, let's talk a little bit
(03:31):
about what's going on in theworld today, I think on every
supply chain manager's mind istariffs, and so we need to at
least touch base on tariffs andwhere we stand, tom, as we
record today, we're coming outof the May 10th and 11th weekend
in which US traderepresentatives went and met
with Chinese traderepresentatives, and have come
(03:54):
out of the weekend with a 90-daymoratorium on the 145% US
tariff and 125% Chinese tariff,and have both agreed to go to a
30% tariff over those 90 days,with potentially a reset in
trade negotiations between USand China, in fact, broader
(04:15):
reset of the entire economicconversation between the US and
China.
So that's the headlines we'rehit with today as we start,
which I think is really goodnews for supply chain managers.
That news followed anannouncement last week of a
reset of conversations in tradebetween the United States and
the UK as well.
Tom Goldsby (04:34):
You're going to get a better price on your Jaguar
now, Ted.
Ted Stank (04:38):
Yeah, I'm in the market for that Jaguar.
No, that would be our goodfriend Terry Esper, not me.
Shout out to Terry.
Yeah, shout out to Terry.
Tom Goldsby (04:46):
Hey, you know, I think it's interesting, you know
, based on what you shared there.
Yeah, there seems to be thisexuberance out of arriving at
only a 30% tariff being appliedto Chinese imports and then they
reciprocated at is it 10% on USgoods that they're importing,
reciprocated at is it 10% on USgoods that they're importing?
(05:07):
And I think that's just aninteresting place in which we
find ourselves, that we'recelebrating only a 30% tariff.
And, by the way, ted, somethingI was wanting to ask you for
today's podcast is can you sharethe formula for that 145%
figure, where that came from?
Ted Stank (05:23):
No, it's way too complicated.
It would have to be a linearprogram that I would have to
show you and how we arrived atthat.
You only have one PhD right.
I was consulted quite heavilyon.
Tom Goldsby (05:33):
I'm sure, I'm sure, so I'm sure that 30% was
arrived at in just a scientificfashion.
Ted Stank (05:38):
It was during the Biden administration.
It was 25%, right, so we're nottalking about a huge difference
.
Tom Goldsby (05:45):
5% is 5%, but it's not that's if you interpret it
as a raw 30%, it's not anincremental, and we were talking
about this over lunch, right?
I mean as to whether or notthat was an incremental 30%, or
if it's a flat, if you will, 30%, but you're right, I mean it's
more reasonable.
What we can expect is thespigot is going to be turned
back on for Chinese goods,because it had been virtually
(06:08):
shut down for the period of thelast what five weeks, and we've
had the blank sailings, andyou're certainly seeing it in
the West Coast.
Port activity is way down, andit's going to drop even further
because those blank sailingswould ordinarily be making their
way to the coast right aboutnow.
So I think 30% resumes theoperation at a higher price,
(06:30):
though, and so we will continueto see folks be very diligent
about those inventory levels andfiguring out okay, do we absorb
that tariff or do we pass italong to our customers?
Ted Stank (06:43):
Yeah, there was a lot of talk about progress being
made with India over the lastfew weeks.
I think India has been a bitpreoccupied in their conflict
with Pakistan over the last weekor so.
We're in a ceasefire right nowbetween India and Pakistan,
although there's reports thatboth sides are breaking the
ceasefire, so we'll have to kindof play that by ear as well.
(07:04):
And I bring up India onlybecause everyone was saying
previous to this that India wasgoing to be one of the big
winners of companies shiftingtheir sourcing from China, and
so if India goes into a hot warwith Pakistan, hold the bets on
that as well, right?
So it just goes back to thefact that we were in this
incredibly volatile anduncertain time for supply chain
(07:25):
managers, which makes thingsreally difficult for us all,
because we like stability.
Tom Goldsby (07:30):
Well, as I've been sharing with anyone who would
listen.
And again, we're predominantlygoing out to supply chain
professionals, and so thismessage will probably resonate
with our listeners.
But supply chain professionalsare expert problem solvers.
However, when the inputs to theproblem continuously change, we
have a really hard time withthat dynamic algebra, and most
(07:52):
of our decisions need weeks,months or even years to be
implemented, and so I thinkthat's why we're all pretty
logical people, but when thelogic is hard for us to
understand and it's againchanging so routinely, when the
logic is hard for us tounderstand and it's again
changing so routinelyUnfortunately I'm not hearing
much about reshored operationsout of these latest movements,
right, I mean, it seems like anytariffs that would have to be
(08:14):
in place would be sustainedindefinitely I'm talking years
out before we're going toreshore a lot of those
operations and instead folks arelooking for that China 1 plus 2
, 3, what have you number ofcompanies to diversify the
portfolio.
But, ted, that takes me back tothe argument you've been making
for over a decade of mayberegionalizing supply chains.
Ted Stank (08:38):
Yeah, we published a book in 2014, based on some work
that we did in 2012 and 13,that said the world is moving to
regional market and supplychain hubs.
Right, where's your big marketarea?
Establish a regional supplychain around that that enables
you to parcel out the risk andnot put all your eggs in one
global supply chain basket.
(08:59):
And you know the fallacy is USmanufacturing has been growing,
certainly in a value standpoint,but also in a job standpoint,
over the last several years.
I don't see it ever going backto what it was in 1975, right,
1985.
Tom Goldsby (09:13):
Well, I think where we are now is.
You do find US manufacturing inwhat I refer to as high value
to touch industries right, thosethings that are going to be
pretty complicated, likeautomobiles and aerospace, maybe
some electronics or areas thathave high automation Automation
costs about the same here as itdoes anywhere else in the world,
(09:34):
and it does make a lot of sensefrom a supply chain standpoint
to source where you sell, if atall possible.
But hey, we've gotten caughtwith the addiction of low cost
country sourcing.
It's a tough addiction to break.
Ted Stank (09:46):
I'll tell you what I'm going to be really
interested to see before theJuly moratorium on the first
batch of tariffs what happenswith Mexico in particular in
terms of that tariff negotiation, and supposedly there's a good
rapport between the new Mexicanpresident and President Trump,
so we'll see if that pans out.
So what it appears to me, Tom,is that you and I really don't
(10:07):
know any more than anybody elseabout what's going on with all
this tariffs.
Tom Goldsby (10:10):
What we're willing to do, though, is stick our
necks out right, Because I knowyou've been fielding a lot of
media requests, and I have too,and you know we're in that
position of digesting a lot ofinformation, a lot of opinions.
We're fortunate to have such avast network of supply chain
pros that we can tap into andget a sense on what's on their
mind.
Hey, how's that for atransition to our guests?
Ted Stank (10:31):
What do you think, absolutely.
You know, the one trend that Ithink that we see, the bottom
line this discussion, is thatmost of us were banking on the
fact that the April 2nd,liberation Day tariff
announcement was reallyestablishing a baseline for
negotiations and, you know, andestablishing a way to leverage
those negotiations in the USfavor.
(10:53):
And I think what we're seeingover the last couple of weeks is
proof of that, at least Perhaps.
Tom Goldsby (10:58):
At least, that's going to be our hope.
Right Again, I just got tocount you there, ted.
Just the possibility that maybe145% seemed like a good idea,
and it was only when the marketsreacted and supply chains and
businesses reacted and CEOs ofthree major corporations
retailers said yo man, you gotto cut this out.
So it could be some wisdom.
(11:20):
I think you've given Trump alot of credit for being this
master negotiator.
It could be that he put hishand on the stove too.
Is the other option?
Sure, absolutely.
Ted Stank (11:30):
But I'm not going to go there.
This isn't a political podcast,all right?
Yes, so let's welcome our guest, stephanie Pierce.
As I mentioned, stephanie hashad a 14-year career with Pepsi
and Frito-Lay.
She's a 2011 University ofTennessee Supply Chain
Management grad.
She's had a lot of differentroles with Pepsi, including some
in long-term planning and teamdevelopment, and we'd love to
(11:51):
get Stephanie's take on a lot ofthings that we've been talking
about here, as well as some ofthe things that she's seen in
managing her career and some ofthe lessons learned that she's
had.
Stephanie, welcome.
Stephanie Pierce (12:03):
Thank you for having me today.
Really appreciate joining thegroup.
Ted Stank (12:06):
Great to have you with us, Stephanie.
You told me somethinginteresting when we were getting
ready on your take on whetherwe would see a big uptick in
buying over the next 90 daysfrom suppliers in China.
Could you share that with usagain?
Stephanie Pierce (12:20):
Yes, from my perspective, from what we're
seeing and what I'm hearing frommy peers in the industry, is
that the instability and the waywe've seen the news reports
come out.
I think that the initial buyand reaction happened and I
think everyone is looking toassume that this pattern of
(12:43):
backing down will be the newcourse and I think you're going
to see less folks react to theincreased buys, especially as we
go into that back to schoolholiday time frame where folks
are just looking to manage thebottom line and not take on the
increased costs potentially.
So I'm hoping that this is thebeginning of a more stable
(13:06):
regime and that we can seecompanies get back to a more
stable business environment withmaking those decisions and what
we're bringing in, especiallyfrom China.
Ted Stank (13:16):
Absolutely and certainly the markets reacted
today supporting that notionright.
Stephanie Pierce (13:20):
Yes, very much so.
Tom Goldsby (13:22):
Well, that's what we're always seeking.
Right Is stability.
It kind of goes back to thatalgebra problem.
Stephanie, I suspect that youwere really good in math and
algebra and solving for theunknowns.
Stephanie Pierce (13:33):
I try, as all supply chain professionals do.
We try to keep our eye on basicmath.
I will say the introductoryaccounting course was not my
highlight of my transcript atthe University of Tennessee, but
I did my best and I'm stillhere, so I did well enough.
Ted Stank (13:51):
Hey, you know not only that, I'm remiss in saying
that, you also are Pepsirepresentative on our executive
advisory board.
So we didn't do like apreliminary accounting exam to
get on that.
Stephanie Pierce (14:03):
No, and I'm very grateful for that.
So yes, I'm very honored to bethe Pepsi representative on the
advisory board, and you kind ofmentioned it as a alum.
I grew up in Knoxville and soI'm very closely tied to the
city and just the overalluniversity.
So really honored to be on theboard.
(14:23):
And I think, as we continue toinvest in what I call the next
generation of leaders, it'simportant for me to stay close
and understand.
You know what are the coursesthat are being offered?
How are we growing them whilethey're in your four walls so
that by the time they come toour four walls they're really
set up for success?
Tom Goldsby (14:41):
Well, stephanie, by my estimation, Pepsi really
does it right in terms ofengaging with the university and
being very appealing tostudents, providing
opportunities for internshipsthat often lead into full-time
employment, and perhaps that'show you might have come into the
company on a full-time basisyourself.
But can you maybe share withthe audience a little bit about
(15:03):
what it is that Pepsi does to besuch an appealing company for
our graduates and why you are sosuccessful, dare I say, in
getting so many of our best andbrightest?
Stephanie Pierce (15:14):
Well appreciate the recognition and I
selfishly also agree that Ithink that we come on campus
ready to recruit and have oureyes set really on the long-term
success.
So I think that's one way thatwe show up differently that
gives us that competitive edge.
We're not just looking atbringing on an intern for the
(15:37):
summer of 2025.
We're really on campus in thefall thinking how does this
person really look in ourorganization five years from now
, 10 years from now?
Are they a good culture fit anddo they have the background
that would make them successful?
So one differentiating factorfor us is that we really just
(15:57):
see interns as being thatfull-time talent pool.
My ultimate goal is to alwaysbring enough interns in who get
full-time offers to where I'mnot having to come back on
campus to recruit those seniors,Because for me, those interns
who are able to see and live andbreathe the PepsiCo culture for
(16:19):
a summer are bought in and werebought into them, which makes
it a more successful trade, Iwould say.
And so for us, it's how do weapproach recruiting in the fall
to bring in those best internsthat then translate into
full-time talent, which thentranslates into that full-time,
(16:40):
long-term leader here at PepsiCo?
Ted Stank (16:42):
Yeah, you know, those internships really amount to
eight or ten week interviews,right, Both for you and for the
candidate.
They get to know you and yourculture.
You get to know them in aneveryday work environment
instead of you know, we can allbe our best in a one-hour
interview.
Stephanie Pierce (16:56):
Yes.
Ted Stank (16:57):
That makes a lot of sense.
Stephanie Pierce (16:59):
I always impress on the students, whether
I'm on campus in the fall oronce the interns come within our
four walls.
It really is that two sidedstreet and it's us seeing does
this person work well in ourorganization?
And for them to see if it'sgoing to work well for them,
whether it's location, officeenvironment, culture, the type
(17:19):
of roles you want.
It's the entire package and I'mtotally okay with someone
coming to me at the end of thesummer and saying this isn't the
right place for me.
I would much rather that happenat the end of a summer than for
it to happen two years in.
And so it's a great way for usto do that handshake and
guarantee that this is the rightplace for the interns to land
(17:40):
full time.
Ted Stank (17:41):
Yeah, I'm sure it increases your retention rate
too after you bring them onboard.
Stephanie Pierce (17:45):
Yes, it does.
Ted Stank (17:46):
So I've looked at your LinkedIn profile and one of
the things that really stoodout to me is you've had seven
different jobs with them.
I know one of the things thatour students are always asking
for is an organization thatgives them a lot of opportunity
to grow and learn and dodifferent things and not get
stale.
Can you talk a little bit aboutyour career path and also your
perspective on that in terms ofgrowing your talent?
Stephanie Pierce (18:10):
So for me specifically, I came in as a
college hire into theorganization, started on a
project where we were developingthe next generation of supply
chain planning tools, and thatreally set up my first five
years in really understandingwhat planning is in a major CPG
(18:30):
company and how do we moveinventory through the network.
Frito-lay is primarily a DSD ordirect store delivery
go-to-market, and so it wasimportant for me to understand
how do we call it from seed toshelf, how do we procure the
potatoes that become a lace shipthat then end up on the shelves
(18:50):
at Walmart?
And so those first few yearswere instrumental in me really
understanding the network.
At that point I recognized Iwanted to be a people leader.
I wanted to get upstream in thesupply chain, as they say, and
I wanted to understand more ofthe product supply, get more
cross-functional partnershipbetween engineering, marketing.
(19:11):
How are we making the decisionson what next Lay's flavor is
coming and how do we determinewhat those producers are going
to be?
And then I would say one keything, and I'll note on this
when I give recommendations tostudents and new hires there was
a major shift in the way weviewed service to our major
(19:31):
customers, and it became notjust what is our internal fill
rate but what are the customerservice metrics, and so an
opportunity came for me to gointo our e-commerce, go to
market and be a customer supplychain representative.
I led a team that focused mainlyon Amazon and servicing their
(19:54):
supply chain metrics, and that'skind of continued through my
career.
One notable role I also servedas the supply chain metrics and
that's kind of continued throughmy career.
One notable role I also servedas the supply chain senior VP's
chief of staff, which was agreat way for me to learn and
grow about the magnitude ofsupply chain in this type of
organization.
But overall, my career has beena mix of how are we managing
the customer dynamics, which isincreasing due to the prevalence
(20:17):
of data and AI and theirability to track more at their
own shelf, and then planning,which is really where my heart
is for supply chain.
Ted Stank (20:27):
So you talked about how a lot of these were your
choices, of what experiences youneeded.
Can you talk about that process?
Did you have like a seniorleader, mentor that you could
talk about and would representyou to the organization to say,
hey, stephanie wants to do this,so let's find her an
opportunity there?
Stephanie Pierce (20:46):
Yes, and no One of the key mantras for
PepsiCo is it's really importantfor you to steer your career
and to voice over what isimportant to you and what you
see as your potential next step.
So I've always come in withthat mentality.
(21:06):
I would say my dad alsoimpressed on my sister and I at
an early age that your manager,your mom or dad, your coach,
they can't read your mind.
You just have to ask or saywhat's on your mind in order for
it to happen, and so I'vealways gone into career
conversations with if theorganization thinks that this is
the right next step or thetiming is right.
(21:28):
These are a few roles.
These are the things that Ithink would make sense in my
career path.
In one example, I thought I wasbeing siloed as more project
manager and super technical, andthat is not my strength set.
I really wanted to be more of adynamic people leader, to
influence, to be in front ofcustomers potentially, and so
(21:50):
that was a really pivotal momentfor me to voice to my manager
at the time and to my leadershipthat, hey, I think I'm ready
for a change.
I don't know exactly what nextrole looks like, but these are
the types of experiences I'mlooking for and that's what I
always counsel especially theyounger college hires coming
into the organization.
(22:10):
Just speak to those things.
Whether or not it happens, itmay not be up to you, but at
least you're starting todetermine what that path may
look like, and I also counselthem to look at the strategic
priorities.
What are the things that aregetting mentioned on earnings
calls?
What are the things that youhear senior leaders talking
(22:33):
about, and how do you find arole, whether it's in that new
team or in that type of space,to give you that visibility in
kind of that new arena?
I think that that's superpivotal and that's really helped
my career progress as quicklyas it has.
Ted Stank (22:49):
That's fantastic.
It requires that you know a lotabout yourself, but also have
the confidence in yourself tohave those frank conversations
with your boss, right?
Stephanie Pierce (22:57):
Yes, exactly, and to trust that they know what
to do with it.
And sometimes that's not thecase either, but at least you
know that you put it out there.
And again, so much of it comesdown to timing and patience.
And so as college hires comeinto the organization in those
kind of what we call the pivotalfirst five years, I always
(23:18):
counsel them it's very importantto remain patient, to set your
eyes on the long term and notreally think about what's the
next role?
But what is the next next role?
And then how do I potentiallyshift that next role to get me
to where I want to be?
And it just unfortunatelysometimes does take time.
Tom Goldsby (23:41):
That said, it must be working because I think, more
than just about any companywith which we engage, from a
recruiting standpoint again,pepsi not only has success in
attracting, recruiting thattalent, but also retaining the
talent and, like I said, it's soredeeming, rewarding for us
when they come back to speak ina class or they're at the career
(24:04):
fair and I always like to askthe question you know what's
your current assignment?
Where did you come into theorganization?
And to hear about thosedifferent pathways that students
have enjoyed.
And, yes, in some instancesperhaps they do need to be
patient, but I have to admit,floored by just the variety of
assignments and rotations thatour students gain exposure to
(24:25):
once they join the PepsiCofamily, something I was hoping
that we could touch on as well.
You alluded to it a little bitearlier in terms of how PepsiCo
and the snack division servesretail customers Division serves
retail customers, but we had atouch base call last week and
you were talking about, yes, butthey then serve the consumer,
everyday folks, snackers, andyou shared with us that in your
(24:47):
views, snack food consumption ischanging in some ways.
Can we kind of talk about thatin consumer and what you're
seeing in the marketplace forsnack consumption?
Stephanie Pierce (25:01):
what you're seeing in the marketplace for
snack consumption.
Yes, so if you or your familymember has gone to the grocery
store anytime in the recentweeks, you can see that there
are more protein offerings,there's more snacking with a
functional benefit, becausesnacks are not just enjoyed
anymore at a party or overMemorial Day weekend.
(25:22):
Snacking is really seen as afunctional experience.
And you're saying folks usesnacks to replace lunch as a
meal additive, and so we're alsoobviously seeing folks want
healthier options.
So for a company like ours,with major breadth, there is a
(25:45):
huge focus on us meeting theconsumer where they are and
guaranteeing that when you shopthe shelf you see those options
that meet your lifestyle.
But it's still a PepsiCo brandand I am really excited.
If you saw the news, we now ownSiete, which, if you have not
(26:08):
had any Siete, I would say theirhint of lime tortilla chip is
one of the best tortilla chipsI've ever had in my whole life.
But we are continuing to lookat diversifying our portfolio
and guaranteeing that, whetherit's avocado oil or protein,
that you can find the SKU or theproduct that you want on the
(26:29):
shelf.
Ted Stank (26:30):
So tell us how that translates into how your supply
chain changes Totally newsources, new ingredients, etc.
So that means you need todevelop a supply chain from
start to shelf, right From seedto shelf.
Stephanie Pierce (26:44):
From seed to shelf.
Yes, I would say, as you sit ina role like mine where you're
leading a planning team andguaranteeing that we're set up
for success, both short-term andlong-term, it's really critical
for us to have the processesnailed down so that, regardless
of what disruption comes andwhat pivot comes, that we're
(27:07):
able to just bring that into ourprocesses and guarantee that
we're still servicing thecustomer or being on shelf for
the consumer.
So, regardless of what thatpivot is whether it's we need to
run really fast to launch theSKU given consumer demand, or
we're going to make this changeto a formulation, to use a
(27:29):
different oil that my team, evendown to the analyst level,
feels empowered to be able tomanage through that transition,
because from a day-to-day,week-to-week, period-to-period,
they're still just followingthose same processes.
It's just with a hint ofdisruption, not just total chaos
.
Ted Stank (27:49):
Do you have like a stage gate process that you work
with your research anddevelopment and merchandising
teams?
Stephanie Pierce (27:55):
Yes, we do.
I spend a lot of my time eitherin or discussing governance
venues and it's extremelycritical for an organization our
size to be clear on who isbringing new innovation, new
commercial ideas, all of thosereally fun, exciting things that
(28:15):
end up on a Super Bowlcommercial.
But it takes a lot for all ofus in supply chain to work
against those efforts.
So, yes, I would say a very bigamount of my day-to-day job is
guaranteeing that we're movingall of those new projects
through the governance channels.
Ted Stank (28:31):
Hey Stephanie, can we pivot back a little bit again
to the leadership conversation?
One of the things I know isthat you were probably what
seven, eight, nine years intoyour career when COVID hit, and
were you managing people at thattime when that happened?
Stephanie Pierce (28:49):
Yes, I was managing a small team that we
were very quickly forced to workfrom home and navigate the new
environment.
Ted Stank (28:56):
So that had to been really, really big change for
you in terms of your mindset ofhow you manage people.
You talk about all theinteractions and people
understanding context.
Can you talk a little bit abouthow things have changed and
your leadership perspective haschanged with?
I assume some of your team isprobably working hybrid.
Stephanie Pierce (29:16):
Yes, we are working hybrid.
I would say two things.
One is for college hires andfolks just starting their career
.
When I started in theorganization, it was very normal
for my manager.
When I started in theorganization, it was very normal
for my manager, my director, tobe walking into a meeting and
physically see me and say, oh,this may be a good one for you
(29:37):
to sit in on, and I would justget visibility to the way they
were talking and makingdecisions or going about the
normal day to day of being aleader within the organization.
And what we find is thatthrough Zoom teams, whatever
vehicle you use for meetings,virtually you lose that, like my
(29:57):
analysts, I'm not physicallyseeing to say, oh, actually,
this may be a good call for themto be in because you're moving
so quickly.
So I've really worked with myteam and one thing we're trying
to do differently is how do you,once a week, look at your
calendar and say, hey, is therea meeting on this day?
Let me think from the purviewof my team, who actually needs
(30:21):
to be at this meeting to one,reduce the meeting churn.
And then, two, how are youpotentially bringing other
people along to be visible andto also start downloading the
way leaders lead within thisorganization.
And then two, as we think abouthybrid work, I always impress
(30:42):
on the new college hires tostart looking at the dynamics in
the office.
Monday is a day that not verymany people come in, but it's
also the day that most of oursupply chain leaders are in,
because there's a lot of verybig kind of staff meetings
layered through Monday.
It's also the day that they'renormally not traveling.
So I always tell people like,be aware of those things, maybe
(31:03):
come in on Monday and notTuesday.
There's not as many people inthe office and you can maybe
grab some screen time, ask tohave an in-person, because more
people are here.
So just be aware of thosedynamics in the office and don't
only come in on the one daythat everyone is in, because you
sometimes get lost in theshuffle.
Ted Stank (31:21):
That's great advice.
I don't think that's one peoplethink about is getting exposure
to the leadership team andgetting to know people on a
personal level because you'rearound and seen.
That's great advice.
That brings us home, as always,listeners, please send us ideas
for guests or questions thatyou may have to gsci at utkedu
(31:44):
and with that we will talk toyou next month.
Thanks, everybody.
Intro & Outro (31:49):
Thanks for tuning in to Tennessee on Supply Chain
Management.
If you enjoyed the episode,subscribe today on your favorite
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Have any questions, thoughts orfeedback?
We'd love to hear from ourlisteners.
Email us at gsci at utkedu.
Join us next time as wecontinue pulling back the
(32:12):
curtain on the world of supplychain, educating and
entertaining you along the way.
Until then, listeners.
Welcome to the Tennessee on Supply Chain
Management podcast.
Listen in as co-hosts Ted Stankand Tom Goldsby set sail into
the world of end-to-end supplychain management, diving deep
into today's most relevantbusiness topics.
They'll share insights inpressing industry issues and
tackle the challenges keepingsupply chain professionals up at
night.
If you're enjoying the ride,download and subscribe to
(00:22):
Tennessee on Supply ChainManagement on your favorite
podcast platform now.
Tom Goldsby (00:28):
Hello and welcome to another edition of Tennessee
on Supply Chain Management.
I'm Tom Goldsby, your co-host,joined by Dr Ted Stank.
Hello, ted, how are you doing?
Hey, tom, how are you?
You know, doing pretty well.
I just got in from Italy lastnight and so I'm kind of in
between time zones, but the jetlag hasn't crashed on me just
(00:51):
yet.
Yeah, didn't I see you Fridayafternoon, or was that Thursday
afternoon?
The first thing I did was havea little touch base on this
podcast, and it went fast.
I was on the ground with ourfriends at the University of
Verona for a couple of days andthen got to spend my Saturday in
beautiful Venice and travelhome yesterday.
(01:13):
So it's been fast and furious,but a great time, a really good
opportunity to get out and aboutand get a little bit of a
global pulse read on the supplychain world.
So I'm happy to share someperspectives if you're
interested.
Ted Stank (01:27):
Yeah, that'd be great , but before that you have been
on a pizza trail, right?
Tell me a little bit about yourpizza trail.
Tom Goldsby (01:35):
Well, I guess it was just last weekend.
My wife Kathy and I had anopportunity to go to New Haven,
Connecticut, and it really was apilgrimage for the tomato pizza
.
We had the four most populartomato pizzas there.
Don't ask me which one was myfavorite, because they each had
their merits in their own regard.
And then we did go into NewYork City to try out some New
(01:57):
York City street pizza as well,and a Broadway show.
And so it's been go, go, go forthe Goldsby's.
Ted Stank (02:03):
And so is that what forced you to get on a plane and
fly to Italy too, is to justsample pizza in Verona and
Venice, or what?
Tom Goldsby (02:09):
It was that pilgrimage.
In fact, I did have some pizzawhile I was there.
Verona is known for the risottoAmorosa, and that was delicious
.
I also had some spaghetticarbonara over there.
I ate and drank very well.
Ted Stank (02:24):
All right, well, that sounds really exciting, and
offline, you and I have to talkall about this food, but for now
, let's get to the business athand.
Let's do it.
A lot of crazy stuff going onthat we're going to touch base
on.
Also, let me introduce ourguest today, stephanie Pierce.
She spent a 14-year career withPepsi and Frito-Lay and proud
to say she is one of our supplychain graduates from University
(02:47):
of Tennessee and Stephanie tellsme it's in the family.
Her sister is also a UT supplychain grad, so very exciting to
have Stephanie with us.
We'll bring Stephanie on alittle bit, tell you a little
bit more about her and get herperspectives on several
different things Some thingsthat are happening in her supply
chain world and also talk abouther career.
She's had an explosive 14-yearcareer, has really moved up
(03:11):
through the Pepsi Frito-Layarchitecture pretty fast, and
we'd really love to get herperspective on managing her
career and guidance for otherswho are managing their careers,
as well as for managers who aretrying to bring on high
potential folks and give them anopportunity to stretch.
Before we get to Stephanie,though, let's talk a little bit
(03:31):
about what's going on in theworld today, I think on every
supply chain manager's mind istariffs, and so we need to at
least touch base on tariffs andwhere we stand, tom, as we
record today, we're coming outof the May 10th and 11th weekend
in which US traderepresentatives went and met
with Chinese traderepresentatives, and have come
(03:54):
out of the weekend with a 90-daymoratorium on the 145% US
tariff and 125% Chinese tariff,and have both agreed to go to a
30% tariff over those 90 days,with potentially a reset in
trade negotiations between USand China, in fact, broader
(04:15):
reset of the entire economicconversation between the US and
China.
So that's the headlines we'rehit with today as we start,
which I think is really goodnews for supply chain managers.
That news followed anannouncement last week of a
reset of conversations in tradebetween the United States and
the UK as well.
Tom Goldsby (04:34):
You're going to get a better price on your Jaguar
now, Ted.
Ted Stank (04:38):
Yeah, I'm in the market for that Jaguar.
No, that would be our goodfriend Terry Esper, not me.
Shout out to Terry.
Yeah, shout out to Terry.
Tom Goldsby (04:46):
Hey, you know, I think it's interesting, you know
, based on what you shared there.
Yeah, there seems to be thisexuberance out of arriving at
only a 30% tariff being appliedto Chinese imports and then they
reciprocated at is it 10% on USgoods that they're importing,
reciprocated at is it 10% on USgoods that they're importing?
(05:07):
And I think that's just aninteresting place in which we
find ourselves, that we'recelebrating only a 30% tariff.
And, by the way, ted, somethingI was wanting to ask you for
today's podcast is can you sharethe formula for that 145%
figure, where that came from?
Ted Stank (05:23):
No, it's way too complicated.
It would have to be a linearprogram that I would have to
show you and how we arrived atthat.
You only have one PhD right.
I was consulted quite heavilyon.
Tom Goldsby (05:33):
I'm sure, I'm sure, so I'm sure that 30% was
arrived at in just a scientificfashion.
Ted Stank (05:38):
It was during the Biden administration.
It was 25%, right, so we're nottalking about a huge difference
.
Tom Goldsby (05:45):
5% is 5%, but it's not that's if you interpret it
as a raw 30%, it's not anincremental, and we were talking
about this over lunch, right?
I mean as to whether or notthat was an incremental 30%, or
if it's a flat, if you will, 30%, but you're right, I mean it's
more reasonable.
What we can expect is thespigot is going to be turned
back on for Chinese goods,because it had been virtually
(06:08):
shut down for the period of thelast what five weeks, and we've
had the blank sailings, andyou're certainly seeing it in
the West Coast.
Port activity is way down, andit's going to drop even further
because those blank sailingswould ordinarily be making their
way to the coast right aboutnow.
So I think 30% resumes theoperation at a higher price,
(06:30):
though, and so we will continueto see folks be very diligent
about those inventory levels andfiguring out okay, do we absorb
that tariff or do we pass italong to our customers?
Ted Stank (06:43):
Yeah, there was a lot of talk about progress being
made with India over the lastfew weeks.
I think India has been a bitpreoccupied in their conflict
with Pakistan over the last weekor so.
We're in a ceasefire right nowbetween India and Pakistan,
although there's reports thatboth sides are breaking the
ceasefire, so we'll have to kindof play that by ear as well.
(07:04):
And I bring up India onlybecause everyone was saying
previous to this that India wasgoing to be one of the big
winners of companies shiftingtheir sourcing from China, and
so if India goes into a hot warwith Pakistan, hold the bets on
that as well, right?
So it just goes back to thefact that we were in this
incredibly volatile anduncertain time for supply chain
(07:25):
managers, which makes thingsreally difficult for us all,
because we like stability.
Tom Goldsby (07:30):
Well, as I've been sharing with anyone who would
listen.
And again, we're predominantlygoing out to supply chain
professionals, and so thismessage will probably resonate
with our listeners.
But supply chain professionalsare expert problem solvers.
However, when the inputs to theproblem continuously change, we
have a really hard time withthat dynamic algebra, and most
(07:52):
of our decisions need weeks,months or even years to be
implemented, and so I thinkthat's why we're all pretty
logical people, but when thelogic is hard for us to
understand and it's againchanging so routinely, when the
logic is hard for us tounderstand and it's again
changing so routinelyUnfortunately I'm not hearing
much about reshored operationsout of these latest movements,
right, I mean, it seems like anytariffs that would have to be
(08:14):
in place would be sustainedindefinitely I'm talking years
out before we're going toreshore a lot of those
operations and instead folks arelooking for that China 1 plus 2
, 3, what have you number ofcompanies to diversify the
portfolio.
But, ted, that takes me back tothe argument you've been making
for over a decade of mayberegionalizing supply chains.
Ted Stank (08:38):
Yeah, we published a book in 2014, based on some work
that we did in 2012 and 13,that said the world is moving to
regional market and supplychain hubs.
Right, where's your big marketarea?
Establish a regional supplychain around that that enables
you to parcel out the risk andnot put all your eggs in one
global supply chain basket.
(08:59):
And you know the fallacy is USmanufacturing has been growing,
certainly in a value standpoint,but also in a job standpoint,
over the last several years.
I don't see it ever going backto what it was in 1975, right,
1985.
Tom Goldsby (09:13):
Well, I think where we are now is.
You do find US manufacturing inwhat I refer to as high value
to touch industries right, thosethings that are going to be
pretty complicated, likeautomobiles and aerospace, maybe
some electronics or areas thathave high automation Automation
costs about the same here as itdoes anywhere else in the world,
(09:34):
and it does make a lot of sensefrom a supply chain standpoint
to source where you sell, if atall possible.
But hey, we've gotten caughtwith the addiction of low cost
country sourcing.
It's a tough addiction to break.
Ted Stank (09:46):
I'll tell you what I'm going to be really
interested to see before theJuly moratorium on the first
batch of tariffs what happenswith Mexico in particular in
terms of that tariff negotiation, and supposedly there's a good
rapport between the new Mexicanpresident and President Trump,
so we'll see if that pans out.
So what it appears to me, Tom,is that you and I really don't
(10:07):
know any more than anybody elseabout what's going on with all
this tariffs.
Tom Goldsby (10:10):
What we're willing to do, though, is stick our
necks out right, Because I knowyou've been fielding a lot of
media requests, and I have too,and you know we're in that
position of digesting a lot ofinformation, a lot of opinions.
We're fortunate to have such avast network of supply chain
pros that we can tap into andget a sense on what's on their
mind.
Hey, how's that for atransition to our guests?
Ted Stank (10:31):
What do you think, absolutely.
You know, the one trend that Ithink that we see, the bottom
line this discussion, is thatmost of us were banking on the
fact that the April 2nd,liberation Day tariff
announcement was reallyestablishing a baseline for
negotiations and, you know, andestablishing a way to leverage
those negotiations in the USfavor.
(10:53):
And I think what we're seeingover the last couple of weeks is
proof of that, at least Perhaps.
Tom Goldsby (10:58):
At least, that's going to be our hope.
Right Again, I just got tocount you there, ted.
Just the possibility that maybe145% seemed like a good idea,
and it was only when the marketsreacted and supply chains and
businesses reacted and CEOs ofthree major corporations
retailers said yo man, you gotto cut this out.
So it could be some wisdom.
(11:20):
I think you've given Trump alot of credit for being this
master negotiator.
It could be that he put hishand on the stove too.
Is the other option?
Sure, absolutely.
Ted Stank (11:30):
But I'm not going to go there.
This isn't a political podcast,all right?
Yes, so let's welcome our guest, stephanie Pierce.
As I mentioned, stephanie hashad a 14-year career with Pepsi
and Frito-Lay.
She's a 2011 University ofTennessee Supply Chain
Management grad.
She's had a lot of differentroles with Pepsi, including some
in long-term planning and teamdevelopment, and we'd love to
(11:51):
get Stephanie's take on a lot ofthings that we've been talking
about here, as well as some ofthe things that she's seen in
managing her career and some ofthe lessons learned that she's
had.
Stephanie, welcome.
Stephanie Pierce (12:03):
Thank you for having me today.
Really appreciate joining thegroup.
Ted Stank (12:06):
Great to have you with us, Stephanie.
You told me somethinginteresting when we were getting
ready on your take on whetherwe would see a big uptick in
buying over the next 90 daysfrom suppliers in China.
Could you share that with usagain?
Stephanie Pierce (12:20):
Yes, from my perspective, from what we're
seeing and what I'm hearing frommy peers in the industry, is
that the instability and the waywe've seen the news reports
come out.
I think that the initial buyand reaction happened and I
think everyone is looking toassume that this pattern of
(12:43):
backing down will be the newcourse and I think you're going
to see less folks react to theincreased buys, especially as we
go into that back to schoolholiday time frame where folks
are just looking to manage thebottom line and not take on the
increased costs potentially.
So I'm hoping that this is thebeginning of a more stable
(13:06):
regime and that we can seecompanies get back to a more
stable business environment withmaking those decisions and what
we're bringing in, especiallyfrom China.
Ted Stank (13:16):
Absolutely and certainly the markets reacted
today supporting that notionright.
Stephanie Pierce (13:20):
Yes, very much so.
Tom Goldsby (13:22):
Well, that's what we're always seeking.
Right Is stability.
It kind of goes back to thatalgebra problem.
Stephanie, I suspect that youwere really good in math and
algebra and solving for theunknowns.
Stephanie Pierce (13:33):
I try, as all supply chain professionals do.
We try to keep our eye on basicmath.
I will say the introductoryaccounting course was not my
highlight of my transcript atthe University of Tennessee, but
I did my best and I'm stillhere, so I did well enough.
Ted Stank (13:51):
Hey, you know not only that, I'm remiss in saying
that, you also are Pepsirepresentative on our executive
advisory board.
So we didn't do like apreliminary accounting exam to
get on that.
Stephanie Pierce (14:03):
No, and I'm very grateful for that.
So yes, I'm very honored to bethe Pepsi representative on the
advisory board, and you kind ofmentioned it as a alum.
I grew up in Knoxville and soI'm very closely tied to the
city and just the overalluniversity.
So really honored to be on theboard.
(14:23):
And I think, as we continue toinvest in what I call the next
generation of leaders, it'simportant for me to stay close
and understand.
You know what are the coursesthat are being offered?
How are we growing them whilethey're in your four walls so
that by the time they come toour four walls they're really
set up for success?
Tom Goldsby (14:41):
Well, stephanie, by my estimation, Pepsi really
does it right in terms ofengaging with the university and
being very appealing tostudents, providing
opportunities for internshipsthat often lead into full-time
employment, and perhaps that'show you might have come into the
company on a full-time basisyourself.
But can you maybe share withthe audience a little bit about
(15:03):
what it is that Pepsi does to besuch an appealing company for
our graduates and why you are sosuccessful, dare I say, in
getting so many of our best andbrightest?
Stephanie Pierce (15:14):
Well appreciate the recognition and I
selfishly also agree that Ithink that we come on campus
ready to recruit and have oureyes set really on the long-term
success.
So I think that's one way thatwe show up differently that
gives us that competitive edge.
We're not just looking atbringing on an intern for the
(15:37):
summer of 2025.
We're really on campus in thefall thinking how does this
person really look in ourorganization five years from now
, 10 years from now?
Are they a good culture fit anddo they have the background
that would make them successful?
So one differentiating factorfor us is that we really just
(15:57):
see interns as being thatfull-time talent pool.
My ultimate goal is to alwaysbring enough interns in who get
full-time offers to where I'mnot having to come back on
campus to recruit those seniors,Because for me, those interns
who are able to see and live andbreathe the PepsiCo culture for
(16:19):
a summer are bought in and werebought into them, which makes
it a more successful trade, Iwould say.
And so for us, it's how do weapproach recruiting in the fall
to bring in those best internsthat then translate into
full-time talent, which thentranslates into that full-time,
(16:40):
long-term leader here at PepsiCo?
Ted Stank (16:42):
Yeah, you know, those internships really amount to
eight or ten week interviews,right, Both for you and for the
candidate.
They get to know you and yourculture.
You get to know them in aneveryday work environment
instead of you know, we can allbe our best in a one-hour
interview.
Stephanie Pierce (16:56):
Yes.
Ted Stank (16:57):
That makes a lot of sense.
Stephanie Pierce (16:59):
I always impress on the students, whether
I'm on campus in the fall oronce the interns come within our
four walls.
It really is that two sidedstreet and it's us seeing does
this person work well in ourorganization?
And for them to see if it'sgoing to work well for them,
whether it's location, officeenvironment, culture, the type
(17:19):
of roles you want.
It's the entire package and I'mtotally okay with someone
coming to me at the end of thesummer and saying this isn't the
right place for me.
I would much rather that happenat the end of a summer than for
it to happen two years in.
And so it's a great way for usto do that handshake and
guarantee that this is the rightplace for the interns to land
(17:40):
full time.
Ted Stank (17:41):
Yeah, I'm sure it increases your retention rate
too after you bring them onboard.
Stephanie Pierce (17:45):
Yes, it does.
Ted Stank (17:46):
So I've looked at your LinkedIn profile and one of
the things that really stoodout to me is you've had seven
different jobs with them.
I know one of the things thatour students are always asking
for is an organization thatgives them a lot of opportunity
to grow and learn and dodifferent things and not get
stale.
Can you talk a little bit aboutyour career path and also your
perspective on that in terms ofgrowing your talent?
Stephanie Pierce (18:10):
So for me specifically, I came in as a
college hire into theorganization, started on a
project where we were developingthe next generation of supply
chain planning tools, and thatreally set up my first five
years in really understandingwhat planning is in a major CPG
(18:30):
company and how do we moveinventory through the network.
Frito-lay is primarily a DSD ordirect store delivery
go-to-market, and so it wasimportant for me to understand
how do we call it from seed toshelf, how do we procure the
potatoes that become a lace shipthat then end up on the shelves
(18:50):
at Walmart?
And so those first few yearswere instrumental in me really
understanding the network.
At that point I recognized Iwanted to be a people leader.
I wanted to get upstream in thesupply chain, as they say, and
I wanted to understand more ofthe product supply, get more
cross-functional partnershipbetween engineering, marketing.
(19:11):
How are we making the decisionson what next Lay's flavor is
coming and how do we determinewhat those producers are going
to be?
And then I would say one keything, and I'll note on this
when I give recommendations tostudents and new hires there was
a major shift in the way weviewed service to our major
(19:31):
customers, and it became notjust what is our internal fill
rate but what are the customerservice metrics, and so an
opportunity came for me to gointo our e-commerce, go to
market and be a customer supplychain representative.
I led a team that focused mainlyon Amazon and servicing their
(19:54):
supply chain metrics, and that'skind of continued through my
career.
One notable role I also servedas the supply chain metrics and
that's kind of continued throughmy career.
One notable role I also servedas the supply chain senior VP's
chief of staff, which was agreat way for me to learn and
grow about the magnitude ofsupply chain in this type of
organization.
But overall, my career has beena mix of how are we managing
the customer dynamics, which isincreasing due to the prevalence
(20:17):
of data and AI and theirability to track more at their
own shelf, and then planning,which is really where my heart
is for supply chain.
Ted Stank (20:27):
So you talked about how a lot of these were your
choices, of what experiences youneeded.
Can you talk about that process?
Did you have like a seniorleader, mentor that you could
talk about and would representyou to the organization to say,
hey, stephanie wants to do this,so let's find her an
opportunity there?
Stephanie Pierce (20:46):
Yes, and no One of the key mantras for
PepsiCo is it's really importantfor you to steer your career
and to voice over what isimportant to you and what you
see as your potential next step.
So I've always come in withthat mentality.
(21:06):
I would say my dad alsoimpressed on my sister and I at
an early age that your manager,your mom or dad, your coach,
they can't read your mind.
You just have to ask or saywhat's on your mind in order for
it to happen, and so I'vealways gone into career
conversations with if theorganization thinks that this is
the right next step or thetiming is right.
(21:28):
These are a few roles.
These are the things that Ithink would make sense in my
career path.
In one example, I thought I wasbeing siloed as more project
manager and super technical, andthat is not my strength set.
I really wanted to be more of adynamic people leader, to
influence, to be in front ofcustomers potentially, and so
(21:50):
that was a really pivotal momentfor me to voice to my manager
at the time and to my leadershipthat, hey, I think I'm ready
for a change.
I don't know exactly what nextrole looks like, but these are
the types of experiences I'mlooking for and that's what I
always counsel especially theyounger college hires coming
into the organization.
(22:10):
Just speak to those things.
Whether or not it happens, itmay not be up to you, but at
least you're starting todetermine what that path may
look like, and I also counselthem to look at the strategic
priorities.
What are the things that aregetting mentioned on earnings
calls?
What are the things that youhear senior leaders talking
(22:33):
about, and how do you find arole, whether it's in that new
team or in that type of space,to give you that visibility in
kind of that new arena?
I think that that's superpivotal and that's really helped
my career progress as quicklyas it has.
Ted Stank (22:49):
That's fantastic.
It requires that you know a lotabout yourself, but also have
the confidence in yourself tohave those frank conversations
with your boss, right?
Stephanie Pierce (22:57):
Yes, exactly, and to trust that they know what
to do with it.
And sometimes that's not thecase either, but at least you
know that you put it out there.
And again, so much of it comesdown to timing and patience.
And so as college hires comeinto the organization in those
kind of what we call the pivotalfirst five years, I always
(23:18):
counsel them it's very importantto remain patient, to set your
eyes on the long term and notreally think about what's the
next role?
But what is the next next role?
And then how do I potentiallyshift that next role to get me
to where I want to be?
And it just unfortunatelysometimes does take time.
Tom Goldsby (23:41):
That said, it must be working because I think, more
than just about any companywith which we engage, from a
recruiting standpoint again,pepsi not only has success in
attracting, recruiting thattalent, but also retaining the
talent and, like I said, it's soredeeming, rewarding for us
when they come back to speak ina class or they're at the career
(24:04):
fair and I always like to askthe question you know what's
your current assignment?
Where did you come into theorganization?
And to hear about thosedifferent pathways that students
have enjoyed.
And, yes, in some instancesperhaps they do need to be
patient, but I have to admit,floored by just the variety of
assignments and rotations thatour students gain exposure to
(24:25):
once they join the PepsiCofamily, something I was hoping
that we could touch on as well.
You alluded to it a little bitearlier in terms of how PepsiCo
and the snack division servesretail customers Division serves
retail customers, but we had atouch base call last week and
you were talking about, yes, butthey then serve the consumer,
everyday folks, snackers, andyou shared with us that in your
(24:47):
views, snack food consumption ischanging in some ways.
Can we kind of talk about thatin consumer and what you're
seeing in the marketplace forsnack consumption?
Stephanie Pierce (25:01):
what you're seeing in the marketplace for
snack consumption.
Yes, so if you or your familymember has gone to the grocery
store anytime in the recentweeks, you can see that there
are more protein offerings,there's more snacking with a
functional benefit, becausesnacks are not just enjoyed
anymore at a party or overMemorial Day weekend.
(25:22):
Snacking is really seen as afunctional experience.
And you're saying folks usesnacks to replace lunch as a
meal additive, and so we're alsoobviously seeing folks want
healthier options.
So for a company like ours,with major breadth, there is a
(25:45):
huge focus on us meeting theconsumer where they are and
guaranteeing that when you shopthe shelf you see those options
that meet your lifestyle.
But it's still a PepsiCo brandand I am really excited.
If you saw the news, we now ownSiete, which, if you have not
(26:08):
had any Siete, I would say theirhint of lime tortilla chip is
one of the best tortilla chipsI've ever had in my whole life.
But we are continuing to lookat diversifying our portfolio
and guaranteeing that, whetherit's avocado oil or protein,
that you can find the SKU or theproduct that you want on the
(26:29):
shelf.
Ted Stank (26:30):
So tell us how that translates into how your supply
chain changes Totally newsources, new ingredients, etc.
So that means you need todevelop a supply chain from
start to shelf, right From seedto shelf.
Stephanie Pierce (26:44):
From seed to shelf.
Yes, I would say, as you sit ina role like mine where you're
leading a planning team andguaranteeing that we're set up
for success, both short-term andlong-term, it's really critical
for us to have the processesnailed down so that, regardless
of what disruption comes andwhat pivot comes, that we're
(27:07):
able to just bring that into ourprocesses and guarantee that
we're still servicing thecustomer or being on shelf for
the consumer.
So, regardless of what thatpivot is whether it's we need to
run really fast to launch theSKU given consumer demand, or
we're going to make this changeto a formulation, to use a
(27:29):
different oil that my team, evendown to the analyst level,
feels empowered to be able tomanage through that transition,
because from a day-to-day,week-to-week, period-to-period,
they're still just followingthose same processes.
It's just with a hint ofdisruption, not just total chaos
.
Ted Stank (27:49):
Do you have like a stage gate process that you work
with your research anddevelopment and merchandising
teams?
Stephanie Pierce (27:55):
Yes, we do.
I spend a lot of my time eitherin or discussing governance
venues and it's extremelycritical for an organization our
size to be clear on who isbringing new innovation, new
commercial ideas, all of thosereally fun, exciting things that
(28:15):
end up on a Super Bowlcommercial.
But it takes a lot for all ofus in supply chain to work
against those efforts.
So, yes, I would say a very bigamount of my day-to-day job is
guaranteeing that we're movingall of those new projects
through the governance channels.
Ted Stank (28:31):
Hey Stephanie, can we pivot back a little bit again
to the leadership conversation?
One of the things I know isthat you were probably what
seven, eight, nine years intoyour career when COVID hit, and
were you managing people at thattime when that happened?
Stephanie Pierce (28:49):
Yes, I was managing a small team that we
were very quickly forced to workfrom home and navigate the new
environment.
Ted Stank (28:56):
So that had to been really, really big change for
you in terms of your mindset ofhow you manage people.
You talk about all theinteractions and people
understanding context.
Can you talk a little bit abouthow things have changed and
your leadership perspective haschanged with?
I assume some of your team isprobably working hybrid.
Stephanie Pierce (29:16):
Yes, we are working hybrid.
I would say two things.
One is for college hires andfolks just starting their career
.
When I started in theorganization, it was very normal
for my manager.
When I started in theorganization, it was very normal
for my manager, my director, tobe walking into a meeting and
physically see me and say, oh,this may be a good one for you
(29:37):
to sit in on, and I would justget visibility to the way they
were talking and makingdecisions or going about the
normal day to day of being aleader within the organization.
And what we find is thatthrough Zoom teams, whatever
vehicle you use for meetings,virtually you lose that, like my
(29:57):
analysts, I'm not physicallyseeing to say, oh, actually,
this may be a good call for themto be in because you're moving
so quickly.
So I've really worked with myteam and one thing we're trying
to do differently is how do you,once a week, look at your
calendar and say, hey, is therea meeting on this day?
Let me think from the purviewof my team, who actually needs
(30:21):
to be at this meeting to one,reduce the meeting churn.
And then, two, how are youpotentially bringing other
people along to be visible andto also start downloading the
way leaders lead within thisorganization.
And then two, as we think abouthybrid work, I always impress
(30:42):
on the new college hires tostart looking at the dynamics in
the office.
Monday is a day that not verymany people come in, but it's
also the day that most of oursupply chain leaders are in,
because there's a lot of verybig kind of staff meetings
layered through Monday.
It's also the day that they'renormally not traveling.
So I always tell people like,be aware of those things, maybe
(31:03):
come in on Monday and notTuesday.
There's not as many people inthe office and you can maybe
grab some screen time, ask tohave an in-person, because more
people are here.
So just be aware of thosedynamics in the office and don't
only come in on the one daythat everyone is in, because you
sometimes get lost in theshuffle.
Ted Stank (31:21):
That's great advice.
I don't think that's one peoplethink about is getting exposure
to the leadership team andgetting to know people on a
personal level because you'rearound and seen.
That's great advice.
That brings us home, as always,listeners, please send us ideas
for guests or questions thatyou may have to gsci at utkedu
(31:44):
and with that we will talk toyou next month.
Thanks, everybody.
Intro & Outro (31:49):
Thanks for tuning in to Tennessee on Supply Chain
Management.
If you enjoyed the episode,subscribe today on your favorite
listening platform to get allof our episodes as soon as they
drop, and don't forget to take amoment to leave us a rating.
Have any questions, thoughts orfeedback?
We'd love to hear from ourlisteners.
Email us at gsci at utkedu.
Join us next time as wecontinue pulling back the
(32:12):
curtain on the world of supplychain, educating and
entertaining you along the way.
Until then, listeners.
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