The Matt Waller Podcast

Ever wondered how the retail industry has evolved in response to technological advancements and global crises? Join us as we explore these seismic shifts with Professors Travis Tokar from TCU and Henry Jin from Miami University of Ohio. Discover how the leap from 3G to 4G and the proliferation of smartphones have reshaped consumer expectations and driven traditional retailers to adopt omnichannel strategies initially pioneered by e...

Eric's Journey into Transportation and Logistics Investing

Eric enjoys the privilege of a highly engaging career. His primary responsibility involves exploring the breadth of the investment landscape to identify attractive strategies that have the potential to enhance his clients' portfolios. As a generalist, his search extends globally.

His interest in transportation and logistics stemmed from networkin...

Deming explains that fossil fuels will likely remain the world's main energy source for decades to come. This poses a tremendous dilemma that we must grapple with.

Claiborne explained that global temperatures have risen about 1.8°F since pre-industrial times, coinciding with increased burning of fossil fuels as countries have industrialized. Simply stopping fossil fuel use is extremely difficult due to some key barrie...

What's the real story behind the recent turmoil in the supply chain industry? Join us as we uncover the truth with Jason Miller, a full professor at Michigan State University. This episode kicks off with Jason's riveting analysis of a Census Bureau graph showing dramatic shifts in manufacturing plants' material supply since 2021. By leveraging economic theory and robust data, Jason debunks common industry myths and r...

Customer Journey Orchestration: Where Technology Meets Empathy

• Human Interaction: At Build-A-Bear, 10-year-old girls reported higher satisfaction when they experienced genuine human interaction, highlighting the importance of empathy in customer engagement.
• Virtual Prototyping: Build-A-Bear used digital video and green screen technology to create a virtual store prototype, allowing for cost-effective testing and iteration. Involv...

In a recent interview, entrepreneur Josh Stanley announced the launch of FieldBook, a new venture studio in partnership with High Alpha. FieldBook aims to boost the startup ecosystem in Northwest Arkansas by building startups from scratch, providing funding, and offering a supportive environment for founders to focus on product development and customer engagement.

Unlike incubators and accelerators that work with existing ...

Today, I spoke with Jared Smith, CEO of Kitestring Technical Services in Bentonville, Arkansas. Jared, who has a PhD in physical chemistry from UC Berkeley, has led Kitestring, a 150-person firm specializing in retail technology, for the past 12 years. Our discussion ranged from the evolution of point-of-sale (POS) systems and the potential of AI in retail to the importance of self-care for entrepreneurs.

Evolution of POS ...

As the host of the Matt Waller Podcast, I have the privilege of engaging with some of the most insightful and innovative minds in the world of business and entrepreneurship. Recently, I had an enriching conversation with Jeremy Wilson, a seasoned entrepreneur and the co-founder of NewRoad Capital Partners. This dialogue not only shed light on his personal journey but also provided invaluable lessons for anyone looking to make their...

In my career, I have been privileged to engage with some of the most knowledgeable and strategic minds in the domains of logistics, supply chain management, and retail operations. Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Tracy Rosser, a seasoned professional with over two decades at Walmart, where he held the position of Senior Vice President of Transportation and Supply Chain. Tracy's extensive experience not only in log...

Gregoire Lehmann has had an interesting journey to becoming a principal at NewRoad Capital Partners, the Arkansas-based private equity firm. Originally from France, Lehmann was recruited to play tennis for the University of Arkansas, where he excelled as both a student-athlete and a student, earning degrees in finance and economics.

After getting a taste for entrepreneurship by scaling a business with former teammates afte...

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Natalia Burgett, Chief Strategy Officer at Platform Science, a company that has been making big waves in transportation technology. The timing couldn't have been better, as they had just announced an impressive $125 million funding round.

As I spoke with Natalia, I was struck by Platform Science's truly revolutionary vision of creating an open ecosystem to solve long st...

Arkansas has emerged as a hub for professional services firms specializing in the retail value chain (RVC). Many of these firms have achieved successful exits worth over $50 million. A new initiative called Highstep aims to build on this strength by launching 10 new AI-powered professional services startups in Arkansas over 5 months.

By combining Arkansas's RVC expertise with cutting-edge AI, Highstep will create &quo...

As someone who has spent years working with messy, fragmented data in the supply chain field, I was immediately intrigued by Tracer - an innovative data analytics platform helping brands make sense of their dispersed information streams. During my interview with Obele Brown-West, Tracer's president, I gained valuable insights into how this powerful tool is empowering companies across industries to take control of their data.

As the Senior Vice President at Emerge, a company dedicated to revolutionizing the freight procurement process, Maggie has had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the transformative impact of technology on the logistics industry.

The freight procurement process has long been plagued by inefficiencies, manual processes, and a lack of transparency. Traditionally, shippers would conduct annual bidding events, relying heavil...

Heather Nichols' career arc through print media, digital advertising, and influencer marketing epitomizes the evolution of marketing towards a narrative-driven approach. Starting with foundational roles at Meredith Corporation and advancing through digital ad spaces to leadership at Acorn Influence, Nichols has harnessed the transformative power of storytelling to foster deeper brand-consumer connections. At Acorn Influence, h...

I interviewed Gordon Downes, the founder and CEO of NYSHEX, an innovative company providing technology solutions to address major challenges in the ocean container shipping industry. With 80% of the top 10 ocean container carriers and many shippers already using the NYSHEX platform, it has significant implications for reducing expected lead times, lead time variance, safety stock, and out-of-stocks for shippers, while also enabling...

Quinn Snacks was founded in 2010 by Kristy Lewis, who saw an opportunity to create a healthier alternative to traditional microwave popcorn. The idea stemmed from Lewis's interest in connecting what she saw at local farmers markets to the ingredients in mainstream grocery stores. Not finding a company making snacks in a cleaner, safer way, she decided to start Quinn Snacks just days after the birth of her son Quinn.

L...

I interviewed Chris Scheid, co-founder of MyCarrier, to provide guidance for both new and experienced shippers on effectively using less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation. Scheid draws on over 15 years of experience in pricing, technology, and building the successful shipping platform MyCarrier to illuminate the ins and outs of LTL.

Understanding LTL Basics
Scheid begins by giving an overview of LTL as a "sweet ...

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Sam Thompson and Adriaan Zur Muhlen from Progress Ventures. Progress Ventures is a specialty venture capital firm focused on investing in advertising, marketing, and media technology companies. During our discussion, Sam and Adriaan provided fascinating insights into how they identify disruptive innovators, support their portfolio companies, and anticipate emerging trends in digital media...