Creating a B2C to B to C Improvement Cycle at Walmart Business w/ Ashley Hubka
Release Date: 10/31/2024
Misfortune on 34th Street: Accounting Issues at Macy’s
Art of Supply
“It is almost always the cover-up rather than the event that causes trouble.” - Tennessee Senator Howard Baker, in reference to the Watergate scandal Whether you shop at Macy’s or not, you surely know the brand. In 2023, Macy's was the leading department store in the United States by revenue, with sales of approximately $23 Billion. On November 25, 2024, Macy’s delayed an earnings announcement planned for the next day. They had discovered some “creative accounting” and wanted to conduct an internal investigation. Two weeks later, they announced that small parcel...
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Nebraska v. California: The EV Trucking Transition
Art of Supply
“Now an unelected group of powerful actors has opened a three-front effort to transform the nation’s logistics fleet from diesel-powered to electric-powered at a breakneck pace. This terrible policy is being crafted almost entirely out of public view. Nebraska is fighting back.” -Mike Hilgers, Nebraska Attorney General (WSJ Op Ed, Jan 17 2025) If you expected the transition from diesel-powered to EV trucking to take place on the open road, think again. Instead, it looks like this systemic change will work its way through the court system. Nebraska is leading the resistance to a forced...
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The Dawn of a New Era in U.S. Trade Policy
Art of Supply
“India is putting their money where their mouth is. If they're able to execute upon a free trade agreement or a pseudo free trade agreement...then that would create the fluidity to buoy all of those ships in that harbor.” - Samir Kapadia - Managing Principal at Vogel Group and Founder and CEO at India Index Regardless of the topic, 2024 was filled with ‘what if’ conversations. We were waiting to find out who would win the U.S. Presidential election–and therefore whose policies would be dominating business decisions in 2025 and beyond. Of all of the conversations had on the Art of...
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Reenvisioning Robotics for Warehouse Optimization
Art of Supply
“We have that emotional pull to group together as humans and fight the automation. The reality is you cannot have one without the other, and they are very much working together.” -Matt Naslund, Chief Commercial Officer, Mytra As businesses look to streamline operations and optimize decision-making, a combination of hardware, software, and automation offer a solution. The challenge then becomes figuring out where automation makes sense–and how quickly and heavily organizations should implement solutions that enable it. No matter the level of sophistication or maturity of an organization,...
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Re-reading Good to Great at the Start of a New Year
Art of Supply
In 2001, Jim Collins published the book ‘Good to Great.’ He was supported by a team that invested 10.5 ‘people years’ over the course of 5 calendar years to figure out what allows some good companies to become great companies. Their research revealed key findings about leadership, use of technology, building a team, company culture, and vision. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner re-reads ‘Good to Great’ in light of 2025 business conditions: Reviewing some of the key points from the book as an introduction or a refresher Considering how they apply to...
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Supply Chain Stories to Watch at the Start of 2025
Art of Supply
Many of the supply chain news stories we covered in 2024 look ready to carry right over - or even rise to the top - as we start a new year. Some of these stories are likely to re-emerge with the incoming Trump Administration, while others are ready for a change in direction thanks to geopolitics. Supply chain professionals that already have an eye out for breaking news will be best positioned to respond as needed. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner highlights five 2024 news stories that are likely to remain topical in the new year: The global distance traveled by raw...
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Solving Supply Chain Puzzles: Insights from a Year of Interviews
Art of Supply
This year on Art of Supply, we welcomed a fantastic group of guests. Each interview episode creates two kinds of challenges: asking questions worthy of the guest’s expertise and capturing a conversation that lives up to audience expectations. Looking back on the interviews we ran in 2024, there are a few key messages that stand out, as individual points of view and what they collectively offer supply chain professionals as we move into 2025. Don’t ever make a decision solely on short term cost. Victor Suarez: Former Lead Vaccine Program Manager for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in Operation...
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Supply Chain Forecast: Volatile with Tim Richardson
Art of Supply
“I think if you could summarize what the trend is going to be in the future - It's going to be volatile. That's the trend.” - Tim Richardson, Founder and CEO of Iter Consulting In order to be influential with the C-suite, someone must have experience and expertise in a given subject. They must do detailed technical work and analysis to prepare their strategy recommendations and to be ready to answer questions. They must have a strong grasp of their domain, no matter how complex it is - but they have to be able to communicate all of that simply. Otherwise, the desired support may...
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In Defense of Outliers
Art of Supply
“Polling is a science of estimation, and science has a way of periodically humbling the scientist. So, I’m humbled, yet always willing to learn from unexpected findings.” - J. Ann Selzer, President and Owner, Selzer & Company Data and analysis are at the heart of nearly everything attempted in modern business. And while human skill is critical in the process of converting data into insight, human nature may ultimately determine whether the effort can be successful. This episode is about ‘herding,’ a polling practice that combines analytical rigor and...
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Walking a Mile in Another Supply Chain’s Shoes with Alex Jennings
Art of Supply
“The reason I like listening is I think, ‘If I'd have been CPO there or in other organizations, what would I have done to try and prevent that? And what red flags would I have held up? And what can we learn from that so that it doesn't happen again?’” - Alex Jennings, CEO and co-founder of The Alchemie Network We all consume content for different reasons–education, entertainment, or otherwise. There are always lessons to be learned from one company or supply chain that can be applied in another. To discuss these stories - and the process of capturing them on the Art of Supply podcast...
info_outline“Most fundamentally, strategy is about asking good questions, creating alternatives, and then making decisions about how to allocate scarce resources. [...] It's a place where you have a 360-degree view of a business.” - Ashley Hubka, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Walmart Business
Corporate and consumer buying started and developed on separate tracks, and while there are some things that procurement has learned from and embedded in the B2B experience, others will always be beyond reach.
What would happen if you took a consumer shopping experience and expanded it to support institutional customers as well? Walmart Business is in the process of finding out.
Ashley Hubka is the Senior Vice President and General Manager at Walmart Business. She has held a number of consulting and strategy positions during her career and holds a degree in Philosophy from Harvard University.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner sits down with Ashley to learn:
- Why Walmart decided to offer a distinct experience for organizational and commercial customers
- How that experience is different than the consumer Walmart experience (and when it is the same)
- Areas of strategic B2B focus over the next 12-24 months
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