Art of Supply
Art of Supply, hosted by Kelly Barner, draws inspiration from news headlines and expert interviews to bring you insightful coverage of today’s complex supply chains.
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Lost at Sea: Can the U.S. regain maritime dominance?
08/21/2025
Lost at Sea: Can the U.S. regain maritime dominance?
“Today, the U.S. ranks 19th in the world in commercial shipbuilding, and we build less than 5 ships each year, while the PRC is building more than 1,700 ships. In 1975, the United States ranked number one, and we were building more than 70 ships a year.” - Katherine Tai, U.S. Trade Representative (2021-2025) The Trump Administration is on a mission to make shipbuilding great again… a bipartisan effort that started during the Biden Administration. In the spring of 2024, the U.S. Trade Representative released the findings and recommendations of a Section 301 investigation into whether or not China is engaged in anti-competitive shipbuilding practices. This release led to the “Ships for America Act,” introduced by Senator Mark Kelly, among others. When both sides of the aisle agree, the problem must be huge… and in the case of U.S. shipbuilding capabilities, it is gargantuan. There are currently about 80 U.S.-flagged ships involved in international commerce compared to over 5,500 China-flagged vessels, and the connection between military shipbuilding and commercial shipbuilding is too strong to ignore. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner: Tracks the downfall of U.S. shipbuilding from its peak in the 70s to today Examines China’s strategy for combining military and commercial shipbuilding capabilities and how that has helped them build a dominant global position Considers the many moving pieces that will have to fall into place to put the U.S. on a better path Links:
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From Billable Hours to Measurable Impact: The GSA’s Push for Outcome-Based Contracts
08/14/2025
From Billable Hours to Measurable Impact: The GSA’s Push for Outcome-Based Contracts
“If you’re as good as you say you are, you should be able to keep your cost structure down, deliver the mission and the outcome, and still make a margin.” - Josh Gruenbaum, Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service at the GSA The General Services Administration (GSA), responsible for Federal contracting, has been making DOGE-style headlines of their own this year. In late June, they sent a letter to a number of large consulting firms under contract, looking for opportunities to reduce spending and better understand the work that is underway. Josh Gruenbaum, who is overseeing the review, specifically requested “No consultant gobbledygook” in the responses. The GSA has signaled a mindset shift from time-and-materials to outcome based contracts, a dynamic that is likely to impact private sector consulting contracts and spending as well. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner looks into this shift and what it will require from all involved parties: How the government defines consulting services The multi-round outreach process being led by the Federal government and how firms are responding How to shift to outcome based agreements and the pressure of AI is likely to change the future of consulting Links:
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Coming Unchained to Embrace Global Supply Networks W/ Tim Richardson
08/07/2025
Coming Unchained to Embrace Global Supply Networks W/ Tim Richardson
“We've had this whole period of trying to manage supply chains for lowest cost, whereas I think now we're managing for resilience at a managed cost and at an acceptable cost.” - Tim Richardson, Founder and CEO, Iter Consulting Supply chains aren't really chains anymore. They're complex, interconnected networks. Supply networks are anything but predictable. What used to be straightforward relationships between suppliers and customers have become webs of interconnected partnerships, each with its own risks and opportunities. The leaders and teams who succeed in this environment understand that optimizing for resilience at a managed cost has fundamentally replaced the old paradigm of chasing the lowest cost… at any price. In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner welcomes Tim Richardson back to the podcast. Tim is the Founder and CEO of Iter Consulting, a global team of experts with supply chain and manufacturing experience that are helping companies navigate the new world order of distributed manufacturing and supply network complexity In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Tim and Kelly discuss: Why we've moved past peak globalization and what "local for local" manufacturing means for supply network design How to balance the challenge of mapping supply network complexity against the need to understand cost and risk exposure The talent gap in supply chain leadership and why strategic thinking capabilities haven't kept pace with operational demands Links:
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What Restaurants Can Teach Us About Procurement & Supply Chain
07/31/2025
What Restaurants Can Teach Us About Procurement & Supply Chain
“The way you do one thing is the way you do everything, and we found, over and over, that precision in the smallest of details translated to precision in the bigger ones.” - Will Guidara, Unreasonable Hospitality There are a lot of opportunities for crossover learning between running a restaurant and working in procurement or supply chain. Both fields are highly operational and process driven, not to mention measured by known, benchmarkable performance metrics. In the book “Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More than They Expect” by Will Guidara, we hear the story of one high-end restaurant’s rise to become the best in the world, but it wasn’t just about the food. They had to master and refine their systems, their approach to the guest experience, and serve amazing food all at the same time. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner shares key lessons from the book and connects them to the challenges and opportunities that procurement and supply chain leaders face today: The critical need to pair vision with operational systems that work at scale Crafting an exceptional customer experience and training a large team to preserve it How successful leaders handle difficult times and even failure Links:
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Making the Pivot to AI-enabled Global Sourcing W/ Anthony Sardain
07/24/2025
Making the Pivot to AI-enabled Global Sourcing W/ Anthony Sardain
“There is a world where we can have a much more dynamic supply chain. Certainly, the current set of brands that are experiencing the squeeze from the tariffs would definitely benefit from being able to pivot their supply chain pretty quickly.” - Anthony Sardain, Founder and CEO of Cavela For all of the enthusiasm about AI, global sourcing is one of the processes that has remained predominantly human. Between the complexity of specifications and the relationship-based exchanges of information, it has been too ‘messy’ for straight automation - until now. Anthony Sardain is the founder and CEO of Cavela, a company focused on automating the end-to-end sourcing process. For three generations, his family has been heavily involved in trade. It probably comes as no surprise then that during his graduate studies at McGill University, he focused on developing machine learning and AI models to predict global trade. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner speaks with Anthony about the opportunities associated with (finally) automating global sourcing: Building a business model that delivers the value traditionally associated with a service as a product instead Why increasing competition from smaller players will increase all companies’ reliance on brand How suppliers feel about this new advancement in the manufacturing space Links:
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Remembering Fred Smith: FedEx Founder & Supply Chain Visionary
07/17/2025
Remembering Fred Smith: FedEx Founder & Supply Chain Visionary
“Life is short and it ends, the clock is ticking. Don’t get all wrapped up in your personal self, that’s a very unhealthy thing to do.” - Fred Smith, Founder of FedEx (1944 - 2025) On June 21, 2025, the business world - more specifically the supply chain world - lost a giant. FedEx Founder Fred Smith passed away at the age of 80. Frederick Wallace Smith was born in Marks, Mississippi in 1944. According to common anecdotes, he first imagined a company that could provide overnight delivery for an economics paper he wrote while studying at Yale in 1965 - and he got a C because the professor thought the idea was implausible. In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner looks at Fred Smith’s many contributions from five decades in business: The risk he had to be willing to take on in pursuit of his vision The many innovations that were introduced by FedEx during his tenure Why Smith’s perspective on what kind of business FedEx was in was so critical to its success Links:
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How Transportation & Logistics Companies Are Tackling Network Security W/ Ken Rutsky
07/10/2025
How Transportation & Logistics Companies Are Tackling Network Security W/ Ken Rutsky
“This is a long standing discussion within the networking and security industry: is there a perimeter? I think the reality is the perimeter still exists because it's a data and logical perimeter, but it doesn't exist anymore as a physical perimeter.” - Ken Rutsky, Chief Marketing Officer at Aryaka As the world becomes increasingly digital, ensuring network connectivity and security become parallel objectives that all companies must prioritize. Add in trying to do it as efficiently as possible, and the challenge only grows. Ken Rutsky is the Chief Marketing Officer at Aryaka. They recently released their first Network Security Trends in Transportation and Logistics report, part of a series of research efforts looking at network security trends for different industries. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Ken joins Kelly Barner to discuss: The unique combination of physical and digital security needs that transportation and logistics companies have to satisfy How the cost, complexity, and relative risk associated with network security are being addressed Balancing systems integration and also network perimeters to ensure connectivity on the move without taking on undue risk Links:
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Down but Not Out: California’s Fight to Regulate Emissions
07/03/2025
Down but Not Out: California’s Fight to Regulate Emissions
There have been a number of efforts to regulate a transition to lower logistics-related emissions, and all of them involved the state of California and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). California always plays a unique role in these debates because they have the most air pollution in the country and also the toughest emissions regulations. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) predates the EPA. In the past, they have been able to make their own rules, only requiring waivers when newly proposed standards are tougher than Federal standards. On May 22, 2025, the Senate voted to strip California of its ability to impose tougher standards on heavy duty trucks and ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. California may be down, but they are certainly not out. They are using other creative ways to regulate the emissions associated with logistics. In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner looks at this alternate approach to regulation: The Warehouse Actions and Investments to Reduce Emissions Program (known as WAIRE) and the Warehouse Indirect Source Rule (ISR) How these rules are are intended to work and how they are being enforced Whether this alternative approach will be effective in achieving its objectives Links:
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A Procurement Crime at Intel: Loopholes and Lessons Learned
06/26/2025
A Procurement Crime at Intel: Loopholes and Lessons Learned
While true crime has gained traction as a genre in the literary world, it's not often we see it applied to procurement. Yet, a fascinating and unsettling procurement fraud case has recently come to light within Intel Israel's operations. Every criminal investigation seeks to uncover means, motive, and opportunity, and this case checks all three boxes, with implications that go far beyond one company. Just a few weeks ago, a story broke that uncovered an alleged scheme in which a now-former employee, Natalia Avtsin, and a component supplier, Yefim Tsibolevsky from Energy Electronics 2000, teamed up to steal roughly 3 million Israeli shekels (NIS), or about $842,000 USD. Although the case is still ongoing and has yet to see its day in court, it poses a lot of questions for procurement teams across the globe. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers: How Avtsin and Tsibolevsky pulled off this alleged fraud The process loopholes and absent oversight that allowed them to get away with it for so long The many lessons procurement can take from this case regarding checks and balances, pattern detection, and technology use Links:
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Prioritizing Dispute Prevention Over Problem Solving
06/19/2025
Prioritizing Dispute Prevention Over Problem Solving
After spending years reviewing business books, Kelly Barner knows how to recognize authors who truly move the needle–and Kate Vitasek is one of them. Her latest work, Preventing the Dispute Before It Begins: Proven Mechanisms for Fostering Better Business Relationships, co-authored with James Groton, Ellen Waldman, and Allen Waxman, takes on a surprisingly neglected topic: dispute prevention. While this topic can be applied to procurement, it’s also very human, looking at business relationships from their most troubled moments and aspiring to lay out a plan as well as offering up resources to help teams and individuals stay away from the trouble. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner takes on her first audio book review and covers: The difference between handling conflict and proactively preventing issues in the first place How certain language, particularly within contracts, can lay the foundation for disputes even before they happen Who peacekeepers are and the role they have in strategically averting crises Links:
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High Velocity Lessons on Lobbying and Trade W/ Samir Kapadia
06/12/2025
High Velocity Lessons on Lobbying and Trade W/ Samir Kapadia
“In this climate of being a trade professional in Washington, expect to be in an Uber for about half of the day and then the other half of it sitting in rooms making cases of why people either should be not paying tariffs or how other people should be paying tariffs.” - Samir Kapadia, Managing Principal at Vogel Group and Founder and CEO at India Index Supply chain professionals have always had to keep a close eye on trade–both the policies and the geopolitical happenings that affect it. But with tariffs launching trade-related topics to the top of the news cycle repeatedly since January, all of us - supply chain professionals and otherwise - have learned something new. One person who spends a majority of his time right in the thick of it all is Samir Kapadia, Managing Principal at Vogel Group and Founder and CEO at India Index. Samir and Kelly Barner have discussed global sourcing and tariffs in the past, but in this interview they take a broader approach, exploring how trade policies and lobbying intersect and what they really mean in today's volatile geopolitical environment. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Samir shares his expertise about the: Nuances of trade relationships between companies and governments Factors that influence trade agreements and tariffs Types of lobbying methods that influence and shape trade practices Links:
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Tariffs as a Girder for Domestic Fabricated Steel W/ Stephen Capone and Hollie Noveletsky
06/05/2025
Tariffs as a Girder for Domestic Fabricated Steel W/ Stephen Capone and Hollie Noveletsky
“We need to be able to tolerate this uncertainty and the fluctuations that we're undergoing right now and keep our eye on the long term goal of strengthening American manufacturing.” -Hollie Noveletsky, Owner and CEO of Novel Iron Works While many consumers and business owners feel uneasy about the Trump Administration’s use of tariffs, there is at least one group that views them as essential: steel fabricators. Hollie Noveletsky, Owner and CEO of Novel Iron Works, and Stephen Capone, President of Capone Iron, have personally felt the negative impact that foreign competition and a lack of fair trade have had not only on their own businesses but on their overall communities. As Section 232 tariffs help incentivize domestic steel fabrication, they feel a sense of hope in protecting the security of American jobs and infrastructure. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Hollie and Stephen share their perspectives on: The importance of maintaining, growing, and preserving domestic steel fabrication capabilities Competition–and the factors that impact it–between between fabricators in New England and internationally Advice Hollie and Stephen have for decisionmakers who feel wary about impending tariffs and what this really means for the country Links:
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Semiconductor CHIPS, Checks, and Challenges
05/29/2025
Semiconductor CHIPS, Checks, and Challenges
“Even though the world’s advanced economies are largely considered post-industrial, chipmaking is an area where domestic manufacturing is now being treated as a high priority for economic and national security reasons.” Jon Martin, Writing for the ‘More than Moore’ substack The CHIPS and Science Act, which took effect in August of 2022, is an ambitious Federal program that will inject $52.7 Billion into U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, research and development, and workforce training. As we look back nearly 3 years later, there has been more talk than action, but no one party or entity bears all of the blame. Forming productive partnerships between the public and private sectors is always complicated - even when everyone’s interests seem to be aligned, and a change of Administration has also brought changes in how the program will be run. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner reviews the law as an example of joint public-private reshoring: Reviewing the commitments that have been made to date Unpacking the roadblocks to progress that we’ve seen so far Considering what the Trump administration is doing to facilitate the process of rebuilding semiconductor manufacturing capabilities in the United States Links:
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How U.S. Tariffs Are Reshaping Global Freight W/ Judah Levine
05/22/2025
How U.S. Tariffs Are Reshaping Global Freight W/ Judah Levine
Global supply chain leaders and consumers alike have watched for months as the U.S. tariff rollercoaster starts and stops, impacting imported goods. While these policy changes are expected to directly impact supply chains, what about their impact on the cost and availability of freight? As companies hold their breath and wait to see if and/or when their imports will be subjected to tariffs, many have been doing their best to plan as far ahead as possible and get stock in well before seasonal demand hits. Even so, concerns still exist over tariff timelines and the availability and cost of domestic goods. Most preparation comes down to data–which is where this episode’s guest comes in. Judah Levine, Head of Research at Freightos, recently joined Kelly Barner to offer his insight into what he and his team are seeing in the ocean and air shipping market. In this episode of Art of Supply podcast, Kelly and Judah cover: The strategy shippers are taking in response to tariffs The extended impact these trade wars will have on global shipping The challenges brought on by the pausing of de minimis exceptions Links:
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Supply Chains & Second Chances: Human Trafficking Aftercare
05/15/2025
Supply Chains & Second Chances: Human Trafficking Aftercare
In recent years, a lot of work has been done to raise awareness about the massive problem of human trafficking as well as to start to attack that problem. In this week’s episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner interviews two women engaged in an important part of that fight through an organization called Gift of Freedom: Sharon Siar and Nicole Glenn. Sharon Siar is the Founder and President Gift of Freedom, and she is also the Vice President and CFO at Talon Freight Services Nicole Glenn, is a Board Member for Gift of Freedom, the Founder and CEO of Candor Logistics Management, and a host of the Ladies Leadership Coalition Podcast. Unlike organizations focused on raising public awareness, or rescuing victims of trafficking, Gift of Freedom is focused on aftercare. They provide the funding for counseling, a need that can extend years or even decades after a rescue is complete. Even though this is a hard topic to hear about, it is a challenging reality for far too many people - children especially - in the United States and around the world. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Sharon and Nicole share their perspectives on: Why aftercare counseling has been overlooked as an area of need in the past The connection between human trafficking and supply chains Why social statistics fail to capture or represent the scope of this problem Links: on LinkedIn on LinkedIn
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Building a U.S. Solar Supply Chain
05/08/2025
Building a U.S. Solar Supply Chain
“Between 2008 and 2013, China’s fledgling solar-electric panel industry dropped world prices by 80 percent, a stunning achievement in a fiercely competitive high-tech market.” - John Fialka, Scientific American In March, Corning, Suniva, and Heliene announced a partnership that will allow them to build a U.S. supply chain for solar panels, from polysilicon to wafers to cells to panels. In a global solar industry worth $100 Billion, the opportunity is massive, but so is the risk. The path to the present moment is littered with companies who failed operationally or found themselves tangled up in controversy because they were trying to compete with China on cost. With a history of tariffs, concerns about forced labor, and imbalances between supply and demand, the solar supply chain offers many lessons for other manufacturers looking to reshore. In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner examines: Unique challenges facing the solar supply chain and how they ironically created an additional incentive for this partnership Why it is essential that more than just final assembly take place in the United States The role of government incentives and regulations in making this possible Links:
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Manufacturing Labor Market Insights in an Uncertain World
05/01/2025
Manufacturing Labor Market Insights in an Uncertain World
Economic commentators often look at consumer spending as a barometer for confidence and outlook - how good or bad financially do individuals and families think the broader economy is, and how profitable it will be for them? The same can perhaps be said for companies and hiring managers. How confident are they that they will be able to keep people employed in uncertain times, and what skills are they most eager to invest their scarce dollars in? In this week’s Art of Supply interview, Kelly Barner speaks with Christine Corson, Managing Director of Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Engineering Recruitment at DSJ Global. She is focused on manufacturing labor at the management level in a way that allows her to form her own opinion of industry outlook, confidence, and planning horizon. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly and Christine discuss: The current supply of - and demand for - manufacturing labor Whether hiring is being impacted by the uncertainty around tariffs Her advice for the candidates hoping to secure mid- to high-level positions in manufacturing companies Links:
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Beef with the Big 4: McDonald’s vs. the Meat Monopoly
04/24/2025
Beef with the Big 4: McDonald’s vs. the Meat Monopoly
In October of 2024, McDonald’s sued four of the world’s largest meat producers – Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef Packing – for allegedly conspiring to inflate the price of beef by creating artificial scarcity in the market. This is not the first time McDonald’s has sued these meat producers, and it is not the first time these meat producers have been sued. Over 200 cases have been brought by restaurants, retailers, wholesalers, and ranchers. Some are still pending and others have been settled - with high payouts but no admission of wrongdoing. In this week’s episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner reviews the case McDonald’s is making against the Big 4: The price setting power associated with controlling 80 percent of the U.S. beef market The complexity associated with trying to track cost and price data in a highly concentrated market Why being the largest beef buyer in the world isn’t enough to tip the scales in McDonald’s favor Links:
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In Defense of Lean Thinking W/ Thomas Goldsby
04/17/2025
In Defense of Lean Thinking W/ Thomas Goldsby
Everything runs in trends, supply chains included. What was once considered a critical strategy can be cancelled in a heartbeat if conditions change - only to be rediscovered and reapplied to great advantage a couple of years later. In this week’s Art of Supply interview, Kelly Barner welcomes back Professor Thomas Goldsby. Tom is the Dee and Jimmy Haslam Chair of Logistics at the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He is also the Co-Executive Director of their Global Supply Chain Institute. Tom rejoins the show to make a case in support of lean thinking and just-in-time inventory management. With reshoring becoming an increasing part of the supply chain conversation, the timing may just be right for lean thinking to rebound and once again occupy its rightful place in the supply chain strategy toolkit. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly and Tom discuss: How we need to understand lean thinking before we can apply it successfully Whether companies are starting to apply lean thinking again, or just discussing it How our supply chains would change if we optimized them to create customer value Links:
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Scope 3 Showdown: Green Century v. Ford
04/10/2025
Scope 3 Showdown: Green Century v. Ford
On May 8th, at Ford Motor Company's annual shareholder meeting, they will face a proposal focused on how they report their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on their way to being carbon neutral by 2050. The proposal was made by Green Century Capital Management, a sustainability-focused activist fund that regularly challenges recognizable companies about their emissions reduction efforts, using the threat (or promise?) to mount a shareholder vote if necessary. Companies like Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s have faced similar challenges, all intended to change how they manage their Scope 3 emissions. The Ford Board of Directors has advocated for shareholders to reject the proposal, saying it is unnecessary and expensive to create another report in addition to their Integrated Sustainability and Finance report. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers: The unique requests Green Century has made of these publicly traded companies in pursuit of lower Scope 3 emissions How these companies have responded to Green Century’s ‘asks’ and proposals The idea of reporting as a weapon in addition to being a tool for tracking and accountability Links:
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LTL Shakeup: Will Amazon join the fray?
04/03/2025
LTL Shakeup: Will Amazon join the fray?
A few weeks ago, rumors started to swirl that Amazon might be standing up their own for-hire less-than-truckload (LTL) operation to compete with the likes of FedEx Freight, Old Dominion, XPO, and Saia. So what are these rumors based on, and how likely are they to be true? More importantly, what would such a move mean for other national LTL carriers? In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barners digs into the details of this buzzworthy supply chain news story: Where the rumors started and how Amazon might take the first steps to move into the LTL space The current LTL business landscape and why Amazon making that move would be such a big deal How likely they are to be successful should they move ahead by either building or buying an LTL operation Links:
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Who owns the Panama Canal?
03/27/2025
Who owns the Panama Canal?
The Panama Canal is a 51 mile long waterway that allows ships to cut about 8,000 miles off of a trip from New York to San Francisco around the route around Cape Horn. The country of Panama owns the canal, which is operated by the Panama Canal Authority, an agency of the Panamanian government, but who owns the ports located on either side of the canal? Until now, it has been CK Hutchison, a Hong Kong based firm - raising concerns about China’s interest and influence in the supply chain critical Panama canal. On March 4th, it was announced that CK Hutchison had decided to sell two of the largest Panama Canal adjacent ports to BlackRock. In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner looks at this story up close: The critical role that the Panama Canal plays in global supply chains The details of the deal that will transfer ownership of the ports: Balboa (on the Pacific side) and Cristóbal (on the Atlantic side) The diplomatic policy shift this represents with regard to China’s presence in the area and relationship with the country of Panama Links:
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Decoding the DOGE Savings Calculator
03/20/2025
Decoding the DOGE Savings Calculator
The Department of Government Efficiency, better known as DOGE, was created by executive order on President Trump’s first day back in office. It immediately became one of the most controversial parts of the administration’s first couple of months. Love it or hate it, if you work in procurement, you have to watch what DOGE is doing. And if you can’t bring yourself to review their objectives, strategies, and tactics, you at least have to watch the DOGE savings calculator. Public-facing and deliberately bare-bones, the DOGE savings calculator provides information on savings, payments, spend, Federal workforce, and regulations. In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner takes a step back and then a close look at the DOGE savings calculator from a procurement perspective: Describing the website in detail, both for the information it contains and for what it may reveal about DOGE’s approach to driving change Comparing DOGE’s approach to savings reporting to what is used in a typical corporate procurement setting Looking for lessons and ideas that can be pulled from the public sector to the private Links:
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Investing in People-powered Safety in Food Manufacturing W/ Nathan Walts
03/13/2025
Investing in People-powered Safety in Food Manufacturing W/ Nathan Walts
“Everyone at the plant has a duty to protect the products that we're sending out to the customer. Ultimately, you really have to think about it as sort of a ‘circle of life.’ What's my responsibility with what I'm doing in this part of the process, and what’s going to happen when this product reaches the consumer?” - Nathan Walts, CEO, WorkForge The food supply chain is uniquely complex and critical, because when something goes wrong lives are at stake. Regulations and standards play an important role, but only if people follow them. It takes a lot of hiring, training, and retention efforts to manage the workforce, adding significantly to the cost of running a business. Nathan Walts is the CEO of WorkForge, a learning and development solution provider focused on the food manufacturing industry. In this episode, he joins Kelly Barner to talk about the food safety objectives producers are trying to achieve, the challenges they face, and the learning and development programs that aim to address both. Listen in as Nathan and Kelly discuss: The current state of labor in food manufacturing Education for safety, quality, and empowerment Going beyond regulatory compliance to achieve continuous improvement Links:
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East and Gulf Coast Port Strike – Part 2
03/06/2025
East and Gulf Coast Port Strike – Part 2
Back in October, when the East and Gulf coast port strike ended after 3 days, we knew there would be a part 2. Short though it was, the strike is estimated to have cost the U.S. economy $3.8 - 5 Billion per day, but that wasn’t seen as the greatest ‘cost’ at the time. With the Presidential campaign in full swing, all eyes were on the impact it might have on the candidates’ relative popularity. Now that the members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) have ratified the deal negotiated with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), we can look at that deal and the impact it will have on port operations through 2030. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers the major factors at play in this collective bargaining agreement and how each played out: Automation: the issue that received the most press coverage by far Interesting comments on labor showup rates and how they relate to the ILA’s leverage in the future Changed provisions for container royalties that further tie operational efficiency to demand for labor Links:
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A Narrow Path Towards Noninflationary Tariffs
02/27/2025
A Narrow Path Towards Noninflationary Tariffs
Since President Trump took office on January 20th, speculation about tariffs has been omnipresent in supply chain planning conversations. But we do have a guide to the administration’s philosophy, A User’s Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System, written by Stephen Miran and published by Hudson Bay Capital in November of 2024. Miran is Trump’s pick to lead his Council of Economic Advisers, and will be appearing before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs the day this episode first airs. In his User’s Guide, Miran makes the case that it is possible to use tariffs to achieve desired outcomes without causing undue harm. At the same time, he refers to the plan as a “narrow path.” In this week’s episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner shares her reading of the guide: Why Miran - and therefore the Trump administration - believe tariffs can be used without adding to the costs paid by U.S. consumers The difference between theoretical and actual economic scenarios, and how it makes planning a challenge The high level of interconnectedness at play in this approach, and what will need to happen for it to work as intended Links:
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Lessons in Listening from Joe Rogan and Charlamagne tha God
02/20/2025
Lessons in Listening from Joe Rogan and Charlamagne tha God
“I talk to people and I record it. That’s it.” - Joe Rogan People often say that we all need to learn to communicate better, and that is true. But we need to invest more effort on the listening side than the talking side. Joe Rogan and Charlamagne tha God are standout media personalities and cultural icons. They are also fantastic listeners and exceptional conversationalists. Their ability to prepare for and host interviews has earned them millions of subscribers and billions of downloads, making it easier to get their choice of guests. What can all professionals learn from their approach to listening and conversation? In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner dissects what makes Joe Rogan and Charlamagne tha God so effective: How they developed their unique interviewing and conversational styles The atmosphere they create for guests and the information/perspective that results An unwavering sense of authenticity and respect for their audience Links:
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Who will decide the future of EV trucking?
02/13/2025
Who will decide the future of EV trucking?
Who will decide when EV trucking goes from being an option available to anyone to an enforceable mandate that everyone must comply with? That question is at the heart of this week’s interview. Kelly Barner had the opportunity to speak with Nebraska Attorney General Michael Hilgers. His state is on the front lines of a legal effort to ensure that if regulations end up driving the EV transition, that those regulations are properly established - undertaken by elected officials with a vested interest in the people of Nebraska and the dozens of states who have stepped up to support their challenges. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the state of California, and heavy duty truck manufacturers are trying to usher in changes that will have wide-reaching impact. Will that impact be for the better or the worse, and do they have the right to proceed? Listen in for a highly engaging discussion at the intersection of the law and the supply chain: Why it is important to address the proprietary of regulations before they take effect Uncertainty caused by the current state of enforceable regulations in California The role that competition should play in a market where companies make independent decisions Links:
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Dylan v. Goliath: The Freight Essentials RICO Case
02/06/2025
Dylan v. Goliath: The Freight Essentials RICO Case
“If anyone thinks that they know it all, they're in the wrong place.” - Dylan Admire The series of relationships that make the freight industry work is like a supply chain in and of itself. Under the freight agent model, agents help shippers find capacity through brokers who hold carrier contracts, facilitate financing and payments, and carry the MC number under which the agent operates. When this model works well, everyone wins–but when it doesn’t work as all of the parties expect, the fallout can be substantial. In this week’s Art of Supply interview, Kelly Barner speaks with Dylan Admire, CEO and Owner of Freight Essentials. His company has brought two RICO lawsuits against connected brokerages, claiming multi-party intent to defraud customers and business partners through anticompetitive tactics. Listen to this episode to hear: How the freight agent model is supposed to work–and what can happen if it doesn’t work as everyone expects The current status of his lawsuits and ideal outcome Why he has made the decision to speak out when others might have stayed quiet Links:
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Misfortune on 34th Street: Accounting Issues at Macy’s
01/30/2025
Misfortune on 34th Street: Accounting Issues at Macy’s
“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 delivery expenses had been mishandled - approximately $150 Million worth. As we then learned, what started as a mistake turned into a coverup, eventually leading to a share selloff, and one accounting employee being terminated. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner: Explains what happened and how the issue was uncovered Shares the role that the commonly-used accrual accounting method may have played Review some of the speculation that has emerged in the absence of specifics And flag ongoing concerns for the company and their auditing firm Links:
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