LQ's mandate to provide “Ideas for Leadership in Logistics,” is clearly evidenced this issue with articles written by professionals and logisticians from America and Canada who are leading and transforming business by creating new roadmaps and definitions for leadership in this exciting field.
David J. Closs, LQ Executive Editor: Dr. Closs is the John H. McConnell chaired Professor of the Eli Broad College of Business, Department of marketing and Supply Chain management, Michigan State University. He has consulted with more than 100 of the world’s Fortune 500 corporations regarding logistics strategies and systems. He is an active member of Council of Supply Chain Management professionals.
Benjamin Gordon is Managing Director of BG Strategic Advisors, a Boston-based consulting firm providing supply chain companies with CEO-level advisory services in the areas of strategy, technology and finance. Benjamin is responsible for leading key client engagements and setting the direction of the firm. Prior to BG Strategic Advisors, Benjamin founded 3PLex, the Internet solution enabling third-party logistics companies to automate their business. Mr. Gordon received a Masters in Business administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale College.
Alan Law, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, teaching in the areas of The Sociology of Sport and Leisure, Social Inequality and the Sociology of organizations. Professor Law’s research agendas range across a number of sociological sub disciplines and methodologies. His interests in the sport and leisure field are currently located in the area of impacts of tourist resorts on local communities. In the area of work and industry, his current research examines processes of identity formation in teams as well as in complex job structures involving commitment to multiple agencies. Professor Law is also interested in historical and contemporary welfare state policies which seek to govern the lives of the unemployed. Current teaching interests include the Sociology of Sport and Leisure, Applied and theoretical Research methodology and statistics.
Dr. John T. (Tom) Mentzer is the Harry J. and Vivienne R. Bruce Chair of Excellence in Business Policy in the Department of Marketing, Logistics and Transportation at the University of Tennessee. He has written more than 160 papers and articles, and five books. Dr. Mentzer was recognized in 1996 as one of the five most prolific authors in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and in 1999 as the most prolific author in the Journal of Business Logistics. His research has focused on the contribution of marketing and logistics to customer satisfaction and strategic advantage; the application of computer decision models to marketing, logistics, and forecasting; and the management of the sales forecasting function. He serves on the editorial review boards of five journals and as occasional reviewer for six others. He presently serves on the Executive Committee and is Immediate Past President of the Council of Logistics Management. He was formerly President of the Academy of Marketing Science and is a Distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Marketing Science – a distinction granted to less than 20 scholars worldwide. He has served as a consultant for over seventy corporations and government agencies, is on the boards of directors of several corporations, and previously worked for General Motors Corporation.
Tom Nightingale is the Vice president, Corporate Marketing at Schneider National, Inc. Mr. Nightingale leads the enterprise-wide, global branding and marketing of North America’s leading provider of premium truckload, intermodal, and logistics solutions. Mr. Nightingale and his team manage strategy process, market research, marketing communications, employment marketing, internal communications, and event marketing. He holds an MBA from Syracuse University with a concentration in organization and management and a B.S. in international marketing management from Siena College
Christopher D. Norek, Ph.D., is a founding Senior Partner with Chain connectors, Inc., an Atlanta-based supply chain consulting firm specializing in strategy, technology, transportation operations, returns management and supply chain training. He has been in the logistics field for over 15 years both in industry with Accenture, Kimberly-Clark, Apple Computer, and CSC as well as a professor at both Auburn University and the University of Tennessee. Mr. Norek has consulted for firms including SAP, amazon.com, Accenture, Office Depot, Cingular Wireless, The Sports Authority, Party City, and Aramark Uniform services. He has been active in publishing for journals in the field and speaking for many organizations and university executive development programs including the Council of Logistics management, NASSTRAC, Georgia institute of technology, University of Tennessee, university of North Florida, and university of Louisville. He holds logistics degrees from Penn State, Tennessee, and Ohio State.
Dr. Nancy W. Nix is the director of the Supply and Value Chain Center and associate professor of supply chain practice in the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University. Dr. Nix completed her doctorate in logistics and marketing at the University of Tennessee, where her research focused on global supply chain management, demand forecasting, and distribution service quality. She has 15 years management experience with the DuPont Company, with progressive managerial responsibilities in operations, logistics, procurement, contracted manufacturing, and customer service, and spent 10 years as VP of logistics for Reliance Industries Ltd., headquartered in Mumbai, India. Dr. Nix is an active member of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) and currently serves on the Research Strategies Committee of CSCMP.
Nicholas Seiersen, B.Sc.(Hons.), M.B.A., LQ Executive Editor: Mr. Seiersen is a Senior Manager with BearingPoint, based in Toronto, Canada. He specializes in Supply Chain consulting, with particular attention to Strategic Sourcing and Supply Chain Planning & Operations. Mr. Seiersen is the Canadian lead for Supply Chain at BearingPoint. Mr. Seiersen holds a B.Sc. (hons.) in Biochemistry and an M.B.A. in Industrial Management. He teaches executive development courses at top Universities in Europe and North America. He has written for numerous publications in North America and Europe on ePurchasing, Logistics, Supply Chain Management and Cost-to-serve. He is the past President of the Toronto Roundtable of the Council of Logistics Management, (now CSCMP), Vice President of French Logistics association ASLOG, member of European Logistics Association Business Management Committee.
Lea Soupata is Senior Vice President for UPS. Ms. Soupata manages a human resources organization that serves 384,000 employees worldwide. She has been a member of the UPS Management Committee since 1995 and a member of the UPS Board of Directors since 1998.
Committed to maintaining UPS’s reputation as an employer of choice, Ms. Soupata oversees the company’s strategy in training, developing and retaining a diverse and highly skilled workforce. A native of New York City, Ms. Soupata joined UPS in 1969. During her 36 years with the company, she has managed a variety of human resources and customer service and operations functions. She also served as District Manager in the New York area from 1990 until 1994. Ms. Soupata serves as chair of The UPS foundation, the company’s charitable arm, and has been active in a number of community services programs, including United Way. She is also a trustee of The Annie E. Casey foundation, the world’s largest philanthropic foundation dedicated to helping disadvantaged children, and is a Fellow of the National HR academy. She also serves as a board member of Junior Achievement of Georgia, HR Policy Association and St. Basil’s Academy, a children’s home.
Dr. Theodore Stank is the John H. Dove distinguished Professor of Logistics at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Stank’s research interests focus on the strategic implications associated with integrated logistics and supply chain management concepts, specifically related to integration, information exchange, and operational responsiveness. He has worked for Abbott Laboratories, served as an officer in the United States Navy, and performed consulting and executive education services for numerous firms.