Our Contributors
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, Ph.D., 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 the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP).
Jim Davidson, President, iWheels Dedicated Logistics, began his career in logistics at the Ford Motor Company in 1963, working in all aspects of logistics for 17 years. Mr. Davidson joined TNT in 1983, where he held various management roles, including roles in operations, staff, administration and general management for a number of different divisions. He also served as the TNT board member representing North America at their European-based board meetings. He has served on the executive of the Canadian General Motors Supplier Council and as the Executive Vice president of the ATA Council of Logistics located in Alexandria, Virginia.
Bill Graves, a former governor of Kansas, is President and CEO of the American Trucking Associations in Alexandria, Virginia.
John Langley Jr., Ph.D., M.B.A., is Professor of Supply Chain management and Director of Supply Chain Executive programs at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Langley is a former president of the Council of Logistics Management and a recipient of the Council’s Distinguished Service Award. In 2004, he was honored as one of the profession’s top five logistics executives at the Richmond Events Logistics and Supply Chain Forum. He received his Ph.D. in Business Logistics from Penn State University. Dr. Langley has co-authored several books, including The Management of Business Logistics, a 7th edition textbook published in 2003. He also serves on the Boards of Directors of UTi Worldwide, Inc., Averitt Express, Inc., and Forward Air Corporation. He is also lead author of the annual study on the 3PL industry.
Clifford F. Lynch of C.F. Lynch & Associates has provided management advisory services in logistics since 1993. During the previous 35 years, he was Vice President, Logistics, for the Quaker Oats Company and President of Trammell Crow Distribution corporation.
Mr. Lynch holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. He is a Certified Member of the American Society of Transportation and Logistics and is a member the editorial review boards of the Journal of Business Logistics, the International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, and Supply Chain management Review. He is also a member of the Warehousing Education and Research Council and the Advisory Council to
the Dean, College of business administration, University of Tennessee.
Mr. Lynch is a member and past president of the Council of Logistics Management and has received numerous awards in the field of logistics. Among them are the CLM distinguished Service Award, the Traffic Management magazine Professional Achievement Award, the University of Tennessee Department of Marketing and transportation distinguished Alumnus and the President’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the American Society of Transportation and Logistics.
He is an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis, a frequent lecturer at other colleges and universities, an author of numerous articles on the subject of logistics and has written two books on logistics outsourcing.
Robert Martichenko is President of LeanCor LLC. Headquartered in Florence, Kentucky, LeanCor delivers dedicated third party logistics services and training and education services to companies embracing Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma. Mr. Martichenko is a student of logistics, Lean and Six Sigma; has published in several industry journals; and has co-authored the book Lean Sigma Logistics, published by J.Ross Publishing. Mr. Martichenko holds a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Windsor and an M.B.A. in Finance from Baker College. Mr. Martichenko is involved with the Council of Supply Chain Management professionals (CSCMP), the Lean Enterprise Institute, the Supply Chain Consortium at Saint Louis University and LQ magazine.
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, training, SMB supply chain transformation and returns management. He has been in the logistics field for over 15 years both in industry, with Accenture, Kimberly-Clark, Apple Computer and CSC, and in academia as a professor at both Auburn University and the University of tennessee. Dr. Norek has consulted for firms including Lowe’s, SAP, Amazon.com, Accenture, Office Depot, Schneider National, Cingular Wireless, The Sports Authority, Party City, Chatsworth Products Group, Titan America and Aramark Uniform Services. He has been active in publishing for journals in the field including the Journal of Business Logistics, the International Journal of Logistics Management, Supply Chain Management Review, LQ (formerly Logistics Quarterly), DC Velocity, and ASCET. Chris holds supply chain/logistics degrees from Penn State, Tennessee and Ohio State.
Gail Rutkowski is Director of Operations with AIMS Logistics and is a veteran of more than 25 years in the transportation industry. She has experienced many sides of the industry, from shipper to carrier, from small shipments to truckloads, from domestic to international. Her experience runs the gamut from private fleet management with Quaker Oats and Belden Wire and Cable to truckload sales with C.H. Robinson to transportation management with Thomas & Betts. Ms. Rutkowski is a member of NASSTRAC (otherwise known as the National shippers Strategic Transportation Council) and is currently president of the organization. She was selected NASSTRAC Member of the Year in 2003 and 2005. She is also a member of the Council of Supply Chain Management professionals (CSCMP).
Nicholas Seiersen, B.Sc. (Hons.), M.B.A., P.Log., LQ Executive Editor, is a senior manager with KPMG, based in Toronto, Ontario. He specializes in supply chain consulting, with particular attention to strategic sourcing and supply chain planning and operations. Mr. Seiersen is the Canadian service line lead for Operations Cost Management at KPMG. 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 the French Logistics Association (ASLOG) and a member of the European Logistics Association Business Management committee.
Robert L. Shaunnessey has been Executive Director of Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) since 2003 and in the distribution industry for more than 30 years. He was a founder and partner of third party logistics provider Sterling Logistics Corporation. Earlier in his career, he served as President and CEO of Records Management Services, President of Midwest Distribution for ITEL-GATX Administration for DSC Logistics.
Phillip C. Yeager is founder of The Hub Group, Inc., and has been Chairman of the Board of that organization since 1985; from 1971 to 1985, Mr. Yeager served as President of Hub Chicago. He became involved in intermodal transportation in 1959, five years after the introduction of intermodal transportation in the United States, as an employee of the pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Central Railroads. He spent 19 years with the Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Central Railroads, 12 of which involved intermodal transportation.
Over his many years in the transportation industry, he has been awarded many honors, including being named Man of the Year by the Intermodal transportation Association (1991), receiving the Salzburg Practitioners Award from Syracuse University in recognition of his lifetime achievements in the transportation industry (1995), being inducted into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame sponsored by the University of Illinois at Chicago (1996), receiving the presidential Medal from Dowling College for his achievements in transportation services (1997), receiving the Silver Kingpin award from the Intermodal Association of North America (1998) and being named Transportation Person of the Year by the New York Traffic Club (1999). Mr. Yeager graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1951 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He is the father of David P. Yeager and
Mark A. Yeager.