CSCMP's EDGE 2024: Insights, Growth, and the Importance of Professional Development

Introduction

I recently attended CSCMP's (Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals) EDGE 2024 conference, and it was both inspiring and insightful. The experience reminded me why professional development and networking are so important in the supply chain industry. With an amazing lineup of speakers, sessions, and workshops, the event had something for everyone. One of the highlights for me was the Academic Research Symposium held the weekend before the main conference. If you're serious about learning more about supply chain management and connecting with top thinkers, this pre-conference event is a must.

Keynote Highlights

The keynote speakers were a big highlight of the conference. Morris Morrison delivered a powerful opening session, focusing on the idea of having a “contribution mindset.” He talked about the importance of personal growth and building strong relationships throughout your career. He made me realize that you can't just build relationships when you need them; you have to invest in them over your entire career. These relationships will help you grow as a person and a supply chain professional. When you face challenges, you can rely on the "wisdom of your crowd" to help solve problems in ways you might not have thought of on your own.

Fawn Weaver, CEO of Uncle Nearest Whiskey, shared her journey of building a billion-dollar brand in just five years. It was incredible to hear about her success, especially since she was new to the spirits industry. The educational tracks at the conference were also impressive, covering topics like AI in logistics and the latest sustainability practices. 

Fawn Weaver Being Interviewed

Supply Chain Hall of Fame Inductee

Roger Penske was also honored with induction into the CSCMP Supply Chain Hall of Fame at EDGE 2024. The Hall of Fame is housed at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at University of Arkansas. 

Roger started Penske Logistics as an outgrowth of Penske Corporation's transportation expertise. Under his leadership, Penske Logistics has become a major force in the supply chain world, offering innovative logistics solutions and setting high standards for operational excellence. His commitment to quality and customer service has made Penske Logistics a trusted partner for many companies, and his influence continues to inspire supply chain professionals. Everything Roger has worked on has turned into a success, and Penske Logistics is no different.

Roger Penske - Supply Chain Hall of Fame Inductee - video acceptance 

Shelley Simpson's Story

While Shelley was a Keynote speaker, I think her story deserves a section all to itself. She is not only a great CEO but her story is inspirational to every person in the supply chain industry and I dare say, in any industry. 

Listening to Shelley Simpson from J.B. Hunt was a person highlight. Shelley talked about her journey from starting as an entry-level customer service representative to becoming the President of J.B. Hunt. She emphasized the importance of taking risks, continuously learning, and empowering others. Her authentic leadership style and dedication to innovation have been key to J.B. Hunt's success. Shelley reminded us that true leadership is about helping others grow as you grow, and her passion for creating opportunities for her team was motivating. I was especially proud when she mentioned an example I was involved in—helping establish the J.B. Hunt Final Mile Services business unit. It was great to hear her talk about the importance of listening to customers, and I was part of the customer she was referring to!

Shelley Simpson - President and CEO of J.B.Hunt

Why CSCMP Matters

If you're early in your career, attending industry conferences like CSCMP EDGE is incredibly valuable. These events aren't just about learning from experts—they're about building connections that can shape your professional future. The knowledge, best practices, and networking opportunities are worth the investment, even if you have to pay out of pocket. Conferences like this help you stay up to date on trends, learn about new technologies, and connect with peers who are facing similar challenges.

Final Thoughts

Investing in yourself by attending events like EDGE 2024 isn’t just about growing professionally; it's about opening doors to new opportunities and setting yourself up for long-term success. Whether your company supports you or you fund it yourself, attending these conferences is a decision you won't regret.

Keep investing in your growth.

Stay curious, stay connected.

Why CSCMP EDGE Conference is So Important

 Last week I spent most of my time at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Edge conference in Orlando Florida. Just a few hours into the first night and I remembered why coming to this conference is so important and has been such a great part of my supply chain career. I thought I would share some thoughts with you and hopefully the younger readers will realize your supply chain career is a life long journey. Getting to know the leaders of your generation will make you a leader. So, here goes:

1. Relationships: Yes, we all talk about this, however, this is truly very important and CSCMP has been there for my entire career. From the moment I started coming to this conference I met a number of people in different industries and different supply chain disciplines. From that point, we grew up together, learned together, celebrated together and helped each other. If I had not joined CSCMP early in my career and been intentional about coming to the conference year after year, I would not have known these people and my career would have been less fulfilling. 
   
   
2. Education: Continuous learning is must for any career and certainly supply chain is no exception. Because of my connection to CSCMP and attending conference sessions, I have been able to learn a lot of nuances about the discipline and I have used those learnings to hone my craft. I highly encourage anyone who attends to also attend the academic's conference on Saturday and Sunday. Quite frankly, that has been a highlight of my sessions and learning from the most brilliant academics makes me challenge what I think "I know". 
   
   
3. Time to Sharpen the Saw: I use my attendance at CSCMP EDGE to immerse myself in learning. That could be from the academic sessions, the practitioner sessions or the key-note and mega-sessions which challenge my thinking on many topics, not just supply chain. By listening and thinking deeply on the leadership topics, the supply chain topics, the business management topics and all the other items presented, I am able to use this time to truly execute what Stephen Covey called, "Sharpening the Saw". If you do not take time to do this periodically, just like a saw-blade, you will become dull and worn down. CSCMP EDGE is the perfect place to rededicate yourself to this discipline. 
   
   
4. Learn what is new: The vendor portion is truly world class. By walking the show and being disciplined about making sure you visit suppliers and interact with them, you learn what is new and interesting. My advice is to plan this out and plan your interactions. Learn and engage. You will be better for it. 

Overall, I just cannot imagine being in this discipline and not interacting at CSCMP Edge every year. Thank you to the CSCMP staff and all the volunteers who helped with the conference and worked tirelessly to make it such a great event. 

I leave you with a few pictures of my participation this year on two great panels. One on X-Shoring, Hosted by Alan Amling of University of Tennessee and the other on Meaningful Employment Environments hosted by Trail Paths founder, Robert Martichenko. 

Heading to Edge 2018 - CSCMP

I hope to connect with a lot of colleagues and meet new ones as we head to Nashville for the CSCMP Edge 2018 meeting.  For those who are new in the industry, this is the premiere event and the "must go" event for the year.  As I reflect on why I try to go every year, I think about the following:

1. Thought Leadership:  The people who are setting the trends are here and they are happy to engage with you.  Just by attending sessions, listening deeply and interacting with the industry leaders I get to think about issues, how others have solved them, where the supply chain industry is going and, most importantly, what our customers (of our products) need from the supply chain.
2. Connection: The ability to connect with colleagues whom I have worked with or known for the better part of 30 years.  The supply chain industry is a community and you must engage in it.  One of my key recommendations to those who are starting out in the industry is the need to engage with colleagues.  Think of it as your own personal "crowd sourcing".  This is where you get this done in the span of 4 days.
3. Sharpen the Saw:   I really try to "get away", disconnect and that allows me to deeply engage in the conference.  I work hard not to jump on my cell phone, do email etc.  My feeling is if your organization cannot run for 4 days without your constant interaction then that is a signal there is a real problem with the organization.  So, I encourage everyone to engage.  

I was lucky enough to be the conference chair in Denver a few years ago and also serve on the board of this great institution.  

Look forward to seeing you all there!

Omni Channel and The Ever Persistent Discussion of Final Mile

Over at Logistics Viewpoints (A blog you should be reading) Chris Cunnane gave us a sneak peek into a survey he conducted with DC Velocity magazine about different final mile modes and their current and anticipated adoption rates.  The results were not overly surprising.

However, the one that really stuck out at me was the feedback on the use of crowdsourcing  options. It would seem to me that forward looking executives, especially in the light of Amazon's Prime Flex announcement, would be more interested in this option.  Only 27.7% have said they include this option in their future plans.  

I then go back to think about the talk Dave Clark, SVP of Worldwide Operations and Customer Service at Amazon, gave at the recent CSCMP Annual Global Conference (AGC).  One of the most intriguing parts of his discussion was the idea of innovation and the categories of "one way" and "two way" doors.  Let me digress and describe this for you:

When innovating, ideas can be categorized into "one way" and "two way" doors depending on your ability to back out or recover from the idea.  The brief definition:

• One Way Door:  This is when the idea, once launched, either cannot be taken out or would be too costly to change back.  This type of innovation requires a lot of deep thought, analysis and modeling because once you go in, you are all the way in (See my posting on Cortes' boats).
  
• Two Way Door:  This type of innovation is one that you can experiment, pilot and then recover or back out if it does not work.  Thing Google Labs on this one.  How many things has Google launched, decided it does not work and just stop.  No harm, no foul.
  
  A two way door innovation is one you should develop quickly and try it out.  Worst case you will learn something and best case is it will work.  If it does work, because you moved so quickly, you will have incredible first mover advantage - something that is vitally important in the world of fast follower copy cats.  

It strikes me that crowdsourced final mile delivery is something that falls into the Two Way Door category.  It will cost some R&D dollars to develop but that is about it.  You can launch, manage, learn, adapt then either pull the plug or make it part of your core processes. 

Which is why I am so amazed only 27.7% said they are even thinking about it. 

But then again,  I once heard a trucking executive in the 90's say, "We will never do business with the railroad".  Some companies innovate and some whither.  Those are the only two choices.  Not innovating is not an option.  

CSCMP Annual Conference... Where you Need to Be

I have been in this industry coming on 30 years now and being part of it has been core to my enjoyment of the work.  I cannot think of anything more rewarding than being part of the logistics and supply chain industry.

And, the biggest portion of this enjoyment is developing and maintaining great relationships with the great people of this industry.  Some are industry legends, some are people who grew up in the industry with me and are now in key leadership positions and some, probably most, are the people who day to day make the great things happen.  They are responsible to ensure your groceries are at the store, your electronics are ready when you need them, your automobiles are where you need them and the many other 1,000's of items you use are ready, available, and built with quality.

Most recently those people I mention above are responsible to do this all in a very sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.

The best place to connect with these great heroes (most unsung) is at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Annual Global Conference.  All the best are here and are ready and excited to exchange information, educate and connect.

I look forward to seeing you all here and please do not hesitate to reach out and connect with me. You can connect with me at @logisticsexpert on twitter.  I look forward to engaging.

Oh, and the location is not too shabby either....

The view from The CSCMP Annual Global Conference Location

3d printing goes mainstream

As my readers know I have been talking about 3D printing for a long time and have been theorizing and brainstorming how this will impact manufacturing, supply chain and the overall method of acquiring goods.  From one of my first posts back in 2012 titled "Don't Reduce Costs - Eliminate Them" through the many others I really believe this is a major change in how goods will get to market.

And, of course, when we were first talking about this topic it appeared to many to be "Star Wars" type conversation but I will tell you it appears to be almost mainstream now.  Many at the recent Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Annual Global Conference in Denver were talking about it.  There was even a display!

Now the question is not whether the technology will exist or even if it will be affordable but rather what are the innovative and exciting ways it can be applied.  Unfortunately, the press is all over the fact that people are making gun parts with it.  But here are some revolutionary ways this can be applied to the supply chain:

1. Development cycle times cut dramatically:  Imagine when you can "print" prototype parts immediately and on demand as you build prototype products?  The idea of rapid prototyping  really becomes a reality and this technology drives this.  So, supply chains have to be ready for rapid deployment of new products.  Where supply chains might have had 3-5 years to plan and get ready for a new product to flow, they many now only have 6 months.  The "bottleneck" in new product development may have just shifted. 
2. Batch Sizes decrease to just about 1:  The bane of supply chains is when you can get to 1x1 or batch sizes of one.  By nature, supply chains like huge batch sizes as this helps:
• Inventory
• Procurement
• Shipping (Full shipments)
• Receiving
• Change overs in plants
• Tooling and machinery
Now the question is how will supply chains adapt to true batch sizes of one.  "Make on demand"  will be a reality and people need to be ready to deal with it. 
3. Really small shipments:  People have always talked about the "push - pull" between reducing logistics costs by increasing shipment size (full truckloads - fullest the furthest) and the flexibility and agility of small shipments.  Most want both.  3D printing will bring a lot more demand on smaller shipments and even shipments of "one".  This will really benefit companies such as UPS and FEDEX at the expense of truckload and intermodal.  

So, the conversation has moved from "Can that really be done" to "Looks like it can be done" to "Yes, it absolutely can be done now how do we leverage and exploit the new technology. 

There are a lot more and I look forward to engaging on the other ideas which will develop.  I look forward to any comments you may have.  

CSCMP 2012 Was A Huge Success - On to CSCMP 2013 in Denver

My blogging has been slow to non existent this week due to the great Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) 2012 Annual Global Conference in Atlanta.  However, I did "burn up" the twitterverse this week (see tweets for logisticsexpert and search for #cscmp2012) as I tried to keep everyone up to date on the happenings at the conference.

It was a fantastic conference and I really enjoyed running track 6 - Energy and Infrastructure.  We had great presentations from Walter Zimmermann, the Kansas City Southern Rail, the Environmental Defense Fund, The Port of Long Beach, Smartway (EPA Partnership with Industry) along with case studies on natural gas implementations which occurred at two major shippers.  These successful implementations are truly the "win-win-win" where the companies have lowered costs, done great things for the environment and have contributed to our nation's move to a domestic fuel source.

Two highlights of the conference were to hear T. Boone Pickens speak (Read about the Pickens Plan here) and I actually was able to attend a luncheon with him.  What a fantastic person and his work to get this country an affordable domestic fuel source should be praised by everyone in the country.

I also was thrilled and excited to see Erik Wahl (The Art of Vision) motivate us about creativity and innovation in a very unique way - he paints incredible pictures during his talk!  Below is a Youtube video of him (not the one at CSCMP) and you will immediately see what I mean.

I have been attending these conferences for years and this was the best one I have ever been too. The energy, excitement and pertinent topics were all fantastic.  I am already looking forward to Denver 2013!

Elena Craft Will Be Speaking At Track 6 - CSCMP 2012

As my readers know I am hosting Track 6 (Click on Track 6 here and see the tracks objectives)  at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals annual conference in Atlanta next week.  This track will cover all aspects of Energy and Infrastructure issues facing both our industry and the globe.  We have expert speakers from all facets of the discussion and I can assure you we will challenge the status quo thinking!

I am especially excited to announce to have Elena Craft on our panel. Elena Craft has had a stellar career as a health scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and I am proud to have her on our panel.  I have linked to her biography above and I would also encourage you to read her great blog postings at The EDF News and Blogs Section.  She will challenge us to think differently about what we are accomplishing.

Her presentation is on Monday afternoon, October 1, 2012 in Track 6 at 4:45.

I am looking forward to seeing you all there!!

Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals Annual Conference

I really am looking forward to CSCMP 2012 in Atlanta this year.  I am hosting Track 6 - Energy and Infrastructure where we will have a very robust and exciting discussion on the role energy and infrastructure play in your supply chain - and it is a big role.

Energy costs can consume almost 40% of your total transportation cost structure and of course the Country's infrastructure can decide how efficiently you can get goods to market. We will cover everything from the macro economic outlook for energy to two great case studies on how to convert your fleet to natural gas and alternative fuels.

The exciting part of this is we will cover the spectrum.  Do not expect to have 8 sessions where people all agree (I remember a saying "If everyone in the room thinks alike, someone is not thinking).

We start with a well known economist on the overall macro outlook for energy in the US:  Walter Zimmermann (A very interesting short biography).  He has been seen on CNBC and other national news shows and has a very interesting and data driven view on the potential for energy independence and what is happening in the energy markets today.

Following Walter we will have multiple presentations from Rail executives, scientists and practitioners on what is happening in the world of energy and infrastructure.  It will be a very exciting and timely topic.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the conference and let's use this to really challenge our thinking, learn and make our industry better!

Get Ready - CSCMP 2012 in Atlanta

Those who have been in the industry a while know the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) is the premier professional organization for our industry.  From practitioners to academics, this is the organization to belong to if you want to know what is happening in our industry, networking with top individuals / thought leaders and keep an eye on the mega-trends occurring in supply chain and logistics.

This year I have the honor to co-host Track 6 - Energy and Infrastructure at the Annual Global Conference in Atlanta from September 30 to October 3. This track will have exciting discussions concerning the overall energy marketplace right to how to specifically implement Natural Gas and alternative energy strategies.  The track objectives, as stated in the program:

"Managing a sustainable supply chain is no longer just a "cool" thing to do; it is expected by the consumer and is an extension of the brand and product being sold. This track will highlight best-in-class practices and emerging technologies to reduce your carbon footprint, enhance your corporate image, and positively impact the bottom line"

I highly encourage you to put this on your appointment calendar!

Today, I will highlight the first session we will have which is from 9:45 to 11:15 on Monday, October 1, 2012 entitled: Dispelling the Myths of Energy Independence by Walter Zimmermann, Senior Technical Analyst, United ICAP.  The description of this session is:

"US energy independence is a goal that can never be achieved due to the global nature of the economy and the ability to export energy quickly to the higher priced markets. There is a lot of talk about building a stronger economy while at the same time lowering energy prices. This speaker will explain why we can’t have both, and why the financial markets are what actually drive energy price trends. He will reveal what can be done to lower energy costs, and describe how seasonal price cycles can be employed to lock in prices near their annual lows."

This will be an exciting session as it will challenge a lot of the current thoughts which exist in our industry about how we are on the beginning of a wave of cheap energy and energy independence.  Mr. Zimmermann speaks how the laws of supply and demand are not driving fuel costs but rather the "financialization" of the energy markets are really driving the costs. This session will really challenge you to think different.

Mr. Zimmermann is an exciting and dynamic speaker which will make this session very exciting.  Bring your questions!

If you would like to see him in action, take a look at this clip from CNBC:




Here is a more recent interview: