Some ideas hit you in the middle of a strategy session and some hit you at 30,000 feet. I had just wrapped up consulting for a restaurant supply company, helping them optimize their warehouse operations - flow, slotting, labor planning, all the things that make a building run smoother. I boarded the plane tired, replaying the project in my head.

Somewhere over the country, staring out the window, it clicked: “I should start my own third-party fulfillment company.” Not someday. Not when the timing is right. Now.

That spark turned into a plan. The plan turned into action. And the action turned into a company that grew far beyond the original idea. What started as an idea at cruising altitude became a nationally recognized fulfillment business, with locations on both coasts, a base of incredible clients, and a team that cared as much about operational excellence as I did.

We built it the hard way - with scrappy know-how, real warehouse experience, long nights and weekends, countless process maps, and the relentless belief that great fulfillment is a competitive advantage.

Looking back, it wasn’t luck. It was clarity. It was timing. It was the compounding effect of saying yes to the idea and not talking myself out of it.

Some moments change your career. Some moments change your life. Sometimes, all it takes is a seat on a plane, a problem worth solving, and the courage to build something from scratch.

To anyone sitting on an idea right now: don’t wait for perfect conditions. Start where you are - even if it’s 30,000 feet in the air.

To round out this story: I led that business for nine years before it was acquired. I look back on that time with fondness.

Everyone talks about automation, robotics, WMS platforms, and dashboards - but the real heroes of a warehouse toolkit are far less glamorous, far more critical, and do not show up on the budget deck.

You cannot be a warehouse professional without:

Box cutter - it's an extension of yourself. And while you may lose three a day - you know that being without it is like missing your childhood blanky.

Work Gloves - corrugate cuts make you question your life choices.

Sharpies - for marking, labeling, and occasionally sending passive-aggressive (use first) messages to future-you on inventory you swear you’ll circle back to.

Packing Tape and Tape Gun - like a Taylor Swift drop the soundtrack of a warehouse is just “RRRRIPPP” on repeat.

Fully-Charged Scanner - your work spouse - a confidant, an emotional support device. Without it, you’re wandering the aisles like the new kid trying to find a table at lunch.

Tape Measure - for boxes, pallets, racks, and the 14th time today someone asks, “Will this fit?”

Noise-Canceling Ear Protection - forklifts, tape guns, conveyors - it’s an orchestra out there.

Safety Glasses - you feel cooler wearing them. It’s science.

And the final and most important piece of the toolkit -
A Good Attitude - because fulfillment is fast, physical, a unpredictable.

The best teams stay sharp, stay safe, and keep laughing. Shiny tech helps- but the right gear in the right hands is what really moves product, keeps people safe, and gets orders out the door on time.

What’s the one tool you can’t function without?

Welcome to Supply Chain Therapy Saturday. Have a seat. No, not that seat - like over-allocated inventory - it's taken.

You are in a safe space - go ahead open up. Please share. Because in supply chain, we don’t process emotions - we optimize them.

“Tell me about your relationship with the sales team.”
Of course, they promised another rush order? And you found out after they emailed the customer?
That's sounds like their normal process. How does that make you feel?
Bzzzzzzzz! Incorrect. “Fine” is not a feeling.

“And how’s the relationship between Demand, Supply, and the Warehouse?”
Ahhh inventory is either overstocked, understocked, in-transit or in the process of being relocated?
Very normal. Very healthy.

"How's it going with Traffic?"
I see - lots of tension with carriers and brokers. You don’t trust ETAs anymore?
You shouldn’t. They’ve hurt you too many times.

“Tell me about forecasting.”
hmmmm. Sales forecasted a number they made up in the parking lot but wants a 100% fill rate while finance wants you reducing inventory by 30%?
Deep breath. This is what we call emotional damage!

“How does I.T. make you feel?”
Don’t cry. It’s okay. Get up off the floor and uncurl from the fetal position.
The WMS crashing wasn’t your fault. And no, the ERP isn’t broken. Did you restart your computer?
Wait - Wait - Don't leave.

“Let’s talk order fulfillment.”
You shipped 5,000 orders flawlessly, but the one that was missing was the CEO's friend's dog groomer who is also an influencer?
Your feelings of rage are valid.

“Tell me about organizational communication.”
Marketing launched a surprise promo? Of course they did.
IT pushed an update mid-day? We love those guys.
Leadership wants everything faster with fewer resources?
Sounds like a typical Tuesday.

Thanks for sharing. But please remember - you are the glue holding this circus together. You prevent chaos from becoming catastrophe. You make the impossible look routine. And you do it while repeatedly explaining why lead times are not optional.

Didn't make you feel better? Okay - how about a coffee run?
That's the smile that I was hoping for.

We talk a lot about top-line in business - acquisition - LTV - retention - new channels - new markets - new customers. I would never argue that growth does not matter! A healthy top line can fuel the organization. But somewhere along the way, many organizations forget that revenue is only half of the equation.

The real dollars, the ones that quietly strengthen your P&L, often hide in places that don’t show up on a dashboard. Monitoring expenses exposes the slow leaks - vendor and carrier contracts that haven’t been revisited in years. Freight terms that got rolled over because that’s how we’ve always done it. Service levels that exceed the price being paid. Renewals on auto-pilot. Small inefficiencies repeated over and over again.

Everyone celebrates a big new customer win. Fewer celebrate shaving 5, 6, or 7% off a major contract or consolidating spend to unlock real leverage. But those savings drop to the bottom line immediately - no CAC, no nurturing, no months-long ramp.

Top-line growth fuels the future, but bottom-line discipline funds the runway. Great organizations don’t pick one - they build engines that do both. And in a market where every dollar matters, operational rigor isn’t a constraint on growth - it’s a multiplier of it.

Adaptability and resilience are hard to hire for - but if you have it - you can do amazing things.

One of the most unique projects of my career was standing up a new warehouse inside a cave complex in Valmeyer, IL - and doing it in just six weeks. Yes - a cave and no I am not Batman! Oh and did I mention that it was at the height of the pandemic? And yes - it came with challenges you don’t exactly read about in textbooks.

Launching a facility like this doesn't follow the typical project plan. With six weeks the mandate for purchasing became hardware that can be purchased from Amazon Prime with the exception of tablets that had to meet the military grade standards for freezing temperatures, performance, and durability. The other non-negotiable was cold gear. The team would pick orders in a freezer and we needed the very best gear that allowed them to bend, twist, reach, and use their fingers to pick eaches.

Operating in an underground environment meant we had to rethink airflow, pressure changes, and safety standards from the ground up. Dry ice sublimation isn’t forgiving and proper CO₂ venting was absolutely critical. That meant inventing a CO₂ removal system using a small industrial motor and flexi-tubing (MacGyver would have been proud).

Communication was the next challenge. No cell service. WiFi didn't broadcast far so we had to build in far more overlapping spray points than anticipated. A hardwired solution to fed to an army of boosters, switches, and redundancies.

Finding staff was surprisingly less of a challenge despite the rural location of Valmeyer. We drew from fifty miles away. It helped that it was the height of the pandemic and many were out of work.

Standing it up in six weeks: From layout to staffing - from equipment to safety audits - from process design to go-live - the team executed with speed and precision under conditions most people would call impossible.
This wasn’t just a warehouse launch - it was a masterclass in adaptability, cross-functional coordination, and operational creativity.

When people talk about supply chain being unpredictable, this is what they mean.

You can’t plan for the Bat Cave. You can only build teams capable of tackling whatever shows up. And that’s what made this one unforgettable.

In CPG, the game isn’t just about great products or strong retail wins. A critical area is managing the cash flow gap between making a product and finally getting paid for it.

If you can handle the due diligence, turning to Asset-Based Loans (ABL's) as a proactive cash flow strategy can be a good option.

Inventory ties up cash but an ABL gives you a means to free that cash. You have to buy ingredients, packaging, and pay co-manufacturers before revenue hits. An ABL turns that inventory into borrowing power, putting cash back into the system when you need it most.

Retailer payment terms slow cash to a crawl. It's not uncommon for Net 30 to become Net 45 - Net 60 - Net “whenever AP gets to it.” ABL's convert outstanding receivables into immediate working capital, smoothing out the long waits that drain momentum.

Growth makes cash flow tighter before unclogging the cycle. Larger purchase orders mean more production, more logistics, more spend and greater time before collections catch up.

An ABL can expand with your borrowing base, giving you cash flow capacity when you need it. Cash flow shouldn’t be a guessing game. ABL's provide reliable access to capital tied directly to your real assets. There is no waiting for equity rounds or rigid term loans that don’t flex with your business.

The fastest-growing CPG brands aren’t the ones with the most demand - they are the ones with the strongest cash flow strategy. A well-designed ABL turns existing assets into a steady, dependable engine for growth, stability, and opportunity.

In CPG, the game isn’t just about great products or strong retail wins. A critical area is managing the cash flow gap between making a product and finally getting paid for it.

If you can handle the due diligence, turning to Asset-Based Loans (ABL's) as a proactive cash flow strategy can be a good option.

Inventory ties up cash but an ABL gives you a means to free that cash. You have to buy ingredients, packaging, and pay co-manufacturers before revenue hits. An ABL turns that inventory into borrowing power, putting cash back into the system when you need it most.

Retailer payment terms slow cash to a crawl. It's not uncommon for Net 30 to become Net 45 - Net 60 - Net “whenever AP gets to it.” ABL's convert outstanding receivables into immediate working capital, smoothing out the long waits that drain momentum.

Growth makes cash flow tighter before unclogging the cycle. Larger purchase orders mean more production, more logistics, more spend and greater time before collections catch up.

An ABL can expand with your borrowing base, giving you cash flow capacity when you need it. Cash flow shouldn’t be a guessing game. ABL's provide reliable access to capital tied directly to your real assets. There is no waiting for equity rounds or rigid term loans that don’t flex with your business.

The fastest-growing CPG brands aren’t the ones with the most demand - they are the ones with the strongest cash flow strategy. A well-designed ABL turns existing assets into a steady, dependable engine for growth, stability, and opportunity.

Yesterday, I joked about my love/hate relationship with meetings. Like a Facebook status - it's complicated. And to be clear - I do believe meetings can be valuable. But let’s be honest - most of them are time-sucking (soul-sucking) exercises in productivity cosplay. So today, instead of venting, I want to share practical ways to make meetings more effective.

1. Should the meeting exist? "We are meeting to review the weekly metrics." Really? Isn't there a dashboard or file that you can review?

2. Purpose - my all-time favorite - meetings to just meet drives me crazy. Who has time for that? Identify the purpose and if there isn't one then there's no reason to meet.

3. Participation - who really needs to be there? I've seen this one a lot - entire departments pulled together for a meeting in which only two people participate.

4. What's the expected outcome? I was looking at a recent meeting that had 20 bullet points as an agenda. Reality is that the entire meeting could have been handled in emails and chat messages.

5. Preparation - having a clear agenda/expected outcome ahead of time allows those participating to prepare. Nothing worse than sitting in a meeting and there's a two minute pause while someone is searching for information.

6. Hijacking and rabbit holes - we've all been in meetings where the meeting agenda is hijacked for topics that were not part of the agenda. Or we deep dive into a topic that is not relevant. Avoid at all costs.

7. Decisions - endless discussion which leads to a regroup or another meeting is the enemy. Make decisions.

8. Action items and timelines - Once a decision is made decide on the actions items, timelines, and ownership.

9. Recap - recap the discussion, action items, timelines, and ownership.

10. Celebrate - congrats you survived another meeting.

Meetings don't have to be the villain. If they must exist, they need to earn their place on the calendar.

If I had one wish (and rubbing a lamp actually worked), I’d wish for fewer meetings.

Not because I don’t value collaboration - I do. But because most meetings don’t actually collaborate. They review what we already know, rehash what we’ve already said, and eat up the time we could spend actually solving problems. I’ve seen entire days vanish into calendars full of alignment sessions that somehow leave everyone less aligned.

Here’s what I’ve learned:
Most meetings exist because someone’s afraid to make a decision.
Half the people don’t need to be there.
The other half are multitasking.
The person afraid of making the decision finally makes one and wants validation.
And the real decisions happen after the meeting.

I think in terms of dollars. A standing weekly hour long meeting with six people at an average wage of x shows up on the financials in the obvious wage categories - but what doesn't is the lost opportunity cost. Did we actually need six people to come to the conclusion that a spreadsheet needs to be updated? Did we need six people to come to the conclusion that we need to regroup?

Imagine if half our meetings were replaced with clear communication, better prep, and trust that people can execute without constant check-ins.
That’s a wish worth making.

When meetings turn into thinking about the work instead of actually doing the work - we increase the risk for failure.

I have been fortunate to mentor a lot of people in my career. More often than not the common theme that I find is that the person doesn't know their value. They lack confidence because of years of being told that they are not enough, not given the chance to show they are more, and they start accepting the value placed on them.

Let's be blunt - if you do not know your own value, the world will discount you. Not out of ill intent but out of convenience.

When you underestimate yourself - you carry teams without credit - you fix problems in the shadows - you accept roles that are not challenging - you let the loudest voice (not the smartest voice) speak for you.

When you recognize your worth - game over! You stop chasing the approval of others - you stop over-explaining your competence - you stop accepting being tolerated instead of being valued.

Knowing your value doesn't make you arrogant. It makes you accurate! It sharpens your standards - forces people to rise to your level - it establishes the criteria for your decisions.

Power doesn't come when others validate you. It shows up when you validate yourself!

Early in my career, blame was important to me.

If something went wrong, I wanted to know who did it. I wanted to know why they did. I'd march them into my office. I'd tear them down. I'd add another meeting. I'd add a meeting about the meeting. I'd undermine them in the meeting. I'd add a new SOP. I'd add another person to watch over them. I'd make sarcastic comments - "I know that you are not going to do xxx again, are you?" I gave out blame medals like Oprah gave out cars - You get blame! You get blame! Everyone gets blame!

And then I woke up! I was playing the role of victim when in fact I cast myself as a jackass. I would give anything to go back and correct my ways! But instead I'm left with this post (after having apologized to those people a long time ago).

What I learned was that while I was busy assigning blame, my team was updating resumes; they no longer trusted; they stopped communicating; they were giving up on me the way that I gave up on them.

It was when I Founded my first business that I woke up. I learned that leadership is not theater. It's not using time on what went wrong. It's instead about overcoming challenges, solving problems, teaching others how to do the same, motivating the team, saying thank you for what they did right and coaching on what could be improved. It was about being the leader that my team needed when things did fall apart. The person that rushed to help. That fixed things. And that gave a high five when we course corrected.

The best leaders don't weaponize accountability- they build trust.

“So what do you do for a living?”
“Oh, you know… I ship boxes.”

I've given the same answer for years. I ship boxes. Sometimes pallets. Sometimes truckloads. Sometimes containers. But for the most part - I ship boxes. And I LOVE shipping them too. It doesn't matter what is in them or their size or their shape. (btw...one of my talents is the ability to make a box from a sheet of cardboard in under a minute).

The long version?
I manage a complex supply chain, calm chaos disguised as “last-minute customer requests,” and somehow turn trucks, warehouses, and spreadsheets into happy customers.

“I ship boxes” really means:
I solve problems no one sees.
I connect systems that don’t want to talk to each other.
I make sure your favorite brand actually shows up when you click “Buy Now.”

Because behind every marketing campaign, every DTC drop, every retail launch - someone somewhere is literally just trying to make sure the box ships.

So yeah, I ship boxes. But those boxes? They keep the business alive.

Do you know someone else that just ships boxes? Tag them in the comments!

When people think about sales growth in foodservice, they usually picture the front line - account managers, customer relationships, and menu placements. But the real growth engine often starts behind the scenes - in operations.

Strong operations can make or break the foodservice channel. The reasons are quite simple - reliability builds trust, flexibility wins deals, and transparency creates alignment.

Seasonal surges can turn a “maybe” into a “yes.” Communication on stock position and planning is a must. Distributors and operators remember the brands that deliver on time, in full, and without surprises.

Tight inventory turns, optimized routing, and reduced waste keep costs low - freeing up investment for innovation and customer programs.

Clear communication between supply chain, customer service, and sales builds confidence - internally and externally.

Foodservice success isn’t just about selling - it’s about executing flawlessly once the order is won. When operations and sales work as one team, customers notice. That’s how you move from being a vendor to being a trusted partner.

Several times a week, year round, I review weather forecasts. I'm looking at hurricane trackers, extreme temperature, tornado alerts, flood warnings, wild fire reports, winter storm warnings, highway closings, and anything else that could cause disruption.

It’s amazing how a little rain, snow, or heat wave can remind us who’s really in charge of the supply chain. We’ve got AI, machine learning, and predictive analytics - but one storm front, and suddenly we’re back to spreadsheets and phone calls.

Weather doesn’t care about your service level agreements. It doesn’t care about your quarterly targets. It just tests how resilient your operation really is. How fast you can respond and shift your best intentions.

Technology helps, but adaptability wins. There's no substitute for experience. Because in this business, it’s not about predicting the storm - it’s about building a team that can still deliver in the middle of it.

It’s easy to spot the reactionary leader. They live in firefighting mode - always fixing symptoms instead of causes. When inventory runs short, they chase a vendor. When a truck is late, they chase the carrier. When costs rise, they chase the buyer.

But the real leader steps back and asks, “Why does this keep happening?” Reactionary leaders solve today’s crisis. Transformational leaders solve the system that caused it. Progress doesn’t come from panic - it comes from patterns.

"But What Do I Know?"

Early in my career, I'd use this phrase with the utmost sarcasm attached to it. The boss that overstepped just a little to far into an area that I was the subject matter expert in. It was my coping mechanism. It was more of a statement of - "you hired me to do a job that I'm good at and then micro-manage the tasks in a way that slows progress. But what do I know?"

As my career progressed, I realized that it was more of an arrogance on my part to think that I knew the answers - to not take the thoughts of another - or to discount the experiences that others had. "I've seen this 100 times and you think you know better? But what do I know?"

That self-reflection led to a change in me. Or perhaps I had matured (or likely not but perhaps I am a bit wiser). Sometimes I share a perspective and then catch myself thinking, “But what do I know?” The truth is - that phrase has power. It’s a reminder to stay humble, stay curious, and to keep learning. It's part of my own process of looking at challenges, situations, experiences with a fresh set of eyes. To flip the conventional on its head. To lean on what I know but look for what I do not. None of us have all the answers. We just have experiences, lessons, and scars that shape how we see the world.

So here’s to sharing ideas - not because we’re certain, but because we care enough to keep the conversation going. But what do I know?

In the world of CPG and retail, compliance doesn’t usually make headlines until something goes wrong. Yet it’s one of the most important factors that separates brands that thrive from those that struggle to stay on the shelf.

Compliance today goes far beyond just labeling and packaging. It’s about:

- On-time, in-full (OTIF) performance - meeting retailer scorecards consistently.

- Accurate data - clean product specs, GTIN accuracy, and EDI alignment.

- Packaging and sustainability standards - as retailers push for greener supply chains.

- Regulatory readiness - from USDA, FDA and FTC updates to state-specific requirements.

For brands, the challenge is that every retailer and sometimes every category - plays by a slightly different set of rules. And that means success depends on discipline and visibility across the supply chain. The best CPG teams treat compliance as a strategic capability, not a box to check. They invest in the right systems, build strong retail partnerships, and make compliance part of their brand promise.

In today’s retail environment, compliance isn’t just about avoiding chargebacks - it’s about protecting relationships, reputation, and revenue.

During my career, I have witnessed incredible leadership at all levels of organizations. From a forklift operator averting a warehouse crisis to customer service team members advocating for the voice of the customer to the operations manager meeting his team where they were most effectively influenced. I'd argue that influence is a key component of leadership. Influence isn’t about titles - it’s about trust.

Some of the most effective people I’ve ever worked with didn’t have formal authority. They didn’t manage big teams or have an executive title. But they knew how to influence. They asked the right questions. They listened before they spoke. They built relationships across the organization - and earned trust one conversation at a time.

Influencing without authority is a quiet skill that drives real progress. It’s what moves projects forward when resources are tight, priorities compete, and everyone’s pulling in different directions. Because people don’t follow job titles - they follow people they trust.

If you can communicate clearly, show consistency, and connect genuinely, your influence will reach far beyond your role.

The best supply chains don’t just move products - they create customer success stories. Behind every on-time delivery, every accurately filled order, and every proactive communication sits a team quietly shaping the customer experience.

Supply chain isn’t just about logistics, planning, or cost efficiency - it’s about trust. It’s about ensuring that when a customer makes a promise to their end user, we make sure they can keep it.

When operations are aligned with customer needs, every decision - from sourcing to final mile - becomes a reflection of how much we value that relationship. At the end of the day, customer success is built on operational excellence. And operational excellence is built on people who understand that their daily actions ripple all the way to the customer’s experience.

Supply chain isn’t behind the scenes - it’s the backbone of customer success.