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Supply Chain Now
How AI Is Transforming Supply Chain Jobs, Skills, and the Future Workforce
00:43:20
In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott W. Luton welcomes special guest co-host Marina Mayer, Content Director of Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive and Co-Founder of the Women in Supply Chain Forum, for a wide-ranging conversation on how AI is actually reshaping global supply chains, manufacturing, and the workforce behind them. Marina unpacks data showing the AI in logistics and supply chain market is set to grow from just over $20 billion to nearly $196 billion by 2034, and explains why the real driver isn't AI adoption itself but companies learning to target it to the specific parts of the business where it belongs. From there, the two dig into a 2026 AI Skills Enterprise Benchmark from Workera, revealing that manufacturers committed to structured upskilling are hitting 79% workforce readiness scores, and why employee confidence, not just capability, is the missing piece in so many transformation efforts.
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- [00:00]
A
The one true thing that I hear the most is, well, I incorporated it into my business and now what it's like you have to take a step back and figure out where the AI is actually necessary in your business and then you start there. And everybody I've talked to, that's what they continue to say.
- [00:17]
B
Welcome to Supply Chain now the number one voice of supply chain. Join us as we share critical news, key insights and real supply chain leadership from across the globe. One conversation at a time. Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening wherever you may be. Scott Luton and very special guest co host Marina Mayer with you here on Supply Chain now. Welcome to today's show. Hey Marina, how you doing?
- [00:41]
A
Good, how are you? Thank you so much for having me again.
- [00:44]
B
Well, we had to, you know, you're, you're in popular demand ever since you joined us a couple of times at events on the Buzz and, and we had to work fast and furiously through your agent to get you booked. You know, one of the, out of all the times we've we connected out out across industry, I really enjoyed me and you and Tangeri Bellamy getting together on an addition of the Buzz and it's great to have you back.
- [01:12]
A
Well, thank you for having me.
- [01:14]
B
So but you know what, me and you got a lot of work to do. We're diving into a variety of news and perspectives here today from how manufacturers are upscaling or upskilling, maybe in upscaling, maybe their workforce and how that's paying off to building the next generation of the supply chain workforce to the continued explosion of AI across global industry, to one of my favorite topics, putting AI in the hands of human team members at the edge to drive better decision making. All that and much, much more. Stay tuned folks for a fascinating discussion. And Marina, I know you stay busy. It's great to have you back. But most folks will recognize you as content director of food logistics and at supply and demand chain executive as well as co founder of the Women in supply chain forum. But we've got our work cut out for us on a great show here today, huh?
- [02:05]
A
Yes, I'm very excited.
- [02:07]
B
So folks stick around for an outstanding conversation that's going to offer up tons of actual insights by the container load. But this is where I want to start. Marina, we were comparing notes. So between the two of us, I think we've got 57 kids but feels like it some days feel like it. You've got a couple, we've got three here in the Luton household and we were kind of compare notes around sports mom or sports? Dad. Logistics. So, Marina, tell us, because you've got. Your two kids are in like 27 sports. Tell us about how the logistics have to work.
- [02:43]
A
I. It is a tight ship. My daughter's in softball, and she does a softball camp through the high school as well because it's summertime. My son is also in baseball and does flag football as well. I was telling you offline, our only free day that we don't have anything is Monday. And I'm not sure if I need to clean the house or just sit and stare at the wall. And it's. The jury's still out on that, but it's. It is a lot. And it takes, you know, all hands on deck. It takes a village. I mean, there's times when I need to miss a game to drive a child to practice. It helps. My. My husband is an assistant coach for the baseball side of my son and the flag football side of my son, so he's kind of like overtaken that side. And so I'm in charge of my daughter. But there are times when it conflicts. And so I have a very lengthy Google Doc that literally outlines where everybody is going to be at what time. And it seems to have worked. This is the second year we did it, and it seems to keep everybody on schedule. So I highly recommend a shared document between all the family members, including the kids that, you know, both my kids have cell phones. They have access to Google. So like, you know, it kind of helps them manage stuff too, so they know when to be ready. And I highly recommend. But yeah, sports, us sports. Parents have to stick together.
- [04:09]
B
Oh, we do. We do. And sounds like maybe we. We. We take your. Your planning system, we add some bells and whistles, and we roll it out with some AI and sell a new platform. How's that sound, Marina?
- [04:21]
A
I'm on board. And include, like, reminders of don't forget your water bottle and don't forget your cleats. And is your bag actually in the car that you're going in?
- [04:32]
B
You just took a sneak peek of our life here. You know, our three kids. My son's playing out, trying out, or he. I guess he's playing football. I guess they've already made the team for the first time ever. So exciting. Summer practice, like from 8 to noon. My middle daughter Gracie is playing volleyball. She loves volleyball. We'd had a game last night. And then Brantley, our oldest, who's soon to be a senior, is all about cheerleading. She's been cheerleading for a long time. Competitive cheering and we stay busy. But you know, I wouldn't have any other way, right? Life is meant to be busy. And I tell you, between kids. But also, Marina, global supply chain keeps us pretty busy too, huh?
- [05:18]
A
It definitely does. Something.
- [05:22]
B
Always something, always something. And I'm so glad to always compare notes with you. You're a wonderful reporter and analyst of our industry and you are constantly turning out folk perspective and insights and news that folks can't miss. So I'm stealing a little bit, Marina, from some of your recent articles as we've kind of teed up our discussion here today. And where I want to start is I think this, this piece here is a bit of a table setter for today's discussion as we talk about the continued explosion of the AI across industry. Now Marina, you published data recently that quantifies this explosion of growth and investment and change. I think you reported that Global Market Insight says that AI and logistics and supply chain is set to grow from its current market value of just over $20 billion. Get ready folks. To over $196 billion by 2034. Tell us more, Marina.
- [06:21]
A
So they're attributing that. And for the record, everybody can go to sdcexec.com to find that article along with some other things that we post on this topic. But they're crediting that to specific AI enabled solutions. So anything that's predictive, anything that's automated, anything that's autonomous, anything that's adaptable. And why that's important is because there's been several companies that I talked to and you know, they, they deal with AI. They either deal with it as a customer or they deal with it as the developer. And the one true thing that I hear the most is, well, I incorporated it into my business and now what it's like, you have to take a step back and figure out where the AI is actually necessary in your business and then you start there. And everybody I've talked to, that's what they continue to say. There are many AI developers and software solution providers that I talk to that say my solution is not for your entire company, it's just for a section of your company. It's just designed to do just this. Once you do just that, then it kind of transforms how you operate as a company in other areas. It's like a domino effect. So I think that's really what the growth attribute has to do with because you know, there's something to be said for automation, there's something to be said for human workforce. And I think a Lot of companies are really trying to showcase and prove. I need both. I need humans, but I also need AI and I need the humans to run the AI.
- [07:50]
B
You know, it's so true. And you know, your comments remind me of two thoughts. First off, kind of you're calling out some of the specific drivers behind the growth. I think you reported on real time supply chain visibility, optimized route planning, accurate demand forecasting and automation and warehouses as some examples, folks. But number two, to your broader point there, the a lot of the conversations we've had this year here in 2026 have been on, okay, we're past the AI hype, we're past the AI pilots we have. We've figured out how to be more targeted and how we incorporated or bake it kind of more into how we do business, which I find intriguing as well. But we are kind of spinning around how to scale it, right. Especially some of the larger organizations. And I think as we continue to correct that part of that current dilemma, that's going to be rocket fuel to approach that $200, you know, some $200 billion number by 2034. I bet we get there before 2034. What do you think?
- [08:56]
A
I do agree with that. I mean I think the last three, five years from COVID have are kind of a good example of how fast and how quickly things can change in the supply chain space, especially with regards to technology. And so I think that's just a very loose date. I wouldn't be surprised if we beat that by like 2030.
- [09:18]
B
I'm with. Hey, I'm with you. I like how you think and I think, I think one last thought there. I think the compounding value of a variety of technologies. I mean imagine, you know, the quantum era. We were, we've been reporting on that a good bit here lately. We have so many things we're on the verge of and once they start working together and once we get really a lot more use cases out there, a lot more experience of better targeting, better framing, better quantifying the value and the why we use in the business, getting more pilots and then cracking that scale code. I'm with you. It might be 2030, might be 2029, who knows. But, but I wanted to, you mentioned something. I want to make sure. So folks, that article, you can read a lot more@sdc exec.com is that right? Marina?
- [10:09]
A
Correct.
- [10:10]
B
And folks, when you go over there, you better be ready. You need to go ahead and subscribe because Mar. Marina, how many, how many news stories are you publishing? A week these days it's got to be a bunch of them.
- [10:21]
A
Yeah, I think we average about 10 to 12 a day. And that's not including contributed content or anything like that. It's just straight up news. But that also goes to prove all of the stuff that's going on in the industry, all the developments, all of the innovation. Because when I get bombarded with these emails, then I know that people are doing their jobs. You know, people are creating and innovating things. And so the supply chain space is moving.
- [10:49]
B
It is, it is. Okay, so speaking of moving, I want to move over to one of our favorite industries, at least one of my favorite industries, and that's the manufacturing sector. Right. I've been really enjoyed the time I've spent as a practitioner in that space. I really miss a lot of the people that we would problem solve and grow and innovate with. It's a very special part of our global business world. Recently you published an article on supply and demand chain executive that offered findings from a recent study by. I think it's workera. I say that right. Okay, so workara, our friends at Workera entitled the 2026 AI Skills Enterprise Benchmark. And one key finding that I think is really good news is that manufacturers that are committed to structured upskilling more than just know throwing money and time. Right. And, and lip service at it, but really are structuring how they upskill. Well, they're at achieving, according to their data, 79% readiness scores. Which means if you were like, okay, that's great, but what does that mean?
- [11:51]
A
Right?
- [11:51]
B
Well, that means they're more prepared than many are out there for workforce transformation. And if we know anything going back to that first story, we know that technology, tariffs, geopolitics, all these crushing factors are transforming not only the jobs and the work themselves, but the workforce. Marina, tell us more.
- [12:14]
A
So you touched on it. Precisely. But I think another bullet point from that piece of research that's important is that 59% of those people interviewed also show confidence in their employees with an AI enabled future. And I think there's two sides to the coin here. There's people who say, yes, I can use AI and I understand it and I'll implement it. And then there's the people who truly feel confident using it and working with it, because for some time there were many companies and many workers, especially in manufacturing, who said, oh, I'm never. There goes my job, you know, and that's really just truly not the case. But then you have this benchmark that shows not only are they using it and adopting it, that they feel comfortable as an employee using it and working alongside it. And I think that that just goes with the upskilling part of it because you're taking true veterans in your organization that have the tribal knowledge of your company, your product, how things operate, and they're working alongside AI to kind of maybe streamline their processes and continue to grow within the company. And I think that that is just so important for companies to kind of tackle onto.
- [13:28]
B
That's right. You know, it's not to oversimplify, but as I think through my own professional journey and I think through some of the different training I've received and onboarding I've received and those that are really invested in that and help me because I'm a slow learner sometimes. Let me face it, Marina, I'm not the fastest thinker out there and doer out there, but those organizations that really invested until the light bulb went off for me, that gives anybody, gave me a lot of confidence then to go and apply it and go be successful in my role. And that's kind of one of the things I'm hearing. You should you say it's not, it's not good enough these days, especially with, with some of the things we've got to learn to pencil, wick, pencil, whip, a list or a checklist. Right. We've got to invest, make sure it's sticking. In some cases, like with me, it's going to take a couple times of showing, teaching, explaining. But that confidence you're speaking of, that's what helps move mountains and serves as foundations for layering on more tool, new tools, new, new training and whatnot. Huh?
- [14:35]
A
Well, and the confidence part is so key because you're kind of giving the, that those employees the ability to kind of improve and show and you're showing as a leader in your company, we really want you to stay and stick around and be a part of our organization for the future. And I think that that speaks volumes for a lot of these companies that are utilizing AI for an upskilling purpose, because you are showcasing that. And I, I just think it's important.
- [15:02]
B
I'm with you, but I'm g. See if Marina agrees with me here. For all of you folks out there that you're kind of, you're kind of processing this update as that team member, it's really important. Nothing's guaranteed in this life. And, and for the folks that raise their hand and volunteer, they want to learn new things and apply new things, there's going to be so much opportunity, not just now, but moving forward. However, comma, if you like to do the same thing over and over again and you really don't like change or learning new things, it's gonna be, it's gonna be, in my view, it's gonna be more challenging. Marina, would you generally agree with that?
- [15:40]
A
I completely agree. And you know, as somebody, I mean, we, we both are in, you know, the journalism field of sorts. And you know, I come from a very print centric background. I'm gonna show my age here a little bit. So some of these, you know, I hire these new young journalists who come on board and they're like, oh, you know, what about this? What about this? And it's scary, it's frightening. It's like, what in the world is this? I like the way that I'm doing it, but you know, you have to kind of almost step, take that step back and go, okay, teach me, show me everything. Just so I understand what I'm up against as, as a human being in this, in this organization. And sometimes there are really good technologies and solutions out there that really do help your, your team and they help what you do for your job and they just kind of help move the needle in a lot of ways. So I know it's scary, but you know, you gotta face, you gotta face it.
- [16:34]
B
Hey, we gotta keep it real. We gotta keep it real as we always do. All right, so let's stick with workforce for a minute. And again folks, on that last story, you can go visit the whole, read the whole findings from that, that research piece. Visit over at SDC for supply demand chain exec dot com. SDC ex exec dot com. Okay, so sticking with workforce as a big theme, but kind of broadening out a bit because I, when I say when, I don't know about you, but when I say supply chain, I mean that very holistically, where manufacturing is part of that. Right? Let's see. You, you and I both were. Marina, you were at Modex too, right? Or were you in Vegas that week? I thought so. Well, you, you and me and 50, 000 others were at Modex, right? So I was able to sit down and chat with My dear friend Dr. Stephanie Thomas, who's doing big things at the University of Arkansas at their top ranked supply chain management program. But she also founded and leads a group called wise, which is a terrific organization that engages, empowers and connects students interested in supply chain. Not just at University of Arkansas, but I think several dozen universities and Colleges, which is really cool. So I want to continue a theme from that last article because Stephanie mentioned, and she's in a unique position, class in, class out, year in, year out, plus all the hiring managers coming on campus, she's in a unique position. She mentioned how organizations are not only struggling to adopt emerging technologies, which some more than others, but they're also struggling in terms of how to prepare their workforce for the continued transformation ahead. Right. And so when I think about that continued transformation in my mind, I think of bullet points from my buddy Paul Noble's recent piece in Forbes where he cited KPMG research called risk management and resilience emerge as key concern for supply chain leaders. And get this, Marina, KPMG Data shows that 73% of businesses are said to be planning a comprehensive transformation of their supply chain operating model within the next one to three years. 73%. That number is up from 11% the year prior. So when I say, and when we talk about continued transformation ahead, there's not gonna be any shortage of it, folks. That's why it's so important to follow Marina's advice a minute ago and lean in or lean into this environment we're in. So two of the things I'll get you to get your thoughts here too, Marina. Stephanie mentioned that organizations, beyond those challenges, organizations everywhere also have another big problem. They've got to be more intentional about talent and hiring, recruiting, interviewing, getting back to the candidates. Right. Moving with some velocity there. And then lastly, she pointed out what she see and what she sees when it comes to students adopting AI tools and tech faster than, than educators and employers alike. Now you were kind of mentioning this earlier. That's going to be really interesting to see the push to do things better or differently that young talent coming in the industry will continue to deliver. I think it's going to be interesting for us. But Marina, your thoughts on any of those topics?
- [19:56]
A
I think there's two sides to this. There's the one side where companies who are doing the hiring employee AI and maybe not necessarily in the right ways because I feel like it weeds out people that, you know, have skills that maybe are being overlooked. And I think that's important for a lot of these young professionals and, and those that are trying to hire young professionals because it's, it's, you don't have that human connection. You don't have that little bitty piece in their resume that speaks out, oh well, that would work well with this situation. So maybe they actually would be a fit, even though their actual previous titles and companies don't match up. So I think that's where AI kind of puts us at a disadvantage. But at the same time, I do feel, you know, with the article that you had shared, you know, from this, I think the thing that's important is that a lot of these young professionals already know AI. They don't need to learn it, they know it. So they are, they have the upper hand. They're coming into companies saying, I already know all this stuff, Just put me in the spot and I'll run with it. And that's a huge advantage for a lot of these young professionals because a lot of these companies still don't have it figured out, or, you know, they're scared to implement it, or they just don't fully understand how to use it to their advantage. And so, you know, everybody wants to jump on the AI bandwagon again. But then once you're on, it's like, well, what do I do now?
- [21:29]
B
You know, it's, it's such an interesting observation that you and Stephanie both have, because the generations that are coming into industry now, and this is a generalization, but for the sake of conversation, since they are so digitally native and technology native, they certainly, it seems like to me at least, are there is easier for them to. And I'm thinking about three kids, it's easier for them to process how something works, why something works, how to learn it, and then how to jump in and use it. And it's such an interesting superpower of theirs to observe that once. I mean, I think when I think of the, the ever faster pace of business velocity and certainly in supply chain, this has got to be one, one of the greatest tailwinds, huh?
- [22:19]
A
Yeah, well, and I just look at it, you know, you just look at the general public and even your own kids, you know, we bring home something that's electronic, has electronic behind it. My kids haven't figured out in two seconds. I'm still sitting here trying to figure out what the remote does. And then they're like, well, you don't need the remote. Here's me. Like, what do you mean? You know, and again, I'm aging myself, but again, it's this, this younger generation, you know, they were, they were trained in school to use certain technology to learn and, and do their work and turn in assignments. And it's, it's not the same thing, but they have the advantage. They bring that skill set that isn't learned. They already have it. So all they need to do is just learn how the company operates and Go from there.
- [23:07]
B
It's true. And, you know, it will definitely what I've heard from a variety, you know, we, we do a show focused on the now generation, because these folks that you and I both are speaking about, they're already making their impact. Made. So when I say next generation, that feels kind of weird to me. So we, we went with now generation. And, you know, these folks from, from my observations and conversations, they don't want to work with companies that are doing it like 1986. They want to work with companies that are really leaning into this, this incredible golden age of supply chain tech, number one. And then number two, as Stephanie mentioned, you know, and as you touched on your last response, it's not just the workforce and the field or the industry transforming how we instruct and teach these generations as they come through our, you know, undergraduate programs or even the graduate programs. That's having to evolve as well. You know, that is, that's remarkable. We're living in a state of constant transformation. Marina?
- [24:13]
A
Well, and I think the thing to note is that there is that generational divide. You know, the baby boomers, they worked because they needed a job. They didn't care if they liked it. They just knew that they had to have a job. This generation, your millennials, Millennials, Jelani, I don't even know what they are anymore. I lose track. But all of these very much younger individuals that are entering the workforce, they want a job that's exciting and fulfilling and where they matter and they make a difference. And so when you bring somebody in and say, I love your skill set, can I use it? Here's how you can help. That's exciting to these young people. And I think that's something to note. I mean, I, my motto is always hire people who are smarter than me. And, you know, I hire young. I have a millennial on my staff. She's my hardest worker, but she's excited. She, I have a new project. Would you like to be my guinea pig? Great. Love it. So, you know, it's just, that's what I think companies need to keep an eye on. You know, everybody says, oh, millennials don't work. This generation doesn't want to work. Yeah, they don't want to work for a job that they don't like. That's not what we're dealing with right now.
- [25:23]
B
That's right. The purpose, big picture, impact. These are things that I pick up. Common themes I pick up from my conversations. Like, you're, you're pointing to. All right, so, folks, there's More to that conversation with Dr. Stephanie Thomas. Venture over to supply chain now.com and you'll find it in our resource hub. All right, so I want to go back to some of your reporting and we're going to dial it in on the mid market or at least some of the things that mid sized businesses are priority, priority prioritizing or maybe some things they should be prioritizing. You recently published an interesting read in Supply and Demand Chain Executive that really explores this topic. So Marina, tell us more.
- [26:03]
A
So it's an article or actually a study from American Express that surveyed mid sized businesses. And what we found is that they're prioritizing AI to help manage their expenses. And what is cool about that is it's not just their expenses. For certain companies, it's detecting fraud. It's categorizing receipt data. It's trying to find where there's gaps and holes in the system where money is just going down the drain and the AI is helping them figure that out so that these businesses can recur some of those expenses back as revenue.
- [26:41]
B
You know, a couple of data points from your article there that I think resonated with me is 88% of the businesses from the research agree that their company's future growth depends on getting a better handle on employee spending. Right. But you know, when it comes to better managing employee spending, you know, we're using tons and tons of different apps and tools and probably some spreadsheets and more and some, and some, you know, innovative apps and stuff. But also 92% from the same research say that their business is making efforts to consolidate tools this year, which I think is a no brainer because I think there's a lot of, there's a lot of low hanging fruit there, Marina.
- [27:27]
A
And I think that was my favorite part of the entire survey response because you know, for the past three, four years, companies are implementing this and they're implementing this and it's doing different things but people don't really fully understand what it's doing. And it's like at the end of the day you just want an all in one. You just want all of these to sync up so they can speak to each other and help you efficiently run your business. And so I think that that's part of the, out of the entire survey. That was to me the most exciting part of the responses.
- [27:59]
B
Yep. And I got one more nugget that stood out because that I love, I'm a big data factoid nerd and I love how you incorporate that in a lot of your, your reporting data driven observations from the same research by American Express that Marina reported on, 40% of companies aren't using AI in their efforts to better manage these expenses. And that of course, is another big, big, low hanging fruit. So we'll see how that evolves, huh?
- [28:26]
A
And I'm hoping, you know, a lot of these mid sized businesses, you know, they're kind of, they get stuck in the crosshairs. You know, they don't have enough money to kind of push the needle, but they're not small enough where they're scrapped for money. So whatever money is laying around, they are using to innovate. But you know, if they would just kind of maybe dig their heels in a little bit more in certain technologies, I think that they could kind of grow a little bit faster.
- [28:51]
B
Yep, no doubt, no doubt. All right, so we got a lot more to get to here today, a couple more things. And Marina, again, a pleasure to have you back. I want to revisit one more conversation that we enjoyed at Modex. And folks, if Modex and Promat is not on your radar, I've, I've reconnected with Marina at the last two Mode X's and Promats and usually Promat is bigger than Modex, but Modex is growing fast. Again, over 50,000 people in Atlanta at Modex in. What was that? March? March this year? Is that right?
- [29:25]
A
April, but yeah.
- [29:29]
B
All right. Anyway, I met with Andre Lush with Zebra Technologies for very interesting conversation. And my favorite part, other than Andre loves to competitively race dragon boats, which is fascinating, but my favorite part is how he was talking to me about how Zebra works to empower Frontline workers with AI and real time intelligence directly in the palms of their hand via the devices. And he mentioned how we can do a much better job of putting timely information into the hands of workers that are deciding things right there in the moment. Like what truck does a certain pallet need to go into or what shipper or you name it. Frontline AI is what is kind of how we were referencing it. I think it's what Zebra calls it. And I love this growing movement to put actionable, practical technology on the floor and at the edge of our organizations to help our help make our workforce's days easier and more successful. He also referenced how similar approaches can help. You know, we're going back to, we were talking earlier about onboarding and hiring, all that stuff. We talked about how similar approaches can help the training curve for new hires. Right? How can we bring those down from say, 30 to 45 days, which is probably a decent average, you know, depending on your role, to perhaps maybe a couple days, maybe even a few hours. Right. Faster onboarding, less frustration, increased success. Sign me up for all of that. So, Marina, maybe you too, your thoughts on any of that from our conversation
- [31:07]
A
with Andre, I mean, I completely agree with that. There's been so much research on how companies who are in the hiring and onboarding process, how much money they are spending just on that small section of their business, and you have to think every time somebody quits or you have to fire them and replace them, how much money you're actually spending, people think, oh, it's just their salary. But it's not. There's so much that goes into it. So streamlining anything with AI to get somebody onboard faster, because at the end of the day, these people want to be onboarded faster. They don't. I mean, the training process for everybody is just so grueling. I mean, you meet all these new people, here's all these new processes, and then day three, you're like, what in the world did I just learn? So. So if you have something in the palm of your hands and to go back to that other thing with, with the palm of your hands, there's so much disruption in today's day and age. And so one little move or decision can impact a flurry of decision making after you. And so if they have that assistance in their hand that helps them, that really just expedites the process to they get to a point of recovery before they're even disrupted.
- [32:18]
B
You know, it's so true. And kind of the broader point you're speaking to there is, you know, we're going back to decision making, optimizing decision making. This has been a timeless pursuit of not just supply chain, but global business. Supply chain just happens to probably be one of the biggest industries that takes millions and millions of decisions, big and small, to make things happen every hour. And when I think about equipping folks, no matter what level of organization or what, what role they play, putting them in position to really make the fastest and the best and the most confident decision, that can look like so many different things. But you want one of the analogies that comes to my mind, Marina, and I don't know if I'm telling on myself or I'm hoping folks can relate out there, but think of taxes. The US has one of the most complicated tax codes probably in the world. It's my hunch. I've never filed taxes anywhere else. And so think about all the Planning. You do date, you know, throughout the year. And, you know, you're like, well, I probably need to balance this off. Cpa or do this, you know, think about that level of complexity and simplifying it down to where you've got the answer right there in your hand so that you can get the order out the door or make the decision or, you know, might make. Make the right tax move. I think that is a good analogy, especially for folks that maybe that in our audience, maybe that have had more, say, office jobs rather than kind of factory floor jobs. Right, Marina, Is that a, Is that a. Do you feel my pain when it comes to tax stuff?
- [33:51]
A
Yeah, I do feel your pain. And as an adult, you hit it. If you're not tracking things throughout the year, you're just setting yourself up for a lot of failure when it actually comes time to file because you can't find what you're looking for. You don't remember. You know, again, I love Google Docs, so I have a Google Doc that I track things. And you do. You just have to, like, you know, every month when you're doing bills, maybe just kind of take some time and track stuff or put it in a folder somewhere just so that you have it because it is grueling and you don't want to miss anything either. Businesses are no different. You know, you have to take advantage of things. And sometimes there's tax incentives for a lot of these companies that you may not even realize. So, you know, you could be spending that time researching to figure out where you can get a break here and there, if that even exists anymore. Seriously? I don't know.
- [34:44]
B
Well, you know, using technology, no matter what it looks like, to cut through all the noise and complexity for those incredibly talented frontline workers that are making a. Every day they're making a series of small decisions and big decisions, all points in between. How can we ensure that they are. They can find this. It's easier for them to find even more success each and every day. Okay, so folks, you can learn more about that discussion we had with Andre Zebra again over at the Resource hub at Supply Chain now dot com. All right, so, Marina, as we start to come down the, the, the, the final curve here at. I'm not sure why a horse racing analogy is coming to my brain, but it did. I guess it's the Preakness or maybe the Kentucky Derby, but you've got some really big things coming up. And I want to start with getting you to tell us about Women in Supply chain forum for 2026. Big news there. Tell us more.
- [35:43]
A
Yeah, that's. That's exciting. It's in November, November 17th through 19th in Charleston. We were super excited just because we, you know, we're a little settled now. So, you know, we've taken a lot of the lessons learned. Feedback from attendees, feedback from speakers, and I feel like we finally have a handle on what we're supposed to be to the attendees. And I think that that's important for any show organizer. So this year's theme is self advocacy in the workforce. A lot of women have come to me and say, you know, I have no problem, you know, advocating for somebody else, but when it comes to myself, I don't know how to do it. I sound like I'm, you know, bragging. I sound, you know, like a child. All of these things are true, but what's not true is that you shouldn't stop doing it because of those reasons. And so we created this whole branding your self awareness campaign around this year's forum so that attendees can kind of learn how to empower themselves but still take care of other people, you know, still be a mentor to somebody. So I'm super excited. We have Ellen Voy, the founder of the Women in Trucking association, as our keynote. We have Wanda Johnson. She is with Deloitte. She needs no introduction, but she is our closing keynote to talk about the art of negotiation, which I'm pretty excited about because that's a big topic with a lot of our attendees. And we have Bindiya Vikal. She is the founder of Resilink, and she's going to come on to talk about proofing future proofing, your supply chains and yourself. So I'm pretty excited about that. And we also have a new mentorship program we're launching this year. So when you sign up and register to attend, you can register to be a mentor or somebody who needs a mentee. And we do a little matchmaking behind the scenes and kind of set you up into a lightning round of here. Meet, meet, meet. Like, five people who could possibly be a mentor, or five people that you could possibly be a mentor, too. And again, that was something that a lot of attendees have come to me and said, you know, I struggle in this area. I don't know what to do, or in the opposite side. I have so many years of experience. I would love to, you know, help somebody. So we kind of made an intentional session out of it so that we can kind of create that avenue. But it's just. It's a community and it's it's fun. And, you know, we kept a lot of the things that people liked. We are introducing something new this year called Supply Chain Idol. It's kind of like our opening night party. Okay. We'll have karaoke and, you know, fun things you can wear and appetizers and dancing. So it's just like a break the ice, have fun network. You know, just, you know, leave your ego at the door. Leave your judgment at the door. And then obviously, our panel, with our four award winners from our women in Supply chain forum award, which, you know, nominations closed yesterday, actually. So we have close to 350 submissions, which I'm so blessed because we have not had that many submissions since we launched this year. One in 2020. Okay. A lot of new faces are coming through. A lot of regular faces are coming through. I love that there are women out there who are nominating themselves because you are your own best advocate. There's a lot of men out there who have submitted nominations, too, which is also pretty cool. So I don't have the exact numbers yet, but I'll share that when we announce the winners. But I'm pretty excited.
- [39:21]
B
Millions. That's the number you take away, folks. There is tons of support and height and participation and momentum that y' all have captured at Women in Supply Chain Forum. And, folks, you can learn more@womeninsupplychainforum.com it's just that easy, right, Marina?
- [39:38]
A
Yeah, just that easy.
- [39:40]
B
And I just want to double down on something you shared. Wanda, in particular. I've been able. I had a chance this year, I think twice, to sit down with Wanda, and, you know, we've debated barbecue. We're both. Let's see here. I want to say one that grew up in North Carolina, as I recall, and I grew up in South Carolina and, you know, both claim, amongst many other states, be home for the best barbecue. And we. We duked it out, but we came to a common ground. Marina. The common ground that Juan and I came to was as long as there are hush puppies involved, we'll. We'll be okay. We'll put aside our differences and enjoy said barbecue and said hush puppies. Can you. Can you join that. That peace treaty? Marina?
- [40:25]
A
I'll be. I'll be a part of that. We should have kind of a cook off in at the forum, and they kind of do like a big thing at the party and kind of see what everybody's taken. We have a lot of women who love to participate in polls and games.
- [40:39]
B
I love it.
- [40:40]
A
Win prizes So I, that's another thing. So yeah, that'd be pretty cool.
- [40:46]
B
Well, it'll be part of we'll make it into supply chain idol. But regardless, I really appreciate what you're doing, you and the team there at Women in supply Chain form. And congrats on your continued growth and success. And folks, come see us. That's what dates again in November. It's in Charleston, South Carolina. But what dates, Marina?
- [41:03]
A
November 17th through 19th.
- [41:05]
B
17th through 19th. Add that to the calendar, folks. Plenty of time to sign up and register and venture to beautiful Charleston, South Carolina. Okay, so Marina, we have mentioned a couple different ways that folks can connect with some of the things you're involved in. Of course, the forum Supply and Demand Chain Executive. We mentioned it. That site where you can find this reporting sdc exec.com how about food Logistics? Where can folks go find your reporting there?
- [41:33]
A
That's actually the easier website to remember. That's just foodlogistics.com it is easy.
- [41:37]
B
Okay. And then if they want to track you down, I know you're very active on social, especially LinkedIn. Is that the best way? How can folks track you down, Marina?
- [41:47]
A
They can find me on LinkedIn or you can email me at M Mayoriron markets. But yeah, LinkedIn is just as sufficient my my emails everywhere all over the website.
- [41:59]
B
So folks, reach out, connect, compare notes with Marina, have her come in and speak to your organization or your event and and definitely don't miss out on the the forum here in 2026. Marina Mayer, thank you so much for being here again. I enjoy learning from you and enjoy your perspective and I'm looking forward to the next one already.
- [42:20]
A
Yes, I know, I'm excited. Thank you so much for having me.
- [42:23]
B
So again, big thanks to Marina Mayer, content director of Food Logistics and supply and demand chain executive. Also co founder of the Women in Supply Chain Form. Really appreciate Marina joining and look forward to the next event which I think we've got teed up and to our SCN Global fam. Hope you enjoyed the conversation but you know your homework you got and Marina brought it. So you've got lots of options. You have to take one thing from all the good stuff Marina shared here today and do something with it. Deeds, not words, folks. And with all that said Scott Luden, challenging all of our folks out there, do good, give forward, be the change that's needed. We'll see next time. Right back here on Supply Chain Now. Thanks everybody. Join the Supply Chain now community. For more supply chain perspectives, news and innovation, check out supply chain now.com subscribe to Supply Chain now on YouTube and follow and listen to Supply Chain Now. Wherever you get your podcasts.