Podcast Summary: Supply Chain Now – The Buzz: Procurement Innovation, Logistics Power Plays, and Leading Through Change

Date: January 23, 2026
Hosts: Scott Luton (B), Kim Reuter (C)
Guest: Scott McPhee (D), CEO of SpendHQ

Episode Overview

This dynamic episode of The Buzz dives into the latest trends and challenges in global supply chain management, with a special focus on procurement innovation, the shifting logistics landscape, and actionable leadership. Scott Luton and Kim Reuter, joined by guest Scott McPhee, unpack industry news—including the evolution of the UPS–Amazon relationship, leadership turnover, AI’s disruptive role in procurement, and strategies for leading through constant change. The conversation is marked by real-world anecdotes, practical advice, and memorable quotes, making it essential listening for supply chain professionals.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Embracing Change and Leadership Lessons (00:53–14:23)

• MLK Day Reflections:

  • The importance of vision, consistency, and courage in leadership.
  • Quote (D, 10:52):

    “He always continued...framed what that future state journey was going to look like...anchored in a vision for the future state, eventually we’ll get there.”

  • Quote (C, 11:48):

    “The best leaders...are always the ones who are able to pull out the uncomfortable truth and actually talk about it...that takes a particular skill set and a lot of courage.”

• Call to Action:

  • Encouragement for emerging leaders to step up, volunteer, and take on greater responsibility, regardless of age or tenure.

2. Logistics Power Plays: UPS, Amazon, and Market Shifts (06:40–08:15)

• UPS–Amazon Evolution:

  • Kim Reuter draws on her Amazon experience to highlight how Amazon drove carrier diversification and forced UPS to adapt, particularly around Saturday delivery.
  • Quote (C, 07:54):

    “UPS found out they were optimized for Amazon and not optimized for themselves...if we pay too close attention to just one [customer], we could lose a lot of many others and stunt growth...”

• Lesson for Providers:

  • Don’t over-customize operations for one dominant client at the expense of broader business health.

3. Supply Chain Leadership Turnover and Development (14:23–17:28)

• Gartner Research Highlights:

  • 54% of supply chain leaders report that leadership turnover has “moderately to completely disrupted” their organizations.
  • Concerns over the effectiveness of leadership development, work-life balance, and promotion transparency.

• Needed Skills for Modern Leaders:

  • Shift from reactive to proactive, collaborative, and creative leadership.
  • Quote (C, 16:07):

    “Today’s modern supply chains require executives that are collaborative, creative, strategic—solving problems before they happen...and the biggest skill...is collaboration.”

4. Procurement Innovation & AI (18:12–21:33)

• AI’s Accelerating Impact:

  • Oracle research: AI can reduce time for basic procurement tasks by up to 80%.
  • McKinsey: Procurement teams are managing 50% more spend than five years ago.

• Augmentation, Not Replacement:

  • Quote (D, 19:25):

    “I would change [the article’s title] to Will Boost because we are seeing it...it is augmenting teams, not necessarily replacing teams.”

• Caveats and Collaboration:

  • AI implementation requires continual oversight and training—don’t “set it and forget it.”
  • Quote (C, 20:45):

    “You got to train it, and you got to watch it...it is faster, which means it also makes mistakes faster.”

5. Navigating USPS and Shipping Cost Increases (22:42–25:44)

• Strategic Response:

  • With advance notice, shippers can model, forecast, and adapt to USPS rate increases.
  • Quote (D, 23:36):

    “The key to navigating this is understanding the underlying data...getting down to that line item level detail is critical...”

• Operational Context:

  • USPS has fundamentally changed from mainly delivering mail to focusing on packages (primarily Amazon), stressing their infrastructure and fueling the need for business model reinvention.

6. SpendHQ’s Purpose & AI Investment (28:10–33:31)

• What SpendHQ Does:

  • Provides a strategic execution layer for procurement—turns messy spend data into actionable insights and tracked outcomes for 400+ global customers.
  • $10+ trillion in processed spend, $17B in documented savings over time.

• Sligo AI Investment:

  • Strategic partnership to “unlock more insights and more value” by leveraging purpose-built AI agents in procurement.
  • Quote (D, 31:08):

    “Sligo AI is really the first creator of a purpose built agentic enterprise procurement platform...What Sligo provided us was the ability to accelerate our journey with a purpose built platform that’s simple and easy to use to stand up new agents...”

• Key Takeaway:

  • Leverage specialized AI solutions rather than building from scratch (“Buy, don’t build” when possible).

7. Procurement Leader Priorities for 2026 (34:11–37:27)

• Top 3 Priorities:

  1. Deploying AI at scale to deliver measurable value.
  2. Doing more with less: using technology and data to boost velocity and outcome quality.
  3. Proactive risk management amid global volatility and tariff uncertainty.

• The Pace of Decision-Making:

  • High-volume, micro-decisions in procurement and supply chain management are the new norm—AI can, and should, alleviate human bottlenecks in this area.

8. Real-World Digital Transformation: Cowart Seafood (40:50–44:01)

• Kim Reuter’s Experience:

  • Transforming a 135-year-old seafood company with zero digital presence into an e-commerce contender shows old industries can, and must, embrace change to survive.
  • Quote (C, 41:44):

    “If you are out there and you’re a multi-generation company and you do not at least have a website, you gotta do it.”

• Competitive Advantage:

  • Smaller players can outmaneuver incumbents by embracing digital tools and direct-to-consumer models faster.

Notable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp

• MLK Leadership Vision:
  “He always...framed what that future state journey was going to look like...anchored in a vision for the future state, eventually we’ll get there.” – Scott McPhee, 10:52

• Truth in Leadership:
  “The best leaders...are always the ones who are able to pull out the uncomfortable truth...” – Kim Reuter, 11:48

• Customer Dependency:
  “UPS found out they were optimized for Amazon and not optimized for themselves...” – Kim Reuter, 07:54

• Collaboration is Crucial:
  “The biggest skill...you can develop right now as a supply chain leader is collaboration.” – Kim Reuter, 17:28

• On AI in Procurement:
  “I would change [the article’s title] to Will Boost because we are seeing it...it is augmenting teams, not necessarily replacing teams.” – Scott McPhee, 19:25

• On Digital Transformation:
  “There are a lot of companies out there still doing business the old way...If you do not at least have a website, you gotta do it.” – Kim Reuter, 41:44

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:53–04:54: MLK Day discussion, space supply chain, American Logistics Aid Network
• 06:40–08:15: UPS-Amazon relationship, lessons from carrier diversification
• 10:52–12:17: MLK leadership lessons, leadership courage and vulnerability
• 14:23–17:28: Turnover, Gartner statistics, leadership skill gaps
• 18:12–21:33: Procurement and AI—Oracle & McKinsey findings, implementation challenges
• 22:42–26:06: USPS rate increases, strategy for shippers, USPS transformation
• 28:10–33:31: SpendHQ overview, strategic data, Sligo AI investment
• 34:11–37:27: Procurement leaders’ priorities for 2026, changing global risk profile
• 40:50–44:01: Kim Reuter’s digital transformation story at Cowart Seafood

Conclusion & How to Connect

• Scott McPhee:

  • Contact: smackpendhq.com
  • More info: spendhq.com
  • SpendHQ Insights Event: Jan 28-29, Atlanta

• Kim Reuter:

  • LinkedIn: Kimberly Reuter on LinkedIn
  • Cowart Seafood: cowartseafood.com
  • Podcast: Supply Chain Wake Up (150+ episodes available)

Final Charge (46:46):
“Take one thing you heard here...put it into practice. Deeds, not words, right? It’s about what we do.” – Scott Luton

Takeaways

• Strategic agility—not just operational efficiency—is at the heart of today’s supply chain leadership.
• Digital and data fluency are non-negotiable for procurement and logistics professionals.
• AI is a force multiplier, not a job killer—but requires oversight, training, and the right strategy.
• Transformation and innovation can (and must) happen in even the oldest industries.
• The human touch—leadership, collaboration, transparency—remains irreplaceable in navigating the future.

Listen for Inspiration, Adaptation, and Action

Whether you’re a seasoned executive or an emerging professional, this episode delivers real-world strategies and a sense of community, challenging everyone to step up, embrace change, and keep pushing the industry forward.