The Buzz: Why U.S. Imports From China Are Plummeting — and What It Means for 2026

Summary

Supply Chain Now: The Buzz – Why U.S. Imports From China Are Plummeting — and What It Means for 2026

Episode Date: November 28, 2025
Hosts: Scott Luton and Allison Giddens

---

Episode Overview

This episode of "The Buzz" dives deep into the ongoing shifts in the supply chain world with a particular focus on the marked decline in U.S. imports from China, the implications of this trend for the broader logistics and supply chain industry, and what this could mean for business strategies and economic realities heading into 2026. The conversation, rich in industry anecdotes and actionable advice, also covers AI’s mixed promise in retail, top trends for 2026, macroeconomic impacts like inflation on Thanksgiving dinners, and breaking defense procurement reforms.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Industry News and the "With That Said" Newsletter

• Community & Talent Focus:
  The hosts shared insights from the 7th annual WISE Future Leaders Symposium, highlighting critical industry voices advocating for talent engagement and social responsibility in supply chain.
  • Michelle Livingston (Home Depot): Emphasized using supply chain expertise to address societal issues like human trafficking.
  • Jessica Gambier (Toyota Logistics): Encouraged the next generation to be curious and selective in employers, given declining graduation numbers and a tighter talent market.
    • “This next generation, they're in the catbird seat. So they really shouldn't settle.” – Allison (06:46)
  • Dr. Rod Thomas: Urged aspiring professionals to seek “sweaty palm moments,” pushing the value of risk-taking and stretching out of comfort zones.
    • “Growth requires... sweaty palm moments.” – Dr. Rod Thomas, paraphrased by Scott (04:54)

2. Meeting Madness and Productivity

• Meeting Overload:
  The hosts humorously discussed “meeting fatigue,” referencing data that unproductive meetings cost the U.S. economy $250 billion annually (09:17). Strategies like demanding agendas and embracing alternative communications (email, Slack, phone) were touted.
  • Kenya (SpaceX): Shared a powerful company rule—“If you don’t have any value to add to the meeting, don’t be in it.” (14:28)

3. Thanksgiving Lightning Round & Supply Chain Analogies

• Lively banter over Thanksgiving food traditions led to a memorable supply chain analogy:
  • Biggest dinner bottleneck? The turkey, by far—cited as the constraint around which the rest of the meal is planned. (13:45)

4. Headline Story: Plummeting U.S. Imports from China

• Data & Quotes:

  • U.S. Census Bureau: $18.4 billion drop in imports (August vs. July 2025).
  • Mario Cadero (Port of Long Beach): “You’re looking at the 16% decrease in Chinese imports...across the board.”
  • Main import declines: electronics, furniture, and toys.
  • Ken Adamo (DAT): Inventory front-loading due to tariffs means, “The traditional peak holiday shipping season looks virtually nonexistent this year.”
  • Kyle Henderson (Vizion): Called the current period a “structural goods recession,” not a temporary dip.
    • “When furniture imports collapse 33% and toy imports...barely rise 17%, that tells you retailers are betting on the weakest consumer season in years.” (16:54)

• Analysis:

  • Multiple variables at play—economic uncertainty, tariff avoidance, changing sourcing patterns (from China to countries like Malaysia).
  • The observed trend suggests new purchasing patterns are becoming entrenched. (19:22)

5. AI in Retail Supply Chains: Expectations vs. Reality

• MIT Study: 95% of organizations see “little to no return” from genAI investments. Challenges are “brittle workflows, lack of contextual learning, misalignment.” (21:48)
• Gartner: Only 10% of CEOs say they have a clear AI strategy; urges strategic vision, governance, and focus on ROI.
• Retail Examples: Walmart’s AI-driven success in demand prediction and inventory management, contrasted with industry-wide frustration.
• Key Takeaway: Setting the right expectations and understanding AI’s role—“Garbage in, garbage out.” Not all problems are best solved by AI.
  • “If you expected to download an application and it do the work of 10 people, like, what are we doing here?” – Allison (22:41)

6. Top Supply Chain Trends for 2026 (by MHI)

• Trends:

  1. Workforce and talent gap
  2. AI and real-time data
  3. Automation/emerging tech
  4. Geopolitical shifts, trade, tariffs
  5. Uncertainty, inflation, rising costs
  6. Cybersecurity/data security
  7. E-commerce/inventory pressure
  8. Agility & resiliency
  9. Environmental sustainability

• Host Commentary:

  • Returns is a notable omission.
  • AI as a ‘super-trend’—moves from competitive advantage to “table stakes.”
  • “Uncertainty is not scalable. Like, for a small business, uncertainty is terrifying.” – Allison (30:05)

Related: Rising Cargo Theft

• 1,500% increase since 2021, costing $15–$35 billion annually.
  Allison’s real-world solution: Using inexpensive trackers (Tile, AirTags) for shipments, empowering manufacturers. (32:26)

7. Pentagon’s Sourcing Transformation: Acquisition Reform

• Context:
  The White House and Pentagon are rolling out major organizational changes to speed up military procurement.
• Quote:
  • Pete Hegseth (Sec. of Defense): “An 85% solution in the hands of our armed forces today is infinitely better than an unachievable 100% solution endlessly...awaiting additional technological development.”
• Allison’s Take: Enthusiasm for faster processes, but skepticism about possible added bureaucracy. Manufacturers want to deliver quickly—it’s not industry causing delays. (36:11)
  • “When everything’s a priority, nothing’s a priority...” – Allison (40:25)

8. Thanksgiving Economics: Food Price Trends

• AFBF Data:

  • Turkey dinner for 10: Down 5% from last year, turkey alone down 16%, but sweet potatoes up 37%, veggie trays up 61%.
  • Cheapest meal in the South ($50), priciest in the West ($61).

• Hosts’ Perspective:

  • “Boil the frog” analogy: Prices feel down compared to recent spikes, but remain up compared to pre-pandemic levels.
  • “...average of $55.18 for 10 people, that sounds really low.” – Scott (45:03)
  • Anecdote: $75 for a side dish at a local restaurant (45:31).

• Fun Fact:
  The invention of the microwave turkey dinner was due to an overestimation of turkey demand—an early supply chain planning error! (46:27)

9. Bold Predictions for 2026

• Allison:
  Small manufacturers will have greater leverage, able to say no to “the big guys” and command better prices. Agility will trump scale in certain areas.
• Scott:
  Predicts greater rethinking of tariff strategies, hopefully moving toward more stable, less disruptive trade policy.

10. Dave Krache Foundation Spotlight

• Mission:
  A volunteer organization led by Allison providing local kids with access to organized sports, particularly those facing family hardships.
  • Over 2,000 children helped; 99.9% of donations go directly to families.
  • Learn more and support: DaveKrache.com
  • “There are kids that need you.” – Allison (51:21)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Talent’s New Power:
  “This next generation...they’re in the catbird seat. So they really shouldn’t settle.”
  — Allison (06:46)

• On Meetings:
  “If you don’t have any value to add to the meeting, don’t be in it.”
  — Kenya (SpaceX), via chat (14:28)

• On Imports from China:
  “When furniture imports collapse 33% and toy imports...barely rise 17%, that tells you retailers are betting on the weakest consumer season in years.”
  — Kyle Henderson (17:00)

• On AI Frustration:
  “If you expected to download an application and it do the work of 10 people, like, what are we doing here?”
  — Allison (22:41)

• On Uncertainty:
  “Uncertainty is not scalable. Like, for a small business, uncertainty is terrifying.”
  — Allison (30:05)

• On Defense Procurement:
  “An 85% solution...today is infinitely better than an unachievable...100% solution endlessly...awaiting additional technological development.”
  — Pete Hegseth, paraphrased (35:29)

• On Innovation and Tracking:
  “We put a little tile tracker in the box...when large freight companies say we don’t know where your product is, we can say we do.”
  — Allison (33:13)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:00 – Show introduction, newsletter recap, WISE Symposium
• 05:25 – Talent insights; population and workforce trends
• 09:17 – Meeting overload and productivity hacks
• 12:21 – Thanksgiving “Lightning Round” and supply chain analogies
• 15:00 – Main story: U.S. import data and declining trades with China
• 21:48 – AI in retail supply chains and industry frustrations
• 27:56 – Top 2026 supply chain trends and rising cargo theft
• 32:26 – Cargo security and creative tracking solutions
• 34:13 – Pentagon’s sourcing transformation
• 42:26 – Thanksgiving price trends and inflation context
• 48:00 – Bold predictions for manufacturing and supply chain in 2026
• 50:05 – Dave Krache Foundation Feature
• 52:39 – Wrapping up and key takeaways

---

Tone & Style

The discussion is engaging, light-hearted yet substantive, packed with industry expertise, relatable stories, witty banter, and a spirit of camaraderie and community.

---

Final Takeaways

This episode exemplifies why Supply Chain Now is a valued resource for industry professionals—balancing data-driven analysis with real-world experiences, predictions, and inspirational stories. Listeners walk away with a deeper understanding of the forces shaping global supply chains and actionable advice for navigating uncertainty—including being selective in career moves, optimizing meetings, embracing AI pragmatically, and tracking evolving trade flows.

“Take one thing you heard…put it into practice. Deeds, not words—which is how we’re going to keep transforming global supply chain.”
— Scott (53:12)

Transcript

[A]

Curious about the latest in the world of freight and how it impacts you and your business? Dive into our exclusive Release of the U.S. bank Freight payment Index. Gain deep insights from the billions of transactions they handle each quarter. Visit usbank.com freight index to explore the release and sign up for quarterly updates for a dynamic take on this information and to learn what's happening now in the business world. Stay in the loop by subscribing to Supply chain now on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

[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.

[C]

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening wherever you may be. Scott Lewton, Allison Giddens with you here on Supply Chain now. Welcome to today's Live Stream. Allison, how you doing today?

[D]

I'm good. Happy Monday.

[C]

Happy Monday. Happy Thanksgiving week. Happy almost into November and it's hard to believe we got a month and like a week left of 2025. Huh?

[D]

That's wild. I'm still thinking 2024 is the year, so I'm very confused.

[C]

That might pose a problem or two in business, but we'll talk about that after the show. On today's show, folks, it's the Buzz, where every Monday at 12 noon Eastern time, we discuss a variety of news and developments across global supply chain and business news that matters is what we like to call it. And the Buzz is powered by our friends at omp, a software consulting company delivering advanced supply chain planning solutions specifically tailored to individual industries worldwide. You can learn [e-mail] it's just that easy. Big show here. Teed up, Allison. Or let's see here. We're going to be discussing the ripple effect related to declining imports from China. We're going to be talking about how retail supply chains may, may, may, may. Let me emphasize that may be getting disappointed by AI. We're going to take a look at top supply chain trends for 2026 as deemed by one great organization out there, as well as how Thanksgiving meal price points are looking this year. All that and much, much more. Allison should be a great addition to the Buzz, huh?

[D]

I'm excited.

[C]

You are excited and you contain it well.

[D]

Yes. All right. I'm only on like the third cup of coffee, so give me, give me like halfway through the Buzz and we'll be there.

[C]

Oh, man, I'm well ahead of you. I think I'm on number 12 or 13 by this point.

[D]

That's impressive.

[C]

Let's see Trisha says happy Buzz Day. Let us know where you're tuned in from. That's right. We love connecting the dots. Just like Shinto watching us via LinkedIn from India. Welcome, welcome. Look forward to hearing your thoughts on today's topic. Also, Trisha dropped a link to OMP. Check them [e-mail] all right, so folks, stay tuned for a great show. Two things before we get started here today. Number one, give us your take in the comments. Whether you're tuned in via LinkedIn, YouTube X Facebook, Twitch, no matter what, let us know what you think. And secondly, if you enjoy the show today, we'd love for you to share it with a friend and or your network. They'll be glad you did. And Leah Kim is back with us. Leah, hope you're doing well. Tuned in again from Seattle. Beautiful Seattle, Washington via LinkedIn. Leah, looking forward to your take on some of the topics we talk about here today. All right, Allison, we've got three things to knock out before we get into the news of the day. I want to start with our latest edition of with that Said, which published over the weekend. As y' all know, this our almost weekly newsletter. And we lit off with a bit of a recap of our participation in the seventh annual WISE Future Leaders Symposium. Now this was hosted by WISE founder Dr. Stephanie Thomas, Dynamo at the University of Arkansas, one of the top rated supply chain management programs in the world. Now Allison, we share some great nuggets from some of the sit downs that we sit downs and stand ups that we enjoyed such as Michelle Livingston, right, who served as a senior supply chain executive at the Home Depot. Now Michelle shared with me, Allison, that moving product isn't enough because supply chain leaders have a unique opportunity and capability to use our wherewithal to address issues of our time such as human trafficking. Jessica Gambier, who is on the supply chain team over at Toyota Logistics Services, yes that Toyota the the famous global behemoth. Now Jessica urged folks to keep being curious is all that learning and stretching of your experiences will make sure AI becomes your assistant, not your replacement. Love that. And then one final one. Dr. Rod Thomas moving mountains over there. He is co editor in chief designate at the Journal of Business Logistics and also a former supply chain practitioner at Lowe's, IBM and Michelin. Rod said that growth requires I love this sweaty palm moments. And he urged students and all professionals to dream bigger, take risks and get deep into your uncomfort zone if you want to enjoy a truly meaningful and rewarding career. So with that Said covered all of that and more resources, live events and give it a read and listen to what you think. Allison, did you get a chance to check out with that set over the weekend?

[D]

I did. I always do. It's like a Sunday afternoon kind of happening that's sitting on the couch, scrolling, going, oh, yeah, that Said is open. It has been posted officially. No, I. I really liked. Well, first off, are you ever at home? Like, it seems like you have traveled a lot.

[C]

It's been a busy fourth quarter for us, Alice.

[D]

Man. All over the place. I mean, a blink and you're. Oh, you're in Africa. No, now you're in Arkansas. It's like, did he get on the wrong plane? So, no. I really liked what Jessica said with Toyota. She. There was a part in the newsletter that you called out that she really is encouraging the next generation to be selective on where they go to work. I work a little bit with some high schoolers at a local chamber of commerce program. And that's kind of one of the things that we tell them as well is, you know, you've got this, what they call Peak 18. So the 2025 graduating class, that was just a few months ago. That's the largest high school graduating class in the country. Now, from now on, those numbers decrease. And it's because of population. It's not because kids aren't graduating. Although, I don't know, maybe they're not. I don't know. But it's not so much that. It's the population. So if you think about the fact that now students should be more selective as they enter the workforce, and you think about the numbers and the demand that workforce is going to have is I really think this next generation, they're in the catbird seat.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

So they really shouldn't settle.

[C]

That's excellent point number one. I appreciate you've always done a lot of work in the talent space and engaging student space, which is so important. And I know you've got some. We're gonna have to do a whole show on some of the changes we need to make, curriculum wise and guidance wise. But, you know, it's. It's really interesting your point about the population declines. And so if you think we've got a big talent acquisition or talent war right now, it sounds like it's just getting heated. Wow.

[D]

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[C]

Well, folks check out. With that said, hopefully it gives you great eureka moments like Allison just shared. But check it out, it publishes almost every week. We'll probably skip over Thanksgiving weekend as y' all might imagine. But check us out and let us know what you think. And then secondly, back to wise. WISE is an incredible organization. We just talked a second ago about engaging talent and engaging the now generations, we like to call it here. Well, folks, especially if you're in academia, if you're in a collegiate supply chain management program or university, whatever the right word is, if you don't know WISE yet, make sure it's on your radar. Here's all the schools, universities are already part of wise. As it stands now, Allison, I draw your attention to my home state of South Carolina.

[D]

Oh, no. Why don't you?

[C]

We'll get you drones. That's right. But folks, the Wise Future Leaders Symposium was incredible. It was a seventh annual event and I look forward to being back next year. So check out wise and we'll probably drop a link. There's definitely a link in with that set. Okay. And I like Allison, with that set is on your very competitive Sunday schedule.

[D]

Oh, yeah, especially when my football teams are stinking. And you know, what else are you.

[C]

Going to do, man, with that said, it's better than the Atlanta Falcons this year.

[D]

Heck, yeah.

[C]

All right, shifting gears. Shifting gears, Allison. Is it just me or do we waste a ton of time in meetings? A little graphic that popped up over social. So throwback to my 1980s, you know, GI Joes. You know, I wish I had those. Stole it from the Internet. But hey, couldn't this just have been an email? And if you're listening to us, it's basically a view into the supply chain war room. And they're having a. Looks like a stand up whiteboard meeting. And one person is just wondering, couldn't this just been an email exchange? But kidding aside, get this, Alice. According to some estimates, and there's a bunch of them that analyze meetings across the globe here in the US you name it. In the US alone, according to one estimate, 35 million meetings take place every day. And unproductive meetings may be costing the US economy over $250 billion a year. How about that? That's a quick reaction, Allison.

[D]

That's disgusting. That's gross. And back to our workforce conversation. I wonder if the problem is going to fix itself. Oh, no, because you're not going to have. You're not going to have time for. It's not as though we have these meetings to go out of our way to, quote, waste time. I don't think that's the intent, but I think that old habits die hard and we all just kind of figure, oh, we all need to get in a room and talk about it. But. And that we were talking about right before the show, that I've gotten better with asking for agendas before the meeting.

[C]

Yes.

[D]

And I think that helps because if you do get an agenda and it looks like, oh, I have these answers, why do we even need to meet here? Let me shoot you the document or let me, let me send you what I have so far then you've just saved 45 minutes, 16 minutes times whoever was in that meeting.

[C]

That's right. It's so true. And I'm looking forward to it changing. As I self identified on the LinkedIn post, I was a former meeting addict. Right. Everything needed a meeting. You want a meeting, you want a meeting, let's have a meeting. But it's interesting, especially my extremely talented colleagues have helped shape my view where a lot of things can be, you know, email, slack and phone calls and texting, it can't solve everything. But I've learned last few years especially they can save you a ton of your very finite time because everything is, doesn't need a meeting.

[D]

But see that's gotta be tough for you because you're a very collaborative person.

[C]

Yes.

[D]

And so it's tough because. And I'm the opposite. I'm a very. Not that I'm not collaborative, but I am more of like, yeah, I'm just going to get it done myself. I'm just going to get it done myself. Where I, you know, I think that's probably a big portion of why you tended to want to schedule meetings is you want consensus.

[C]

Thank you very much, number one. Number two, on that consensus note, a great friend, very talented friend told me years and years ago, because I went to him, I was kind of frustrated with how this cross functional meeting went. He's like, Scott, hey man, it's great that you like the democratic process and everybody gets a vote and you know, but sometimes you got to be, as he said it, Genghis Khan. You got to just tell them what's going to happen and do it. And that was such a great moment earlier in my career because yeah, I do like everyone to have a voice and a say so but sometimes, you know, we got to prescribe the path ahead and make it happen. So anyway, folks, we welcome your comments. Trisha's dropping links to all this stuff. Thank you. Trisha and Amanda, behind the scenes welcome your comments on meetings. Too many, not enough, you name it. And none of this is to say that you shouldn't go out there and visit your suppliers and tour their plants, all that stuff. I'm not. We're not suggesting that at all. But check it out and let us know what you think. Okay. Allison, one more thing. We got lots of news to get through here today. I want to do a little OMP or lightning round here on the Buzz, powered by O and P. There we. I think I said it right. Thanksgiving edition of the Lightning Round. So we're going to get to the bottom of some of your culinary shopping and overall turkey day habits. Okay, you ready? You buckled in? Ready to go?

[D]

I'm ready.

[C]

Seat belts on five questions. First one is cranberry sauce as a part of turkey dinner. Thumbs up, thumbs down.

[D]

Yes. But not canned. Okay.

[C]

All right. I'm double thumbs down on cranberry.

[D]

Really? Okay.

[C]

Stuffing or dressing? What's the proper word?

[D]

See, I grew up with stuffing.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

But then when I married a man from middle Georgia, I learned it was dressing. I kind of like them both. I don't like watery. Watery. But I don't like super dry.

[C]

Okay.

[D]

So I'm with whoever's making it. If it's good, I'll eat it. Whatever.

[C]

As long as you have it, folks. Stuffing or dressing, call it.

[D]

Oh, yeah, you have to have it. Yeah.

[C]

Thirdly, is your Christmas tree already up, or do you wait until after Thanksgiving?

[D]

If I even put a Christmas tree up. It's a lot of work after Thanksgiving, for sure. I don't begrudge anyone that does it beforehand. I kind of am jealous of those that want the holiday spirit a sixth of the year.

[C]

Okay, and then, let's see here. After consuming the family meal on Black Friday, football games are fighting the masses for the best deals out there.

[D]

Oh, football games and then online shopping. I used to be a super early go stand in line person.

[C]

Okay. All right.

[D]

And then I got old.

[C]

Getting old is no fun. I'm with you there. All right, fifth one. This might be the toughest question. If Thanksgiving dinner were a supply chain, which dish is always the bottleneck?

[D]

The turkey. Because that's the one. You work everything else around. That is your. In the theory of constraints, if you're going to pick the thing that takes the longest or the slowest, it's your turkey. So it's always. The conversation is, well, if we put the potatoes on now and then we were able to mash them, then it's, you know, we can pull out. Right. While the turkey's resting. So, yeah, turkey, I'm with you.

[C]

I think that's a good one. That is a good one. Thank you. For playing the lightning round, there are no right answers. However, we do welcome everybody's take on those topics and all these news topics we're about to take in now. T Squared says now this is nourishment. You're, you're right. Hey, Thanksgiving's a great holiday. And by the way, he adds cranberry sauce. Whole cranberries.

[D]

Okay, okay, I'm with you.

[C]

Their own and going back to the meetings conversation, Kenyon says and Kenny, great to see you. Good to see you. In Ohio for an event a few months back, Kenya says at my previous internship at SpaceX it was commonplace that, quote, if you don't have any value to add to the meeting, don't be in it. End quote. I love that. That's a great rule of thumb, I think.

[D]

Yeah, yeah.

[C]

Okay, Allison, we got a lot to work. Enough fun. Enough fun. We got a lot more to get in.

[D]

Yeah, stop having fun. Enough of that.

[C]

News stories from around the globe that hopefully is on your radar here on the Buzz, powered by our friends at omp. Let's start with the first one. And this is where CNBC recently reported on the state of freight. Now I'm going to unpack this article and then I look forward to getting your take here, Allison. The U.S. census Bureau data shows a big decline in imports in the month of August just after more and more tariffs went into effect. Imagine that, August 2025 imports were $18.4 billion less than July. Mario Cadero, the CEO of the Port of Long beach said, quote, you're looking at the 16% decrease in Chinese imports coming to the United States. The decrease in is across the board in quote now main categories, the big drivers. Even though it's across the board, some main drivers here, import decrease drivers, I'll call them electronics, furniture and toys. And toys. Bah humbug. What's up with that? Of course, many importers and retailers front loaded their inventory earlier this year as they were looking to avoid the additional costs from tariffs and all those headaches. Now Ken Adamo, who joined us here before he serves as DAT chief of analytics, said, quote, freight volumes in the third quarter and October reflect what we're seeing in the broader goods economy with shippers drawing on inventory buildup earlier in the year to reduce their exposure to tariffs and weak consumer demand. As a result, the traditional peak holiday shipping season looks virtually non existent this year, end quote. How about that? And the data from DAT reflects just that. US Freight volumes are taking a big hit. Van truckloads in October were down 3% from the month earlier, 11% down from this time last year, year over year. Refrigerated truckloads were down 2% month over month and 7% year over year. And flatbed truckloads were also down 4% month over month and 3% year over year. One more quote for you, Allison. Kyle Henderson, CEO of Vizion, I think I said that right. Is calling it a, quote, structural goods recession, as he doesn't see this as a seasonal dip or temporary correction. He says, quote, when furniture imports collapse 33% and toy imports, which historically surged 40 to 50% ahead of the holidays, when those things barely rise 17%, that tells you retailers are betting on the weakest consumer season in years, end quote. Allison, there's a ton there. What are your initial thoughts?

[D]

My initial thoughts? You know, it's crazy that you have all these different independent variables that we see over the last couple years. It's really hard to sit there and point your finger and say it's because of this or it's because of that. I see that earlier in the year, I think a lot of consumers and a lot of businesses were sitting on what little cash they had because there was this anticipation that things were economy was kind of questionable. Nobody really knew what was going on with tariffs. So you have a lot of people sitting on cash. But again, it wasn't a whole heck of a lot of cash when they were sitting on it, at least from from where I was talking to other business owners. Right. And other consumers. But what I also noticed is my husband and I went to Micro center this weekend. Micro center is a. I don't know if that's a chain. Maybe it's chain.

[C]

Okay.

[D]

That's electronic goods and things like that. Right. Well, I was fascinated to see that there were certain products that there was very low supply on. And I, I asked Matt, who's pretty in tune with the, with the IT and, and technology market, and he pointed out that there were certain versions of things that they were coming out with newer versions of, so that the manufacturer did not produce a lot of the previous version anymore because they were anticipating there being a demand and a decent amount of supply on something else. But conversely, they were so expensive, he said the price had gone up, that he was, that he was noticing almost 40% on things. So you have all these different variables. And it's fascinating to hear that someone who really knows what they're talking about says this is not just a blip on the radar screen. It's going to be fascinating. When tariffs were kind of first starting out when I was talking to other people, they weren't necessarily holding off on purchases, they were purchasing from other sources. Right. And so they were kind of figuring out their workaround. I wonder what percentage of those situations have now become the new pattern or the new habit. So if you used to buy from something that would be imported from China and then a few months ago you decided oh I found this and it's an import from Malaysia. Are you now now that's your go to.

[C]

Right.

[D]

So you didn't just lose the Chinese import. Was not just lost that once but now it's lost for good.

[C]

Great comments there, Alison. You know, there's two things as I was listening to your take. There's two things. Number one, I'm thankful that the US Government is publishing data again because during the shutdown all that reporting like from the Census Bureau, all that was shut down because I was looking for source data in some of the shows we do, it was all dated. That's the first time it dawned on me that right. So number one, number two, I'm looking for a lot of year end metrics and numbers and all but one I am keenly interested in, I bet a lot of folks are, is consumer spending final totals through the end of the year. Right. That'll be a very telling, very telling number. So we shall see. Alice. Hey, Gino Pledger back with us. Good morning to you. He hails from north Alabama doing big things industry especially helping train up organizations and he's a rock and roll drummer by the way. Great to see you Gino. And Trisha dropped a link to that great article from cnbc. Check it out and give us your take. Your analysis of what has transpired or your fearless prognostications of what we may be approaching in the months ahead. Okay, let's see here. From tariffs to retail. Let's pull this up here. So Mark Burstein, a contributor to Forbes Technology Council, says that retail supply chains need AI more than ever before. But he suggests AI is not cutting the mustard, by the way. That's an old, old phrase, not analogy. Cutting the mustard means whether they're meeting expectations or not, by the way. So anyway, did you know a recent MIT report found that 95% of organizations are seeing little to no return from their investments in geni. Now MIT researchers point to several challenges. Brittle workflows, lack of contextual learning or misalignment with day to day operations. And when you throw those challenges, as article suggest, at global retail supply chains, which are highly complex, interconnected, fast Moving and time sensitive. Well, no wonder. There are some frustrations with AI and its results. Plus, retail supply chains have been amongst the hardest hit by tariffs that we were just talking about. So there is an added considerable profit margin risk at play. Further complicating matters, it's a leadership problem. Gartner research shows that only 10% of CEOs say their organizations use AI strategically, implying there's no clear AI strategy. So what do you do? Gartner says you define a clear AI vision, you identify barriers to success, you implement strong AI governance and you prioritize high impact initiatives that would deliver in position to deliver measurable roi. I would add this. Alice, couple points. It's critical to make sure we're using the right tools. AI isn't a perfect fit for every challenge. Just like a hammer won't solve all of your construction problems. I know, I've tried. And to learn from your failures like never before. Oh, here's a bonus one. As we've all seen, there are some retailers out there, they're doing wonders, wonders with AI. Walmart, for example. They've deployed AI driven systems globally that are making big strides in predicting demand, managing inventory, and even automatically rerouting or rebalancing stock when irregularities take place. So Allison, your thoughts on AI in retail supply chains or in general?

[D]

When I read this as well, I was kind of with you, I was like, wait, wait, what are the expectations exactly? I mean, it's saying it's not meeting expectations. It's like, well, if you expected to download an application and it do the work of 10 people, like, what are we doing here, Everybody? I think there's also a disconnect as to what problem are we trying to solve. Yes, we are constantly. Okay, we're going to, we're an integrated AI and it's going to see things that we don't even know exist. Well, garbage in, garbage out. First off, if we sit here and program something to find or to solve a certain problem, if we already have the data for that, then why haven't we solved the problem, if that makes sense.

[C]

Yep.

[D]

I watch in the marketplaces, there are certain implementations, there are certain fascinating. And they do work and they are better for the consumer. I was just ordering something online yesterday and I have one of those virtual credit cards right. Where you're not actually entering your credit card number. You're actually. So I have it saved on a browser so that it's a different card number every time. And so I went to go enter that. Well, the application of the page that I was shopping on, it didn't auto fill the three digit number, the three digit code. So, and I didn't notice, so I went ahead and hit send or I hit buy and it popped up an error. Please call your credit card company. I'm like, what in the world? I no joke, got an immediate text from the credit card company saying your card was denied. Make sure that you've entered the three digit code. I was like, what? Went back to the site, sure enough the three digit code hadn't been entered, typed that it went through. So there's certain, I think pieces of the AI that have been done fantastically and they've really anticipated, you know, the user experience. But then there's others that this article addresses it them not having a clear strategy like what are we trying to do? The governance piece I also believe is very important in a small business. It's really tough. First off, you can't automatically implement AI overnight, right? But you're also faced with well, what do we do? Are we, is it an AI, is it a generative AI, is it a AI with an application? Or to us in a small business, is it as something as simple as LLMs like your chatgpts and having it help you do business operations a little bit better or how you know, copy pasting a couple of sentences from an email that you need to clean up or that you want to make sure you're being super clear on? All those things are still a piece of AI and they're still helping us be more productive. But that overlap of governance and security, that's still important. So I really think that the meeting expectations that we need to all reevaluate. What are our expectations?

[C]

That's right. Excellent points, Allison. And folks, give it a read. We're dropping a link to this article. Where do you land on this notion that AI is letting down retail supply chains everywhere?

[D]

And just in case AI is listening and the robots are listening, I find value in everything you do. So when you take over the world, please remember that I've always said please and thank you.

[C]

Let's just point out, going back to your example of the credit card issue, I think retailers, companies everywhere are trying to limit the inbound calls from customers and the problems are trying to resolve them without those hours and hours of callbacks. But it's not like we're dying to have those meetings. Going back to earlier topic with credit card customer service reps. So I love the fact that simple tech instantaneous text solved your challenge right away and you're able to process transaction without any dialing 800 number and going through seven different departments to find the right person. Good. Good stuff. And Gino says a great point. We got to figure out how to bring value what we're trying to do with AI as Gino suggests. And after we've planned it, built the business case and communicated the wise, integrating it effectively, what's the plan? You don't just procure it and throw it over the fence like I talk so much about. So good stuff there. And Gino, you also suggest Sam's Club. I'd love to know your thoughts. Like what Sam's Club is doing with AI as well. Okay, speaking. It's the perfect segue. We like to bring resources, Allison, and we're talking about AI and how to work with it and how to leverage it and you name it. Well, cool new resource here from the team over at OMP who's powering the buzz all month long. In November you can check out their new ebook entitled Making AI Work for you. From Explainable to Agentic. This ebook explores how decision centric planning enables organizations to move well beyond explainable AI and towards truly agentic systems. It's a practical guide for leaders ready to unlock the full potential of AI in planning, strategy and execution. Grounded in real world applications. With the latest insights from our friends over at 0100, the guide shows how AI can drive measurable impact across the enterprise. You can learn more by check clicking on the link that Trisha Johnny on the spot is dropping right there in the chat. Good stuff there. All right, next up, I think you just hit about eight of these non trends and your previous response, Allison, as always, you're right, Johnny on the spot as well. All right, the team at MHI here in our third news story has shared what they deemed the top supply chain trends for 2026 and here they are. They're in no particular order, right?

[D]

No.

[C]

Number one, workforce and talent gap. That should be number one. Maybe artificial intelligence and the demands for real time data is number two. Automation and emerging technologies Number three. Geopoliticals, trade and tariffs number four. Uncertainty, inflation and rising costs. Number five. We're going to touch on that too. Number six, you were referencing earlier. Cybersecurity risk and data security is number seven. E commerce and inventory pressures is number eight. Agility and resiliency is number. Actually, I'm getting ahead. Look, there's nine of them. I'm not sure which, but agility and resiliency I think is number eight of nine. And then environmental Sustainability is number nine. A couple observations on my end. I can't wait to get yours. We need to have returns on that list. Returns continues to be an area of investment, innovation and a rising tide that, as Tony SH would say, never gets enough attention. We got to have it. Returns on that list. I think AI. AI, I think, has to be the super trend, if that's a word that sits at top. The rest because it's impacting and driving innovation or challenges on all other trends listed. In fact, I've heard Some say that 2026 will be the year to AI moves from competitive advantage to competitive table stakes. I like that. 2. The workforce and talent gap, which we've talked about for years, we've talked about just within this hour, has been adding new twists. You know, Allison spoke about a couple of new twists, right? With the population changes, how that impacts the talent pool. But here's another one. The members of the talent pool that are willing to learn how to work with AI versus those that don't lean into that. Right. And hey, we know, we all know who they are. I might be pointing at myself. 3. Speaking of MHI. That's right. We got to make a quick plug because we're going to be in Atlanta home base, where Modex is going to be joining us come April. And we invite you to come join us the 13th through the 16th next year. And you know what, it's free to attend. 35,000 people will be here in Atlanta. Some of the biggest movers and shakers in global supply chain. So check that out, Allison. Going back to the trends, nine trends. I tried to mess up the numbers, but nine trends. Your thoughts there?

[D]

I was kind of, oh, I was most fascinated with the uncertainty. Think it was number five and the uncertainty. It's funny, you have all this data, right? We're being inundated with charts and numbers and statistics and being told, you know, here's the latest report of this and yet we're still not sure of things. And I think it just shows how many independent variables really are at play here and how maybe more data isn't necessarily helpful data. And that uncertainty picture, it always seems to me, all like those that are going to take certain risks. You know, that's, that's where your, your biggest payoffs are. And I don't know if that's investing in workforce. I don't know if that's investing in AI. I think as long as you have a strategy, it's a great idea. But that uncertainty is crazy. I think it, it also Uncertainty is not, maybe this is a good sound bite. Uncertainty is not scalable. Like for a small business, uncertainty is terrifying. Uncertainty for a large business, yes, it's still scaling scary. But you can hedge your bets on things, you know, you have leverage in certain places where, yeah, we're going to invest AI on in this, you know, line of our business if it doesn't go well. Well, we're already kind of overcharging the consumer over here, so that's going to help us pay for this. So, and I don't say, I say that with love for my big corporations. That's right, because I'm a stockholder with many of you. But, but I, I think that uncertainty is not scalable. Right. And that, that can be scary.

[C]

That's a great, is a great sound bite. And I appreciate all of your perspective there, folks. We'd love to hear from you, whether here on the Buzz as we're live or as if you're listening to the replay or if you see this discussion over on Social weigh in. What do you love about this list of 9 supply chain trends for 2026? What do they leave off, you think? Give us your take and make sure you join us in Atlanta for Modex. I was going to add one more thing. You're talking about risk a lot in your perspective there, Allison. I was just meeting with some outstanding innovators in the cargo security space this morning and check out this factoid because this is a big risk, growing risk since 2021 in the U.S. some data suggests that cargo theft has increased 1500. That's right, 1,500%, costing an estimated 15 to 35 billion annually. They gave themselves some wiggle room there. Lots of wiggle room. $20 billion worth of wiggle room.

[D]

How.

[C]

But no matter what data you look at, it is on the rise and has been on the rise for several years. And as you plot out your risk mitigation strategies, cargo security has to be on your list.

[D]

Oh, wow. It's funny that you say that. What we just started doing here at WinTech. Yeah, I got tired of not knowing where certain product was in transit. And so there's certain higher dollar products that when we send them back and forth for like paint, when we know that we're going to see the item again, we put a little tile tracker in the box. And so at any point in time, I know exactly where they are. We tell the vendor, hey, if you see this, don't throw it away. Just so that we know where this is. So that when Our large freight companies out there tell us we don't know where your product is, we can say we do.

[C]

Oh, I like that, Allison. I like that. And not to put you on the spot, is that a certain provider that you can share in case folks want to do the same?

[D]

A tile tracker.

[C]

Just tile tracker.

[D]

Just tile trackers. And you could probably do Apple Air tags.

[C]

Okay.

[D]

So, yeah, it's just very inexpensive way of doing it. You can, you know, you pay for upgrades and things like that to have more visibility or to share, share access. But for our purposes, it cost us 40 bucks.

[C]

When I was back, Alison, in the construction manufacturing industry years and years ago. Might as well be decades and decades ago. I wish I was smart enough. I wish we had a technology to do just that. Because I went round and around, we shipped construction products out the job sites across North America. And I would duke it out with site managers. You didn't send it. We sent it.

[D]

Yes, we did.

[C]

Oh, my gosh, Allison, where were you 20 years ago, man?

[D]

No kidding. Me too. Where was I 20 years ago? Because we only just recently came up with this. It wasn't, you know, we've had hundreds of thousands of dollars lost or stolen or destroyed for us to finally go. Wait a minute.

[C]

Well, folks, if this topic appeals to you, come join us December 5th as we talk about cargo. It's not exactly cargo security that Allison's talking about, but it's very related to it. Come join us for a live webinar at 12 noon Eastern Time on December 5th. We might drop a link to that in the chat. Speaking of links, Allison, let's see here. Trisha has been busy. Trisha dropped at link to the OMP resource. All right, making AI work for you. Very practical guide there. Trisha dropped the non supply chain trends for 2026 from our friends at MHI. Check that out. And of course, the link to Modex 2026, the place to be in supply chain in April. Okay, let's see here. We are going to hit a topic that's near and dear to your heart, Allison. I'm looking forward to learning from you. So let's see here. As reported by Air and Space Forces magazine, the White House and the Pentagon plans to implement a reorganization which is aimed at evidently transforming the way the US develops sources and fields weapons and platforms. Now, based on what I understand that's been proposed, which is on a pretty big scale, one former Senate Armed Services Committee staff director and defense consultant, which is named here, Arnold Panero, says this is the most sweeping package of reforms that he's seen in 50 years. Now, this is an interesting quote from Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense, or war, whatever you subscribe to. Quote, we mean to increase acquisition risk in order to decrease operational risk by taking greater calculated risk in how we build, buy and maintain our systems. An 85% solution, he continues, in the hands of our armed forces today, is infinitely better than an unachievable operation, 100% solution endlessly undergoing testing or awaiting additional technological development. End quote. Now, Allison, in general, your, this is your space, your thoughts here.

[D]

Oh my goodness. So when I first read this in the first part of the article, I cheered because I was like, yes, that's what manufacturers want to hear, is that we're going to get orders quicker and that there's going to be less of a hang up on things. For example, this morning I spent 30 minutes having a conversation with a large aerospace company that didn't like the fact that I had put n A next to something that was not applicable. They wanted an explanation as to why it wasn't applicable. And so I had to point out it's because it says, and I said something extremely obvious. So those kinds of things in my head, if those can go away, then the government and then our country can get product a heck of a lot quicker. But then when you continue to read through the article and it just like many, many things in government, the left hand and the right hand aren't maybe quite on the same page.

[C]

Right?

[D]

And the notion that manufacturers and the notion that aerospace companies are dragging their feet and taking their sweet time, oh no we're not. It's in our best interest to turn product. It's in our best interest to get product and material and manufacture it and send it to the customer and send it to the war fighter and send it to the general on the battlefield. That is 100%, that is our driver. I mean, we're talking about what Turkey being the, the constraint earlier, right? To we are not the turkey here. We are the manufacturer that wants this stuff on the floor. So part of me is is heartened to see these kinds of conversations because I'm like, yes, change does need to be made. Acquisition strategy needs to be revisited. But the other part of me thinks, oh, does this mean another layer? Is it going to have the opposite effect?

[C]

Right. We're going to find out. And I'm intrigued by a couple of things here. Kind of going to the Secretary Hegsev's comments, I completely get how there's a famous general that I Might get the quote wrong. An actual plan is better than a perfect plan or something like that. I can't remember.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Who, what general and who's. So I largely subscribe to that. Right. A lot of things we do around here, they're maybe not, they're not at the Six Sigma level of quality, but they're at Five Sigma. And that's pretty good.

[A]

Right.

[C]

If you can do it a month earlier, that's even better.

[D]

Yeah. So what's, what's the slanging. The other saying is the path of indecision is paved with flat squirrels. Right. So it's like we just need to. We just need to do it.

[C]

That's right. I get it. Another thought that comes to my mind, Allison, and I was in the air force, gosh, 20 years ago, and a lot of things have changed. But I think when I think of how the national security landscape has changed in those 20 years, I think of speed to market. That has changed dramatically. When I think 20 years ago, the supremacy that the US had from a war fighting technology standpoint or, or protect the peace standpoint. Right. Was arguably, I'd say, maybe inarguably heads and shoulders above the rest of the world. Right. And now, as we've seen modern day technology change, not only global business, but for good or for bad, global military innovation. And of course, as the US now has near peers or at peers in terms of some of the countries out there that we are competing for influence or unit markets, you name it, speed the market. And I think of every military out there as they are pursuing their own agenda, it probably has that as one of their top priorities. Right. Speed to market. And again, for better, for worse, things like AI have enabled speed to market unlike probably anything we've seen in the modern history of warfare. I don't know.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

So, Allison. And by the way, I say all of that just by, you know, kind of analyzing what it is, of course, in my heart of hearts, we're entering a global period of world peace. However, my head does not necessarily agree with my heart. But Allison, your final word here.

[D]

No. Yes. I, I've seen other conversations and other articles and research and memos from, from this administration that is also trying to figure out how just to. You put your nail, you put your finger on it, the AI integration, you know, how do we use today's technology and not necessarily get around the red tape, but how do we determine as a country what's more important? So a lot of the cybersecurity that I'm constantly living and breathing, having to work with. It's funny to think that we are having to be just as secure on a ground support rivet as opposed to, you know, an F35 cockpit something or another. Like, what's more important? What should we be focused on? Should we be focused on that rivet for the ground support aircraft that is 60 years old? Not, not to say that we should just assume that the bad guys already have the technology. But when everything's a priority, nothing's a priority. So if we can turn around and say, okay, these are the top technology that we're going to focus on now, how can we, instead of going through and jumping through these, all these hoops, how do we use what they call COTs, commercial on the shelf? How do we figure out how to best use the technology in those avenues and get the product out quicker without compromising safety of the warfighter?

[C]

Well said, Alison. Well said. And I appreciate what your organization wintech and by the way, folks, I usually add it on the front end, but Allison leads a manufacturing operation that serves a wide variety of industries and sectors, but including the national defense industry. Is that say that right, Allison?

[D]

You got it. Yes.

[C]

So we look forward to your continued insights on the sourcing transformation that's being planned and we'll see how it plays out, folks. Also, you can check out that great read. I call it a niche read, but a great supply chain read. What experts will watch as the Pentagon implements acquisition reform. Check it out. Let us know what your take is. Okay. On a much, much lighter note, thankfully Thanksgiving is still here this week. It hasn't been moved. Congress hasn't moved it to December yet or cancel it yet, which is good. Thanks, Congress. Let's check out some really good news here from our friends at the American Farm Bureau Federation. That's where we get this graphic and these numbers from. We'll take a look at how inflation or the lack thereof may be impacting Thanksgiving meals across the U.S. so the AFBF, which is that American Farm Bureau Federation, has been tracking grocery prices in November since all the way back in 1986. That's back when MTV still played music, folks. Now, as we all know, I miss those days, Allison. I miss those days, some of them. But as we all know, there's plenty of data that shows inflationary pricing across industry.

[D]

Right.

[C]

So I'm not looking at this as the golden standard of, you know, telling us about inflation. Right. So keep that in mind. But according to this data, the cost of the same meal is the same meal that they always kind of stack the prices up against. So it's apples to apples, the cost of the same meal in 2025 versus 2024. Well, the prices are down. In fact, down 5% from last year, according to their data. And get this, prices are down, they say the data says their Data for the third year in a row for a Thanksgiving meal for 10, the cost of turkey alone this year has dropped 16% from last year. But sweet potatoes are up 37%. And get this, a veggie tray, and they quantify that as carrots and celery is up a whopping 61.3%. And if you look at it by region, you're going to find the cheapest Thanksgiving meal in the south at $50 and a penny and the highest meal in the west at $61.75. So, Allison, bunch of numbers, bunch of data, a bunch of good food. I'm not sure who has veggie trays in their Thanksgiving dinner. Don't invite me to your Thanksgiving dinner. But does this ring true, generally speaking, for your dinner prep at the Giddens household?

[D]

I am reminded of the boil the frog analogy. Right. So remember, right after Covid, right after the pandemic, kind of that. And I say after, but it was like late 2122, where supply chain prices and things went wacky. Right. I mean, they shot up. And a lot of it was that, whatever they call it, trailing indicator of sorts. Right. I feel like things were super high there, and I, I don't really know that they're coming down. I think they're just trying to level out. And so boil a frog. We're sitting here and we can go, oh, my gosh, the prices are down. But when you really think about, you really look at it, and you butt it up against how prices were in 2019.

[C]

Right.

[D]

And you look at trends, maybe where they should be, we're still higher than where we should be. And I recognize that's a. A loaded term, but, you know, everything from hourly wage to who's in the fields making it happen, and, you know, who's in the warehouses making it happen. So I don't know, part of me is like, yeah, oh, heck, yeah, it's cheaper. I don't really know that it is.

[C]

Excellent comments. And I, I gotta tell you, and maybe I'm out of touch. You know, maybe. If you remember, Allison, back in the 90s, there was a famous for at the time, famous little clip that news got of President George Bush, the first, going to a grocery store. And he had never Been in a store. So he didn't know how the scanner worked, and he was, like, blown away. Didn't know how to work it. Right.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Might not be that out of touch, but when I see these prices for a Thanksgiving dinner of 10, and it's estimated nationally, the average is $55.18 that just for 10 people, that sounds really low. So I'm gonna have to dive into their source data. But hey, I'll take good news wherever we can find it. And if their data says that prices are down for a couple years, I'll take it on its face value and then we'll go digging into the numbers.

[D]

Yeah, I want to know what's on that menu though, too, because, you know, if it's not stuff I like, then I'll pay the hire.

[C]

To that point. Allison, Amanda, and I. And big thanks again to Amanda and Trisha behind the scenes. Amanda and I had dinner last week at a cool place in Athens, and they were advertising side dishes that folks can take and take home for Thanksgiving. Allison. Oh, my gosh. I want to say it was like $75 for a side of macaroni and cheese.

[D]

And so think about it. Think about you don't have to cook, you don't have to clean. They probably gave it to you in a pan that you throw away after.

[C]

Oh, my gosh. I'm like, I need to get to the Thanksgiving side dish business. But anyway, speaking of, let's see. Amanda says. Amanda says. I've seen grocery prices generally on the rise, but right now, Thanksgiving grocery sales are incredible. I saw 49 cents a pound on sweet potatoes yesterday and turkeys that have been on sale for a month. Aldi even has a $40 Thanksgiving dinner menu and shopping list for 12. Love to see the prices going down, if only for Thanksgiving.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

One more thing on this topic, then we're gonna get your brave, bold, fearless prognostication. We can thank a supply chain planning error back in the day for the standard microwavable turkey dinner. Right. That we've all enjoyed at some point in our lives. Pretty inexpensive and not bad.

[D]

Enjoyed. We've all enjoyed. Put that in quotes.

[C]

I've loved it. Stuffing the potato and. And the frozen turkey Swanson was my go to back in the day. But as the story goes, in a nutshell, they over planned for turkey, thought the demand would be off the charts, and it was not. All of a sudden, they had tons and tons of turkey that they had to do something with. It's like back in the 50s, I think. So they Came up with the idea of freezing it and creating meals. And. And, hey, the market answered and they liked it. I'm not sure if they still do some 75 years later, but I liked it. All right, Allison and Alan, you asked a question. Alan says. Alan, Jacques, great to see you. Why was Amanda doing the shopping? Alan, Amanda has all the smarts in our household. I've proven that to you over the years, my good friend.

[D]

But can I answer that from another person's perspective who insists on if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

[C]

That's right. It's so true. I could barely microwave a turkey dinner, much less source all of our Thanksgiving supply chain. But happy Thanksgiving. Hope you're doing well. Alan, great to see you. Okay, two things we're going to wrap with on a fast and furious finish. Number one, Allison, one big, bad, bold prediction for manufacturing in 2026. You're a big leader within that critical industry. What's your prediction?

[D]

I'm going to say it out loud. So if I say it out loud, it has to happen. I predict that small manufacturers are going to have much more leverage than they do right now. I think that they are. Have always been nimble. They've always been able to pivot on a moment's notice and do something different because they don't have to cut through red tape to make it happen. Now, I don't know that we're going to see so many small manufacturers with a lot of investments or capital expenditures, but we're going to see manufacturers be able to say no to big guys and be able to command better prices. So, yeah, that's going to be my. My big, bold prediction that I really hope is right.

[C]

I appreciate you're in the leadership chair, and I always enjoy your observations from industry. That's very valuable, finger on the pulse type of content and perspective. And I would add a hopeful corollary to that, if I use that word right, hadn't used since college. We're already seeing some rethinking, I believe, of trade policy and what tariffs have delivered here in 2025 after at least my perspective, a whole year where I didn't think it would still be lingering. And we see a lot of manufacturers. It's your top business challenge. I've seen a variety of surveys. I think next year, in addition to what you shared, that we're going to see a rethinking of our overall aggressive tariff approach and consider the ramifications and the ripple effect that it's caused. And we're Going to see more, more serenity. We'll predict that and hopefully it comes to be true. Less headaches and global supply.

[D]

Say it out loud. Maybe that's what happened, right?

[C]

Say to the universe, shout it from the mountaintop. Okay, so Alison Giddens, one more is my favorite thing to talk about. I love what you are doing at the Dave Create you Foundation. Folks. Get the Dave Ku foundation has helped almost 2,000 local kids here in metro Atlanta area play the sports they love. We're talking about, you know, families that may not be able to afford all the equipment cost or the application cost. You know, organized sports is pricey. And I love this practical mission, such an impactful mission you all been on here. So Allison, tell us if I got all that right. Tell us about the foundation and and to also tell us how folks can jump in and support what you're doing.

[D]

No, and thank you so much. And you and supply chain now, you guys have always been awesome and supporting this cause. So thank you so much. We, yeah, we help kids play local sports when their families are going through rough times. Whether it's a temporary financial hurdle in their lives or whether it's more of a longer term, you name it. We've probably helped a family through some stuff. So and it's all with, with 100% volunteer organization, so we don't have any paid staff. So 99.9 cents on the dollar go right to the cause. And that 01 is probably just the web hosting, to be honest, for the website. But yeah, it's a great organization with great volunteers, a terrific board. So yeah, we're, we're doing good things and a lot of kids get to play sports.

[C]

So folks, so many great causes out there and there's lots of causes that you need to do your homework on. Right. Check out Charity Navigator along those lines. But I can personally vet for the great work that the Dave Kreche foundation is doing. We're honored to be a very small part of the mission. If you want to join, check out Dave Kreche S K-R-A C-H-E.com learn more. And as Allison shared last time she was with us, if you're in, let's see. Well, Leah's in Seattle. If you're in beautiful Seattle and you want to stand up a similar mission, go check out DaveCration.com because there's resources on there that will help you do so.

[D]

Right? Yes. You know, it's easy to set up the work is, is keeping it going. But if you've got a passion for it. There are kids that need you.

[C]

Outstanding. Really appreciate what you and Donna and the whole gang of powerful volunteers are doing. Very consequential mission. And we're going to be getting updated numbers soon, folks, because we believe that the number's over 2,000 now. So stay tuned. Next time Allison joins us, we'll be able to update that number. Okay, folks, I want to encourage you to connect, follow, you name it. Alison on LinkedIn. We got our one click right there. And Allison, you always like to add a little disclaimer for folks that approach you on LinkedIn. What is that?

[D]

When you connect with me, include a note that you watched this, that you watched the buzz, because I don't necessarily blindly accept all connection requests. But if you say that you watched the buzz and you caught us here, then by all means, I'll accept.

[C]

Outstanding. So follow that rule of law. All right, so as we wrap here today, a big jam packed edition of the Buzz. I bet I worked for about seven hours getting ready for your appearance here, Allison, and it was all, it was all worth it, I think. Real slow, you know. Want to thank my esteemed co host Allison Crazy Giddens. Allison, admire your industry leadership. I admire your volunteer leadership on so many different levels. So thanks for joining us here today.

[D]

Thanks for having me. It's always an honor to know you and I am privileged to call you friend.

[C]

Same same, my friend. Happy Thanksgiving to your entire family and to all of y' all out there that celebrate and if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, hey, November offers a great month. We should do it year round, but a great month to be grateful for all that we have in this incredible journey that we're all on together. Big thanks to Amanda, Trisha behind the scenes, appreciate all the great major league production support and most importantly, a big thanks to our global audience out there, the smartest one in all global supply chain. Thanks for being here with us today. So but you know, you got homework. And Allison backed up the truck, as Jake Barr would say, and unloaded a ton of actionable brilliance on us here. So take one thing you heard from me and Allison here today, share it with your team. Put into practice deeds, not words, you know, that's how we're going to keep transforming global supply chain, global business. And with that said, on behalf of the entire supply chain now, team Scott Luton, first, wishing all that celebrate a very happy, happy Thanksgiving. And secondly, you know I'm challenging you to do good, get forward, be the change that's needed. We'll See you next time right back here on Supply Chain Now. Thanks, everybody.

[B]

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.