DEFINING
A NEW
GENERATION
A ThomasNet & ISM Recognition Program

MEET THE
30 UNDER 30

RISING SUPPLY CHAIN ROCK STARS

Sponsored by© Inbound Logistics Magazine • Reprinted by permission • inboundlogistics.com • Free subscription: bit.ly/get_il

No-nonsense
supplier
discovery?
We wrotethe book.
Since 1898, serious buyers have turned to us to find just the right suppliers.
Throughout the 20th century, we made it happen through our big green books,
The Thomas Register of American Manufacturers. Today, procurement pros withneither the time nor patience to slog through search engine results turn to ourThomasNet.com Supplier Discovery Platform. It’s designed for the way you work.
It’s the most comprehensive platform of its kind. And it’s all FREE.

Take the ThomasNet.com
tour at ISM 2015 Booth #727,
or check us out online.

330
30UNDER30
Rising Supply Chain Stars
by Merrill Douglas

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:

ISM • ThomasNet

Announcing the2014 winners of the
30 Under 30 Rising
Supply Chain
Stars program.
Meet some of
the brightest
new lights in
our industry’s
firmament and see
what makes themshine.

January 2015 • Inbound Logistics 3

30 30UNDERABOUT ISM

Institute for Supply Management® isthe first supply management institutein the world. Founded in 1915, ISM’s
mission is to enhance the value andperformance of procurement and supply
chain management practitioners and theirorganizations worldwide. By executing andextending its mission through education,
research, standards of excellence andinformation dissemination – including
the renowned monthly ISM Report on
Business® – ISM maintains a strong
global influence among individuals andorganizations. ISM is a not-for-profit
educational organization that serves
professionals with an interest in supply
management who live and work in morethan 90 countries. ISM offers the Certified
Professional in Supply Management®
(CPSM®) and Certified Professional in
Supplier Diversity® (CPSD®) qualifications.

ABOUT THOMASNET

ThomasNet provides solutions that makeit easier for buyers and engineers topartner with the right industrial suppliers.
For nearly a century the Company’s “biggreen books” – the Thomas Register –were considered indispensable to B2B
buyers and manufacturers alike. Today,
ThomasNet offers tools to facilitate every
step of the buying process. These include
industry’s leading supplier discovery
platform, free online at ThomasNet.com.

4 Inbound Logistics • January 2015

RISINGSUPPLY
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A

s more baby boomers reach retirement age, supply
chain executives are looking with trepidation at
a looming talent gap. To stay strong, the industry
needs an influx of fresh faces, especially professionals
drawn from the millennial generation—people born
between 1982 and the early 2000s.
By 2025, millennials will make up about
75 percent of the supply chain workforce,
researchers say. To groom these supply chain leaders, companies must
attract the brightest and most innovative members of that generation today.
Luckily, millennials are already making their mark on the supply chain
profession. Brimming with energy, at ease with technology, skilled inleadership, and adept at collaboration, the best among the newcomers havealready emerged as rising stars.
To bring attention to those young luminaries, and to show millennials
how wonderful, rich, and rewarding a supply chain career can be,ThomasNet, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), and InboundLogistics teamed up to create a recognition program—30 Under 30 Rising
Supply Chain Stars. The program honors 30 professionals who are 30 years
or younger, and already making their mark in the purchasing/supply chain
management field. These include one Megawatt Star who is receiving
additional honors.
Advancing the purchasing/supply chain management profession has beena shared goal of ThomasNet, a leading free resource for supplier discovery
and product sourcing, and educational association ISM, dating back morethan 100 years. That’s when Elwood B. Hendricks, a salesman for the Thomas
Register of American Manufacturers (ThomasNet.com’s predecessor) saw aneed for a national organization to help purchasing agents advance. His vision
led to the formation of the Purchasing Agents’ Association of New York in1914 (now ISM-New York), a springboard for the national ISM.
To select these rising supply chain stars, ThomasNet and ISM invitedthe supply chain community to nominate outstanding supply chain
practitioners, 30 years old or younger, for recognition. Each nomination
detailed the candidate’s stellar qualities and described their most
extraordinary achievements. A selection committee evaluated more than 225
entries to choose the 30 Rising Stars, including one top-ranked MegawattStar. Winners were chosen for their notable accomplishments and theirdemonstration of initiative, collaboration, innovation, and/or leadership—atwork as well as within ISM and other industry associations.
Each winner receives a complimentary, one-year membership to ISM
and a pass to ISM’s 2015 annual conference, May 3-6, 2015, in Phoenix. In
addition, our Megawatt Star and her nominator win an all-expenses-paid trip
to the conference.
Consider how much our Megawatt Star has already achieved at
29 years old. Katy Conrad Maynor, Category Manager, Finished Lubricants/

RISINGSUPPLYCHAIN
STARSWHERE THEY HAIL FROM

WHERE THEY WORK

2

3

30 30
UNDER

3

3

3

2
2
4

2

4
2

2

2

2
3

5

Beyond the continental U.S., four of this year’s selectees
were born in India, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and “between
Costa Rica and Germany,” respectively.

Beyond the continental U.S., two of this year’s selectees
work in the United Kingdom, and another works in
Malaysia.

GENDER BREAKDOWN

7+10+132720A

AGE BREAKDOWN

30

29

Women make up exactly two-thirds of this year’s selectees.

B2B with Shell Oil in Houston, runs procurement
and negotiates contracts for Shell’s Global
Commercial business. Her achievements at Shell
are too numerous to list, but among them:■■ Developed a new approach to one supplier
relationship that yielded big savings across half thatvendor’s portfolio.
■■ Built a regional sourcing strategy for Shell’sbusiness-to-business products.
■■ Co-led the creation of a successful
contracting model.
By highlighting the achievements of our
Megawatt Star, and our Rising Stars, ThomasNet,
ISM, and Inbound Logistics want to demonstrate

24

28

25

26

MEDIANAGE

27

28

how exciting and rewarding a career in supply
chain management can be. We hope that our
30 Under 30 will become role models, inspiringother talented millennials to choose careers in
our industry, and give more of a “cool factor” to aprofession that has been off their radar.
But attracting millennials is far from easy. People
from this generation often land jobs in the industry
accidentally, or consider a supply chain career only
after trying out several others. For example, one of
our Rising Stars learned about the profession froma roommate, and decided to explore it.
Moreover, many millennials are unaware that
supply chain management careers empower themJanuary 2015 • Inbound Logistics 5

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RISINGSUPPLY
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to make a difference—to foster sustainability/green
practices, for example. Our Rising Stars say that
their positions enable them to:■■ Improve access to vital products and services—from medicines for hard-to-treat diseases, toclean energy.
■■ Make a big financial impact—saving theirorganizations money, helping them work more
efficiently and strategically, and improving
corporate profitability. Collectively, this group has
helped their companies save millions of dollars.
■■ Be a key player in strategic projects where top
management has a stake.
■■ Work overseas and navigate different cultures.
■■ Hone their negotiating, management, andleadership skills.

■■ Learn about different functions, products,
and industries.
■■ Do something new every day.
Many don’t know how well the jobs in thisindustry pay, either. ISM’s 2014 Salary Survey
shows that the average pay for a supply chain
professional with up to four years on the job is$72,119 annually. This is on par with engineering,which was recently ranked as one of the highest
paying positions starting out.
Although they work in many different industries,
and reached their current roles via all sorts ofroutes, our Rising Stars have a lot in common.
Nearly all say they love their work because it
touches every aspect of the company. They lovethe variety they find in their jobs, pointing out

23+
A
+
77
20+17+131073A

INDUSTRIES THEY NOW INFLUENCE

WHO THEY MOST ADMIRE

Television / Cosmetics / Aerospace

Technology/services

7%

Chemicals

Public

3%
each

20%

77%

7%

Parent(s)one or both

17%

10%

Other
23%

Manufacturing

Pharma13%

17%

EnergyFoodAmong the other most admired people
cited were Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg,
Indian cricketer M.S. Dhoni, Oprah Winfrey,
and Steve Jobs.

IN THEIR BLU-RAY COLLECTIONS…

Dead Poets Society (1989), Dirty Dancing (1987), Elf (2003), Forrest Gump (1994), Good Will Hunting (1997),
Inception (2010), The Intouchables (2011), The Lives of Others (2006), Mary Poppins (1964), My Best Friend’s
Wedding (1997), My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), The Notebook (2004), Pride and Prejudice (2005), The
Princess Bride (1987), Rocky (1976), Sound of Music (1965), Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983),
Steel Magnolias (1989), The Usual Suspects (1995), The Wizard of Oz (1939)
ON THEIR PLAYLISTS…

The Avett Brothers, Bon Iver, Billy Joel, Kings of Leon, LCD Soundsystem, The National, Max Richter, Coldplay, Arcade Fire,
Malpaís, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Coldplay, Darius Rucker, Frank Sinatra, Beyonce, A.R. Rahman,
Dave Matthews Band, The Script, Dispatch, Shania Twain, Kenny Chesney, The New Basement Tapes, Ed Sheeran,Carrie Underwood, John Mayer, Justin Timberlake

6 Inbound Logistics • January 2015

RISINGSUPPLY
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17+83+A
13+13+1658A
CHOSE SUPPLY CHAIN AS THEIR CAREER?

Yes.
17%

No.
83%

BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION ABOUT MILLENNIALS?
Tech gurus ortech-obsessed

13%“not hard
workers”

13%

Sense ofentitlement

58%

16%

Other

that no two projects are ever the same. They
enjoy working with people and building
relationships. And noting the abundant anddiverse opportunities available, every one ofthem recommends a career in supply chain
management to other millennials.
ThomasNet, ISM, and Inbound Logistics willcontinue to spread the word to the millennial
generation: Supply chain is a place where you
can innovate, make a difference, and build anever-changing career that lasts a lifetime.
So, turn the pages to meet our 30 Under 30
Rising Supply Chain Stars, and get ready to
be dazzled!

30 30201
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Meet the 2014
Rising Supply Chain Stars…
Katy Conrad Maynor

8Nicholas Ammaturo

10

Natalie Andrasko

11

Alejandra Baptista

12

Matthew Bauer

13

Stephanie Bedard

14

Jenna Benkula

15

Paul Boyer

16

Christina Butterworth

17

Erica Canlas18

Robert Cassin

19Erin Clancy

20

Brian Dean

21

Laura Dearborn Stearns

22

Christina DeKoning

23

Aubrey Edwards

24

Leah Halvorson

25

Stephanie Kessler Thayer

26

Sarah Klemsz

27

Andrew Lattof

28

Ryan Mulcrone29

Arun Raman

30

Thomas Raterman

31

Tania Santiago-Mirabal

32

Amy Schwantner

33

Pamela Ton34

Maren von Platen

35

Jamie Walker

36

Wesley Whitney

37

Jennifer Wolff

38

January 2015 • Inbound Logistics 7

2015

MEGAWATT STAR

Supply ChainRock Star
Katy Conrad Maynor

AGE: 29
Category Manager, Finished
Lubricants/B2B, Shell Oil, London, U.K.
Nominated by David Allen, Operational Excellence—
Functional Excellence Lead, Shell Oil

8 Inbound
8 Inbound
Logistics
Logistics• January• January
20152015

RISINGSUPPLYCHAIN
STARSHow she shines Katy Conrad Maynor isn’t just arising star—she’s a rock star, says nominator David
Allen. A superb negotiator and born leader, Maynor
displays a special flair for uniting people withconflicting goals, guiding them toward solutions thatpay off for all. Among her many achievements at
Shell Oil since 2008: She devised a new approach
to one supplier relationship that yielded big savings
across half that vendor’s portfolio; built a regionalsourcing strategy for Shell’s business-to-business (B2B)
products; and co-led the creation of a successful new
contracting model.

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also loves solving tough problems—for instance,balancing the pros and cons of different sourcing
options, uncovering hidden costs and risk factors, toreach the best possible solution. “The rewarding partis when we make a real change that improves ourbusiness, and makes our team stronger as a result,”
she says.
ISM activist “Katy has a passion for connecting

new professionals with experienced supply chain
practitioners,” says Allen. That’s why, as part of the
ISM-Houston affiliate, she took a lead role in creating
the organization’s first Emerging Professional’sGroup (EPG), building a network of 250 members.
Why supply chain? Maynor was a business major at“We want to encourage a constant pipeline of new
Ohio State, headed for a marketing career, when an
talent coming into ISM and into
on-campus talk by a member of thethe supply chain management
Limited Brands’ logistics team gave
IN HER OWN WORDS
discipline,” Maynor says. The
her a look at life on the supply side.
What do you hope to
Houston group now serves as a role
“Getting the product to the end
accomplish in the next
model for other ISM affiliates.
consumer, and matching demand
10 years? To continue
to what is available, sounded like
Outside the office Maynor enjoys
growing as a supply chaina fascinating challenge,” she says.
timewith family and friends. She
professional, and learning
Later, a 12-week internship at Shellalso loves to travel, indulging
from inspirational
sold her on the supply chain, andher curiosity about various world
especially on procurement. One
leaders so I can be morecultures. She mentors college
big draw was the chance to makeeffective within teams
business majors, and in her
a direct impact on the bottom
and as a leader. Would
downtime she relaxes with mysteriesline. “If businesses can get thisyou recommend a supply
and biographies, and takes Pilates.
right—an optimized supply chain
chain career to someone
A figure skater growing up, she alsowith constructive relationships—it
under 30? Yes. The
continues to enjoy that sport.
can be a source of competitive
chancetomakea
directadvantage,” she says. “It’s exciting to
On leadership “Lead from
impact on the bottom line
be part of that effort.”
wherever you are,” Maynor
is rewarding.
recommends. That’s her own
Her job today Maynor negotiates
modus operandi. Whether she’s thecontracts and manages suppliers
designated leader, or simply a member of the team,for Shell’s Global Commercial business. “I also work
Maynor knows how to influence a group to achievewith our businesses to help make our supply chain
its best. That often takes courage. “When something
run more smoothly and gain efficiencies,” she says. It’s
doesn’t look right, or you have to deliver a message
a global role that Maynor usually fills from Houston.
that is the right message but isn’t popular, you need
But in 2014, Shell sent her on special assignment toto communicate it respectfully and stand behind it,”London, where she focused particularly on European
she says.
suppliers. She also started tackling new duties,
procuring services for a team that develops long-term
Advice to new supply chain professionals “Takestrategies for Shell.
risks. Being willing to move to a new city or country,
or take on a challenge I’ve never faced before, has
Rewards of the job “I love working with smart
led to some of the most valuable and rewarding
engineering and business professionals,” says Maynor.
experiences of my life.”“They challenge me. They make me sharper.” She

January 2015 • Inbound Logistics 9

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RISINGSUPPLYCHAIN
STARSA Quick Study

Nicholas Ammaturo | AGE: 30
Director, Profit Improvement and Procurement,
Hudson’s Bay Company, New York, New York
Nominated by Robert Odomirok, Senior Manager,
A&M Procurement, PepsiCo Inc.

Up for any challenge If variety is the spice of life,
Nick Ammaturo’s career is a feast of flavors. He has
worked in the food and beverage industry, facilities
maintenance, beauty products, and now—witha recent move to the Hudson’s Bay Company—in retail.
Wherever he lands, he excels. In part, that’s because he knows how to make a quick but thorough study of any
challenge he’s about to tackle. “Nick believes in knowing the business cold to make informed decisions,” says
nominator Robert Odomirok.
Where he has been At his last job at Avon Products, Ammaturo wore two hats. In one, he led an initiative
to implement a global supply chain collaboration system. “I was the project manager, overseeing IT, finance,planning, engineering—all the stakeholders,” he says. With his other
hat on, he focused on logistics, leading a series of RFPs for linehaul
IN HIS OWN WORDS
transportation management and order fulfillment services.
Most challenging part of your job?
Demonstrating how procurement
process and strategy can unlock value
to the organization. If you could
start over, would you still choose thisprofession? Definitely. You gain skills
that you can apply outside of work.
This profession teaches you to ask theright questions and be informed inmany areas.

Lighting to lobsters One of Ammaturo’s most memorable projects

occurred at FM Facility Maintenance. The mission was to source a wide
range of services—plumbing, lighting, elevators, food equipment, lobster
tanks—for a national supermarket chain.
He had to master tons of information at the start. “For a few months,
I just hit the road,” he says. “I visited at least 100 supermarket locations,learning about every aspect of the business, then trying to understand thecosts, and how to add value.” The project started in September and had towrap up by February.
Not only did Ammaturo get the contracts squared away, but he also
implemented training to help the stores cut costs by operating more
efficiently. In the end, the project saved the client about 15 percent.

The next generation Ammaturo got into supply chain management by chance. He was interning in Beijing

as a marketing analyst when a recruiter called to offer him a position in global procurement at PepsiCo. “I had
no exposure to the field until I happened to get that phone call,” he says. That’s why he likes to return to hisalma mater, Villanova University, to talk to management classes about the supply chain: he wants to make surestudents hear about this profession he loves.
He also reaches out to younger people as president of the ISM-7 Counties chapter. With his urging, the group
recently launched a new, more dynamic website that is optimized for mobile devices as well as PCs. Ammaturo
has been recruiting business professors in New York to write articles for the site and, in turn, to bring in chapter
members to talk to their classes.

Baking his way to the top An avid cook, Ammaturo ran a food blog, Fork to Cork, through 2011. “One recipe

has gotten me promoted several times,” he jokes. “Every place I work, I bake that blueberry tart, and everyone
remembers it.”

10 Inbound Logistics • January 2015

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The Juggler

Natalie Andrasko | AGE: 29
Senior Procurement Specialist, ConAgra Foods, St. Louis, Missouri
Nominated by Jami Bliss, Director of Procurement, Teva Pharmaceuticals

Agile and quick Versatility might be Natalie Andrasko’s middle

name. “Natalie has transitioned between industries, companies, androles in the past five years, and hits the ground running each time,”says nominator Jami Bliss. She has worked for business units that makeproducts as diverse as baby powder, narcotic medications, and popcorn.
As a demand planner for Johnson & Johnson’s baby products division,
she improved forecasting accuracy metrics by 23 percent. At ConAgra
Foods, one recent achievement was using a new e-sourcing tool toconduct a procurement for paper packaging that saved the company$17 million.
How she got here Andrasko’s supply chain career began witha casual visit to a career fair at Penn State, where she majored inbiological engineering. “I figured I’d go to the fair just to practice mynetworking skills,” she says. “But I landed a co-op with Johnson &Johnson, as a supply planner.”
She later joined Johnson & Johnson’s Global Operations
Leadership Development Program. Rotations through roles inlaboratory work, acquisitions work, and demand planning showed herthat her true interests lay with the supply chain.
Why supply chain? “I want to continue to be challenged,” says
Andrasko. “Supply chain is a fabulous career because it’s so dynamic.
You touch so many different areas of the organization that youropportunities are endless.”
Challenge and reward In her last role in package sourcing,Andrasko faced the tough task of collecting information she neededfrom multiple ERP systems. That data was crucial, for example, inthe sourcing event that saved $17 million. “Often, the systems didn’t
have the data we needed, so we had to go to the plants and internalbusiness partners to hunt it down,” she says.
That project—and all her work in packaging—brought Andrasko
tremendous satisfaction. “When you finish a project that saves
millions of dollars, it’s rewarding to know that you’ve made such an
impact on the business.”

IN HER OWN WORDS

Most significant career accomplishment to
date? I facilitated a paper packaging sourcing
event within the procurement group that
netted large savings for the company. We hit
our savings goals for the year as a result. If
you could start over, would you still choose
this profession? Yes. I feel like my work
matters, and that gives me the confidence tocontinue developing as a leader.

Latest project Andrasko recently switched to a new role focused on averting obsolescence. When ConAgra
produces products for sale under retailers’ private labels, she makes sure they get to market well before theirsell-by dates. This takes a great deal of coordination with teams in demand forecasting, warehousing, distribution,and many other functions.
Finding balance It’s important to set boundaries between business and personal life, Andrasko says. “When I

get home, I leave my phone in my purse and do my best to unplug from work for the day...at least until my twoyear-old son goes to sleep.”

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RISINGSUPPLYCHAIN
STARSA Bundle of Energy
Alejandra Baptista | AGE: 27

Vendor Master Specialist, NuStar Energy, San Antonio, Texas
Nominated by Cheryl Foster, Supervisor, Contract Administration, NuStar Energy

Her many talents Don’t try to pigeonhole
Alejandra Baptista. She has worked as a buyer, but
she has also probed the depths of enterprise resource
planning (ERP) software, mastering several different
versions of SAP. Baptista has become so adept atusing the software that she became a trainer, and lent
support to users during a system upgrade.
In her current role at NuStar Energy, Baptista
maintains the crucial vendor master database. In
addition, she works with accounts payable to makesure vendors are paid correctly and on time. But
when a chance arises to help NuStar in a new way,
she grabs it. For example, “Alejandra has steppedout of her box to maintain records for most of ourcontractors that are required to hold insurance,” says
nominator Cheryl Foster. “She is eager to learn andalways volunteers for new projects.”

IN HER OWN WORDS

Most significant project to date?
I conducted a thorough invoice
analysis of a top supplier and found it
had not been applying the negotiateddiscount. My efforts led to a $158,000
credit. Does your job have asignificant impact on your company?
Absolutely! I know what I do helps
create revenue, impacting the top andbottom lines.

Sharp-eyed auditor Baptista started making her
mark in her earliest days at NuStar, soon after she
graduated from Baylor University. Her project was to
scrutinize invoices to make sure they adhered to theterms of suppliers’ contracts. She soon zeroed in on
one vendor that wasn’t always applying the promised
discounts. So she started a full-scale analysis.
“I pulled invoices over the course of our contract period, and created a
spreadsheet to document each invoice and where the discounts were not being
met,” she says. Armed with the facts from Baptista’s presentation, management
worked with the vendor to set things right. “We got back about $158,000,”
she says.
Pleasures of the job “It’s fun learning what goes on behind the scenes with

our vendor records,” Baptista says. “And it’s rewarding to know that what I do
makes other people’s jobs easier. For example, because I set up the records
correctly, we can meet payment terms that win us discounts from our vendors.”
Outside the office Baptista is devoted to staying active. “If I hear about acompany-sponsored team, I’ll be on it—practically any sport,” she says. It’s
hard to stop her. After tearing her anterior cruciate ligament during a company
soccer game in 2010, she pursued rigorous physical therapy and training to prepare for the 2013 San Antonio
Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon.
In 2014, she joined the board of ISM-San Antonio as secretary. She’s also an active community volunteer—for
instance, with the Junior League of San Antonio’s Family Endeavors program. “We do crafts with moms andtheir children who need supportive interaction,” she says. “It has been very rewarding.”

12 Inbound Logistics • January 2015

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A Breath of Fresh Air
Matthew Bauer | AGE: 29

Procurement Administrator, City of Mesa, Arizona
Nominated by Steve Dahle, Strategic Procurement Officer, Maricopa County, Arizona

Guinea pig Maricopa County, Ariz., hired Matthew Bauer as an experiment.
Could an inexperienced graduate fresh from Arizona State’s supply chain
management program succeed as a government procurement officer? The answer
was yes—with a vengeance. In fact, when the county procurement supervisor
retired two years later, Bauer stepped into that role.
The job Today, Bauer is procurement administrator for the City of Mesa, Ariz.,one of the youngest people in the United States to hold such a role in government.
His achievements earned him the Gabe Zimmerman Award for Innovation fromthe Center for the Future of Arizona, and won his agency at Maricopa County the
Innovations in Public Procurement Award for 2013 from the National Instituteof Governmental Purchasing (NIGP). “Through his innovative ideas and ability
to drive change, Matthew saved local government more than $10 million,” says
nominator Steve Dahle.
Fresh ideas “When I started at the county, I was the youngest person in thedepartment by about 15 years,” Bauer says. He seized the chance to soak up all theknowledge he could from his colleagues, procurement veterans with about 200
years in combined experience.
But Bauer also brought fresh ideas to an organization that had been doing
business in the same way for 30 years. “For example, we were able to move into
electronic procurement, and implemented a full e-procurement suite,” he says.
Early on, he also convinced his boss to experiment with the then-controversial
idea of using reverse auctions.
Going, going… In a reverse auction, multiple sellers bid against one another

online, ideally driving prices lower. When Bauer first suggested this strategy at
Maricopa County, his boss resisted, claiming it wouldn’t work in government.
But Bauer kept pushing. When the county finally ran a reverse auction for bulk
flour, that event drove the price from 38 cents per pound to 20 cents, saving nearly$1 million over the next three years. Bauer has since used reverse auctions forother commodities, and even for unconventional procurements, such as one for
employee benefits. His successes have won coverage by Governing and GovPromagazines, ABC, CBS, and other media outlets.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

Most rewarding part of your job?
Implementing new ideas, suchas using procurement strategies
to conduct reverse auctions on
employee benefits contracts.
It resulted in almost $7 million
in savings. Does your job havea significant impact on yourcompany? The work I do has asignificant impact on the local
community. The products andservices I acquire allow agencies
to conduct operations on behalfof citizens.

The fun side One perk of working in government procurement is the variety of unusual experiences it provides.
“I watched autopsies, because I was purchasing gas chromatograph mass spectrometers for the medical examiner,”he says. “I went onto Chase Field, the Diamondbacks’ baseball stadium, because we did a reroofing project
there. I purchased bulletproof vests and helicopters—things you’d never expect to be involved in.”
Outside the office Bauer heads the Young Professionals Committee for the Arizona State Capital Chapter

of NIGP. “I like encouraging other young professionals into supply chain jobs, especially in government,” hesays. He has also chaired the Scholarship Committee for NIGP’s national organization. Bauer and his wife likegetting out in the Arizona sunshine, going rock climbing, hiking, and playing with their dogs. “And I like towatch sports,” he adds. “I’m a big Phoenix Suns fan.”January 2015 • Inbound Logistics 13

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RISINGSUPPLYCHAIN
STARSAhead of the Game
Stephanie Bedard | AGE: 25

Business Operations Analyst, Johnson & Johnson,
High Wycombe, U.K.
Nominated by Jami Bliss, Director of Procurement, Teva Pharmaceuticals

Bring it on Pitch Stephanie Bedard a curve ball, a fast ball, a knuckleball—whatever you throw her, she’ll hit it out of the park. “Stephanie has been successful
in roles as disparate as consumer packaged goods, new product development, andmedical device distribution operations,” says nominator Jami Bliss. These days,
she’s embracing a new assignment in the U.K. Highly adaptive and always game totake on the next challenge, Bedard stands out for her ability to connect, lead, shape,and deliver, Bliss says.
Why supply chain? After her freshman year at the University of South Carolina,

Bedard spent the summer studying in Europe. One day, she found herself on thefloor of an automotive assembly plant in Prague. “It was just magical,” she recalls. A
silver minivan moved by on the line, followed by a yellow sedan. “Car doors came
flying overhead, arriving from the different suppliers that were co-located with theplant. The sense of urgency and operational focus were really exciting.”
That look into just-in-time manufacturing so inspired Bedard that she switched her major from economics
and international business to international business, global supply chain and operations management.
Major win As a top performer in Johnson & Johnson’s Global Operations Leadership Development program,

IN HER OWN WORDS

How did you get into supply chain
management? In 2010, I found myself
in a just-in-time Skoda Volkswagen
plant outside of Prague. I was so
impressed that I decided supply chain
and operations was where I needed tobe. Would you recommend a supply
chain career to someone under
30? It’s a dynamic and engaging
field. To stay cutting edge, we needtransformational big thinkers. Join
us. Warning: Supply chain isn’t for the
faint of heart.

Bedard did three work rotations. During one, she led the team that prepareda facility in Memphis to distribute product for a J&J business that makes
premium equipment for cardiovascular care.
Bedard was responsible for all aspects of that project, such as developing
receiving, picking, and shipping processes; arranging to make and store
shipping cartons; creating an ad hoc database to track product before it
became live inventory; and having cages and racks built to quarantine andstore the product.
The project timeline was tight. To add even more excitement, a last-minutehiccup in the warehouse management system forced Bedard’s team to go
into overdrive, picking, packing, and shipping product themselves, alongsidehourly associates.
“We had people working crazy overtime to make sure we could get orders
out the door, so surgeries wouldn’t be canceled,” all while triple-checking theircompliance with regulatory requirements, says Bedard. In the end, customers
received their product without a hitch. “It was incredible to see the teammobilize and make that happen.”

New horizons In October 2014, Bedard joined a global team that
handles facilities management for the J&J enterprise. That job has sent
her a whole new range of tasks to tackle, such as: auditing supplier performance; measuring the success ofenergy conservation efforts; monitoring performance of building infrastructure; and exploring how to give J&J
employees a distinct workplace experience—a workplace brand, if you will.
Bedard loves the new challenge. “There’s a lot to learn,” she says. “That’s what’s most exciting about any
new job.”

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Purchasing
Made Perfect

Jenna Benkula | AGE: 30

Purchasing Manager, Glanbia Foods, Twin Falls, Idaho
Nominated by Declan Dalton, Purchasing Agent, Glanbia Foods

Better and better Perfection is the name of the game forJenna Benkula. At the University of Idaho, as a dual major inhuman resources and production operations management,
she put a special emphasis on process improvement. “I wanted
to apply the Lean and Six Sigma concepts to a service role,”
she says.
Streamlining workflows and driving out flaws is now amajor focus for Benkula at Glanbia Foods, the Idaho-based
cheese and dairy manufacturer where she has worked since
graduation. “Jenna’s rise in our organization is due to her
drive for continuous improvement in our processes and ourpeople,” says nominator Declan Dalton. “She constantly pushes us to identify
and eliminate waste.”
The job, part one Like a superhero, Benkula maintains two identities at work.
The first is category manager for business services, chemicals, and ingredient
process aids. Within those areas, she nurtures relationships with vendors, andworks with local purchasing managers who buy for their sites. “The purchasing
manager handles day-to-day transactions, such as a rush order for chemicals,”
she says. “When a buy is more strategic, I get involved.”
Part two: striving for ‘slick’ Her alter ego—purchasing manager—

IN HER OWN WORDS

Most difficult part of your job?
Getting to a place where we canmove away from transactional, dayto-day tasks to focus on strategic
initiatives. If you could start
over, would you still choose thisprofession? Yes. There is nevera boring day, and while it can bechallenging, the opportunities tolearn and grow as an individual
make it all worthwhile.

concentrates even more intensely on strategy. “We’re focused on trying to makeour processes more ‘slick,’” Benkula says. If the procurement team can do its
day-to-day work more efficiently, that will free members to spend more timeon innovation.
So, for example, the team is investigating how to make better use of the company’s ERP system. Members arealso exploring how to consolidate Glanbia’s other software tools. “We want to consolidate into one system, so we
can get a unified picture of our supplier relationships, contracts, tenders, and projects,” she says.

Early management Right now, Benkula is in the midst of a process improvement project based on a concept
used by Glanbia’s engineering team called “early management.” This involves defining steps for people to follow
at the start of a project, to keep problems from cropping up later.
One key step is to capture the “voice of the customer,” to make sure the project answers all the needs of thepeople it will serve. Say, for example, Glanbia needs to procure lab supplies. “You lay out a draft project scope,tell the purchasing managers at the production sites what you intend to do, and ask what they need from thisprocess. Based on that input from your internal customers, you develop a more detailed scope of work.” Once
everyone agrees on the scope, the project manager uses that document to define the products and services thevendor will deliver.
Outside the office “I dedicate most of my time outside of work to hanging with my family,” says Benkula. “My
three brothers, two sisters, niece, and two nephews are important to me. They make everything worthwhile.”

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RISINGSUPPLYCHAINSTARSTaking the Lead
Paul Boyer | AGE: 28

Site Head of Procurement, F. HoffmannLa Roche, Ltd., Hillsboro, Oregon
Nominated by Tania Santiago-Mirabal, Latin
America Indirect Procurement Manager, Millicom

Up the ladder A skilled leader who has provenhis ability to pull teams together on complex
projects, Paul Boyer has just moved up to a newchallenge at healthcare firm F. Hoffmann-La
Roche. Until recently, he worked as a global
category manager, responsible for primary
packaging for targeted therapies. Now, he is a sitehead of procurement, in charge of all sourcing fora manufacturing plant.
“I lead a team of people managing direct
and indirect materials, specifically capitaland equipment, facilities, services, and site
operations,” Boyer says.
Based on his track record, there’s no doubt that he’ll thrive in the new job. “Paul demonstrates a level ofprofessionalism far beyond what one would expect from someone his age,” says nominator Tania SantiagoMirabal. “His management has received positive feedback from stakeholders at all levels.”
How he got here Boyer was a business major at Miami University of Ohio when Tom Speh, a professor andpast president of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, gave a guest lecture to his marketingclass. “He talked about increasing revenues versus decreasing costs to achieve atarget,” Boyer says. “It provided a look at the impact procurement can make. I
IN HIS OWN WORDS
found it fascinating.”
Boyer asked for a bit of Speh’s time the following week. “We talked for a
Most rewarding part of yourfew hours,” he recalls. “Then I went straight to admissions, and enrolled in thejob? This type of work inspires
supply chain program.”and challenges. Getting out of bed
in the morning, and going aboveand beyond, is easy to do. Whatdo you hope to accomplish in thenext 10 years? Continue pursuing
opportunities that keep me engaged
and are in line with my values andpassions. Through my work, I canmake a difference in the world.

One for all In one of Boyer’s biggest projects as global category manager, he
led the procurement team’s participation in an effort to source a pre-filled glass
syringe that would serve for most cancer therapies in Roche’s development
pipeline. “Before we got involved, seven or eight molecules in the pipeline
had their own specifications,” he says. Running a separate procurement for
each, then using all those slightly different packaging platforms at the sameplant, would have wasted a lot of resources. Instead, officials at Roche wanted tocreate a standard set of specs, and choose a standard set of suppliers. Boyer’s job
was to run the cross-functional sourcing team and get everyone to buy into thisnew approach to sourcing.
The nearly three-year effort saved Roche a great deal in resources. “And it sets us up for success as thesemolecules move through the development process and eventually launch,” Boyer says.

Advice to millennials “If you’re still in school, try to get a solid grounding in something other than supply

chain,” Boyer says. “You need specialties of your own—a unique perspective you can bring to the job. For those
who are getting into the workforce now, find a good mentor.”

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A World of Opportunity
Christina Butterworth | AGE: 30

Global Supply Markets Project Manager,
Halliburton, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Nominated by Jami Bliss, Director of Procurement, Teva Pharmaceuticals

The job Given her expertise on the supply side, you might be surprised tolearn how much time Christina Butterworth spends talking with customers.
As a global supply market (GSM) project manager at Halliburton,
Butterworth helps business development teams win projects ranging from$1 million to more than $3 billion in scope.
Her job is to make sure everyone understands the cost factors that lie
behind Halliburton’s pricing. Through extensive research and analysis,
Butterworth builds a picture of all the costs involved—for materials,
transportation, contract services, and everything else the project requires.
She often sits at the bargaining table, too. “Some business development
professionals want a supply chain ‘wing man’ to assist in the negotiations,”
Butterworth says. “That’s an exciting role. I’m negotiating with extremely
talented supply chain professionals from some of our top customers.”
Seeing the world Having caught the travel bug early in life, Butterworth
was thrilled when Halliburton sent her to Malaysia in 2014. “It has been
the highlight of my career so far,” she says. Her mission was to extend
the GSM concept to the Asia-Pacific market, where it hadn’t been
tried before.
Since arriving in Kuala Lumpur, Butterworth has led her GSM teamon more than 90 projects. The new posting has taught her about many
more of Halliburton’s products and services, and has given her the chance
to visit about a dozen countries. “Learning about different cultures andeating new foods has been incredible,” she says. As a bonus, she has taken
the opportunity to earn her open water scuba diving certificate.
Influential leader Butterworth’s projects are often complex, and may

IN HER OWN WORDS

Most significant career
accomplishment to date? I was involvedin the startup of ISM Houston's
Emerging Professionals Group. I chaired
the committee for two years. One
year, the group grew to more than 250
members and held four events. Would
you recommend a supply chain career
to someone under 30? Yes. My advice
would be to take calculated risks inyour life and career. You lend yourself tomore opportunities, and won't feel theneed to look back and think you shouldhave done something a different way.

require cooperation from a wide range of people. That’s not easy toachieve. “Sometimes you need support from various teams, with diverse
priorities, to achieve a common goal,” she explains.
She prevails because she has honed a skill she calls “influential leadership.” Butterworth knows how to getpeople pulling in the same direction for the good of their company. “Throughout her career, Christina has beenable to gain trust, articulate a vision, and lead a team to success,” says nominator Jami Bliss.

Helping the next generation Along with her Houston colleague, megawatt star Katy Conrad Maynor,
Butterworth played a major part in launching ISM-Houston’s 250-member Emerging Professionals Group(EPG). Butterworth chaired the EPG committee in its first two years, and helped spread the word on how tocreate such a group at ISM’s Affiliate Leadership training events in 2012 and 2013.
Advice to millennials “If you’re in school and want to enter the supply chain field, get as many internships or

co-ops as you can,” says Butterworth. “You’ll get a chance to see everything supply chain management can offer
before you have to make a more strategic decision on your career path. Also, don’t be afraid to take risks.”

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Sourcing for Success
Erica Canlas | AGE: 25

Sourcing Lead, Commercial and Business Services
Procurement, Johnson & Johnson Consumer ProductsCompany, a Division of Johnson & Johnson Group ofConsumer Companies Inc., Skillman, New Jersey
Nominated by Eliza Gonzalez, Director, Global Procurement andTalent Management, Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies

Wide reach Since joining Johnson & Johnson (J&J) as a co-op in 2010, anda fulltime employee in 2011, Erica Canlas has wielded an extensive shopping
list. Check in with her at different times, and you’d have found her cultivating
value for the company across everything from advertising to shrink wrap.
Today, Canlas still handles an impressively complex portfolio, supporting
procurement of professional services (consulting and temporary labor), auto
fleets for sales reps, travel, meetings, event planning, and point-of-sale retaildisplays. She keeps making an impact. “In only four years at J&J, she has
amassed an incredible list of accomplishments in procurement, and has earned
the respect of leaders in marketing, logistics, sales, and finance,” says nominator
Eliza Gonzalez.
Change agent One of the top challenges Canlas faces in her job is overcoming resistance to change. “People
get used to the way they’ve been doing things, or they’re used to working with an existing supplier,” she says.
When she spots a chance to source an excellent product or service better, faster, or at a more competitive price,
it can be hard to influence people at multiple levels, inside and outside thecompany, to embrace that change.
IN HER OWN WORDS
That’s where her experience with many different categories comes in handy.
“It is rewarding to think about what I’ve learned in one role, and share those
Most significant career
lessons with stakeholders in a different category,” she says.
accomplishment to date? I led efforts
to deliver savings for distribution
center shipping supplies while
maintaining operational and quality
requirements. I engaged the supplier,
3PL, and business stakeholders tobenchmark pricing for comparable
materials from suppliers, and yielded
major savings while maintaining theincumbent supplier relationship.

Success story Shrink wrap offers a great example of Canlas’s sourcing
prowess. As a sourcing analyst for logistics, Canlas pored over every line in theoperating budget of the third-party logistics (3PL) companies that served J&J,
looking for opportunities to add value. “One area that I tackled was shipping
supplies,” she says.
In particular, one distribution center in California was buying shrink wrap
from a supplier that had a good track record, and met the company’s supplier
diversity goals. But Canlas believed that J&J could buy the product for less. So
she sat down with the supplier, the 3PL, and stakeholders within Johnson &Johnson to talk about how the material worked, its connection to raw goods,
how much the company used, and what future demand might be. “We also didbenchmarking, looking at pricing for comparable material from other suppliers,” she says. Those negotiations
yielded major savings, while preserving the partnership with a strong supplier.
Outside the office While she works hard, Canlas also makes sure to devote time to family and friends. She also

keeps active. “I exercise regularly, and I enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities,” she says. “I also enjoy cooking
and experimenting with new recipes.” On top of all that, she’s working toward an MBA at Rider University, N.J.

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Relationship Builder
Robert Cassin | AGE: 25

Specialist, Global Procurement,
Ingredion, Westchester, Illinois
Nominated by Bhart Sarin, Global Procurement,
Business Services Team, Ingredion

Man in high demand A natural relationship-builder known for
his integrity, Robert Cassin has earned the trust of colleagues andstakeholders throughout Ingredion. “This, combined with strong
analytical and project management skills, has made him a highly
sought-after talent in the company,” says nominator Bhart Sarin.
Since joining the food ingredients company in early 2012,
Cassin has delivered so much value that in 2014 he was chosen
for a special six-month assignment in Shanghai. There, he helped
Ingredion’s procurement team in China implement best practices
and tools developed at the company’s headquarters.
“I was focused on procurement, but a huge part of my work was
to establish relationships with the leadership team at that site,” says Cassin. Those ties continue to pay off. “Now
I can serve as a primary resource for anyone who’s trying to get something done in China.”
His work today Back in Illinois, Cassin leads procurement for human resources

services, and works on other strategic sourcing projects case-by-case. “Those projects
fall into a variety of categories—logistics, chemicals, or packaging,” he says. The
projects focus mainly on the needs of Ingredion sites in South America and the AsiaPacific region. “I’m involved in the entire sourcing process—from developing ideas
for an opportunity all the way through contracting and execution,” he says.
Pleasures of the job An avid solver of problems and puzzles, Cassin brings that

enthusiasm to all the projects he tackles. “The most attractive part of procurement iscoming up with solutions, and being able to realize different opportunities,” he says.

Major win One of Cassin’s biggest successes at Ingredion so far was a project that

IN HIS OWN WORDS

Does your job have a significant
impact on your company? Yes.
My role allows me to deliver
savings that help drive profits
for my organization. If you
could start over, would you stillchoose this profession? Yes,
my profession has given me theopportunity to live and work allover the world. I find my work
extremely rewarding.

developed stronger packaging for transporting a key product from manufacturing
plant to customer. “Working closely with our suppliers, who are experts in the field,
we came across a new opportunity using high-performance extensible paper rather
than natural kraft paper,” he says. After performing extensive tests and some trials,
the team—which Cassin led—decided to create packaging based on this material.
That choice produced several benefits. “We developed a solution that uses less transportation, requires lesswarehouse space for storage, and is more sustainable—using 33 percent less paper,” Cassin says. The new
packaging reduced Ingredion’s impact on the environment while also saving money. “The project was so
successful, it was a finalist for our internal CEO Awards program,” Sarin adds.

Advice to millennials “If you get the chance to work globally and to travel abroad, take it,” Cassin says. “It’s anincredible experience to see different cultures and learn how the business operates in other areas of the world.
You’ll expand your network as well.”And definitely consider a career in supply chain. “If you’re passionate about learning and growing, gaining
new experiences and skills that you can call upon in the future, this work offers an unbelievable opportunity,”he says.

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RISINGSUPPLYCHAIN
STARSA Sweet Feat
Erin Clancy | AGE: 30

Commercial Manager, Mars Chocolate,
North America, Hackettstown, New Jersey
Nominated by Cheryl D’Cruz-Young, Managing
Director, Diversified Search

Dandy gig There’s no question what’s most fun about Erin
Clancy’s job. “We’re producing chocolate!” she says. At thecompany that brings the world M&M’s, and other brandchocolates, Clancy manages relationships with third-party
manufacturers and co-packers. Helping to design supply
chains, and making sure that partnerships yield improved
results, she handles a constantly changing portfolio worth
approximately $50 million.
From start to shelf Part of Clancy’s role is to help Mars

bring new products to market. One stellar example was
M&M’s Milk Chocolate Snack Mix, a blend of M&M’s,
cookies, pretzels, and nuts that Confectionery News named
the #1 Innovative Product of 2012. “I was part of the productteam from development through execution,” Clancy says. “Seeing the product on the store shelf, and knowing
how much I had to do with creating it, was the most rewarding experience I’ve had at Mars.”
IN HER OWN WORDS

Does your job have a significant
impact on your company? Absolutely.
Supply chain creates value every
day by supporting multiple products
across multiple brands. Would you
recommend a supply chain career tosomeone under 30? Yes. Success in
supply chain management can boost
a company ahead of its competitors.

The importance of allies A BS from the University of Maryland in logistics,

transportation, and supply chain management, plus operations and quality
management, gave Clancy much of the knowledge she needed to launch her
career. But only when she took a seat in Mars Chocolate’s open-plan office did
she absorb another crucial lesson about supply chain success—the importanceof exchanging information with allies throughout the company.
“You have to form the right relationships with people from your ownfunction and throughout the business,” she says. When you keep people in
the loop about your projects, there’s no telling who will turn up with crucial
advice at just the right moment. “Suddenly, it’s the advice that will make or
break your project,” she says.
Having a field day Clancy is a big proponent of engagement, the principlethat people are most excited to come to work when they feel connected,
valued, and supported. A member of the Mars Engagement Leadership Team, she was the driving force behind
the annual Mars Field Day, which began in 2011. “The idea was to have the various functions compete outside
the office, like field days we had in grade school,” she says. Clancy won the needed buy-in from management,planned the activities, and was delighted to see co-workers compete in events such as volleyball, tug-of-war, awater sponge relay, and a 10-legged race.
Personal best Just as she drives herself to new heights of excellence at work, Clancy loves striving for the bestin the competitive sport CrossFit. “I apply what I learn in the gym to my professional life, always pushing harderand setting and achieving new goals,” she says. She also teaches CrossFit classes, and loves seeing her students
shine. “It’s extremely satisfying watching members do a movement they never thought they could do, run farther
or faster than they ever thought possible, or lift more weight than they imagined they could.”

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The Dean ofHard Work
Brian Dean | AGE: 26

Purchasing Agent,
General Dynamics
C4 Systems,
Scottsdale, Arizona
Self-nominatedWhatever it takes Brian Dean

throws himself into challenges withjoy, embracing every new experience as a way to build his strength. If he doesn’t know the answer to a question,
he’ll pull out all the stops to find it. If a project turns tough, he’ll work late into the night to get the job done rightand on time. No wonder one of General Dynamics’ (GD) strategic suppliers singled him out for praise afteran annual contract negotiation. “We have never seen a buyer work as hard on anything as Brian did on thoseagreements,” the vendor said.
The job As a purchasing agent for GD’s G4 Systems, Dean buys radio frequency and microwave components

used in radios, encryption devices, and other products for military communications. His special challenge isbalancing day-to-day purchasing with his strategic procurement mission: finding
ways to drive out costs. The key to success, he says, is to stay in touch withIN HIS OWN WORDS
engineers and material planners, and keep a sharp eye on the future. “If we know
about a project ahead of time, then we can see what relationships we have with
Most difficult part of your job?
potential suppliers, or forge new ones,” Dean notes.
Adapting between meeting theResident expert At GD’s Scottsdale facility, Dean is the sole person
responsible for buying products through the “gray market”—the network of
brokers who are not official sources of a manufacturer’s components. Often,these are replacement parts no longer made by the original equipment
manufacturer (OEM), but available as excess or re-sold inventory.
GD goes to the gray market only as a last resort, and buyers must work withspecial care so that they never buy counterfeits. “I was part of the team that wrote
our company’s stringent guidelines for using the gray market,” Dean says. In fact,
he’s the Scottsdale facility’s resident expert on the subject. Colleagues at other
GD businesses often seek his advice on how to work successfully with reputable
gray market suppliers.

day-to-day requirements of the job,
while still working toward bigpicture opportunities that could
benefit the company in the longrun. If you could start over, would
you still choose this profession?
Yes, but I would double-major in
finance. You should understand not
only how goods move throughout
an organization and the world, but
how money moves as well.

Big win Dean scored one of his major successes on a team that integrated
purchasing for GD Canada and other businesses into the Scottsdale operation.
He shouldered the workload of multiple buyers, and took charge of streamlining existing businesses processes.
The work paid off handsomely. For instance, the team cut GD Canada’s supplier base from about 50 to justthree. “And because we were buying in bigger volumes, we got better pricing,” Dean adds. Also, for high-volume
components, the team found new opportunities to buy directly from OEMs, rather than from distributors.
Advice to millennials “Find a boss who is as committed to your growth as you are, someone who gives young

people opportunities to take charge of things that other companies might not,” Dean says. “And once you’re ina job, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and offer creative solutions. Younger people often have a different
mindset, compared with the way things have been done in the past. That’s a huge asset.”

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RISINGSUPPLYCHAINSTARSThe Lone Arranger
Laura Dearborn Stearns | AGE: 26
Supply Chain Business Analyst,
Cisco Systems, San Jose, California
Nominated by John Hutton, Manager, Supply Chain Operations, Cisco Systems

Sharp intelligence The way you might squeeze juice from an orange,
Laura Dearborn Stearns squeezes value from data. In one of her roles
as a supply chain business analyst in Cisco’s Global Manufacturing
Operations, she builds reports that show how well components flowfrom suppliers to the partners that manufacture Cisco’s products.
Do deliveries arrive on time? If demand for a part exceeds supply, dothe supplier and manufacturer work together well to solve the problem?
Stearns’ tools extract the answers from a business intelligence (BI)system. Then she presents the information in ways that quickly tellusers all they need to know.
“I make sure the data isavailable, accurate, and
IN HER OWN WORDS
displayed in a usable format,”
Most challenging part of yourshe says. “Reports have to
be useful to internal users,
job? Managing the complexity
partners, and suppliers—
inherent in the supply chain, andpeople with a variety of roles and priorities.”
the needs of all stakeholders in
On her own The most impressive aspect of Stearns’ BI work isthat she leads the effort on her own, says nominator John Hutton.
“She does not have co-workers or internal IT support to lean on forassistance.” Instead, Stearns works directly with the software vendor
to customize the BI platform for Cisco’s particular needs. Stearns had
no formal training to prepare her to work with this IT tool. “It was all
on-the-job learning,” she says.
She continues to create new reports, metrics, and dashboards, eachone helping her team work a little smarter. “This effort is driving
innovation, and creating more efficient ways to share information andcollaborate,” Hutton says.
Early warning Stearns also uses the BI system herself, to keepa given project or process. Most
exciting career accomplishment
to date? Leading the businessintelligence for our supply
collaboration platform. I
pioneered the development
and implementation of reports
and dashboards that enable
stakeholders to gain new
information and drive action forincreased efficiency.

an eye on how suppliers and manufacturers collaborate to avert
component shortages. She ensures that everyone sticks to established processes, and sounds the alarm whenthings seem to be veering off course. “For example, a lot of shortages could indicate that things aren’t going wellindustry-wide or for a certain commodity,” Stearns says. “So I make sure management is notified.”
Rewards of the job “I enjoy telling a story with data to give people new insights,” Stearns says. “Then they can
use that information to do a better job for the business.”
Do it right Keeping tabs on a highly complex supply chain with many moving parts isn’t easy. Stearns succeeds

because she knows how to focus on the big picture and on a project’s smallest elements. “I’m detail-oriented,”
she says. “I have an organized approach. And I like to look at the quality of the impact I’m having. I don’t want
to do something just to get it done. I want to get it done right.”

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Always in Motion
Christina DeKoning | AGE: 28

Material Analyst, Northrop Grumman
Systems Corporation, San Diego, California
Nominated by Corey Moore, Vice President, Global Supply Chain
Program Management, Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.

Striving for excellence Nothing stops Christina
DeKoning. “I constantly challenge myself and those aroundme, asking, ‘Can we do this better or smarter?’” she says.
That drive for excellence has propelled her into a varietyof roles at Northrop Grumman, including her current
job as leader of the Global Supply Chain organization’s
supply chain affordability inititaives. “Her work ethic, anddedication to success are evident in everything she does,”says nominator Corey Moore.
The job DeKoning serves as liaison between Northrop

Grumman’s manufacturing programs and its Global
Supply Chain organization, leading efforts to drive down
costs. “I work with all the functions within the supply
chain—subcontracts, procurement, goods movement,
logistics, and planning,” she says.
In the quest for greater affordability, DeKoning focuses
not just on one-on-one supplier relationships, but also on
broader strategy. For instance, she created an annual event
called the Supplier Sustainment Affordability Summit,
where major vendors discuss ways to cut costs while still
delivering superior products. “For example, if we find an
opportunity with one supplier, we ask if we can apply it toothers,” she says.

IN HER OWN WORDS

Would you recommend a career in supply chain
management to someone under 30? Absolutely. The
opportunities are endless, and there are multiple roles
and options within the field. If you could start over,would you still choose this profession? Yes. This
profession has taught me about organizations and how
they operate. A strong supply chain gives a competitiveedge that is crucial in today's global economy.
Companies can’t function without a supply chain.

The thrill of victory One highlight of DeKoning’s career to date was the project that won her Northrop

Grumman’s Timely Award Plan Certificate. DeKoning’s assignment started when the company secured an
important contract with a customer. DeKoning spent nearly three years getting everything in line with suppliers
to support that product. “We were under significant pressure to meet our deadline,” she recalls. “The project
involved months of travel and living on-site, working through the challenges with various companies. But, we got
it done, and I flew home two days before Christmas.”
She returned exhausted, but also triumphant. “The customer was happy. The company was happy. And all
the stakeholders involved were ecstatic,” she says. “It was an all-hands-on-deck job, and we got it done.”
So-called downtime DeKoning brings the same high energy to her personal life. She works out and recently
ran a half marathon. “But my real passion outside of work is horses,” she says. A rider since the age of three,
she keeps horses on her property and competes in barrel races. “I’ve tried relaxing, but it’s not really my thing,”
she notes.

Advice to millennials Definitely consider a career in supply chain. “The opportunities are broad, and demand

for supply chain expertise is through the roof,” DeKoning says. “Professionals who understand the entire supply
chain lifecycle are hard to come by.”January 2015 • Inbound Logistics 23

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The
Human Touch
Aubrey Edwards | AGE: 26

Category Specialist,
Alliance Data, Plano, Texas
Nominated by Tyler Werneke, Senior Manager,
Strategic Procurement, Alliance Data

Gaining consensus Aubrey Edwards hasa special flair for building relationships, says
nominator Tyler Werneke. That’s a crucial
skill in her job as category specialist at
Alliance Data, a global provider of datadriven marketing and loyalty programs forcompanies that serve consumers.
Edwards’ prime mission is to hunt forways to gain more value for Alliance while
also cutting travel, financial services, andmarketing costs. These projects usually serve the whole enterprise, and it can be hard to get people with different
perspectives and needs to agree on one solution. “You have to take the time to develop relationships withindividuals, so they’ll trust your opinion,” Edwards says. “And the more you learn about a category, the greater
the chance that you’ll come up with insights that others couldn’t have reached themselves.”
IN HER OWN WORDS

Most significant project to date? I
led the project team for a software
license management solution.
Through the RFP process andsuccessful negotiations, we achieved
more than $500,000 in savings. Whatdo you hope to accomplish in thenext 10 years? I’d like to make apositive impact on procurement andsupply chain by bringing new ideas
and innovations to the table.

Early wins During 2013, just seven months after she joined Alliance Data,
Edwards achieved more than $261,000 in savings. In those early days, shealso played a key role in procuring the technology behind a new employee
recognition program. “The system operates like a Facebook news feed,” she says.
It provides a forum where managers can praise employees for good work, andcolleagues can “like” the news.
“The system has been hugely successful—and I know it will keep employees
at Alliance satisfied for years to come,” Edwards says.
Bringing everyone together More recently, Edwards worked her consensus-

building magic in a project to choose a tool for managing the company’s many
software licenses. “I knew in my heart which solution would best get the job
done for everyone,” she says.
But individuals from different lines of business had their own ideas about
what they needed, depending on their specific technical requirements. Gaining
buy-in from everyone took a lot of legwork. “I flew to different locations, held
meetings, and conducted demonstrations,” Edwards recalls. Eventually, her work paid off. “We landed on the
supplier that my team had been hoping for from the beginning,” she says. “Then, in negotiating the contract, wegot the pricing down substantially, saving more than $500,000. It was a big win.”

Outside the office Edwards participates in her local ISM affiliate, but says she’s basically a homebody. “I was
married in April 2014, and I spend a lot of time with my husband and our golden retriever,” she says. Edwards
makes frequent trips from her home in Plano, Texas, to visit family in Houston. She also enjoys hanging out withfriends, trying new restaurants, going for walks, and watching college football. “My newest guilty pleasure,” sheadds, “is watching Shark Tank on Friday night with a glass of wine.”

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Schooled
in the Art
of Purchasing

Leah Halvorson | AGE: 28
Director of Procurement andSupply Chain Development,
Minneapolis Public Schools,
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Nominated by Sherry Bakken, Executive Assistantto the COO, Minneapolis Public Schools

Fast ascent “Leah Halvorson is incredibly wise
beyond her years,” says nominator Sherry Bakken. And once she started working for the Minneapolis Public
Schools, Halvorson was quick to rise. Just one month after she joined the district as a senior buyer, tasked with
implementing new contract management processes, Halvorson applied for—and won—the newly open job of
director of procurement. Clearly, she had already made a big impact. “Even in a setting where she is not the‘designated’ leader, people gravitate to her and automatically take direction fromher,” Bakken says.
IN HER OWN WORDS
Her mission Before Halvorson arrived, purchasing at the Minneapolis Public
Schools was a transactional affair. “It didn’t matter if a product could be purchased
at a better price, or we could get a volume discount,” she recalls. Nor did it
matter if staff bought similar products from 20 different vendors. The department
simply turned each requisition into a purchase order. Tapping her private sector
experience, Halvorson has been transforming the district’s purchasing department
into a strategic operation that seizes every chance to reduce cost and waste.
Pizza slices To increase those opportunities, Halvorson has brought asset
management, travel, contract management, sourcing, purchasing cards, records
management, the document center, and vendor management under the
procurement umbrella. By hunting down new chances for improvement, her
department has made gains, including a partnership with a local vendor that
cut the school district’s $60,000 annual pizza bill in half. Savings have added up
quickly. “She and her department were able to achieve $883,000 in cost savings infiscal year 2013, and $2 million in 2014,” Bakken says.
Soaking it up Halvorson honed her negotiating skills early in life. A member

Most difficult part of yourjob? Being a change agent.
I am constantly looking forprocess improvements and cost
efficiencies, and with that comeschange. Most significant career
accomplishment to date? I opened
our Document Center (DC) thatwas previously unsuccessful.
The DC saved about $350,000
in its first year, $1 million in thesecond year, and is projecting
to hit about $1.5 million in its
third year—representing about a
33-percent increase.

of debate teams in high school and at the University of Florida, Gainesville, shelearned to get into the minds of opponents and anticipate their arguments. Later, she learned about vendor
management by watching her boss in action at Life Time Fitness, where Halvorson worked as purchasing
project manager. “I used the opportunity to be a sponge,” she says. “I also asked if I could be a fly on the wallwhen he met with executive staff and the board, so I could learn how to interact with that level of management.”
The right stuff “It takes a certain kind of personality to work in procurement,” Halvorson says. “You have to

be assertive, because you will have tough conversations at times.” You also have to keep pushing your standards
higher. “Often, the procurement department is expected to accomplish what looks to be the impossible,” shesays. “Once you do, that becomes your new norm. I enjoy that. You have to keep upping your game.”

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Bread Winner

Stephanie Kessler Thayer | AGE: 29

Manager, Development Purchasing,Panera Bread, St. Louis, Missouri
Self-nominated

Back in the spotlight Winning a place on a list of
up-and-coming young professionals is getting to be ahabit for Stephanie Kessler Thayer, who appeared in the
St. Louis Business Journal’s 30 Under 30 list in 2014. An
accomplished project manager, Kessler Thayer is the go-to
person for furniture, fixtures, and equipment in more than
1,800 Panera Bread cafés across half the United States.
When it’s time to open a new café, replace existing
equipment, or roll out an innovation—such as electronic
kiosks for placing orders—Kessler Thayer makes sureeverything comes together correctly and on time. She
creates and maintains work plans, budgets, scopes of work,and rules of engagement for $27.5 million worth of rollout
and replacement activity.
Why supply chain? Before earning her MBA andembarking on a supply chain career, Kessler Thayer majored in international relations at Webster University.
But even as an undergraduate, when she first heard about supply chain management, she felt the attraction. “I
discovered that supply chain involved all my professional passions—negotiation,
estimation, working with people, and finding common ground,” she says.

IN HER OWN WORDS

Does your job have a significant
impact on your company? From
maintaining supplier relationships to
implementing cost-savings initiatives,procurement has a significant impact
on a business’ ability to operate
and grow efficiently. Would you
recommend a supply chain career
to someone under 30? I highly
recommend it. If you love numbers,
people, and exciting projects, supply
chain is a great field.

Success story Before joining Panera in 2013, Kessler Thayer worked at
Ralcorp, later purchased by ConAgra. As a procurement specialist in packaging,she quickly spotted a problem with the inventory data used to forecast
product demand.
“I noticed some severe forecasting inaccuracies,” she recalls. “The database
was missing some information, and that provided an opportunity to improve
the process.” Further investigation revealed that the database was missing about
30,000 item numbers that hadn’t carried over during a system conversion five
years earlier. “That was skewing the data sets by about 20 percent,” she notes.
Once Kessler Thayer pinpointed this, and other errors in the database, sheand her colleagues were able to address them. Then she invented a new, hybrid
forecasting method that took better account of factors such as seasonal demand.
“We streamlined that supply chain process, making sure we were not missing thedata that was so valuable for our suppliers and our plants,” she says.

Outside the office As busy as her job keeps her, Thayer Kessler also invests energy in her community. She

serves on the boards of the St. Louis Public Radio Young Friends, and the Young Friends of the Missouri
Botanical Garden. She also volunteers at the Academy of Science—St. Louis.
For fun, she and her husband rebuild 1970s-era motorcycles. “You should see me clean a carburetor!” shesays. “And I bake because, after all, I work for a company that prides itself on bread and pumpkin muffins. I
spend most Saturday afternoons in the kitchen—after my run, of course.”

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Catching a CodeSarah Klemsz | AGE: 24

Supply Chain Analyst, The Boeing Company, Portland, Oregon
Nominated by Derek Westfall, Supply Chain Analyst, The Boeing Company

Why supply chain? “I’m a big nerd—I can’t help myself!” laughs Sarah

Klemsz. She’s a whiz with computer code, and she likes to base decisions on hard
data. But it was the relationship aspect of supply chain management—observed
during a summer internship at Boeing—that lured her into the field. “I liked thatthe buyer group was the interface between the shop and engineering,” she says.
“It’s all about coordinating with people to optimize.”
Welcome to the 21st century After graduating from University of Portland,

Klemsz joined Boeing as a supply chain analyst, responsible for relationships with
15 suppliers and about 1,100 parts, all used to make controls that pilots use to fly
commercial aircraft. Before long, she had also created an extra role for herself:
modernizing how Boeing’s Portland supply chain group generates reports.
Before Klemsz came along, reporting was largely a manual process. Team
members hunted down data they needed in Boeing’s ERP system and othersources; then they rekeyed the information into a spreadsheet or databaseprogram. That didn’t make sense to Klemsz. “It’s the 21st century. We’ve
3D-printed a car, we’ve landed a probe on a comet, and we’re paying people totype?” So she started writing code to automate those reports.
Labor savings Her efforts made a dramatic impact. For example, anautomated tool now runs a components shortage report every morning. It
updates managers with real-time information, while saving the supply chain
analyst team one hour every day, which they devote to more mission-criticalwork. “The tool saved $526,000 in labor costs and was recognized by thePortland site as the largest cost saving project in 2013,” says nominator
Derek Westfall.
To keep the ball rolling, Klemsz pulled several tech-savvy colleagues into
a new Supply Chain Information and Technology (SCIT) team. “We started
getting together to bounce around ideas, and share the code we had alreadydeveloped, so information would flow seamlessly among our homegrownsystems,” she says.
Pleasures of the job “I love the Aha! moments in my work, when everything

IN HER OWN WORDS

Does your job have a significant
impact on your company? Yes.
Each time we streamline a process,it makes the work easier, and saves
the company money. Would you
recommend a supply chain career
to someone under 30? Absolutely!
Businesses are putting moreemphasis on their supply chains. It
is an exciting time to join the field.

falls into place,” Klemsz says. She’s especially fascinated by risk management—
how a business turns uncertainty into a course of action. Come port strike, blizzard, or tsunami, the supply chain
stands ready. “We know what will happen, and we’ve got the plan,” she says.
Michigan bound By the time you read this profile, Klemsz will be at the University of Michigan, working ona master’s degree in supply chain management at the University of Michigan. After that, she hopes to return toBoeing, she says, and maybe also pursue another advanced degree—in data analytics.
Outside the office A hiker and kayaker, Klemsz also volunteers as a Girl Scout leader. She’s especially proudof the two high school students she has been supporting in their work toward the Gold Award, the Girl Scout’s
highest rank. “I started with the students when they were in middle school,” she says. “It’s rewarding to be along
for their journey.”

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RISINGSUPPLYCHAINSTARSPower Player

Andrew Lattof | AGE: 27

Buyer, Xcel Energy, Denver, Colorado
Nominated by Karen Cook, Purchasing Manager, Xcel Energy

Top scorer Andrew Lattof has cleared hiking trails

in Alaska, and built homes for Habitat for Humanity.
Today, he slashes costs for Xcel Energy, racking up
more than $500,000 in savings by the time of his
30 Under 30 nomination. “Andrew had the highest
savings contributions of any buyer in 2013,” writes
nominator Karen Cook. And he’s poised to climb
even further. “He is a high-potential leadership
candidate,” she adds.
Total transformation It’s impressive enough when

IN HIS OWN WORDS

Does your job have a significant
impact on your company?
Yes. When I find ways to savethe company money, it opens
up new opportunities for
us to reinvest. Would you
recommend a supply chain
career to someone under 30? I
would recommend it, because it
allows you to see the big picture
view of your company.

a purchasing team hoists itself from the bottom of
the performance ladder to the top. When Lattof
joined the group that supports Xcel’s transmission
and distribution business, he led that transformation while also shouldering adouble workload.
His key strategy? Communication. “We worked with the engineering teams togive them more accurate lead time information, so they could better plan theirproducts and order materials,” Lattof says. Enhanced planning netted a 100-percent
improvement in on-time, in-full deliveries, with fewer costly expedited shipments.

New mission In 2014, Xcel chose Lattof for a special assignment: negotiating
master service agreements with contractors who make repairs at the company’s power
plants. Because these agreements set up the terms and rates for services in advance,
Xcel can call a maintenance contractor on short notice and get a quick response.
Learning the intricacies of all the equipment and services involved, so he cannegotiate effectively, presents a big challenge. “I can use training modules to educate
myself,” Lattof says. “But what’s even more helpful is to talk to the engineers.”

Curiosity pays One secret behind Lattof’s success is that he loves to ask questions. It’s how he learns which
processes could do with an efficiency boost, and it’s also how he powers his negotiations with vendors. “Younever know what you’re not getting unless you ask for it,” he says. Sometimes all a buyer needs to do is inquire
whether there’s any way to lower a price. “It’s surprising how often you can find additional value for yourcompany and for the relationship with the contractor,” he notes.
From novice to trainer When he first came to Xcel, Lattof’s penchant for questions also led him into

conversations with colleagues about their jobs—what they did and how they did it. Soon, new hires started
seeking him out, and those informal chats morphed into training sessions. “While initially in a junior role,
he contributed to the training of all subsequent new hires in our purchasing team, as well as in our material
coordination and supply chain hotline teams,” Cook says.
Outside the office Lattof volunteers for the Colorado Outward Bound School, and has run an aid station for
the Leadville 100, a long-distance, high-altitude trail race. He revels in Colorado’s outdoor opportunities. “Ienjoy skiing and ice hockey in the winter,” he says. “In the summer, I go fly fishing, hiking, and camping.”

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Live and Learn
Ryan Mulcrone | AGE: 27

Senior Buyer and Category
Manager, E.I. DuPont de Nemours &Company, Wilmington, Delaware
Nominated by Thomas Weisenbach, Executive
Buyer, E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company

Quick study Ryan Mulcrone never stops learning andnever stops teaching. As one of the youngest in his MBA
program at Ohio State, he absorbed all the knowledge hecould—not just from classes, but also from older classmates
who had worked in the corporate world.
Since arriving at DuPont, he has been paying it forward, gaining know-how and passing it along whenever hecan. “At first, I spent my year as a capital buyer, learning how we buy,” Mulcrone says. “When I became enoughof an expert, I started revising training documents, and teaching the project process to others at DuPont.”
Houston turnaround His talent for instruction led to one of Mulcrone’s big successes at DuPont. As a senior

buyer and capital sourcing liaison, he spent nearly two years in Houston helping to transform a sourcing team
there—part of a larger team of contractors—from laggard performers into stars.
His first step was to learn where the group was falling short. “I got
involved in weekly project meetings,” he says. “I designed and set up a
IN HIS OWN WORDS‘voice of the customer’ survey to get feedback on what they were lacking,and I shared it with them.” Then, rather than dictate what to change, he
Most rewarding part of your job?
asked team members to design their own improvements. “I also upgradedGetting to work across sourcing,many of the training documents and databases, and retrained the team,”
operations, engineering, plant sites, andhe says.
external suppliers, and helping to solve
When DuPont switched to a different contractor, a new sourcing teamproblems every day. No one day is the
stepped in to use the processes Mulcrone had helped to put in place. “Isame. Would you recommend a supply
was heavily involved in ensuring a seamless transition from one contractor
chain career to someone under 30?
to another,” he says. “Before I left, the director of engineering told me that
Yes. It’s a quickly growing field that issourcing had become a bright spot within the office.”
His job today Since May 2014, Mulcrone has been managing

demonstrating more value to companies.

relationships with companies that supply construction, maintenance, andengineering services to multiple DuPont facilities. His portfolio is worth $500 million annually.
“The site operations and engineering teams, and the contractors, come to me with contractual or billingquestions, or other issues related to the overall master agreement,” Mulcrone says. He also works on strategicplanning, helping make decisions such as how many contractors DuPont should use for site services, and how to
divide the work among different suppliers.
Perils of personality Overseeing service contracts is a special challenge because it involves “buying” people
rather than products, Mulcrone says. “Emotion and personality are involved,” he notes. “You have to juggle theopinions and mindsets of many different people.”
How does he do it so well? “I try to listen more than I talk,” Mulcrone explains. “I always hear people out
before I jump in to agree or disagree.”Outside the office Mulcrone relocated from Houston to Delaware in August 2014, and got married in
September. Since then, he and his wife have been shopping for a home. “When I’m not working, I’m househunting,” he says.

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Master Builder

Arun Raman | AGE: 29

Supply Chain Performance Engineer,
Caterpillar, Peoria, Illinois
Nominated by Javier Zarazua, Black Belt, Caterpillar; Betty Kelly, Six Sigma
Black Belt, Caterpillar; Angela LaMere, Supply Manager, Caterpillar

Taking it up a notch Arun Raman is an outstanding builder and shaper. “He

has taken supply chain design and transformation to a whole new level for ourbusiness,” says colleague Betty Kelly, a Six Sigma Black Belt. Case in point:
when Raman designed the supply chain for a new Caterpillar product—thegeneral duty undercarriage—he slashed manufacturing costs so effectively thathis process became a new model for the company. “Over the past few years,
my strategic sourcing process has been used in 94 projects, saving Caterpillar$56 million,” he says.

The job Raman leads strategic sourcing for the Caterpillar unit that makes

undercarriages—the moving parts that drive the company’s bulldozers,
harvesters, and other machines. His influence is strong: peers and managers
regularly look to him for ideas and information. “Arun has quickly establishedhimself as the resident expert on strategic sourcing on our team,” says Angela
Mare, supply chain manager at Caterpillar.

Why supply chain? “I’m good at math, which is used everywhere in the

IN HIS OWN WORDS

Most difficult part of your job?
Dealing with business uncertainties,
such as exchange rates and external
factors, which can disrupt the
supply chain. Does your job have asignificant impact on your company?
Absolutely. I have led sourcing studies
that had a large impact on directmaterial costs, resulting in bottomline savings.

supply chain,” says Raman. He majored in information technology in college,
then homed in on supply chain management while working for his M.S. inindustrial engineering at Penn State. For Raman, though, the lure of thiscareer goes way beyond numbers. “I like to be challenged every day,” he says,
and the supply chain satisfies that need. He also loves the chance to work with
suppliers all over the globe. “In the morning, I talk with Europe, at night I talkwith China,” he notes. “That excites me.”The big challenge The dynamics of the global economy guarantee morethan enough complexity to keep Raman’s job compelling. For example, in thepast 18 months, the Japanese currency has weakened by 25 to 30 percent. Twoyears ago, Raman advised moving manufacturing out of Japan. “But maybe
that’s not such a good idea, now that we can get some of our components therefor 30 percent less,” he says. Staying flexible in a volatile world is never easy.
But helping to define the manufacturing footprint for the next 10 to15 years is
one of the enjoyable aspects of his work, he says.

Endless opportunities Active in APICS since his student days, Raman now uses that organization to advocate

for the rising generation. Not only does he serve as director of student chapter affairs for the Lincoln Land
Chapter of APICS, but he has earned a spot on the APICS national board. As student/young professional
director, he works to ensure that APICS is serving the interests of millennials.
“Making a difference in people’s lives makes me happy,” Raman says. “So it’s a pleasure to introduce young
people to the endless possibilities found in a supply chain career.”
From the food we eat to the huge machines that build our homes and roads—everything needs to move fromsupplier to consumer,” he says. “The supply chain is literally everywhere.”

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The Tool Maker
Thomas Raterman | AGE: 28

Contract Administrator, Strategic Sourcing, Howard Hughes
Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Nominated by Judith Smith, Associate Director, Strategic
Sourcing, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Building a toolkit There’s no end to the items in Thomas
Raterman’s toolkit. As soon as he arrived at Howard Hughes
Medical Insitute (HHMI) as a procurement analyst, he started
creating instruments such as a supplier scorecard, a log for tracking
savings, procurement metrics, a supplier information database,and a method for benchmarking the prices HHMI pays forvarious items.
“We’re using these tools because we do not have a supplier
relationship management application to monitor supplierperformance,” says nominator Judith Smith, Raterman’s boss.
Raterman’s databases, metrics, and reports fill the gap.
Sourcing for science These days, Raterman uses those tools in

IN HIS OWN WORDS

Most significant career accomplishment to
date? Working to set up a primary vendor
relationship with a key supplier through an RFP
process. This yielded several positive benefits,
and was a big change for the organization. Does
your job have a significant impact on yourcompany? Yes. We enable end users to order
supplies efficiently. Overall price, quality,
and service improve by developing strategic
relationships with key suppliers.

his work as a contract administrator, part of a team responsible for
procuring general lab supplies. A science philanthropy, HHMI
supports the work of researchers at more than 70 host institutionsin the United States. HHMI’s sourcing department strikes deals
with suppliers for products and materials those researchers need intheir labs.
Raterman is part of the team responsible for those agreements.
“We set up contracts, work with pricing, and manage therelationships,” he says. “We leverage our spending as best we canto ensure that we’re getting the best price, quality, and service forthe scientists.” He also works with suppliers to clear up any issues that arise involving price, service, or delivery.

Major win In 2014, Raterman played a key role on a team that decided to contract with a primary vendor for
general lab supplies, then conducted a procurement to choose that vendor. “My role was to help guide thatconversation, provide key data, and answer questions to help drive the team toward consensus,” he says.
“In addition to doing a spend and market analysis, Tom also created a sophisticated and detailed evaluation
matrix for the group to score the suppliers’ proposals,” says Smith.
Once the group chose a supplier and negotiated a contract, Raterman created several tools to help scientists
in the labs easily find the equipment they needed. The impact of his work extends well beyond that particular
project. “These tools are now sourcing templates that will be used time and again,” Smith says.
What’s cool about the job “The Institute’s mission is awesome,” says Raterman. “It’s rewarding to see the greatthings we’re doing.” He points to scientist Eric Betzig of HHMI’s own Janelia Research Campus, a co-winner of
the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2014. “He did all the hard work, of course, but it’s great to support that kind of
mission,” Raterman notes.
Advice to millennials “Be open to trying new things,” Raterman says. “You can take many paths in supply
chain—logistics, warehousing operations, procurement. If you have an opportunity, try each of them. It will help
you discover what you enjoy most.”

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Embracing theEntrepreneurial Spirit

Tania Santiago-Mirabal | AGE: 30
Latin America Indirect Procurement Manager,
Millicom, Coral Gables, Florida

Nominated by Jami Bliss, Procurement Director, Teva Pharmaceuticals, andSandy Lukaski, Executive Director, R. Gene & Nancy D. Richter Foundation

IN HER OWN WORDS

Does your job have a significant
impact on your company? Yes.
Spearheading the effective
management of our strategic thirdparty suppliers and measuring
them on key metrics enables us todeliver on our goals. If you could
start over, would you still choose
this profession? Yes. I feel I wasborn to do this profession because
it combines strategy, operations,and strong management skills.

Moving up These are exhilarating times for Tania Santiago-Mirabal. After
working for two renowned corporate giants—IBM Global Business Services
and Pfizer—she recently moved to a very different setting. In September
2014, she became manager of Latin America indirect procurement forMillicom, a Stockholm-based firm that provides mobile, cable, broadband,and other services in Latin America and Africa.
From her office in Miami, Santiago-Mirabal is responsible for all of Millicom’s
indirect purchases in Latin America—legal services, marketing services, officesupplies, and a great deal more. It’s a big change from her previous roles. “As aconsultant at IBM, and at Pfizer, I managed a particular category,” she says. “Here,I have it all.” She’s also developing global and regional procurement strategies forthe seven Latin American countries where Millicom operates.
A look back Santiago-Mirabal came to Millicom with a remarkable resume. At

Pfizer, one project was recommending new marketing categories for procurement
teams to support. She created a category called market access—services that Pfizer
uses while developing a new drug, to gauge what the market might be willing to
pay for it. Building a list of preferred suppliers, she then negotiated and executed aseries of contracts. “We were able to reduce hourly rates for these niche providersby 11 percent, which generated significant savings for the organization,” she says.
A more unusual challenge came when Santiago-Mirabal led the deaccession ofa corporate art collection by a renowned American painter, choosing an auction
house to handle the transaction with extreme confidentiality. “The sale of artwork generated significantly morethan the initial targets set by the CFO,” says nominator Jami Bliss.

‘I feel like an owner’ “Tania exemplifies innovative spirit,” Bliss says. Millicom—which started small but isgrowing fast—offers room for that spirit to soar. “The company encourages entrepreneurship,” says SantiagoMirabal. “I feel like I’m an owner.”
She is excited that in 2015 she’ll start visiting Millicom’s Latin American markets. “I’m passionate about Latin
America,” she says. “It’s a market that’s growing significantly, and quickly, especially in the telecomms realm.”
The bride drives a bargain So deeply has Santiago-Mirabal absorbed the lessons of supply chain

management, she used an RFP to choose a venue for her June 2013 wedding in San Juan, Puerto Rico. That
strategy yielded some big wins, including $2,000 in savings on beverage service and complimentary music.

Award-winning volunteer Santiago-Mirabal inherited a tradition of community service from her parents.

She got involved with New York Cares, which runs volunteer programs for nonprofits, government agencies,
and public schools, and led a music and art therapy program for children with autism. That work won her aleadership award from New York Cares. She also served on the board of Tender Care Human Services, whichhelps people with developmental disabilities.

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Changing
the Channel

Amy Schwantner | AGE: 29
Manager, Strategic Sourcing,
CBS Corporation, New York, New York
Nominated by Mike Smyklo, Vice President,
Strategic Sourcing, CBS Corporation

Fearless Looking at Amy Schwantner’s achievements, you’dnever guess that she has been working in procurement for
fewer than three years. It took her just 18 months to rise fromanalyst to manager at CBS. Part of her secret is the way she plunges into whatever challenge comes her way. “It’srare for an employee of Amy’s experience level to show so much fearlessness in successfully managing complex
projects and intricate work environments,” says her boss, nominator Mike Smyklo.
Many players Schwantner’s bailiwick at CBS is sourcing professional services. She leads projects to choose

suppliers, and to find opportunities to reduce costs in areas such as employee benefits programs, payroll services,and outside legal counsel.
Perhaps the hardest aspect of her work arises from the fact that CBS is a multifaceted and decentralizedcompany with two dozen business units involved in television, radio, Internet, print media, and more. “Manyprojects I work on involve 10 to 20 internal stakeholders,” Schwantner says. Executives
have their own goals, priorities, and personality. Schwantner must help this large group
IN HER OWN WORDS
arrive at a solution that pleases everyone.
Recent challenge She handles those initiatives with flair. Take, for example, arecent project focused on payroll services for CBS’s entertainment divisions. It was anespecially sensitive assignment because it involved so much spending and affected somany divisions, and only a few suppliers offer the service that CBS required.
Schwantner’s job was to collect data on the relationship with the current
provider—an incumbent of more than 20 years—analyze that information, andidentify ways to gain better terms. She would also develop an RFP based on new
specifications and run the procurement.

Most rewarding parts of yourjob? High-level and strategic
projects, vital to business
operations, that result insignificant savings and change
across the organization. If
you could start over,would you still choose thisprofession? I would because it
drives real change.

Building trust The project got a lot of pushback from division executives who
weren’t pleased about the prospect of change. So Schwantner embarked on a trustbuilding mission, recruiting those stakeholders into the project to make sure the results
addressed their needs. “It took months to develop this cross-functional, cross-divisional team,” she says.
In the end, everybody won. CBS stuck with its existing provider, but on much better terms. “The initiative will
result in cost savings in the millions,” Smyklo says. The new contract has also provided a model for agreements
between this important vendor and its other clients in the entertainment industry.
Outside the office Schwantner spent much of 2014 planning an October wedding. Then she and her husband
took off for a honeymoon in South Africa. Her hometown is a popular beach spot on Long Island, and she’s a
Superstorm Sandy survivor. Each year, with her sister, Schwantner joins a two-day walk around New York City
to raise money to fight breast cancer.
Rewards of the job “My work is never repetitive or mundane—it’s always something new,” Schwantner says.
“And I love the opportunity to work on high-level, strategic projects that drive real change.”

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Ton of Talent
Pamela Ton | AGE: 26

Procurement Analyst, Northrop Grumman
Systems Corp., El Segundo, California
Nominated by Andy Grider, Procurement Manager, Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.

Buyer, leader, mentor Managers and colleagues at Northrop Grumman

sing the praises of Pamela Ton for her work both as a buyer and as a leader.
“Key stakeholders regularly recognize Pamela for her outstanding support andcustomer service,” says her boss, nominator Andy Grider.
While handling procurements, mainly for electronic components, Ton has
also taken a lead role on engagement projects for her buying group. And she
has been training and mentoring new buyers, who have excelled under her
guidance. “The extensive support she has provided is the best I have seen in my
10 years at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems,” Grider says.

IN HER OWN WORDS

What is the most rewarding
part of your job? Knowing how
everything I do contributes to ournation’s security and helps our men
and women in the armed forces dotheir jobs and come home safely. If
you could start over, would you
still choose this profession? A day
hasn’t gone by when I wished I wasin a different profession. I love theresponsibility that comes with being
a procurement analyst, and knowing
the impact I have on the company
and the country.

Making connections In 2013, Ton was chosen to take part in a Leadership
Development Program, designed to help employees understand how theirwork connects to Northrop Grumman’s overall vision. “We were assigned to
mentors who reported directly to our global supply chain vice president,” Tonrecalls. “We attended program reviews and specialized courses that usually only
managers attend.”
The program’s many meetings and dinners gave Ton a chance to talk withhigh-level managers throughout her organization, based all over the UnitedStates. “These managers now know me by name,” she says. The relationships
she forged have helped greatly in her work.
Treat suppliers as friends Relationships with suppliers are also key in Ton’sjob. That’s especially true when someone from a program she supports calls
needing a part—tomorrow. Because many electronic parts have lead times
as long as one year, Ton starts scrambling to get a replacement fast. “I take it
personally if I can’t get a part tomorrow,” she says.
To live up to that personal commitment, Ton takes a personal approach withher suppliers. “I treat them as if they are friends,” she says. “I ask about theirpersonal lives, and they ask about mine. So when I need to ask a favor in an
emergency, they’re always willing to help.”
Rewards of the job The most enjoyable aspect of Ton’s work is its variety. “Imeet new people all the time, working with colleagues and suppliers aroundthe country, and working on a new assignment every day,” she says. The mostrewarding part of her work, though, is the serious purpose it serves. “I likeknowing that my daily work contributes to our nation’s security, and helps ourmen and women in the armed forces do their jobs and come home safely.”

Outside the office “My number-one hobby is travel,” Ton says. “In 2013, I visited Morocco, Portugal, andSpain. In 2014, I took a trip to the United Kingdom and Ireland, and in 2015 I’m planning a Mediterranean
trip.” She recently took up yoga, and she admits to one guilty pleasure: “I love reality TV, especially The Voiceand The Bachelor.”

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Eye on the Big Picture
Maren von Platen | AGE: 29

Sourcing Manager, Bayer HealthCare, Whippany, New Jersey
Nominated by Kristina Rey, Senior Manager, Strategic Sourcing, Daiichi Sankyo

Pharma star Combining sharp analytical skills with a talent for building
relationships, Maren von Platen has won admiration for her work in every
stage of her career. “Maren has received accolades and praise from manyof her peers,” says nominator Kristina Rey, von Platen’s boss at Daiichi
Sanko. “Her colleagues and managers from Merck and Schering-Plough
all cite her consistently excellent performance.”
In October 2014, von Platen accepted a new challenge: becoming asourcing manager at Bayer HealthCare. She loves the pharmaceuticalindustry because of its mission. “Pharma is about saving lives,” she says.
Creative focus Having already sourced direct and indirect products, aswell as various services, these days von Platen focuses on creative agencies.
Her work goes far beyond choosing partners to manage marketing
campaigns. One big goal is to encourage innovation in the way theinternal teams that promote Bayer’s brands use marketing services.
“I have to get them to focus on the big picture—how we use marketingto generate revenue, how marketing teams can launch new programs,
and how they can improve the way they work with strategic suppliers, sothey get better and faster results,” she says.
What’s great about supply chain? Experience in supply chain

management provides tools that will serve you well in just about any
industry. “It helps you hone skills, such as discipline and patience, thatyou need to solve complex problems,” says von Platen. “It also teaches
you to be thorough and plan ahead.”
Building from the ground up One of the proudest moments in

IN HER OWN WORDS

Does your job have a significant impact
von Platen’s career came after a previous employer, Schering-Plough,on your company? Yes. Anyone who is partmerged with Merck. Von Platen was assigned to a project to combine
the companies’ sourcing organizations in Latin America. Her fluentof an organization is part of the generator
Spanish (she was born in Germany but raised in Costa Rica) made her athat impacts the business. Would you
natural for the job.
recommend a supply chain career to“Our task was to develop a single organization that included all thesomeone under 30? Absolutely. This careerroles, responsibilities, and pipelines of the two companies, and create agives you the discipline and patience toroadmap for how it would operate over the next three years,” von Platen
solve complex projects, along with planningsays. “We also wanted to make the Latin American organization shine
techniques and strategy.
against other regions. Its purchasing volume was small, but we hoped tomake the region a force for innovation or process improvement.”
Von Platen helped design regional sourcing teams, each responsible for a category across Latin America.
Along with her boss, she harmonized the information systems and cleaned up the data, providing a single view ofspending across the region. They also developed an action plan for process improvement.
“I loved helping to create an organization and define how it would work,” von Platen says. “The project also
exposed me to the entire product lifecycle, from research and development to manufacturing to go-to-market.
And I worked with brilliant people. It was unbelievable how much I learned.”

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Diving in With
Both Feet

Jamie Walker | AGE: 24

Sourcing Buyer, Raw Materials, E.I. DuPontde Nemours & Company, Wilmington, Delaware
Nominated by Rhonda Bradley, Sourcing Manager,
E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company

Deep dive The ink on her degree in supply chain
management and information systems from Penn
State was barely dry when E.I. DuPont made Jamie
Walker a sourcing buyer for equipment and services. She took charge of capital equipment purchases totaling
more than $50,000, and services such as engineering, design, construction, and maintenance, for 14 North
American production plants. Walker developed sourcing strategies, qualified potential buyers, conductedprocurements, analyzed bids, recommended awards, and generated purchase orders.
That’s high-level work for someone fresh out of college, but DuPont often asks new hires to dive into the deep
end of the pool. “The learning curve was overwhelming and slightly intimidating, but it has been a fantastic
experience,” she says. In that sink-or-swim environment, she performed like an Olympic medalist.
One key to Walker’s success was building strong relationships. “I networked with everyone I could, so I always
had someone to turn to no matter what problem I was facing,” she says.
IN HER OWN WORDS

Most satisfying part of yourjob? When I successfullycomplete a project that
results in significant savings,
or when I finalize a difficult
terms negotiation. Most
significant career
accomplishment to date?
I completed 127 projects
that saved more than $5.7
million for DuPont during
my first two years as asourcing professional.

Entrepreneurial spirit Not only did Walker work on 56 projects in her first year

as a full-time buyer at DuPont, but she saved the company $3 million on a spending
portfolio of $18 million; that’s nearly 17 percent. Creativity and persistence helped
her rack up those achievements. “Even when the opportunities weren’t easy to see, I
took the initiative to go the extra step and find them,” she says. Supportive mentors at
DuPont helped, too, she adds.
New job In September 2014, Walker took on a new assignment: sourcing metal
powders used in DuPont’s microcircuit business. “I work with the buyers to get those
raw materials to the locations where they’re needed, ensuring short lead times,” shesays. Besides negotiating pricing with suppliers, she identifies second sources for key
materials, so if the primary source can’t deliver, DuPont still has a steady supply.

Devoted to diversity Walker has also distinguished herself as a champion of diversity.
In 2014, she represented DuPont at the National Minority Supplier Development
Council Leadership Awards and at the ISM Supply Chain Diversity Summit. “Thatnetworking helped Jamie award more than $2 million to small and diverse suppliersin 2014,” says nominator Rhonda Bradley. In 2013 and 2014, DuPont’s Sourcing and
Logistics organization started an initiative to make more purchases from small and diverse suppliers. Toward that
end, Walker started to require that every bid event she ran include at least one small or diverse business. If suchvendors didn’t step up on their own, Walker went out and found them. “It took a lot of research, but we havetools at DuPont that help us identify those suppliers,” she says.
Blue ribbon volunteer Having grown up riding horses with a 4-H Club, Walker now returns the favor as avolunteer team leader with her local 4-H. “I go to the horse shows with the younger members and do what theolder members used to do for me,” she says. “It feels good to give back.”

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Signed,Sealed, Delivered

Wesley Whitney | AGE: 29

Sourcing Specialist, Enterprise Products, Houston, Texas
Nominated by Claire Allison, Sourcing Specialist, Enterprise Products

Top communicator One reason Wesley Whitney is so good at his job

is because he knows how to connect. “His communication skills areunmatched by anyone I have ever worked with,” says nominator Claire
Allison. “He can relate to our contractors in the field, then turn around andhave an executive-level meeting in the blink of an eye.”That talent is crucial to Whitney’s job at Enterprise Products, where
many products and services he sources are used in blue-collar environments.
“A contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on if the end user andsuppliers aren’t willing to execute what we put in place,” Whitney says. But
when you’re sitting in a skyscraper in Houston, it can be hard to understandthe needs of people turning wrenches in the field. So, when he starts a new
project, Whitney always sits down with his stakeholders to learn exactly
what they’re looking for. Then he crafts a contract that delivers.
Building value As a sourcing specialist, Whitney looks for chances togain greater value from suppliers by forging strategic agreements. He hasscored some serious savings—for example, 12 to 15 percent on $4 million
worth of annual spending on industrial cleaning, and 17 to 25 percent onwater filtration.
His efforts focus on far more than lowering costs. “Anybody can
cut costs,” Whitney says. “The challenge is doing it with service-based
commodities.” That’s when other types of value move to the foreground.
Factors such as efficiency, consistency, timely delivery, and safety
don’t show up on invoices, but they’re crucial to meeting the needs ofWhitney’s stakeholders.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

Does your job have a significant impact
on your company? Absolutely. We've
only just begun to tap the value ourstrategic sourcing group can bring to
the company. Would you recommend
a supply chain career to someone
under 30? Without hesitation. You canobtain a breadth of skills that crossseveral industries.

How he got here Whitney was a case manager for a law firm when hedecided he wanted a career in the energy industry. “My dad was a roughneck on an oil rig; the oil business has
been in my family for three generations,” says the Texas native.
A friend who held a supply chain job at Hess Corporation filled Whitney in on the opportunities available
in sourcing. Then a family friend and mentor helped him get an interview with Enterprise, which yielded his
current job as a sourcing analyst.
Whitney arrived with no background in supply chain, but he was determined to excel, and his manager anddirector gave him the chance to learn on the job. Long talks with his friend at Hess also got him up to speed
on topics such as sourcing processes and key performance indicators. “I felt like I got a crash course in supply
chain—almost an associate’s degree,” he says.
Outside the office Getting married and buying a home have kept Whitney busy recently. “There’s nothing
like six-figure debt to make you feel like you’ve grown up,” he says. He and his wife work out, participate in
CrossFit, and do a lot of hunting and hiking. They also mentor high school students in Houston through a
program called Young Life.

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Wolff at the Door
Jennifer Wolff | AGE: 30

Supply Chain Strategy Manager,
Masco Cabinetry, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Nominated by Joe Ceccoli, Managing Director, Supply Chain, Masco Cabinetry

Bring it on “I’ve never turned down a challenge, at work or in mypersonal life,” says Jennifer Wolff. That’s one reason she relishes her
job as supply chain strategy manager at Masco Cabinetry. It’s a projectbased role, so she never knows what new adventure she’ll embark on
next. “My boss has come to me with some off-the-wall requests, andI’ve embraced them,” she says.

IN HER OWN WORDS

Does your job have a significant
impact on your company?
Absolutely. Not only do I have a
direct impact on the bottom line,
but changes in the supply chain
affect business operations. If
you could start over, would you
still choose this profession? Yes.
I’ve grown especially fond of thepurchasing function, and enjoy
being a professional negotiator.

Big win Embraced and aced, one might add. Consider the time
Wolff took charge of closing down a Masco plant that made cabinet
components. She had to identify which Masco or third-party facilities
should take over which portions of that plant’s output, then complete
the transition by a firm deadline.
During the move, Wolff couldn’t let any components go out of stock
or excess inventory pile up. “That required detailed follow-up andmany visits to the receiving plants,” she says “The key to finding theright balance was to move things slowly. That let us fine-tune processes
at the receiving plants, and home in on quality.”
The results were terrific. “Because she was willing to work outside
her comfort zone, and could drive change in a difficult environment, Jennifer
brought extraordinary value to our company,” says Wolff’s boss and nominator
Joe Ceccoli.
Get out on the floor Wolff learned about supply chain management througha management development program at Chrysler. Her first rotation put her at
a Chrylser Sebring plant, where she supervised union drivers who deliveredmaterials to the production line.
“That program was a game changer for me,” Wolff says. “It taught me a lot
about leadership.” Managing people who aren’t required to cooperate with you
takes creativity, she says. She also learned firsthand how crucial it is to think about
the needs of production workers when designing a supply chain process. “It’s easy
to make decisions that look good on paper without considering the impact thosedecisions will make on the people who receive the deliveries or work with thematerials,” she says. Anyone headed for a supply chain career in manufacturing
should try to work on the production floor as early as possible, Wolff advises.

Opening doors “Jennifer has a strong passion for helping others to succeed,” notes Ceccoli. That’s why she

started a supply chain internship program from the ground up at Masco, and why she continues to recruit andmentor students for that program.
Outside the office With a new baby at home, Wolff and her husband are embracing a whole new set ofchallenges. They also continue to work on their 100-year-old house. “We’re doing what we can to preserve its
original beauty while making it functional for a modern family,” she says. When she needs to unwind, she goesfor a long run. “We have some beautiful parks in Ann Arbor,” she says. “I like to get lost in them.”

38 Inbound Logistics • January 2015

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NOW ACCEPTINGNOMINATIONS FOR
THE 2ND ANNUAL 30 UNDER 30
RISING SUPPLY CHAIN STARSRECOGNITION PROGRAM
Nominate a young purchasing/supply chain management
professional who deserves to be recognized for theircontributions and making a difference for their organizations.

For more information visit thomasnet.com/30under30
Deadline for nominations: July 31, 2015

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30 Under 30 Rising Supply Chain Stars Recognition Program created to further advancethe future of the supply chain profession.