In the Season 4 finale, recorded live at CSCMP EDGE in Nashville, Tennessee, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby welcome Kate Vitasek, a faculty member at the University of Tennessee, creator of the Vested® business model, and one of supply chain’s leading voices on strategic partnerships. This is Vitasek’s third appearance—the most of any guest on the podcast.

At the conference, Vitasek was honored with CSCMP’s Distinguished Service Award, recognizing a career of research, teaching, and industry impact and granting her entry into the Supply Chain Hall of Fame. The hosts celebrate that achievement while exploring the work that has made her a trusted advisor to organizations seeking to get more from their most important trading relationships.

Vitasek explains the five rules of the Vested Way. She also shares why companies too often call suppliers “strategic partners” while contracting with them transactionally, and how that disconnect leaves innovation, flexibility, and value on the table.

The conversation covers the practical work of building trust, designing contracts that reward value creation, bringing legal teams in early, and using governance to turn difficult or merely typical supplier relationships into collaborative ones. Vitasek also discusses where AI can help: automating transactions, improving shared visibility, and reducing contract-development friction so people can focus on co-creating value.

The episode was recorded live at CSCMP EDGE in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 5, 2026.

Related links:

• Learn more about Kate Vitasek and the Vested Way.
• Learn more about CSCMP and its Distinguished Service Award.
• Learn more about the Annual Third-Party Logistics Study and download past reports.
• Save the date for the Fall Supply Chain Forum, Nov. 10–12
• Download free white papers from UT experts
• Become a GSCI partner to learn, network, and recruit with the top supply chain education institution in North America
• Join the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative to explore advanced concepts in SCM with top industry experts and scholars
• Follow GSCI on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

Text the Tennessee on Supply Chain Management team!

In this episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby welcome John Langley, professor emeritus at the University of Tennessee, founder of the Annual Third-Party Logistics Study, and a leader who helped establish the UT Supply Chain Forum in 1998.

As the 31st Annual 3PL Study enters its next chapter with GSCI as an official partner, Langley reflects on what more than three decades of research reveal about the evolution of logistics outsourcing and the relationships that make it work. From an era when companies bought transportation and warehousing separately to today’s end-to-end logistics providers, he explains why the most effective shipper-3PL relationships are built on shared information, honest dialogue, aligned incentives, and a mutual understanding of each other’s business.

The conversation also examines the risks reshaping supply chains in 2026: freight fraud, AI-enabled threats, geopolitical disruption, changing trade lanes, and rising transportation costs. Langley shares why preparation, education, and the ability to change quickly separate resilient organizations from the rest, as well as why strategic partnerships cannot be strategic in name only when providers are rebid solely on lowest cost.

Along the way, Langley discusses the legacy and future of the Annual 3PL Study, the role of UT faculty and students in its next phase, and his long connection to the Supply Chain Forum.

The episode was recorded virtually on September 14, 2026.

Related links:

• Learn more about the Annual Third-Party Logistics Study and download past reports.
• Save the date for the Fall Supply Chain Forum, Nov. 10–12
• Download free white papers from UT experts
• Become a GSCI partner to learn, network, and recruit with the top supply chain education institution in North America
• Join the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative to explore advanced concepts in SCM with top industry experts and scholars
• Follow GSCI on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

Text the Tennessee on Supply Chain Management team!

In this episode, Ted Stank is joined by favorite fill-in co-host Lance Saunders to welcome Heather Kettelhohn, executive director of global supply chain planning and logistics at Cummins and a member of the GSCI Advisory Board.

Drawing on a recent two-and-a-half-year planning system implementation, Kettelhohn dismantles the caterpillar-to-butterfly fantasy that surrounds big supply chain initiatives. Going live, she argues, isn't the finish line—it's the starting point of a journey that never truly ends. She and the hosts dig into why "buy, not build" and "configure, not customize" kept Cummins out of the "we're different" trap, why bad processes only get faster (not better) when you layer technology or AI on top, and why customer value—not premium freight savings or inventory reduction—is the ROI that actually matters.

The conversation gets honest about the human side of change and why leaders have to ask new questions—and celebrate quick wins and change champions—to drive real adoption. Along the way, the trio look at today's volatility—shifting tariffs, closed and reopened shipping lanes, scarce metals and helium, softening jobs numbers, and stubbornly high prices—and manage to squeeze in a running debate over Seinfeld, The Office, Ted Lasso, and Friends.

The episode was recorded in person at GSCI's summer Advisory Board meeting in Knoxville, Tennessee on August 13, 2026.

Related links:

• Learn more about Cummins at cummins.com
• Register for Early Access Recruiting Night for GSCI Partners, September 21
• Attend the Fall SCM Career Fair, September 22
• Register for virtual SCM Academies in Finance, Procurement, and Technology
• Save the date for the Fall Supply Chain Forum, Nov. 10–12
• Download free white papers from UT experts
• Become a GSCI partner to learn, network, and recruit with the top supply chain education institution in North America
• Join the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative to explore advanced concepts in SCM with top industry experts and scholars
• Follow GSCI on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI.

Text the Tennessee on Supply Chain Management team!

In this episode, hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby welcome back Jason Murray, co-founder and CEO of Shipium, and Thomas Deakins, VP of industry growth and adjunct lecturer in supply chain management at the University of Tennessee. The trio picks up where a previous conversation left off—only now, the AI landscape has shifted considerably.

Murray offers a clear-eyed progression of where artificial intelligence actually stands today: from the machine learning roots that powered early wins at Amazon, through the generative AI wave that captivated the world with ChatGPT, and now into the era of agentic AI with systems that don't just respond to prompts, but act autonomously on behalf of organizations. He draws an important distinction between "human in the middle" and "human on the loop," and pushes back on the popular notion that dropping AI into an existing process will immediately deliver ROI. The real opportunity, he argues, lies in rethinking the process itself.

The episode also touches on current supply chain headlines—tariff uncertainty, rising energy prices, and the growing infrastructure demands of AI data centers—before closing with a candid lightning round on AI myths, change management, and what Amazon got right that the rest of the industry is still catching up to.

The episode was recorded virtually on July 22, 2026.

Related links:

• Learn more about Shipium at shipium.com
• Listen to Jason Murray's previous GSCI podcast appearance in March 2025
• Register for virtual SCM Academies in Leadership, Finance, Procurement, and Technology
• Save the date for the Fall Supply Chain Forum, Nov. 10–12
• Download free white papers from UT experts
• Become a GSCI partner to learn, network, and recruit with the top supply chain education institution in North America
• Join the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative to explore advanced concepts in SCM with top industry experts and scholars
• Fill out Tom Goldsby’s survey on warehouse automation
• Follow GSCI on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI.

Text the Tennessee on Supply Chain Management team!

In this episode, hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby welcome Wally Shaw, CEO of Red Stag Fulfillment, to explore how a purpose-built 3PL is carving out a competitive edge by focusing on what others avoid.

Shaw shares how Red Stag built its model around big, bulky products—an overlooked segment of the fulfillment market—and why that specialization enables stronger service performance, tighter quality control, and meaningful differentiation. He also discusses the company’s distinctive approach to service guarantees, including zero tolerance for shrinkage and financial accountability when service levels are missed.

The conversation spans how leading 3PLs are navigating today’s most pressing challenges: AI adoption and automation readiness, geopolitical uncertainty, tariffs, and shifting global sourcing patterns. Shaw also offers perspective on why customer selectivity and long-term decision making can lead to better outcomes for both providers and brands.

The episode was recorded virtually on June 9, 2026.

Related links:

• Complete the Annual 3PL Study survey for 2027
• Register for virtual SCM Academies in Leadership, Finance, Procurement, and Technology
• Save the date for the Fall Supply Chain Forum, Nov. 10–12
• Download free white papers from UT experts
• Become a GSCI partner to learn, network, and recruit with the top supply chain education institution in North America
• Join the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative to explore advanced concepts in SCM with top industry experts and scholars
• Fill out Tom Goldsby’s survey on warehouse automation
• Follow GSCI on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

Text the Tennessee on Supply Chain Management team!

In this episode, hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby welcome Todd Steffen, market leader at KBC Advisors, to discuss how the industrial real estate market is both a mirror and a leading indicator of supply chain health.

Steffen, a longtime GSCI Advisory Board member, brings a practitioner's eye to the industrial market, drawing on his background running distribution and logistics technology at Walgreens and years advising major occupiers and investors.

The conversation spans how data centers are upending traditional site selection by competing for the same power infrastructure and land that distribution centers need; how sublease space and landlord concessions are creating hidden opportunities for occupiers; and why modular automation and AI are finally moving the needle on productivity inside the four walls.

Related links:

• Fill out Tom Goldsby’s survey on warehouse automation
• Save the date for the Fall Supply Chain Forum, Nov. 10–12
• Download free white papers from UT experts
• Become a GSCI partner to learn, network, and recruit with the top supply chain education institution in North America
• Join the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative to explore advanced concepts in SCM with top industry experts and scholars
• Follow GSCI on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

Text the Tennessee on Supply Chain Management team!

What does it take to keep a refinery running when the world won't stop throwing curveballs?

In this episode, Ted Stank and guest co-host Lance Saunders speak with Tom Johnson, VP of procurement at HF Sinclair, an independent petroleum refiner with operations throughout the mid-continent, southwestern and Rocky Mountain regions. Recorded live at the Supply Chain Forum, the conversation pulled back the curtain on one of the more essential and misunderstood industries in the global economy.

Among the topics discussed were why surety of supply—not cost—is the 3 a.m. concern keeping procurement leaders awake, and how the Strait of Hormuz closure and ongoing geopolitical volatility are rippling through petrochemical supply chains in ways consumers never see. Johnson also discussed the crude oil import-export paradox and how refinery infrastructure dictates crude "diets," the rise of data analytics as a seat at the operations table, how tariffs stress-tested supplier relationships and exposed the limits of sub-tier supply chain visibility, and what the skilled trades shortage means for heavy industrial operations.

Johnson is a UT Knoxville SCM alum who has spent his entire career in oil and gas, previously holding roles at Valero and Holly Frontier. He oversees a procurement organization of approximately 100 professionals managing roughly $2 billion in annual spend, including labor, plant inventory, and category management.

The episode was recorded live at the Supply Chain Forum on April 22, 2026.

Related links:

• Save the date for the Fall Supply Chain Forum, Nov. 10–12
• Download free white papers from UT experts
• Become a GSCI partner to learn, network, and recruit with the top supply chain education institution in North America
• Join the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative to explore advanced concepts in SCM with top industry experts and scholars
• Follow GSCI on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

Text the Tennessee on Supply Chain Management team!

Forecasting has been blamed for supply chain problems for decades. But what if the real issue isn’t the forecast itself?

In this episode, Tom Goldsby and Scott DeGroot speak with Mike Burnette, Lance Saunders, and Dan Pellathy about new research from the University of Tennessee’s Global Supply Chain Institute examining why forecast-driven planning continues to fall short and how leading companies are redesigning their planning processes to be more agile and responsive.

The conversation explored how many organizations still rely on one-size-fits-all planning models, why improving forecast accuracy alone rarely fixes service and inventory problems, and how leading-edge companies are segmenting demand, using different demand triggers, and building capability in the supply chain instead of buffering uncertainty with excess inventory.

The group also discussed planning agility, the limits of traditional ERP-based approaches, and the behavioral challenges that prevent companies from fully using advanced planning systems.

Burnette, Pellathy, and Saunders's research was conducted alongside GSCI participating in the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative. Their work led to the forthcoming white paper Love to Hate the Forecast, which will be released at the Supply Chain Forum, April 21–23.

The episode was recorded virtually on March 10, 2026.

Related links:

• Read Mike Burnette's two-part blog series on the cultural roots of forecasting failures and shifting to a right-to-left planning model
• Download free white papers from UT experts
• Save the date for the Spring Supply Chain Forum, April 21–23
• Join the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative to explore advanced concepts in SCM with top industry experts and scholars
• Become a GSCI partner
• Follow GSCI on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

Text the Tennessee on Supply Chain Management team!