The Sourcing Hero

Ep 97: No One Climbs Mount Everest Alone feat. Dylan McCabe

When you are starting a new company, it is a challenge to convince customers that they should choose you over their alternatives. When you are also pioneering a completely new business model for your target market, that challenge increases substantially. 
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Dylan McCabe. Dylan is the Co-Founder of Limitless Roofing, a GPO specializing in commercial and residential roofing materials and supplies. But he and his team aren’t just consolidating demand, they are also building a collaborative community in what has historically been a highly fragmented industry - at least on the buy side.   
In this conversation, Dylan talks about the importance of community - both for his team and for the industry they are working to support:
What he has learned from his ‘go to market’ experience
What the entrepreneur’s (or intrapreneur’s) mindset means to him
The role that community building plays in his go to market strategy and company value proposition

Ep 96: The Importance of Standardizing Carbon Reporting feat. Saleh ElHattab

Most corporate sustainability programs are rooted in passion and a desire to continue doing well while preserving and investing in the environment. That passion is important, but it needs to be supported by quantitative standards. Not only does this make progress possible, but it also holds everyone accountable for the commitments they have made. 
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Saleh ElHattab, CEO of Gravity Climate. He and his team help industrial businesses and their supply chain partners manage their carbon footprint by measuring their emissions, decarbonizing their operations, and promoting their sustainability efforts.   
In this conversation, Saleh talks about the data and strategy that have to underpin any investment in sustainability:
The difference that regulation and oversight have already made in carbon reporting 
How companies can baseline and benchmark to know if they are doing well
Why CEOs are excited about carbon management and how procurement and supply chain operationalize that executive level vision

Ep 95: All Eyes on China - the Human Side of Current Events feat. Kris Lance

In 2022, the world read news headlines that included skyrocketing energy costs, the horrors of war, rising food insecurity, complex economic troubles, and more. While the issues at the heart of these stories differed greatly, they all have one thing in common: human impact. 
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes back Kris Lance, Senior Director at Una, for a recurring monthly conversation about current news stories. Kris has experience in multiple industries and has his finger on the pulse of the trends and topics that procurement, sourcing, and supply chain professionals need to be aware of.  
In this interview, Kris and Kelly talk about the business and human impact of China’s presence on the world stage:
The A4 Revolution and its connection to strict and sustained ‘Zero COVID’ policies
High stakes geopolitical posturing, and whether diplomacy can lead to necessary change
China’s slow but steady approach towards Taiwan, the world’s hub for semiconductor production

Ep 94: Fostering Sustainability in the Real World feat. Jonathan O’Brien

Over the last 20 years, there has been a groundswell of interest in sustainability. Turning that interest into action will require procurement to be at their very best. If there is one thing missing from many of the efforts that have been made so far, it is taking a cohesive approach to operationalizing sustainability goals and targets. 
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Jonathan O’Brien. Jonathan is the CEO and a founding member of Positive Purchasing. He has over 30 years’ experience of working with household name companies around the world to help transform procurement and negotiation capabilities and is a prolific author.
In this conversation, Jonathan shares his perspective on the state of sustainable supply chains and responsible procurement:
Whether procurement has matured enough to move beyond enforcement/governance and turn the pursuit of supply chain sustainability into a collaborative journey 
How to create a feeling of shared, cross-functional ownership and responsibility for sustainability programs
The ESG trend and whether it creates such a large target that specific initiatives like carbon emissions, human rights, or diversity are at risk of getting lost

Ep 93: Empowering Supplier Diversity Managers to Drive Change feat. Stephanie Lokker

Supplier diversity is a good idea - but that fact plus a vision creates very little value. It takes leadership, ownership, and a lot of hard work to convert the vision and social mission behind supplier diversity into tangible results.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Stephanie Lokker. Stephanie is the CEO and Managing Partner of Lockerbie & Co., where she and her team of consultants solve complex business problems for their Fortune 500 and private equity clients. Also relevant to today’s conversation is that Lockerbie currently holds nine diverse-supplier certifications at both the state and federal level.
In this conversation, Stephanie shares her experience with making supplier diversity programs as successful as the vision that drives them:
To what extent should supplier diversity be clearly owned by one or more full time professionals and to what extent should responsibility be distributed to everyone with decision making authority?
What is the difference between supplier diversity programs and DEI programs?
What skillsets are needed for supplier diversity managers to be successful in their role?

Ep 92: Social Selling for Procurement Professionals feat. Tim Hughes

Social media has changed the way we do nearly everything: stay in touch with friends, gather information, stay informed about the news, and make decisions. But should it also alter the way we buy and sell? Executive and author Tim Hughes says yes - and not only that, our time on social media should be driven by strategy and purpose.
 
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Tim Hughes. Tim is the CEO and Co-Founder of DLA Ignite as well as the Author of Social Selling: Techniques to Influence Buyers and Changemakers. That book, which was published in 2016, was so well received that it is now out in a second edition.
   
In this conversation, Tim explains how social selling should work and the benefits it offers to both procurement and sales professionals:
What procurement and sales need to know about each other in order to partner more constructively
How each of us can become better at leveraging our time on social media
What content means and why it is absolutely critical to our ability to build relationships and influence others

Ep 91: Centralizing the Process for Buying Technology feat. David Campbell

Procurement teams may talk about technology spend as an isolated category, but it actually encompasses a very broad range of products and platforms. When procurement is thinking big picture about technology - and cloud software in particular - the value generated can go way beyond just savings, including the mitigation of external risk.
 
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes David Campbell, the Co-Founder and CEO of Tropic. Just like so many professionals who never intended to end up working in procurement, David never expected to become a CEO. And yet, his unique professional journey gave him just the tools he needed to thrive as a tech CEO.
  
In this conversation, David talks about the impact procurement can have when managing cloud software with company goals in mind:
What he has observed about where the high growth tech sector is investing their talent money
The trends leading cloud software to become one of the top categories by spend
How factors like utilization and risk management provide procurement with an opportunity to create value beyond savings in cloud software spend management

Ep 90: Communicating Effectively With a Remote Workforce feat. Jane Friddell

There have been many changes over the last few years, not the least of which are the channels we use for communication. And while there has been a proliferation of digital options, hard copy will never completely go away. In fact, as it becomes a subset of all communications, hard copy shipments become more important - and carry more weight - than ever before.
 In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Jane Friddell. Jane is a Vertical Market Manager at Pitney Bowes, a tech company best known for its postage meters and other mailing equipment and services.   
In this conversation, Jane talks about some of the changes she has observed - some of which are likely to last while others fade:
The biggest communications challenges companies needed to overcome as their workforces went - and in some cases stayed - remote
Which new communications practices/habits will fade away and which are here to stay
The challenges that exist for workers that have to communicate in hard copy with companies, customers, and suppliers
The importance of hard copy tracking and audit capabilities in a data-driven world