The Sourcing Hero

EP 35: Listening to the Voice of the Supplier feat. Sam Singer and Jay Anderson

Procurement may talk about wanting to be a ‘customer of choice,’ or talk about creating an improved supplier experience, but do our actions back up those words? We’ll never know if we don’t ask representatives of our most trusted supply partners what they think about our processes - AND listen carefully to their answers.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by two members of the Rapid Packaging team. Rapid Packaging is a supply-side member of the Una community and one of the premier providers of end-of-line packaging systems, supplies, technical services, and automated solutions. Sam Singer is their SVP Sales and Marketing and Jay Anderson is the Vice President of Sales.
In this conversation, Sam and Jay provide a supply-side perspective on questions such as:
How often - and how well - their procurement points of contact make use of their extensive category and product knowledge
What types of sustainability opportunities exist in the end-of-line packaging category
What types of talent and skills development sales teams are making that may or may not align with the soft skills investments being made by procurement

EP 34: Resisting Assimilation - Practicing Authentic Leadership feat. Jan Griffiths

There are many things about corporate life that everyone just accepts. Meetings, pre-meetings, and constant, subtle incentives to follow the status quo even when transformation is being celebrated. But should we continue to tolerate leadership practices that don’t deliver the desired results… especially if they don’t help anyone enjoy their work? Our guest in this episode says, “No!”
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Jan Griffiths. Jan is a former automotive industry Chief Procurement Officer and Vice President of Supply Chain that is now combining her passion and philosophy to transform work experiences across companies and industries. As a keynote speaker, she is known for getting the audience - and other speakers - to dance… on stage… as the first step on their journey away from traditional corporate leadership.
In this conversation, Jan gives us a primer on authentic leadership:
What is authentic leadership and how does it differ from traditional corporate leadership?
How does a different type of leadership unlock the true potential of a team?
Why vulnerability and banishing the fear of failure are so critical to lasting success

Ep 33: Direct Materials Sourcing from Emerging Markets feat. Janette Lais

Direct materials are those that will eventually end up in the hands of a company’s customers, making the choice of supplier in these categories that much more critical. When those suppliers are based in emerging markets, the process of finding and qualifying them requires specialized expertise and third party support to ensure that quality standards are maintained and products meet technical requirements.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Janette Lais. Janette is the Director of Sourcing at Rapid Packaging. She has over 25 years of purchasing, inventory management, operations, and logistics experience. Of particular interest is her knowledge about sourcing internationally, including purchasing products from emerging markets in China, Turkey, and India.
In this conversation, Janette shares her perspective on:
How sourcing processes and supplier communication practices are affected when suppliers are based in emerging markets
How she approaches sourcing projects knowing that the product or material she buys will ultimately end up in the hands of Rapid Packaging’s customers
Advice for companies and procurement/sourcing professionals that are considering sourcing from emerging markets for the first time

Ep 32: Mitigating Price Increase Requests feat. Philip Ideson

The top news stories each day are like a potpourri of procurement challenges: labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and material cost increases abound. Each one of them means one thing - the next time a supplier emails or calls, they may be reaching out to say that they are going to have to increase their prices as a result. But what is procurement to do?
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Philip Ideson. Phil is the Founder and Managing Director of Art of Procurement, a procurement consulting, membership, and content company that provides CPOs and their teams the resources they need to enable company growth. He has also worked at both Procurian & Accenture and has experience across the entire Indirect and Direct procurement value chain.
In this conversation, Phil shares his perspective on:
How procurement should respond to a supplier that reached out with a request for a price increase
What options procurement has for mitigating the increase once it has been determined to be a valid request from the supplier
If procurement needs to worry about getting TOO GOOD at protecting the bottom line in challenging times

Ep 31: Understanding Digital World-Class Procurement feat. Chris Sawchuk

All procurement professionals and organizations want to improve, but the continuum from ‘typical’ to world-class is a long one. The more we can understand about what differentiates digital world-class procurement and how they operate, the more we can accelerate each team’s progression along that journey.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Chris Sawchuk. Chris is a Principal and the Global Procurement Advisory Practice Leader at The Hackett Group. They recently released their 2021 Digital World-Class Procurement research, detailing how top performers are improving their efficiency, effectiveness, and customer experience.
In this conversation, Chris shares his perspective on:
How the ideals of digital world-class procurement is changing how we perceive all procurement organizations
Why investments in digital procurement transformation can make procurement more operationally efficient and provide a better ‘customer experience’ to internal and external stakeholders
The range of factors and inputs included in the idea of digital world-class procurement

Ep 30: Finding the Courage to Take a Relational Approach feat. Kate Vitasek

It is one thing to talk about building relationships with suppliers, but it is another thing entirely to carry it out. This becomes even more challenging when we consider how many suppliers procurement teams are responsible for and how unpredictable the global business world is. If meaningful relationships between companies and their suppliers are to be long-lasting and productive, we need to use the right kind of contract in each case - including agreements that drive desired outcomes rather than over-specifying details.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Kate Vitasek. Kate has been the driving force behind the University of Tennessee's pioneering research and development of the award-winning Vested® and Vested Outsourcing movement. Her insights have been widely published in over 300 articles in respected academic and trade journals, as well as in seven books. She has appeared on Fox Business News, CNN International, NPR and Bloomberg Radio and has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Chief Executive Magazine, Contract Management, CIO Magazine, World Trade Magazine, and Information Week.
In this conversation, Kate shares her perspective on:
What relational contracting is, and how it allows companies to achieve successful outcomes in partnership with their suppliers - even through challenging times
How procurement can evaluate suppliers, spend, and contracts to determine if a truly relational approach is warranted 
The courage required to change one’s mindset, and the strength it takes to lead a team or a company in a new direction

Ep 29: Just the Right Number of Cooks in the Kitchen feat. Bill Reeder

If ever there were a case to be made that consistently prioritizing low costs above all else is a mistake, it is in foodservice. People can be passionate and particular about their food - especially when they are away from home. When your foodservice clients and consumers are young men and women in college, how you manage their menu and the overall relationship are very important to the success of your business.
​​In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Bill Reeder, the President of Campus Cooks. Campus Cooks is the industry leader in providing professional staffing and foodservice management to fraternities and sororities. They have operations on 45 campuses in 25 states. Bill oversees an executive team charged with growing and managing operations on campuses nationwide while ensuring client satisfaction.
In this conversation, Bill shares his perspective on:
The clear connections he sees between the strength of their employee relationships and the experience they are able to provide to their customers
How to ask questions so that you not only get actionable information, but also support your stakeholder’s decision making process
Why he sees Campus Cooks’ procurement as making critical contributions to the health and culture of the company through the tradeoffs they present

Ep 28: The Difference Between Hearing and Listening feat. Greg Tennyson

Depending on the exact source you consult, somewhere north of 40% of professionals are planning to change jobs this year. Some are re-examining their personal and professional goals, others are responding to hybrid/virtual workforce shifts, and still others are trying to maximize the joy derived from their “QTR,” or Quality Time Remaining.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Greg Tennyson, the brand new SVP of Strategy and Procurement at Fairmarkit. He has over thirty years’ worth of experience working as an innovative CPO for multiple high-profile corporations. He is a founding member of the Bay Area Procurement Council and has sat on a number of advisory boards for emerging high-tech companies as well professional organizations.
In this conversation, Greg shares his perspective on:
Why investments in soft skills are more important in virtual and hybrid models than in a traditional face-to-face workplace
The critical role that technology must play in creating connectivity and enabling collaboration between team members that do not occupy the same physical office space
Why active listening is the first and most important task most professionals take on, and how to overcome the distractions created by heavy workloads and fragmented attention