The Sourcing Hero
Together, Una and Art of Procurement are excited to bring you epic stories of beating the odds and rising up in procurement. Hear from leading sourcing and supply chain professionals as they share expert insight and tales of business heroism, all in the name of creating exceptional value within procurement. Follow the team: Anthony Clervi -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyclervi/ Kris Lance -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/kris-lance-1b9015175/ Kelly Barner -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-barner-6884443/
Episodes
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Ep 155: Don’t Get Fired feat. Mark Grieco
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
“Victory is about meaningful connections.” - Mark Grieco
Procurement professionals constantly find themselves in a tough spot, multiple cost and non-cost based objectives to hit, stakeholders to appease, suppliers to wrangle with, and that is just the beginning. They’re also finding ways to do all of the above in a work environment where we have less in-person access to their colleagues.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Mark Grieco. Mark has a very unique background: he is a procurement attorney and educator, accustomed to being in the trenches with the procurement team. In that capacity, he has had the opportunity to observe a number of development opportunities - associated with contracts and otherwise.
In this interview, Mark shares what he has learned while training,mentoring, and working side by side with procurement teams for years:
How procurement should handle situations where they have all of the responsibility and none of the decision making authority
How the working from home / flexible work trend has hindered personal and working relationships
Why everyone needs to find joy - and feel pride - in the work they do every day
Links:
Mark Grieco on LinkedIn
Wednesday Feb 28, 2024
Ep 154: The Sourcing Hero Gets a Sidekick feat. Kris Lance
Wednesday Feb 28, 2024
Wednesday Feb 28, 2024
“People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.”
Isaac Asimov
After 3.5 years and over 150 episodes, it had to happen eventually: The Sourcing Hero now has a Sidekick. This sidekick may be a monthly newsletter, but it is no less ready to fight the good fight than Robin, Chewbaca, or Dr. Watson.
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 conversation, Kris and Kelly talk about “The Sidekick” - Una’s new procurement newsletter:
What inspired him to start writing a monthly newsletter in addition to his regular visits on The Sourcing Hero podcast
Who The Sidekick is written for and what readers can expect
Some of the content features that will be included in each month’s edition
Links:
Kris Lance on LinkedIn
Subscribe to “The Sidekick”
Episode 150: 2024: The Year of the Dragon? with Kris Lance
Episode 145: Looking Back and Looking Ahead with Kris Lance
Episode 142: 2023 Listener Favorites with Kris Lance
Episode 138: Procurement Out of This World with Kris Lance
Wednesday Feb 21, 2024
Ep 153: Finding Purpose in Procurement and in Life feat. Paul Nilsen
Wednesday Feb 21, 2024
Wednesday Feb 21, 2024
Meeting a new friend
To ponder the color of
Unripe bananas
Paul Nilsen
Talking to heroes
Who earn their hidden capes while
Loving procurement
Kelly Barner
Ikigai is a Japanese philosophy focused on finding purpose and meaning. The parts of the word are “iki” which means “alive” and “gai” which means “worth.” Given how much time procurement spends thinking about value and worth, their personal and professional choices should absolutely make them feel alive.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Paul Nilsen. Paul is the Director Of Procurement at Douglas Elliman Real Estate - and an avid reader. Paul recently shared a book he was reading on LinkedIn and sparked both an interesting online discussion and this podcast interview.
In this interview, Paul talks about Ikigai and how it comes into the decisions he makes as a procurement professional:
How the concept of Ikigai resonates with him at this point in his career
Ways we can each exert greater influence on our own professional journey
Whether it possible to connect what we like to do with what is really needed in each situation
Links:
Paul Nilsen on LinkedIn
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
Ep 152: Spending for Maximum Social Impact feat. Colin Downie
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
Is it possible to change the life of someone, and their family, and their community just by making purposeful decisions about corporate spending? Yes it is - and it doesn’t cost as much as you might think.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Colin Downie. Colin is the Sales and Partnerships Director for WildHearts Group, an organization that enables large enterprises to have a positive social impact at home and abroad through how they spend. Since they reached a fully operational state in 2010, the WildHearts Group has transformed 2 Million lives - leveraging the power of money companies were going to spend anyway.
In this interview, Colin talks about the challenges and change he has seen firsthand in poor, rural communities:
How microfinancing opens the door to entrepreneurial independence
Ways that entrepreneurial education is being used to help break the multi-generational cycle of un/under employment in poor, rural communities
Requirements for being able to track and report on social impact with confidence
Links:
Colin Downie on LinkedIn
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Ep 151: What You Don’t Know About Shipping Can Hurt You feat. Nick DiNatale
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
What could possibly be even more complicated than tax accounting? Managing your detailed shipping costs - and the carrier logic that drives them. Details change every year, and the high level information released to the media rarely reflects the nuanced information that appears on shipping invoices.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Nick DiNatale. In addition to being an accountant by training, Nick is the Founder and CEO of ShipPlug, a platform that leverages his extensive supply chain experience to streamline shipping costs and simplify related business processes.
In this interview, Nick talks about the many things shippers may not know that may be costing them in multiple ways:
Barriers preventing companies from effectively forecasting their shipping needs and costs
What shippers often don’t know about late shipments, surcharges, and labor intensity
How a poor shipping experience could be costing your company margin - and customers
Links:
Nick DiNatale on LinkedIn
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
Ep 150: 2024: The Year of the Dragon? feat. Kris Lance
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
In Chinese culture, the dragon represents good luck, strength, and health. Given the challenges dominating this year’s headlines, all of us are probably going to need a balance of all three to make it through the year successfully.
Every new day’s headlines remind us that no matter where we live and work, global forces can swoop in and change everything at a moment’s notice. When geopolitics is the focus, some players on the world stage have an outsized impact - none more than China.
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 conversation, Kris and Kelly talk about three major news stories related to China that all procurement and supply chain professionals should be aware of:
China’s New Year’s statement about unification with Taiwan, and the varying levels of urgency that emerge depending on the translation you read
An ongoing trial in Hong Kong, where pro-democracy businessman Jimmy Lai is up against charges that his free speech makes him a traitor in China’s eyes
The progress (or lack thereof) that has been made towards semiconductor independence almost two years after the CHIPS Act was passed
Links:
Kris Lance on LinkedIn
Episode 145: Looking Back and Looking Ahead with Kris Lance
Episode 142: 2023 Listener Favorites with Kris Lance
Episode 138: Procurement Out of This World with Kris Lance
Episode 134: The Complexity of Navigating the Panama Canal with Kris Lance
Wednesday Jan 24, 2024
Ep 149: Finding a Workable Model for Zero Emissions Fleets feat. Ron Hunt
Wednesday Jan 24, 2024
Wednesday Jan 24, 2024
Despite the understandable enthusiasm around supply chain sustainability, there are many challenges associated with the fight to lower emissions: regulations, costs, and engineering, just to name a few. One of the challenges procurement will appreciate most, is the journey towards a workable business model that reflects today’s infrastructure reality and companies’ ability to invest.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Ron Hunt. Ron is the Director of Business Development for Forum Mobility, a company working to make it realistic for fleets to achieve their zero emissions goals without having to build capital intensive charging capabilities.
In this interview, Ron shares much of the advice he offers to carriers looking to partner with their customers as they pursue zero emissions fleets:
Issues fleet operators may run into when evaluating the transition to zero emissions vehicles
The current supply/demand balance between carriers offering a zero emissions fleet and shippers looking for them
How regulations are driving this transition v. sustainability and ESG goals
Links:
Ron Hunt on LinkedIn
Wednesday Jan 17, 2024
Ep 148: Optimization of Procurement in the Automotive Industry feat. Robert Čačković
Wednesday Jan 17, 2024
Wednesday Jan 17, 2024
Procurement professionals often talk about how they ‘fell’ into the field without a plan. And while this means procurement has a diverse range of skill sets in their ranks, it does leave many teams without a solid educational foundation like what might be found in marketing or operations.
In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Robert Čačković. Robert is a sourcing buyer for Bugatti Rimac, a Croatian company that develops and produces cutting-edge hypercars. He has been in procurement since college and is currently completing his MBA, with a master's thesis focused on improvements of procurement processes in the automotive industry.
In this interview, Robert talks about the positive impact of studying and working in procurement at the same time:
How he is incorporating procurement optimization into his MBA studies
Trends and top stories he is monitoring relative to the automotive supply chain
Achieving a balance between strategic suppliers and stakeholders
Links:
Robert Čačković on LinkedIn