Episode 17 - The Role of Company Culture in Recruitment

Identifying talent, creating long-lasting relationships with employees, and building a solid company culture are essential to any organization. This month, Charlie Saffro, President and Founder of CS Recruiting, joins the CSCR Podcast to speak on empowering others, the interconnectedness of recruitment and retention, and how she has used personal experiences to help other companies grow.
About
Charlie has over 14 years of direct recruiting experience within the Logistics, Transportation and Supply Chain space and started CS Recruiting from the ground up over a decade ago. Today, she leads a team of over 40 and manages a multi-million dollar organization. As the President and Founder of CS Recruiting, she focuses on making meaningful connections to empower others to discover their full potential. Charlie has worked with many small to medium-sized businesses, as well as with Fortune 50 companies to help them identify the right talent for their organizational needs. Clients have included Third Party Logistics providers (3PL’s), Asset Based providers, Shippers (Manufacturers and Distributors) and Vendors to the industry (transportation technology/fleet solutions). CS Recruiting’s goal is to partner with clients and candidates to develop long-lasting relationships and make appropriate and time sensitive career matches. Charlie’s team of dedicated recruiters have experience filling positions of all levels; including C Level and Executive positions, Management roles and Independent Contributor seats.
Charlie is a dedicated yogi and encourages her clients and team to practice mindfulness in the workplace and beyond. She is also the mother of three boys and active in her community, volunteering with organizations to help women in the workforce. 
 

Episode 16 - Supply Chain AI, ML, and Analytics

It is anything but business as usual for supply chain organizations today. In this month’s episode, Steve and Irv talk with Chris Caplice, Executive Director of MIT’s Center for Transportation & Logistics (CTL), about how new technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning are being leveraged to work in concert with humans to help companies create smarter supply chains. Chris discusses his professional and academic experiences in transportation logistics and the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and supply chain.
Dr. Caplice serves as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Transportation & Logistics (CTL) where he is responsible for the planning and management of the research, education, and corporate outreach programs for the center. He created and currently serves as Director of the MITx MicroMaster’s Program in Supply Chain Management – the very first MicroMasters credential ever offered.  Since its inception in 2015, more than 430,000 students from 196 different countries have participated in these online courses and more than 45,000 Verified Certificates have been awarded.  A total of 2,976 MicroMasters credentials have been awarded to date. 
Dr. Caplice was selected as the first Silver Family Research Fellow in 2016 in recognition of his contribution to supply chain education and research.  Also in 2016, he received the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Distinguished Service Award. 
 

Episode 15 - Robotics Automation

Supply chains improve by leveraging the newest technologies and latest trends. The use of automation technology and robotics has emerged in recent years as a staple for modern organizations seeking to improve supply chain their processes, resilience, efficiency. Jeff Cashman, a Senior Executive Leader in Technology and Leadership, joins our hosts to explain automation's role in the supply chain and the innovative and use-case of robotics. 
Jeff Cashman is a senior supply chain leaders with extensive experiences in business development, strategy, and international marketing. Most recently Cashman served as Chief Business Officer for GreyOrange, a global technology company unifying AI-driven software and mobile robotics to modernize order fulfillment and optimize warehouse operations in real time.

Episode 14 - Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has contributed to new innovations in a number of industries and its popularity continues to grow. This month's CSCR Supply Chain Podcast guest is Tim Simpson, the Paul Morrow Professor in Engineering Design and Manufacturing at Penn State. Tim highlights the emergence of additive manufacturing in the business world and how organizations can benefit from incorporating it into their operations and strategies.

Episode 13 - Creating an Agile Culture

Developing an agile culture allows an organization to transform business processes, bolster innovation, and better serve its team members and constituents. Galen Smith, Digital Supply Chain Transformation Leader at IBM, joins us to discuss ways to implement organizational change, including creating an agile culture and empowering individuals across the supply chain to grow and develop their skills. Alongside our hosts, Smith outlines how IBM has engrained agile practices into their core foundations, why it’s important to do so, and how adopting this mindset can drive change in the field of supply chain.

Episode 12 - Achieving Sustainability Through Stakeholder Collaboration

Seamless supply chain collaboration is key to effective supply chain management and essential in business resilience. During today’s episode, supply chain professionals will learn more about the importance of stakeholder collaboration in achieving supply chain sustainability. Tune in to hear from Niki King, Head of Sustainability at Unilever, North America – a CSCR corporate sponsor. Niki shares provides insight into how the multinational consumer goods company is innovating in the space of sustainability and tips for those seeking to level up their supply chain sustainability.

Episode 11 - Talent Development

This month we are joined by Dr. Bob Novack, CSCR Director of Student Research and Outreach and Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management at the Penn State Smeal College of Business. During this episode, supply chain professionals will receive insights and tips about talent management from the perspective of a seasoned college professor interacting with top-tier talent daily. Dr. Novack and our hosts discuss what he's discovered regarding ways companies can stand out in a crowd, challenges in recruitment, and strategies for how to best connect with students.

Episode 10 - Choice Modeling

Choice modeling focuses on the way that we make decisions. This month, Penn State Supply Chain Podcast hosts Steve and Irv speak to Aydin Alptekinoglu, Director of Research of CSCR, about the importance of choice modeling and how it relates to demand. When looking at aspects such as variety, pricing, and availability, demand can be traced to indicate customer interaction with a company compared to competitors. Dr. Alptekinoglu explains the process of identifying discrete individual choices to create demand models for physical products or services used by many companies today.