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The Bloggers

"New media" are playing an important role in raising both the expertise of supply chain professionals and awareness of the increasingly strategic nature of Supply Chain in the enterprise. In the "blogosphere," a network of Web logs, or "blogs," authored by a growing number of industry veterans is playing its part by offering analysis of current events and trends, as well as a healthy dose of best practices. The blogs are sometimes serious, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, occasionally self-serving — the bloggers often are executives at solution providers, and other blogs are sponsored by solution providers — but almost always insightful and frequently entertaining. Supply & Demand Chain Executive recognizes the following 2007 "Blogger" Pros to Know for their contribution to spreading the supply chain gospel.

Jason Busch, founder and managing director of Azul Partners, a marketing consultancy that advises software and services companies, focuses his popular and astute Spend Matters blog (www.spendmatters.com) on all matters related to spend management.

David Bush, vice president of business development at on-demand e-sourcing specialist Iasta, offers his daily insights on e-sourcing and procurement best practices at eSourcing Forum (www.esourcingforum.com).

John F. Martin, senior vice president of strategy and technology at enterprise services procurement IQNavigator, has spread the word about software-as-a-service (SaaS) technologies on his Building SaaS blog (buildingsaas.typepad.com).

Tim Minahan, the widely recognized expert (and former Aberdeen analyst) on spend management and currently senior vice president of marketing at on-demand supply management solutions provider Procuri, now champions the strategic role of the Purchasing function at Supply Excellence (www.supplyexcellence.com).

Annrai O'Toole, CEO of technology company Cape Clear Software (www.capeclear.com), has authored a blog called "Clear Thinking" that is regarded as an industry resource that cuts through the clutter running rampant in the service-oriented architecture (SOA) space. More at www.capeclear.com/annrai/.

John Radko, chief technology strategist with B2B connectivity and integration specialist GXS, promotes the advancement of B2B integration and supply chain automation on his On-Demand B2B blog (blogs.gxs.com).

Dave Stephens, CEO of open source e-procurement solution developer Coupa (and former head of Oracle's Procurement Applications division), promotes "the power of effective procurement" at Procurement Central (procurement.wordpress.com).

Former Practitioners

Before they became consultants and software company executives, many Provider Pros started by working in the trenches, learning their supply chain craft and honing their supply management skills as executives at leading companies. These Pros know firsthand the challenges facing today's supply chain leaders, and today their experience helps their customers understand how to raise the profile of Supply Chain within the enterprise. Supply & Demand Chain Executive recognizes the following 2007 "Former Practitioner" Pros to Know for their contributions to transforming the image of Supply Chain in the corporate environment.

Dave Gleditsch, chief technology officer for Pelion Systems (www.pelionsystems.com), a provider of lean flow automation software for manufacturers, cut his teeth on Lean while he was corporate vice president of manufacturing technology at American Standard. His teams led flow manufacturing implementations at 85 plants around the world, and he also headed the company's Six Sigma rollout enterprise-wide, delivering better customer service and faster time-to-market — and elevating Supply Chain to be a strategic function within the company.

Mary Beth Green, director of account management with advanced sourcing technology provider CombineNet (www.combinenet.com), pioneered e-sourcing initiatives while working with a large pharmaceutical, chemical and healthcare company as a strategy consultant for new technology, as well as managing the implementation of an ERP system that laid the foundation for enterprise-wide visibility into the supply chain. Her efforts have been instrumental in proving the importance of advanced technologies within the strategic functions of supply chains.

Richard McCluney, vice president of account operations at E2open (www.e2open.com), which provides software infrastructure services for business partner integration in the electronics industry, brings 20 years of operations and supply chain management experience to his job, including seven years at Solectron in senior materials and supply chain management positions with the global contract manufacturer. Today he leverages that experience to educate the broader executive community on transforming and simplifying their global supply chains.

Robert A. Rudzki, president and CEO of supply management consultancy Greybeard Advisors (www.greybeardadvisors.com), exemplified the role and impact that the chief supply officer can have in improving corporate performance while holding top-level Procurement positions at Bayer Corp. and Bethlehem Steel Corp. A frequent public speaker, evangelizing the importance of Supply Chain and how to achieve its potential in both top-line and bottom-line improvements, Rudzki most recently authored "Beat the Odds: Avoid Corporate Death and Build a Resilient Enterprise" — which Lee Iacocca has called "the playbook every manager should read to be sure of winning beyond the next few quarters" — and co-authored J. Ross Publishing's new book "On-demand Supply Management."

Jim Schoessling, vice president of supply chain services with on-demand supply chain management solutions provider Click Commerce (www.clickcommerce.com), spent seven years within Lucent's Supply Chain Networks division, where he learned how an effective supply chain can be used as a competitive weapon and leveraged by sales teams, rather than being looked upon as "just the cost of doing business." Schoessling led the implementation of a global visibility and warehouse management platform that enabled Lucent to more effectively manage its expanding outsourced network of suppliers, as well as cut operating costs, reduce expedited shipments and achieve a 49 percent reduction in overall logistics cycle time.

Jeffrey Wincel, principal partner with lean supply chain management specialist LSC Consulting Group (www.lscconsultinggroup.com) got firsthand experience managing supply operations for Donnelly Corporation and TRW-Vehicle Safety Systems, among other companies, before moving on to the consulting side. His book Lean Supply Chain Management: A Handbook for Strategic Procurement is considered a groundbreaking work in bringing together lean manufacturing methodologies and supply chain management.

Supply Chain Greens

The term "green supply chain" has been around for more than a decade, but rising energy costs and growing concerns about the impact of greenhouse gases on the environment have conspired more recently to bring heightened attention to green supply management strategies and practices. As companies look to "do good" even as they "do well," Supply Chain will become an increasingly vital partner to C-level executives searching for synergies between operational efficiency and environmental responsibility. Supply & Demand Chain Executive recognizes the following 2007 "Green Supply Chain" Pros to Know for their contributions to the theory and practice of green supply chain management.

Dr. Jack Mason, president and co-founder of EnergyWindow (www.energywindow.com), a supplier of solutions for procuring and managing energy, has worked to raise awareness among C-level executives that supply chain issues relating to energy procurement have a profound impact on company financials and that the strategic decisions regarding these matters should be made at the C-level.

Dan Sanker, president and CEO of logistics outsourcing services provider CaseStack (www.casestack.com), introduced a greener supply chain through biodiesel usage, and he has promoted this initiative before industry audiences, including at CaseStack's own Future of Sustainable Logistics event, encouraging collaboration among carriers, clients and suppliers to increase biodiesel usage in the supply chain.

Mark Wysong, CEO of Dolphin Software (www.dolphinmsds.com) — a provider of solutions for companies that handle, store and use hazardous chemicals — has advanced senior executive understanding of the strategic role that Supply Chain must play not only reducing overall spend by eliminating needlessly expensive and overly toxic chemicals that enterprises unknowingly stockpile, but also in dictating less-toxic chemical purchases to positively affect the quality of life and safety of enterprise workers. He is the author of The Non-toxic CEO — A Road Map to 21st Century Corporate Responsibility.