SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT MONTH

IN THIS ISSUE: Demand Management at Fujitsu Blurring the Lines between Stores and the Web Staples Takes Top Prize with Move to Smart

Packaging Alcohol-Control Authority Toasts Vendor-

Managed Inventory System Building an ethical supply chain

SAVE THE DATE!

ISM Supply Management Month - CEO Tom Derry

Tue, Mar 25, 2014 at 12:00 PM Greenbriar Hills Country Club

CPSM REVIEW CLASS MODULE 2 Thu, Mar 27, 2014 at 8:00 AM

CPSD REVIEW CLASS Fri, Mar 28, 2014 at 8:00 AM

In addition, we are in the process of nominating the Board of Directors for the 2014-2015 year. If you would like to nominate

an individual or have interest yourself please contact any of the Board Members.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Each year in March, Institute for Supply Management™ (ISM) demonstrates its commitment to lead and serve supply management by encouraging celebrations and awareness activities showcasing the importance of the profession. Supply Management Month is a time when professionals around the world — regardless of job title, organizational role or ISM membership status — can play an important role in promoting supply management. Supply managers' capabilities and responsibilities have seen unprecedented growth in importance in recent years. Never before have supply managers been asked to do so much and take on as much responsibility as they do now. Supply Management Month is a perfect time to celebrate ... and educate others about who we are and what we do. Here are but a few of the tasks/responsibilities that we as Supply Management Professionals accomplish for the bottom line:

Product/Service Development, Quality Procurement/Purchasing, Inventory Control Strategic Sourcing, Materials Management Manufacturing Supervision, Packaging Warehousing/Stores, Distribution, Logistics Disposition/Investment Recovery

Happy Supply Management Month and I am proud to be a part of this affiliate and of all my peers and colleagues that make it.

Patrick C. Williamson C.P.M.

Supply Chain Management

Month

Demand Management at Fujitsu By: SupplyChainBrain

When Fujitsu noticed diminishing returns in its ongoing efforts to improve forecast accuracy, it

adopted a new strategy of product segmentation, changing inventory policies for difficult to

forecast items. Barry Chapman of Fujitsu explains how this strategy was implemented and the

benefits that the company is reaping.

Fujitsu began a forecast improvement journey in 2000, moving from a spreadsheet-based process to a demand planning tool, says Chapman. Subsequently, the company launched a major initiative about every two years to improve service levels and inventory turns through demand planning. By 2008, additional improvements from these efforts were “less than measurable” and the company concluded that the forecast was about as good as it could get, Chapman says. “We knew that if we wanted to continue to drive improvements through the demand planning process, we had to consider a different approach.” That is when the company started looking at segmenting demand planning strategies, he says. The idea behind segmentation “is to apply the appropriate inventory management scheme to a particular product based on its value and variant characteristics.” At Fujitsu, value is determined by a product’s actual sales and its forecastability, with difficult to forecast products being the focus of the segmentation initiative. “The area where we needed to make changes was on parts that had high value and low forecastability,” says Chapman. “We started a collaborative planning effort with our largest customers to jointly plan demand for those products.” For low value/low forecastable products, the company implemented a min/max replenishment strategy based on historical demand. With this segmentation strategy Fujitsu has reduced the average cost of inventory per product by about 30 percent, without negatively impacting service levels. “In some cases, we were even able to improve service levels,” says Chapman. “Of course, these savings get passed on to our customers so they have seen improvements in inventory and service levels as well.” The company had a “couple of false starts” with the collaborative planning aspects, Chapman says. “We have highly configurable products, so a single product may have 50 to 60 parts. To sit down with customers and have meaningful discussions on that many parts overwhelmed the process.” After the company pared the focus down to 10 or fewer parts, “everybody was focused and showed up prepared to talk to those parts. We had meaningful discussions and everyone was cognizant of what the plans were for those parts any changes were communicated rapidly. So reducing the menu of parts we were discussing really helped us get traction.” The biggest lesson learned in this process was “that we had to redefine what success looked like,” Chapman says. “In some cases we were intentionally reducing inventory turns, so we were carrying more inventory than we had originally planned, with the expectation that overall inventory turns would actually increase. Those were difficult lessons, especially for the people who were responsible for managing the products whose turns were reduced.” The segmentation strategy is now in place with Fujitsu’s largest customers and the company plans to continue rolling it out with some smaller customers and with new business.

Blurring the Lines Between Stores and the Web By: Robert J. Bowman,

Call it the Holiday Retailing Death Match: Team Black Friday versus Team Cyber Monday. Brick-and-mortar versus e-commerce sales. Physical stores pitted against the power of the internet. So goes conventional wisdom. But for anyone seeking a deeper and more accurate picture of peak-season retailing, it might be wise to retire those convenient media hooks. The concept of Cyber Monday – the supposed post-Thanksgiving kickoff to internet purchases for the Christmas shopping season – has become less relevant than in years past. Consumers are blurring the lines between stores and the Web. They’re shopping for bargains earlier, beginning on Thanksgiving Day or even earlier. Retailers, meanwhile, are offering bargains on both channels, even encouraging online shoppers to pick up merchandise in the stores, rather than wait for home delivery. They never gave that much weight to Cyber Monday anyway, according to Walter Delph, chief executive officer of the advertising technology firm Adly. He doesn’t discount the modern-day role of the internet –Adly specializes in celebrity endorsements for its clients’ products via social media. It began with celebrity tweeting, then morphed into a provider of multiple services for marketing via platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. But Delph believes the media is overly focused on the Web as a stand-alone marketing channel, in competition with brick-and-mortar stores. He sees continuing growth in online sales, but predicts that retailers will draw less of a distinction between stores and the Web in their marketing efforts in years to come. They’ll embrace a variety of creative strategies that employ all channels, especially those utilizing mobile devices. That said, social media played a bigger role in merchandising during the 2013 Christmas season than in prior years. Many retailers were just waking up to the possibilities of reaching consumers on the most popular social sites. It was more than a question of drawing shoppers to a website. Shoppers saw greater use of techniques such as sweepstakes, contests and promotions with a strict deadline. Such strategies “can get an audience to pay attention immediately,” says Delph. Much of the activity this time around took place on Facebook and Twitter, with Instagram also stepping up as an important marketing channel for Adly. “It’s growing so fast,” says Delph. “Consumers are really flocking to it.” Pioneers in the use of social media for marketing included some of the nation’s largest retailers, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and Target Brands, Inc. among them. They used photos and even short videos to show off items they were hoping to push. “It’s really about creating more of a visual experience,” says Delph. “The difference between social media and other platforms is the ability to have a conversation.” In the process, merchandisers can quickly discover what’s working, and what’s not. We’re long past the point when marketers have to guess about the makeup of their audience. Thanks to the willingness of consumers – especially young people – to share their lives over the Web, retailers have access to intimate details about individual shoppers. Generic, non-targeted ads are becoming a thing of the past. “The amount of data that we generate in social and digital media enables marketers to understand exactly how to reach consumers,” Delph says. Of course, social media channels carry a substantial downside for retailers and branded merchandise. A poor shopping experience – stock-out, technical glitch, missed delivery, bad customer support – can trigger an exponentially negative response. It doesn’t take much for a screw-up to go viral on the Web – far less than for a product to catch on with consumers. Even a good experience on social media can prove to be a liability for retailers, if it results in a flood of unanticipated demand. Every Christmas season seems to come with at least one story of a merchandiser who didn’t anticipate the runaway success of a particular item. For all the sophistication of retail marketing today, it hasn’t completely been integrated with the supply chain that’s supposed to support it.

Given the massive level of activity generated by social media, it’s something of a surprise that a handful of platforms is dominating cyberspace. One up-and-coming player, according to Delph, is Snapchat, a photo-messaging app. “The growth in the amount of images created on that platform is pretty startling,” he says. For the most part, though, the conversation is still controlled by Facebook, followed by five others – Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest and Tumblr – with more than 100 million unique monthly visitors. The future will bring even tighter integration of social media with retailing, especially during peak seasons. (Delph notes that many smaller entities have yet to embrace the channel in a meaningful way.) Expect marketing strategies to grow even more complex and individualized, as merchandisers battle one another on all channels. And the term “Cyber Monday” will quietly fade away.

Staples Takes Top Prize with Move to Smart Packaging By: SupplyChainBrain With excessive packaging as the top complaint of customers, Staples found a technology that created the right size box for every item shipped from its e-commerce centers. As the second largest e-commerce fulfillment business in the world after Amazon, Staples ships millions of packages each year, and until recently most of those boxes contained a lot of air as they were much too large for the contents packed inside. That changed in 2012 when Staples, in collaboration with Packsize International, implemented a “Smart-size Packaging Program” that produces customized packaging tailored to each order. Traditionally, pre-made boxes were purchased in multiple sizes and configurations, and stored until needed, says Robert Dennen, senior packaging engineer for Staples. However, “40 percent of your shipping volume is in air.” With Packsize's On Demand Packaging technology, boxes are now customized for each order through an integration of systems, equipment and processes. The impact? There has been a reduction of more than 15 percent in corrugate, an approximate 60-percent reduction in air bags and about a 20-percent reduction in break-pack cube, for an estimated 8-percent improvement in overall cube of orders. In addition, 74 percent of Staples workers say the solution has made their job easier. Corrugated packaging has wide appeal to consumers and is versatile, cost-effective, easily customized, and lends itself to product protection during shipping. However, environmental impact concerns and process optimization are primary considerations for the supply-chain environment, Dennen says. That means companies strive to use the minimum amount of packaging at the lowest possible cost to meet their sustainability goals. Ultimately, full U.S. implementation of the technology is projected to reduce the network’s carbon footprint by more than 25,000 metric tons annually. Hanko Kiessner, Packsize International CEO, says leading companies no longer purchase boxes. It may be counterintuitive, but they are finding the time required to make packaging on-demand is less than that required to find and move packaging purchased conventionally. For Staples, time is of utmost importance. Each day, from its U.S. fulfillment centers, Staples ships 650,000 to a million cases, operating under a robust logistics system that guarantees any order placed before 5 p.m. will be delivered the next day to 96 percent of the population. Approximately 40 percent of these cases are less-than-full-case orders. These so-called break-pack orders have traditionally been picked into 7 to14 corrugated box types with the system selecting the best-fit box type based on the dimensions of the items in the order. Nevertheless, almost 40 percent of the cube is wasted. When Staples first considered the viability of the Packsize system, one major requirement was the solution’s ability to keep pace with Staples’ current order cycle times. “We could not reduce Staples’ ability to meet its customer service in any way,” says Kiessner. “One of the primary challenges was the total speed.” With delivery time sacrosanct, Packsize officials adapted their technology to interface with Staples’ order management system to automatically calculate via an advanced algorithm the optimal box size for every incoming order and route it to the proper fulfillment center and the most suitable machine at that center. But time wasn't the only concern. In 2010, based on customer feedback, an updated sustainability strategy, and a carbon footprint review, packaging became a key focus area for Staples. As part of this new emphasis, the first packaging reduction goal at Staples was established—a 20-percent packaging reduction in the U.S. by 2020. A “race to the top” with up-stream product suppliers and a review of outbound packaging alternatives were thus initiated. The outbound technologies considered included the Packsize International On Demand Packaging system. A pilot was completed in Staples’ fulfillment center in Orlando in early 2011. During this initial phase, Packsize and Staples teams collaborated on everything from equipment layout and systems integration to process design. Once the pilot was successfully completed, the team turned to planning the full implementation.

Here's how the On Demand Packaging technology works. It places a package converting machine with a very small footprint together with a stack of corrugated material on the pack line. This gives workers the ability to instantly create a box that matches the product to be packaged and shipped. A one-piece flow application integrates the on-demand system directly into the packaging process and can be designed for mixed-model lines. The system (which can take up as little as 86 square feet) is moved within a few feet of the pack line and boxes are made, one at a time as the product progresses toward the pack station. The technology integrates data from the production system using the factory ticket barcode or other inputs so that the most current box style and size is made according to the bill of material. That way, the packaging method can be continuously upgraded and improvements implemented immediately without disposing obsolete inventory. There is almost no material handling other than replenishing the corrugated at the machine. Says Kiessner: “The No. 1 customer complaint is excessive packaging. We can fly a man to the moon – we did it in the '60s with not that much computing power – and we can't have better packaging?” One of the first buildings to adapt the case-making solution was in Oak Creek, Wis., a Staples fulfillment center that packs and ships an average of 3,500 cases a day. In August 2012, the facility began operation of two Packsize EM7-25 corrugated converting machines, each capable of producing up to 300 cases an hour. The EM7-25 is a converting machine that creates custom cases from Packsize’s proprietary z-Fold corrugated stock, a 97-percent recycled material that can be creased, cut and scored into an infinite number of box sizes and styles. Essentially, Packsize z-Fold can be made into any FEFCO style box. FEFCO is the international standard guide to cardboard box designs. Because this is an on-demand system, the box size the company wants to output is programmed into the machine. For the EM7-25, a customer can run all of the FEFCO codes except ones with angle cuts and scores. According to Kiessner, the only limitations on the size of box that can be created with the unit are those imposed by the fulfillment system in which it travels. “From a Packsize equipment perspective, we can make a box for a couch or a gigantic conference table,” he says. “The constraints are more dependent upon what can travel through a building than on the equipment.” Staples had implemented the “smart-size packaging” program in 15 facilities as of March 2013, and plans complete installation of the solution in all of its U.S. e-commerce fulfillment centers by year's end. Beyond that, the company is evaluating expansion of the program across the global supply chain, pending WMS upgrades in several countries.

Alcohol-Control Authority Toasts Vendor-Managed Inventory System By: SupplyChainBrain

By leaving much of the management up to its many suppliers of wines and spirits and by postponing

transfer of ownership, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board saves an estimated $100m. Needing to reduce working capital bottled up in the many SKUs of wine and liquor held in inventory before distribution to its state-owned stores, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board implemented a vendor-managed inventory model called bailment. PLCB’s customized solution, worked out with partner Deloitte Consulting, brought 28 vendors into a single web-based portal that supports collaborative planning based on shared forecasts and historic sales information. In addition, the merchandizing system was customized to enable a hybrid inventory management model that allowed the PLCB to store vendor-owned merchandise and PLCB-owned stock in the same physical warehouse location without changing the existing warehouse management system. The impact? The project, which enables collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment within integrated enterprise architecture of closely interfaced Oracle applications and Robocom’s warehouse management system, reduced PLCB's working capital by approximately $100m in fiscal year 2012. Moreover, it has left the alcoholic-beverage entity with the money needed to run its business smoothly, says John Metzger, PLCB director of supply chain. An independent government agency, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is responsible for wholesale and retail sales and distribution of wine and spirits in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. With annual sales of nearly $2bn, it claims to be the second-largest distributor of wines and spirits in the world. It operates more than 600 retail and wholesale stores, plus online consumer and wholesale sales channels, through which it offers an assortment of more than 30,000 SKUs to its customers. These products are obtained from a complex network of more than 100 suppliers across five continents. Prior to its partnership with Deloitte, the PLCB followed a traditional distribution model, buying product based on sales forecasts, officially took ownership of it, and then stored it in warehouses. However, this model was costly, causing the agency to hold between $120m and $200m in warehouse inventory, dependent on time of year, which far exceeded industry benchmarks. The goal was to reduce its warehouse working capital cost by 80 percent – or $100m – but in order to move to the VMI bailment model, the PLCB first needed to address several challenges related to process, technology and, of course, people. As for process, the PLCB would need to transition procurement functions, such as planning and forecasting of inbound logistics for PLCB-owned warehouses, to the vendors themselves. However, says Doug Hitz, director of the PLCB's Bureau of Planning and Procurement, the agency still needed to manage vendor behavior and ensure efficient inventory management. A common medium was required to communicate and work with vendors who would be participating in the bailment model. The agency's existing Oracle-based integrated enterprise solution, including merchandising and inventory management packages and their inherent interfaces, had to be customized. Another challenge faced by the PLCB was to customize its current enterprise architecture that integrates Oracle-EBS, Oracle-RMS, Robocom Inventory Management System and Manugistics. The PLCB needed technology to manage vendors' operating efficiencies while the vendors accept a part of PLCB's responsibilities such as inventory planning and inbound logistics to PLCB-owned warehouses. The all-important ingredient of personnel had to be trained so they could support an operating model that allowed third-party vendors to carry out procurement functions previously handled in-house. The vendors too would need help in learning the new system. The opportunity to convert to a bailment model was made possible by the agency’s Oracle ERP implementation, for which Deloitte also served as the implementation services provider, says Tzarni Mangosong, senior manager for Deloitte Consulting LLP. Deloitte assisted the PLCB to design and implement a solution that leveraged existing Oracle Retail and Oracle EBS applications by modifying interfaces and extensions.

Particular controls were implemented to authenticate users and to protect proprietary vendor information that could be potentially used by competitors. Among other capabilities, the portal allows vendors to track daily stock levels of products and redistribute the merchandise within and between the warehouses by an efficient use of reverse logistics. In devising and implementing the solution, the PLCB and Deloitte engagement team reengineered six business processes (vendor collaboration, inventory planning and warehouse replenishment, inbound logistics, inventory management, store replenishment, inventory returns and bailment penalties) to incorporate a 100-percent vendor-managed inventory model in three distribution centers for goods supplied by 28 large vendors. The team also assisted nine of the 28 vendors in purchasing back their existing inventories in third-party warehouses. Of course, they transitioned such functions as inventory planning, warehouse replenishment, and inbound transportation to the respective vendors. Customized control mechanisms had to be set up. Penalties were established to enforce vendor performance and accountability, which is defined through service-level agreements for replenishing PLCB-owned liquor stores. As for business process flows, the bailment supplier notifies the PLCB of an incoming shipment using and advanced shipment notice. As it happens, the bailment supplier can send bailment and non-bailment merchandise on the same truck. Bailment merchandise is received using ASN information and non-bailment merchandise is received based on the Permit-PO information. When it comes to returns, the vendor initiates a merchandise return request using the shared portal. The Oracle RMS uses information in the return request to create pick instructions for the warehouse implementing supply chain collaboration and vendor-managed inventory in the public sector. The PLCB says it achieved more than 100 percent of its target working capital reduction earlier than planned; the $100m in savings was reportedly realized only six months after go-live. In addition to devising an innovative technical solution, the PLCB-Deloitte engagement team also supported the agency through the change management process. Change management was particularly critical because the bailment model greatly expanded vendor responsibilities related to managing inbound supply planning and warehouse replenishments. This included providing vendors with real-time planning data, making them responsible for warehouse replenishment decisions, and holding them accountable for their performance. The bailment model also transformed the responsibilities of PLCB procurement personnel from mainly purchasing products to primarily collaborative planning and managing vendor relationships. Says Metzger, “This same concept can be made to work just about anywhere.”

Building an ethical supply chain By Peter Bradley

Operating a global supply chain can have enormous financial benefits, but it also brings with it enormous ethical responsibility. Just ask Apple or Nike.

The news out of Bangladesh was bad enough to begin with. A fire in a factory that was a supplier to many of the world's largest retailers killed 110 workers. Sometime later, a shoddy building that housed several factories—once again suppliers to Western retailers—collapsed. The death toll was more than 1,100. The tragedies—both preventable—raised anew a vital question for managers of global supply chains: What responsibility do businesses have for the practices of their suppliers—suppliers selected in large part because they are low-cost operations, with all that implies for wages, benefits, and working conditions?

It is not a new question. Three years ago, consumer electronics giant Apple found its reputation sullied by reports of abysmal working conditions at Foxconn, the Chinese company that produced its iconic iPhone. A decade earlier, sporting goods marketer Nike faced a similar crisis as a result of news about working conditions in its suppliers' plants. Both were forced to make changes to their supply chain practices. It might seem unfair to hold companies accountable for the practices of their suppliers, but I would disagree. The company you keep matters. Yet holding suppliers in diverse cultures to Western social and ethical standards is not simple in practice. In many places, concepts like workplace safety, fair pay, and sustainable operations are at best in their infancy, and keeping tabs on far-flung operations not directly under the company's control is not easy. I was reminded of that again while reading an excellent article by Ernst & Young's Craig Coulter and Niul Burton that will appear in the Quarter 1 edition of our sister publication, CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly. The consultants address what it will take for public companies to implement the conflict minerals reporting requirements included in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The goal is to ensure U.S. companies do not use metals produced from minerals mined in areas controlled by armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and surrounding states. Here's the rub: While the reporting rules will apply to some 6,000 public companies in the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission estimates the rules could affect as many as 100,000 companies worldwide when supply chains are taken into account. But complexity is no excuse. While building a global supply chain can have enormous financial benefits, it also brings with it enormous ethical responsibility. We've seen some steps in response to the Bangladesh tragedies—the Accord on Fire and Building Safety and the weaker Bangladesh Worker Safety Initiative. Those are a start. But businesses must step up and make supplier ethics, along with costs and competitiveness, a core element of their supply chains rather than be driven there by bad news.

STL IN THE NEWS

Wentworth has been tapped to serve as president for Express Scripts Tim Wentworth, 53, has been tapped to serve as president of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits manager, Express Scripts Holding Co., effective Feb. 1. Wentworth will report directly to Chairman and CEO George Paz, who previously held the title of president. Earlier this month, Paz agreed to stay at the helm of Express Scripts for another three years. “His focus and leadership will be critical as we take advantage of near- and long-term growth opportunities,” Paz said in a statement.

Ameren Corp.'s Voss to retire Thomas Voss, chairman of Ameren Corp. since 2010 and president and chief executive officer since 2009, will retire, effective July 1. Warner Baxter, who has served as chief executive officer of Ameren Missouri since 2009, will replace him.

Announcing the 2014 Best Places to Work finalists

Check out the finalists below – should your company be on the list?

Tiny (10-49 employees) Accsell Inc. Berco Construction Inc. Brado Creative Insight goBRANDgo! Kelly Hager Group Real Estate Services Krilogy Financial Ryan Stone Technologies Inc. Think Tank PR & Marketing Westport One-MRINetwork Small (50-199 employees) Amerinet MassMutual St. Louis McClure Engineering Mungenast St. Louis Honda

Northwestern Mutual – Clayton PARIC Corporation Red Key Realty Leaders The Resource Group Sense Corp Stone Carlie & Company LLC Medium (200-649 employees) Aon St. Louis Bryan Cave LLP Bunzl Distribution Clayco Inc. Daugherty Business Solutions Hyatt Regency St. Louis Joyce Meyer Ministries (JMM) McCarthy Holdings Inc. MTM Inc. PwC

Large (650-1,999 employees) Bethesda Health Group Graybar Lindenwood University MERS/Missouri Goodwill Industries Nestle Purina PetCare Company River City Casino & Hotel Giant (2,000-9,999 employees) Hazelwood School District MasterCard Mercy SSM Health Care - St. Louis St. Luke’s Hospital

WELCOME OUR NEW MEMBERS!

Laura Tastad Maritz Jason Eschenbrenner SunEdison Inc,. Robby Gross

Mastercard Scott Gray Mastercard Francois P Lavere, CPSM Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals

Kent Young Mastercard Worldwide

GET CERTIFIED!

Register ONLINE TODAY seating is limited!

CPSM REVIEW CLASS MODULE 2 Thu, Mar 27, 2014 at 8:00 AM

CPSD REVIEW CLASS Fri, Mar 28, 2014 at 8:00 AM

SAVE the DATE!! - ISM Supply Management Month

ISM CEO Tom Derry Tue, Mar 25, 2014 Thomas W. Derry is ISM's chief executive officer. He has oversight over all ISM programs and is charged with furthering the association's aims and objectives. Derry brings a blend of for-profit and not-for-profit experience to his leadership role, having built his career with positions in news editorial, wire services, publishing, financial information services and association management. Derry has demonstrated expertise in product development, cross-border acquisitions and foreign joint ventures, strategic restructuring of operations and developing profit generating strategic alliances. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in foreign relations from Georgetown University.

Prior to joining ISM in July 2012, Derry spent nine years with the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), a US$23 million professional association serving 17,000 corporate treasury and finance professionals. Derry joined AFP in 2003 as managing director and rose to the position of vice president and chief operating officer in 2007. As second in command at AFP, Derry directed a global staff located in the United States and United Kingdom. He was responsible for strategic planning and strategic development of a global group, including U.S. and Canadian professional membership organizations and two wholly owned, for-profit U.K. subsidiaries. Prior to AFP, Tom was general manager of the LexisNexis business intelligence group headquartered in New Providence, NJ. Tom oversaw the implementation of a new strategy, restructured operations, and handled related acquisition integrations and strategic business unit divestitures.

Focus on YOU! Join thousands of your peers for ISM2014 and focus on topics that impact you the most, from career management, talent management and business acumen, to supply chain growth, global economic indicators, big data analytics and logistics. Visit www.ism.ws for the top 10 reasons to attend and be the first to see the 2014 learning tracks – developed with you in mind.

Get involved! For Volunteer Opportunities Contact our BOARD! In many survey's the membership have spoken of how much they like more pre-dinner sessions. Volunteering to teach a session helps to accomplish this. When you volunteer your time to teach a class or facilitate a workshop, you get a chance to polish your public speaking skills, and you get a nice credit to add to your résumé. Volunteering allows you to meet people who have similar interests. You may make new friends of the same professional background or a different one all together. Or you may make contacts that become important in the future. There are a variety of opportunities to get involved in our affiliate. Sharing your knowledge of purchasing or logistics topics is of vital importance to grow others in our field and the professional and personal rewards are abundant. If you have a passion for any aspect of purchasing please consider sharing that passion with the other members of your profession.

For a sneak peek into 2014 scheduled events, visit our website!

www.ismstlouis.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Patrick Williamson C.P.M. President Term: 2013-14 president@ismstlouis.org Melissa L. Orlando, CPSM, C.P.M. President Elect Term: 2013-14 presidentelect@ismstlouis.org Dawn Fadler, CPSM Vice President Term: 2013-14 vicepresident@ismstlouis.org Max Merz, CPSM, C.P.M. Director of Finance Term: 2012 -14 finance@ismstlouis.org

AFFILIATE DIRECTORS AND ADVISORS Emily Green Director of Education Term 2013 – 2014 education@ismstlouis.org Christine Wojak Director of Marketing Term: 2012 -14 marketing@ismstlouis.org Patricia Greathouse Director of Membership Term: 2012 -14 members@ismstlouis.org Paula J. Matousek Director of Professional Development Term: 2011 - 14 pro-d@ismstlouis.org Kimberly R. Butts, CPSM, C.P.M. Affiliate Advisor advisor2@ismstlouis.org Larry Jackson, CPSM, C.P.M. Immediate Past President pastpresident@ismstlouis.org