The Global Supply Chain Institute

05/21/2026

Industrial real estate isn’t just reacting to shifts but helping predict them.

In our latest episode of Tennessee on Supply Chain Management, Todd Steffen (KBC Advisors) joins Haslam College of Business - UT co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby to break down how the industrial market is evolving and what it signals for the broader economy.

Key takeaways:
⚡ Data centers are reshaping site selection — competing directly with distribution for power, land and infrastructure
📉 Sublease space + landlord concessions are creating hidden opportunities for occupiers
🤖 Automation + AI are finally delivering productivity gains inside the four walls
📊 Industrial real estate continues to act as a leading indicator of supply chain health

For leaders, this conversation is a clear reminder that what’s happening in real estate today has the potential to affect operations tomorrow.

Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts 🎧
https://hubs.la/Q04h91th0

05/15/2026

At this year’s Haslam College of Business - UT Awards, several supply chain management faculty members were recognized for their leadership, research excellence, and real‑world impact. 🏆🍊

🔸 Alex Scott was named an inaugural recipient of the Rigor & Relevance Distinguished Research Award, Haslam’s highest honor for research achievement. Alex’s scholarship in , logistics, public policy, and sustainability exemplifies what it means to pair academic rigor with industry impact. Alex regularly engages policymakers and industry leaders to ensure research informs real‑world decisions. He also serves as a project leader with the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative (ASCC).

🔸 Seongkyoon Jeong was honored with the Rising Star Research Award, recognizing early‑career faculty who have already made outstanding contributions to their discipline. SK’s research addresses some of today’s most pressing challenges, including cybersecurity and technology‑enabled operations. His work has been published in several premier journals and is helping shape how scholars and practitioners think about an increasingly connected global economy.

🔸 Lance Saunders received the Richard Sanders Faculty Leadership Award, honoring exceptional leadership in graduate and executive education. As Professional MBA Academic Director, Lance is known for his mentorship, curriculum innovation, and industry‑engaged learning. He also serves as a project leader at ASCC, where his work translates research excellence into applied industry impact.

Learn more about our faculty:
https://hubs.la/Q04gwQts0

05/06/2026

Season 4 of the 🎙️🍊 podcast continues with a live conversation from the Supply Chain Forum on the realities of oil and gas supply chains—and why surety of supply, not cost, is the procurement priority that keeps leaders up at night.

In this episode, host Ted Stank and guest co‑host Lance Saunders speak with Tom Johnson, VP of procurement at HF Sinclair, an independent petroleum refiner with operations across the mid‑continent, Southwest, and Rocky Mountain regions.

Recorded live at the Supply Chain Forum, the conversation explores one of the most essential—and misunderstood—industries in the global economy.

🎧 Listen here:
https://hubs.ly/Q04fxKY80

05/04/2026

What are leaders learning right now? 🌍

Our 10 Key Takeaways from the Spring 2026 Supply Chain Forum capture real lessons shared by executives and practitioners across more than 75 partner companies—on AI adoption, data readiness, resilience, and leadership under frequent disruption.

These aren’t predictions or hypotheticals, but what leading companies are prioritizing and putting into practice today.

Read the full article:

Top insights from the Spring 2026 UT Supply Chain Forum, covering AI, energy transition, resilience, talent, and leadership.

03/26/2026

No. 1 nationwide for empirical supply chain research 🏆

The Haslam College of Business - UT has been ranked No. 1 in the United States for empirical management research by the SCM Journal List. UT has placed in the ranking’s top five for 12 consecutive years.

“Some of the world’s foremost supply chain minds call Haslam home, and this ranking is a fitting testament to their exceptional capabilities," said department head Yemisi Bolumole.

For partners, this distinction reinforces the value of engaging with a research community whose work is shaping how supply chains evolve today and in the future.

🔗 Read more:

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business was recognized as the No. 1 producer of empirical supply chain research by the SCM Journal List in its annual ranking.

03/24/2026

Season 4 of the 🎙️🍊 podcast continues with a conversation on why forecast-driven planning continues to fall short—and how leading companies are redesigning their planning processes.

Hosts Tom Goldsby and Scott DeGroot spoke with Mike Burnette, Lance Saunders, and Dan Pellathy about new research from 's Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative examining the limits of one-size-fits-all planning models and the need for more agile, segmented approaches to demand.

Key topics include:
🔸 Why improving forecast accuracy alone rarely fixes service and inventory problems
🔸 How leading companies segment demand and use different demand triggers instead of relying on a single planning model
🔸 The role of planning agility and supply chain capability in reducing dependence on excess inventory

The research discussed in this episode is being published in the forthcoming GSCI white paper "Love to Hate the Forecast: Segmenting Planning Demand Triggers to Drive Total Value," to be released at the Supply Chain Forum, April 21–23.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
https://hubs.la/Q047ZbqZ0

03/04/2026

Season 4 of the 🎙️🍊 podcast continues with a discussion on the forces reshaping global supply chains.

Guest hosts Scott DeGroot and Lance Saunders speak with Kevin O’Marah, co-founder of Zero100 and a GSCI Distinguished Fellow, about how industrial policy, AI adoption, and geopolitical shifts are redefining supply chain strategy.

Key topics include:
🔸 Industrial policy and tariff normalization driving regionalized supply networks
🔸 The rapid emergence of agentic AI in supply chain workflows
🔸 A widening K-shaped performance gap between early movers and holdouts

Drawing on leadership experience at Amazon, Gartner, and SCM World, O’Marah also discusses planning reform beyond traditional S&OP, capital investment trends, and the importance of trust-based supplier ecosystems.

The episode was recorded during the Global Supply Chain Institute Advisory Board meeting at the Haslam College of Business - UT on February 26.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
https://hubs.la/Q045sN8t0

02/04/2026

Season 4 of the 🎙️🍊 podcast continues with a timely conversation on global trade reliability.

In S4E3, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby are joined by Stuart Sandlin, president of Hapag-Lloyd AG North America, to explore why predictability often beats flexibility when global conditions refuse to stabilize.

Key topics include:
🔸 Red Sea disruptions and Panama Canal capacity constraints
🔸 The operational and financial impact of longer, less certain transit times
🔸 Managing expectations—and credibility—when certainty isn’t possible

A practical discussion for supply chain leaders navigating risk, reliability, and ex*****on in a volatile trade environment.

Plus, Ted and Tom break down the latest signals shaping global supply chains, from holiday demand performance to tariff-driven ordering shifts.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
https://hubs.la/Q041xkrb0

cc: Haslam College of Business - UT

02/03/2026

Strong outcomes start with strong programs. 🍊

The MS in Supply Chain Management Online—alongside the MS in Business Cybersecurity Online—has been ranked #11 among public universities in U.S. News & World Report’s latest rankings of online graduate programs.

This recognition reflects the strength of the Haslam College of Business - UT's faculty, curriculum, and industry-connected approach to online education designed for working professionals who want to advance without stepping away from their careers.

Learn why supply chain leaders around the world choose UT to sharpen their skills and expand their impact. 📈🎓

https://hubs.ly/Q041wf6V0

11/19/2025

We’re thrilled to launch Season 4 of the 🎙️🍊 podcast with a live Supply Chain Forum special featuring retired Rear Admiral Kevin Sweeney!

In his conversation with co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby, Sweeney shared his extraordinary career journey, from commanding the USS Cole and serving as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense, to advising major private-sector organizations on government relations and risk.

In this episode, we dive into:
🔸 How military leadership principles translate to business strategy
🔸 Navigating geopolitics, industrial-base constraints & global disruption
🔸 Building trusted teams, empowering talent & adaptability under pressure

If you’re an professional, educator, or student looking to sharpen your leadership in uncertain times, this one’s for you.

Subscribe now on your favorite podcast platform and join us as we chart the course for smart supply chain thinking:
https://hubs.la/Q03T-YGC0

11/12/2025

We are proud to celebrate Haslam College of Business - UT sophomore Kevin Ho, a U.S. Army veteran and major, for being named the 2025 National Student Veteran of the Year by Military Friendly. 👏

Kevin arrived at UT in 2024 and, in addition to declaring an major, has served his fellow student-veterans as president of the Student Veterans of America chapter and as a work-study student with the Veterans Success Center. 🍊

Read more:

Kevin Ho, a sophomore at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been named the 2025 Veteran of the Year in Higher Education by Military Friendly.