Logistics with Purpose

Team Rubicon has been in operation for 13 years, during which time they have worked in 1,100 different disasters or crises across the country and around the world. The premise of the organization is that military veterans have great experience that can be applied in a disaster relief context and that the military culture and ethos – a bias for action - is attractive to a much broader base than the...

Companies spend thousands and thousands of dollars on ‘swag’ or promotional merchandise every year, but what happens when they change their logo or go through an acquisition? Swag Cycle helps companies repurpose and recycle items in a responsible, ethical, and affordable way, keeping unneeded swag out of landfills. In this episode of Logistics with Purpose, Kristi Porter and Luisa Garcia are joine...

A series of professional experiences may seem disconnected, until the moment – and the role – comes along to justify them all. Then all of those past experiences and skills fall into place in support of one singular experience. In this episode of Logistics with Purpose, Kristi Porter and Wesley McArthur are joined by Julie Forsyth, Chief Operating Officer at Partners for World Health. She has held...

Some people start out as entrepreneurs and stay there, preferring to follow a less traditional path that allows them more flexibility and autonomy. Others have entrepreneurial experiences and then find ways to apply their creativity and love of learning in a corporate setting. In this episode of Logistics with Purpose, Enrique Alvarez and Wesley McArthur are joined by William Sandman, Market Devel...

Mel Young has worked as a social entrepreneur for most of his life, driven by his fervent belief that is it possible to end homelessness around the world. In this episode of Logistics with Purpose, Mel joins hosts Enrique Alvarez and Nuria Sierra to hear how he combined his desire to make a difference with the game of football (American soccer) to change 1.2 million lives to date. Additional Links...

What would it look like to come to this country with one suitcase in hand to achieve the American dream? It might include the opportunity to serve as a corporate leader at Dell, to be sworn in at the White House to serve on the United States Investment Advisory Council, and to receive numerous accolades, including “Twenty-Five Influential Women in Business” by MEA Magazine; “America’s Top Diversit...

Isabelle Szott is a behavioral researcher at APOPO in Tanzania. In this episode of Logistics with Purpose, Isabelle joins host Enrique Alvarez to talk about how humans are studying animal behavior to better understand how they are impacted by different conditions in their environment. She also describes the work being done to train African giant pouch rats as landmine detectors, as rescue search a...

Paul Rice fell in love with Nicaragua when he was there doing research for his senior thesis at Yale. But the more time he spent in the country, the more disillusioned he became with the traditional government-funded, top-down approach to economic development. He heard about the fair trade movement gaining steam in Europe and decided to try the model in Nicaragua, with great success. In this episo...

Danielle Southcott started thinking about the benefits of clean shipping while working in different roles in the maritime industry. What frustrated her was the challenge of proving the financial viability of the model. In fact, as she explains, she became obsessed with the idea that clean shipping could support a for-profit business model. In this episode of Logistics with Purpose, Danielle joins...

In Shakespeare’s comedy plays, it is the Fool – a Motley Fool in As You Like It – that gets to speak the truth to the king and queen. There was so much power and freedom that came with such a seemingly lowly station. That is why David Gardner, his brother Tom, and fellow co-founder Erik Rydholm started The Motley Fool, a source of honest, educational, and entertaining information about the stock m...

In February of 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. A citizen resistance that was only expected to last days has held for over a year… and the fight goes on. Vector Global Logistics launched an effort almost immediately to channel the collective desire to help. ‘Leveraging Logistics and Supply Chain for Ukraine’ brings together like-minded individuals around the world that are determined to use their res...

When children are exposed to math and science from an early age, they learn to be comfortable with themselves and develop a self-confidence that expands the future opportunities available to them. This is why Tzipor Ulman founded Science is Elementary (SiE), to bring together children of all backgrounds with exceptional science and engineering mentors. In this episode of Logistics with Purpose, Tz...

There are few opportunities in the world to combine creativity with analytics like those presented by the beauty industry. Because of this, Supergoop! CEO Amanda Baldwin had the courage to pivot from successful roles in banking and private equity to become an entrepreneur – even surprising herself. In this episode, she joins Enrique Alvarez and Maureen Woolshlager to tell her story and talk about...

There are challenging final mile logistics and then there are CHALLENGING final mile logistics. Brad Hendrickson (a.k.a. Bakhmut Brad) is currently working in the Donbas region of Ukraine to lead evacuations and deliver aid to the people and animals living one day at a time. In this episode of Logistics with Purpose, Brad joins co-hosts Kristi Porter and Maureen Woolshlager to tell his amazing sto...

Many of us have a career path that is long and winding. How we see each of those twists and turns – as a setback or an opportunity – often determines how successful we will be at the end of the journey. Laura Cyrus followed a particularly windy path to get to Truckers Against Trafficking, a 501(c)3 organization that exists to educate, equip, empower, and mobilize members of the trucking, bus and e...

Born and raised in a refugee camp in Pakistan, Ismail Safi observed firsthand how proper planning and logistics can make a sustainable difference in people's lives. In this episode, he joins Kristi Porter to detail his professional journey, how Islamic Relief USA matches aid to real-time needs and supports long-term impact through livelihood projects, key challenges for non-profits and some of his...

BrightDrop is decarbonizing last mile logistics---and Steven Hornyak is here to tell you all about it. Tune in to this episode of Logistics with Purpose as Enrique and Adrian chat with Steven about his professional path to BrightDrop, how the company is disrupting industries like grocery with more efficient curbside fulfillment options, his advice to his younger self and more. Additional Links &am...

Having grown up in Florence, Italy, Anna Bottinelli developed an appreciation for art and its cultural significance early in life. Then, what started out as a research assistantship with Robert M. Edsel on his bestselling book Saving Italy flourished into an illustrious career dedicated to recovering and returning lost and/or stolen cultural objects from WWII. In this episode, Anna joins Enrique a...

After Hurricane Nicole's threat and Ian's devastating damage in Florida, many are wondering how to lend a hand to those in crisis. In this episode produced in partnership with Vector Global Logistics and Supply Chain Now, Scott and Maureen discuss disaster relief with the American Logistics Aid Network Executive Director Kathy Fulton. Listen in to learn more about how a crisis creates long-term ne...

Meet Christopher Hussaini, one of the many bold logistics leaders in the United States taking action through logistics to support Ukrainians with necessary relief. In this episode, he sits down with Enrique Alvarez and Maureen Woolshlager to tell his story and tell us more about Hapag-Lloyd's humanitarian efforts. From early entrepreneurial ambition to pandemic pivots, charitable partnerships, and...

When they said "shoot for the stars," Susan Kilrain took it literally. As one of only three women to pilot a space shuttle, she has broken barriers and opened doors in countless ways. In this episode, Kristi and Maureen sit down with Susan to learn about her professional trajectory from the Navy to space and on into motivational speaking, advisory boards, motherhood and more. Find out what it's li...

There is perhaps no one embodying our core value to "Be the change" quite like ATL native and Mākhers Studio Founder Wanona Satcher. In this episode, Kristi sits down with Wanona for an expert deep dive into Atlanta history, the journey to building more equitable communities through green manufacturing and modular shipping containers, and the successes, challenges and future goals for Wanona and h...

On October 11, 2011, Simon Doble saw the light when it comes to global energy poverty. Now, his organization SolarBuddy works to create awareness and tackle this critical issue. Energy poverty is an obstacle to education, health, the environment and economic development around the world. Tragically, 3.8 million people die prematurely from the effects of energy poverty every year. In this episode,...

Sackcloth + Ashes produces 14,000 blankets a month using 75-100% recycled materials with a goal of donating 1 million blankets to homeless shelters by 2024. And to think, it all started with one inspirational coffee sleeve. In this classic Logistics with Purpose episode, Sackcloth + Ashes Founder and CEO Bob Dalton joins Enrique and Lillian to share the moving story behind his mission-driven compa...

Concepts like corporate responsibility and volunteerism are table stakes now, but that wasn't always the case. In this episode, Kristi chats with Engage for Good Founder David Hessekiel about the evolution of doing good and how companies are using cause marketing and corporate citizenship to build a better world AND bottom line. Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Logistics with Pur...