President - Supply Chain Optimizers
Buffalo NY & Toronto Canada
Executive Director - Center for Supply Chain Excellence @ Niagara University
Niagara Falls, NY
A citizen of USA, Canada and Finland, Jack has over 30 years of supply chain management experience with five Fortune 500 firms. His career has included stints in consulting, manufacturing and third party logistics; jobs have ranged from direct supervision of Teamsters and Longshoremen at 23 years of age to Senior Vice President of Operations at a multi-billion dollar international company heading up a $200 million division with 800 employees. Jack has extensive knowledge of the food industry working 25 consecutive years for member firms of the Grocery Manufacturers of America. He spent most of the 90’s as Vice President of Purchasing & Logistics for Rich Products in Buffalo
Jack is a regular speaker on supply chain issues and trends making over 50 hours of presentations annually to management groups. In 2004 he spoke at Oklahoma University, University of Massachusetts and on behalf of the US Agency for International Development at the first logistics conference ever held in Ghana Africa. Additionally, Jack serves as Executive-in-Residence for the School of Business at Niagara University. He writes on supply chain related issues for trade journals with recent articles appearing in Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, Frozen Foods Digest and Supply Chain Management Review.
In addition to heading up SCO which specializes in supply chain efficiencies and logistics strategy, Jack is also a principal in Equity Partners and an officer of Refrigerated Warehouse Marketing Group. He serves on the editorial advisory board for Supply Chain Management Review and the Business School Dean’s councils at Niagara University and the University of Massachusetts. Jack was a member of the advisory committee to authors Saul Pilnick and Jo-Ellen Gabel for their book titled The Shadow Organization [Managing Culture Change in Logistics] which was recently published by the Council of Logistics Management. He moderated Niagara University’s annual Logistics Conference in 2002 & 2003 and was keynote speaker in 2004.
Jack has been quoted or featured in the following publications: Packaging Digest 5/92; Traffic Management 2/96; Logistics Management 9/98; Inbound Logistics 2/01; Frozen Food Age 7/92, 1/93, 2/98, 6/03; Frozen Food Digest 4/02; Refrigerated & Frozen Foods 10/97, 3/98, 9/01, 5/02, 6/03, 6/04; Food Logistics 1/98, 3/98, 6/03, 4/04, 8/04; Buffalo Business First 4/02;
Jack has a BS degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts, a year of post graduate study in transportation at Northeastern University (Boston), and an MBA degree from the University of Connecticut.
Jack has been certified in Transportation and Logistics by the American Society of Transportation and Logistics (ASTL), in Customer Service by the International Customer Service Association (ICSA) and in Purchasing Management by the National Association of Purchasing Management (NAPM). He has held officer positions with ASTL, NAPM, and the Canadian American Border Trade Alliance, where he co-chaired the Transportation Committee for five years; Jack served on the Logistics Committee of the Grocery Manufacturers of America for over ten years. He has testified before U.S. Congress as a transportation expert and has been featured on the cover of Logistics Management magazine in Sept’ 98. Other recognition includes the following:
*While VP of Logistics at Rich Products, the company was recognized as a functional leader in both World Class Logistics: The Challenge of Managing Continuous Change (1995) and Supply Chain Directions for a New North America (1996). Only 4 other companies (Chrysler, Kodak, Kraft and 3M) were able to achieve this distinction.
* Leader of a project which constructed a $20 million state of art refrigerated warehouse (with no capital investment by employer) to take advantage of the Free Trade Agreement. Identified for this effort by Refrigerated & Frozen Foods magazine as a finalist for Executive of the Year.
* Member of the Continuous Replenishment Process committee which developed and published CRP procedures for the grocery industry as part of the Efficient Consumer Response initiative.
* Featured co-presenter in video tape "ECR - The Logistics Revolution" used as a training aid in 50 countries by members of the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses.
* Co-leader of a landmark packaging optimization project which delivered cost reduction of $3 million while improving performance. Accomplishment has been covered in seven magazines and presented at five international conferences.
* Session presenter at Council of Logistics Management Annual Conference in 1993, ’94, ’95, ’97, ’99 and 2000. Also served as track chair in ‘93 and ‘01. Presented at national meetings of Canadian Association of Logistics Management in ’95 and ’98. Logistics track presenter at annual conference of World Food Logistics Organization in ’02, ’03, ’04.
