73rd Salzberg Program Awardees, Supply Chain Excellence and Environmental Social Governance

From left, Interim Dean Alex McKelvie, Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud present student Trevor Kaminski with theWalter K. Zinsmeister award, with professor Gary La Point.

73rd Salzberg Program Awardees, Supply Chain Excellence and Environmental Social Governance

The Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University's H.H. Franklin Center for Supply Chain Management hosted its annual Harry E. Salzberg Memorial Lecture Program on Oct. 13.

Established in 1949, the annual Salzberg event is a central component of the Whitman School’s Franklin Center, which is consistently recognized as one of the best supply chain management programs in the country by top publications and organizations. During the event, industry executives from leading corporations shared insights into trends, advancements and innovation in the fields of supply chain management, transportation and logistics.

The Salzberg Medallion is acknowledged as one of the most prestigious awards in the field of transportation and supply chain management—in part because of the caliber of past honorees and in part because of the program’s rigorous selection process.

This year’s program focused on the critical role of supply chain management and how it has been recognized throughout the past few years with respect to consumer goods and disaster response. In addition, there has been an increasing focus on environmental social governance (ESG) which is highlighting the role of supply chain decisions such as sourcing, production and distribution on the broader global good.

This year’s Salzberg award honors both Patagonia and Jan Fransoo, professor of operations and logistics management at Tilburg University, for their early leadership and work in the role of supply chain in ESG.

SALZBERG AWARD PRESENTATIONS

Salzberg Medallion Award Winners

Jan C. Fransoo is a professor of operations and logistics management at the School of Economics and Management of Tilburg University in Tilburg, Netherlands. He has conducted research across a wide variety of domains and methodologies, all related to supply chain and operations management and published extensively in many journals in operations management, operations research, industrial engineering and transportation. He currently serves as associate editor of operations research, as well as production and operations management. In recent years, his research has mainly focused on retail operations in developing countries and other emerging markets. Much of this research is conducted in collaboration with consumer packaged goods companies, technology startups and intergovernmental agencies such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. Apart from this line of research, he also has active research lines on omnichannel retail, intermodal transportation and urban logistics.

Fransoo presented his research and answered questions on Engaged Scholarship in Supply Chain Management: Making a Sustainable Impact by Avoiding Type III Errors.

Fransoo presented his research at the Salzberg Memorial Lecture Program

Patagonia Inc. is an American retailer of outdoor clothing. It was founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973 and is based in Ventura, California. Patagonia has hundreds of stores in 10+ countries across five continents, as well as factories in 16 countries.

Patagonia’s mission is to build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. Patagonia is being recognized for its focus on sustainable and ethical sourcing and distribution of its products.

Todd Zoller, vice president of global supply chain accepted the Salzberg Medallion and the Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence on behalf of the company.

Soller is responsible for strategy, planning and execution in global supply chain planning, production, logistics and distribution, and repairs, as well as circular commerce (Worn Wear) operations.

Prior to joining Patagonia, Soller was a managing director at Accenture and a partner at Kurt Salmon, helping leading apparel retailers and brands transform their supply chain, in areas ranging from strategy to daily operations.

Soller had a fireside chat with Professor of Supply Chain Practice Gary La Point, co-director of H.H. Franklin Center for Supply Chain, and discussed the ways that Patagonia tries to add sustainable practices in manufacturing and also how it sources supply chain goods and partners.

From left, Interim Dean Alex McKelvie and Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud present Todd Zoller the Salzberg Medallion and the Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence on behalf of the company.

Trevor Kaminski ’23, supply chain management and finance double major, was awarded the Walter K. Zinsmeister award for being an outstanding supply chain management student.

Presentations were also given by experts in this area of supply chain, including Sean Cleland, vice president, strategy and partnerships, B-Stock on B-Stock—Accelerating Sustainability through Recommerce, and Anne Robinson, chief strategy officer, Kinaxis on Operationalizing Sustainability: From Concept to Application.

Whitman supply chain students also presented a panel discussion on Dark Chocolate – The Dark Side of Chocolate. Whitman students included in the presentation were Iliana Dezelic ’24, Kevin Dorr ’24 (WSM/MAX), Phalen Foley-Salvador ’24 and Lauren Perry ’24 (WSM/MAX).

Learn more about the Salzberg Memorial Lecture Program and past awardees.