thoughtleaders
BY MITCH MAC DONALD, GROUP EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
THE DC VELOCITY Q&A
Susan Rider was running an ad agency when
a fortuitous conversation with a banker
changed the course of her career. What
followed was a curious journey that
has taken her to the top of the
supply chain profession.
a series of fortunate events
interview with Susan Rider
HOW DOES SOMEONE WHO STARTED OUT IN THE RADIO BUSINESS END UP AS THE HEAD
of a consulting firm specializing in marketing, operations, and the supply chain? In Susan Rider’s case,
it was simply a series of fortunate events. That early job in radio led to a marketing job in banking,
which eventually led her to Unarco Material Handling, where she first became acquainted with the
supply chain world. From there, she went on to become a specialist in order picking technology at Real
Time Solutions before moving over to the software side, serving as an executive for both Manhattan
Associates and RedPrairie.
Today, she runs her own consulting firm, Upton, Ky.-based Rider & Associates, where she’s able to
draw upon her varied background in material handling systems, the enabling software, customer
service, training, and marketing. As she puts it, “I can come into a facility and see which pieces and
parts are broken and which pieces and parts need to be developed more. I see my role as a valued,
trusted adviser—someone who helps the client put together the right pieces and parts to become
more effective.”
Rider, who has over two decades’ experience in the logistics and supply chain fields, has long been
active in industry associations. She is a past chairman of the Material Handling Industry of America’s
Logistics Execution Systems Association product council (now known as the Supply Chain Execution
Systems & Technologies Group) and a past president of the Warehousing Education and Research
Council (WERC), where she also served on the board of directors for eight years. She currently has a
seat on the board of directors of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP).
She met last month with DC VELOCITY Group Editorial Director Mitch Mac Donald for a wide-ranging discussion that touched on her unorthodox career path, the secrets to managing a workforce of
millennials, and her uncanny resemblance to Bette Midler.
