the complex environment and simplify it, the money will
come right after. Simplify, simplify, simplify.
Green has been a big initiative of Whirlpool. Could you
explain why that is important to you and your company? Q
A Whirlpool has been involved in saving water and ener- gy since the 1970s. It is part of our culture. It fits into
my own thoughts as well. As we redesigned the Whirlpool
supply chain, we saw opportunities to implement green
building and transportation strategies. Personally, I have
four daughters. I have the opportunity to show them how
what I do now in my job can have effects that last for years.
It is something that they will also face in the future. So this
was a good thing for my family to go through, too.
The economy has affected the supply chains of every
company, and I’m sure that Whirlpool is no excep- Q
tion. What have you done to prepare Whirlpool to weather
the economic downturn?
A Actually, the appliance industry has been in a reces- sionary time for 13 to 14 quarters, so we’ve been in it
longer than most companies. Our business is closely tied to
the housing market. As people move, they buy new appliances. As housing turnover slowed, it had a big impact on
our business. So, we had a two-year head start to prepare for
what we’re facing today. If I had to actually address the situation now, we might not have the money and resources to
do it.
If you could take away one lesson from the
Whirlpool-Maytag integration, what would it be? Q
A I think the one lesson I took away personally was that you have to have a great team around you and a
good strategy. Make sure you know where you’re going
before you head down the road. Whether you are trying
to gain operational excellence, become lean, or whatever,
make sure you have a good strategy so you can make the
tactical decisions needed as you go along. Otherwise, it
will cost you. So, make sure you have a really good plan
and a great team to execute it. I also recommend chocolate peanut-butter ice cream to help you get through
some of the hard days.
Gordon Holder
TODAY, GORDON HOLDER IS A VICE
president at Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.,
involved in defense logistics initiatives for
clients like the Office of Secretary of
Defense/Joint Staff, Regional Combatant
Commands, Defense Logistics Agency, U.S.
Transportation Command, Joint Forces
Command, and the military services.
Prior to his career in the private sector,
Holder served more than 36 years in the U.S.
Navy, retiring as a vice admiral in 2004. He commanded the
Military Sealift Command and rose to become the director of
logistics, joint staff, Pentagon. What makes Holder special are
his contributions to the profession. The 2002/2003 recipient of
the National Defense Transportation Association DOD
Distinguished Service Award, Holder also received the 2005
National Defense Industrial Association Logistician Emeritus
Award.
Holder is a member of the board of directors of the
Surface Navy Association of Greater Washington. He is also
the vice president of the National Capital Council, U.S.
Navy League; chair of the National Defense Industrial
Association Logistics Division; and vice chair of the
National Defense Transportation Association.
We live in a time of continuing conflict around the
world. How do you see military logistics evolving? Q
A First, there is a significant need for further develop- ment of the joint [across all uniformed services] logis-
Command
tics area and accordingly, joint logisticians.
The goal is to enable logisticians to work
more efficiently as a team supporting the
fighting forces around the world without
regard to service origin. The U.S. joint logis-
tician will be a leader in allied and coalition
efforts as the world becomes increasingly a
global set of relationships.
Second, organizations such as the Defense
Logistics Agency and the U.S. Transportation
are leading the way to ensure that the acquisi-
tion, distribution, and return of supplies for the operating
forces are managed in a [more] coherent, efficient manner.
This effort must continue, and with the help of leaders from
all the services [and commercial carriers], the Department
of Defense and our nation will reap the rewards.
The Department of Defense spends more money on
sustaining weapons systems in the field than it does on Q
designing and procuring them. This challenge is being exacerbated by the continuing demands in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Can we afford to maintain the equipment we field?
A There are significant efforts being undertaken today to align the acquisition and sustainment worlds that
design, develop, and deploy the weapons systems our fighting forces need. It’s really not a question of whether we can
afford to maintain the equipment that we field; rather, it’s a
question of aligning the acquisition and sustainment sectors across the department to ensure that we create the sys-
