Peter Bradley
Editorial Director
peter@dcvelocity.com
Karen Bachrach
Executive Editor
karen@dcvelocity.com
Toby Gooley
Managing Editor
tgooley@dcvelocity.com
David Maloney
Senior Editor, Special Projects & eContent
dmaloney@dcvelocity.com
Mark Solomon
Senior Editor
mark@dcvelocity.com
Susan Lacefield
Associate Managing Editor
slacefield@dcvelocity.com
James Cooke
Editor at Large
jcooke@dcvelocity.com
Steve Geary
Editor at Large
sgeary@dcvelocity.com
George Weimer
Editor at Large
gweimer@dcvelocity.com
Erica E. Mac Donald
Assistant Editor
Sean Maloney
Assistant Editor
Keisha Christopher
Director of Creative Services
keisha@dcvelocity.com
Jeff Thacker
Director of eMedia
jeff@dcvelocity.com
Columnists:
Clifford F. Lynch
Don Jacobson
Shelly Safian
Kenneth B. Ackerman
Art Van Bodegraven
Barry Brandman
bigpicture
heirs of the wheel, the lever, the fulcrum
Gary Master
Publisher
gmaster@dcvelocity.com
Mitch Mac Donald
Group Editorial Director
mitch@dcvelocity.com
Jim Indelicato
Group Publisher
jindelicato@dcvelocity.com
EDITORIAL OFFICE
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TALENT IN LOGISTICS, TRANSPORTATION, AND MATERIAL HANdling is nothing new. Much of the first-known writing on clay tablets in
Mesopotamia consisted of freight manifests. Some of the great developments in navigation in the age of sail came out of the desire to improve
commerce. The pulley and other simple machines that provide mechanical advantage can be counted as foundations of material handling. Even
the wheel itself, it might be argued, was a milestone in the development of
material handling and logistics. And Roman roads moved not only armies
but goods across a vast empire.
What I find fascinating when I look at the history of logistics and material handling is the confluence of individual inventiveness (say,
Archimedes and his lever and compound pulley or
John Harrison and his marine chronometer) and the
capacity of others to build on the gains of the past or
devise clever adaptations of advances in other fields.
(Where would we be without computer science and a
host of engineering disciplines?)
In our July issue, we are pleased to offer to readers
our latest roundup of what we call the Rainmakers profiles. In this annual collection of interviews, some of the
most innovative, thoughtful, and accomplished people
in logistics, material handling, transportation, and supply chain offer insights into what makes them tick.
The task of selecting the Rainmakers can be daunting—largely because there are far more people in this
business who deserve recognition than we can possibly
accommodate in one issue. We rely on several sources to identify candidates.
First, there’s our team of editors, who in their travels and interviews come
across impressive professionals every day. We also call on members of our
editorial advisory board—an elite group of professionals—for guidance in
identifying candidates and to help us determine those who are most deserving of recognition. And we call, too, on past Rainmakers to point out other
top performers they may have encountered. Talent, after all, attracts talent.
Finally, we look to readers to say, “Here’s someone you ought to consider.”
While our Rainmaker search for next July won’t begin in earnest for a couple of months yet, we do invite nominations at any time. Send them along
to me— peter@dcvelocity.com—and we will give each serious consideration.
I trust you will enjoy reading about this year’s group of Rainmakers.
They are examples of the breadth of talent found in this profession. They
are also heirs of those countless and often anonymous engineers, inventors, and managers who came before them, and who, to borrow from
Archimedes, allow us to move the world.
A PUBLICATION OF
Editorial Director
