DC Velocity - November 2013

inbound

The prestigious Harry E. Salzberg Medallion is presented during the annual Salzberg Memorial Program at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management, an event that draws industry leaders in the fields of transportation, logistics, and supply chain management. Established in 1949, it recognizes individuals for significant accomplishments in transportation and supply chain management and is the oldest award of its kind. It’s fitting, then, that this year’s recipient, Earl Congdon Jr., is an industry leader who himself has a long history in the transportation business.

Congdon is executive chairman of the board of Thomasville, N.C.-based Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. (ODFL), a company that is best known as a less-than-truckload carrier but also offers truckload, third-party logistics, international transportation, and other services. He has served in that position since 2008, following a 45-year run as chief executive officer.

Transportation is in Congdon’s blood, you might say: His parents, Earl and Lillian Congdon, founded the company in 1934, and his son, David, is Old Dominion’s current president and CEO. And there’s no question that the elder Congdon has seen a lot of change in his 64 years with ODFL. “When I joined the company as a driver at age 16, I never envisioned Old Dominion becoming one of the transportation industry leaders that it is today,” he said on receiving the award. He attributed the company’s expansion from a small regional motor carrier to a publicly traded company that provides nationwide transportation service to Old Dominion’s “unwavering commitment to deliver a premium service and the tireless dedication of our employees.” ;

Medallion of honor

Wherever logistics and supply chain professionals gather, the subject of the supply chain talent shortage is sure to come up. Companies worldwide are having trouble attracting, hiring, developing, and retaining experienced managers, and even less luck finding promising young talent who will become the profession’s next generation of leaders.

Private industry and academic institutions must work together to address the problem, says Dr. Chris Caplice, executive director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Transportation and Logistics (CTL). In an article on the Supply Chain @MIT blog, Caplice proposes that a new online curriculum similar to the edX open online educational service could help fill the supply chain talent gap. Called SCMx, the program is currently under development at CTL and is slated for launch in late 2014.

Caplice describes the program as a “virtual classroom” that could educate “huge numbers” of individuals worldwide using a single sequence of courses. SCMx plans to offer three, 12-week courses designed to be completed in sequence.

“In our opinion, such a curricu-
lum would expand the talent
pipeline and provide a world stan-
dard for supply chain education,”
Caplice writes. “Ultimately, we see
SCMx as a transition to a new era in
supply chain education, where glob-
ally available virtual classrooms
complement the traditional, on-
campus model.”
CTL is seeking logistics and supply
chain practitioners to participate in
the project. To learn more, go to
http://supplychainmit.com/2013/09/
26/help-us-build-a-global-class-
room-for-supply-chain-talent/. ;

A call for action on
SCM education

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), CSCMP’s Supply Chain Quarterly and DC VELOCITY have launched a monthly series of videos about the past, present, and future of the supply chain management profession.

For the series, dubbed “Supply Chain Pioneers,” CSCMP hosted a gathering of some of its most influential members, recording their observations and creating a historical record for the future. Over the course of two days, CSCMP President and Chief Executive Officer Rick Blasgen and our own Mitch Mac Donald moderated a series of videotaped discussions on how the discipline of supply chain management has evolved and what might be in store in the years ahead.

The first installment in the “Supply Chain Pioneers” series, which premiered at CSCMP’s Annual Global Conference in October, is now available on the websites of both CSCMP’s Supply Chain Quarterly and DC VELOCITY. A new episode will be released on both websites each month through August 2014. ;