Procurement Pulse

What does it take to walk away from Wall Street and build a $280 million manufacturing company in rural Alabama? And how do you scale culture across 1,000+ employees when half your corporate team works remotely?

In this episode of the Procurement Pulse, host Friddy Hoegener, Co-Founder and Head of Recruiting at SCOPE Recruiting, sits down with David Heacock, Founder and CEO of Filterbuy, who left his finance career to build a vertically integrated, tech-powered manufacturing brand.

David left his Wall Street career to build Filterbuy into a $280 million direct-to-consumer manufacturing company specializing in HVAC filters. But this isn't just another startup success story, it's a masterclass in scaling operations, culture, and people across multiple facilities while navigating the realities of American manufacturing.

Filterbuy operates seven facilities across the US with about 1,000 employees, including 50-60 remote corporate workers. David shares hard-won lessons, why geographic hiring requirements kill your talent pool, and his three-pronged approach to building real corporate culture: Model it, Articulate it, and Incentivize it.

What We Discuss:

00:00 Introduction

3:31 Why forcing geographic requirements limits your talent pool significantly

5:32 Which manufacturing roles can be remote vs. must be on-site

8:54 The three-pronged approach to culture: Model it, Articulate it, Incentivize it

15:55 How AI is transforming factory operations and data analytics

17:25 Why AI won't take your job, but people who use it will

21:21 The competitive advantage of building custom ERP systems vs. legacy solutions

25:14 Why next-day delivery matters more than you think for commodity products

27:11 The reality of bringing manufacturing back to America (and why it's not that simple)

Connect with us:

SCOPE Recruiting | https://www.scoperecruiting.com/

Connect with Friddy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fhoegener/

Connect with Evan | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-cave 

David Heacock | https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfilterbuy 

Filterbuy | https://www.linkedin.com/company/filterbuy 

About Procurement Pulse: Real conversations with supply chain and procurement professionals who've been on both sides—building teams, solving problems, and staying ahead of what's coming next.

About SCOPE Recruiting: Every recruiter at SCOPE is a former supply chain professional. Freddy and Melissa, both former ABB global category managers, started the company because they were tired of recruiters who didn't understand the roles they were filling. The result? Better matches, higher retention rates, and fewer headaches for everyone involved.

If you're building a supply chain team and the usual recruiting approach isn't working, check out scoperecruiting.com. 

Why do so many supply chain hires flame out in their first year? And why does finding good talent feel impossible right now?

In this first episode of the Procurement Pulse, we break down what's actually broken in supply chain recruiting, and what companies that consistently hire great people are doing differently.

Host Friddy Hoegener, Co-Founder and Head of Recruiting at SCOPE Recruiting, along with co-host Evan Cave, Sr. Supply Chain Recruiter, talk about the reality behind the hiring process. Both worked in the supply chain before becoming recruiters.

Evan spent years at Randstad, one of the world's largest recruiting firms, before joining the company. He's seen both sides: the corporate machine that prioritizes speed over quality, and the boutique approach that actually works.

Before starting SCOPE Recruiting, Friddy was a global category manager at ABB, managing $80-90 million in procurement across everything from mobile phone contracts to aluminum casting. He's been the hiring manager trying to find the right person, and now he's the recruiter trying to deliver them.

Together, they explore why the best supply chain professionals never apply to job postings, which roles AI will actually eliminate (and which ones are safe), and the simple scorecard system that stops hiring managers from talking past each other in interviews.

What We Discuss:

00:00 Welcome to The Procurement Post

1:16 Evan's Background: From Gym Manager to Recruiter

3:53 Problems with Large Recruiting Firms

7:44 Why Speed Hurts Quality in Recruiting

8:38 Finding Passive Candidates

14:10 Friddy's Background in Supply Chain

18:08 Why SCOPE Hires Former Supply Chain People

20:42 Which Jobs AI Will Replace

24:18 Skills to Stay Relevant with AI

28:28 Problems with LinkedIn's AI Matching

33:46 Using Scorecards to Remove Bias

38:56 Large Companies vs. Small Companies

43:01 What's Coming in Future Episodes

Connect with us:

SCOPE Recruiting

Connect with Friddy

Connect with Evan

About Procurement Pulse: Real conversations with supply chain and procurement professionals who've been on both sides—building teams, solving problems, and staying ahead of what's coming next.

About SCOPE Recruiting: Every recruiter at SCOPE is a former supply chain professional. Freddy and Melissa, both former ABB global category managers, started the company because they were tired of recruiters who didn't understand the roles they were filling. The result? Better matches, higher retention rates, and fewer headaches for everyone involved.

If you're building a supply chain team and the usual recruiting approach isn't working, check out scoperecruiting.com

In this episode of The Procurement Pulse Podcast, we tackle a crucial question for every supply chain leader: Can your business afford a hiring freeze? As tariffs rise, talent gaps widen, and market pressures escalate, freezing hiring might feel like a safe bet—but it can actually cost you far more in the long run. Join Friddy, Founder of SCOPE Recruiting, and special guest Sarah Martinez as they break down why the right skills in trade compliance, analytics, and global sourcing aren’t just “nice to have”—they’re the backbone of a resilient, competitive supply chain in times of uncertainty.

Learn how to stay ahead in demand and supply planning with insights on forecasting tools, talent acquisition, and strategies for success.

In this episode of the SCOPE Podcast, we explore the pros and cons of centralized procurement, using Google’s transformation as a case study. We discuss how centralization can lead to significant cost savings, better supplier management, and improved compliance, but also the challenges it can bring. We’ll also emphasize the critical role of top talent in making centralized procurement a success. Join us to find out if centralization is the right move for your organization.