Supply Chain Saga

Descartes acquired Extensiv (3PL Central) in September 2026, and every operator on the platform got the same announcement with about the same amount of detail. I wanted more than that, so I sat down with Mikel Richardson, who runs the e-commerce division at Descartes, and David Miller, VP of Customer Growth at Extensiv, and asked the questions I have been hearing from other 3PL operators since the deal closed.

We cover what Descartes actually is (30,000 customers, 200 plus products, 70 plus acquisitions, and a technology company, not a 3PL), what happens to Integration Manager and new integrations after a slow 18 months, how to find out whether one of those 200 products solves your problem, and what the AI roadmap looks like, including whether the tools you build on your own data stay yours. We also get into the data lake, whether contracts and multi-node pricing change, the security work that happened before the ink was dry, and whether 3PL Central keeps its name and its team.

Mikel walks through OrderMine, a Descartes acquisition from earlier this year, as an example of what customers should expect in the first year. We also talk about the Global Logistics Network, platform carrier rates, single sign-on across Descartes products, data governance, and consolidation in the 3PL space. The part I keep coming back to is Mikel's point that AI tooling will lengthen the runway for operators on a mid-market WMS before they ever need to look at a tier one system.

If you are a 3PL Central user, the last five minutes are the practical part: what to do over the next six months and where to send feedback so it actually lands.

Topics covered:
- What Descartes is and why it bought Extensiv
- Integration Manager, EDI, and the integrations roadmap
- Extensiv's AI strategy, AI token pricing, and who owns the tools you build
- Where the Extensiv data lake stands
- Contracts, pricing, multi-node pricing, and security after the deal
- Whether 3PL Central keeps its identity and its team
- OrderMine as an example of a Descartes acquisition that worked
- The Global Logistics Network, platform carrier rates, and single sign-on
- Data governance and consolidation among 3PL operators
- What 3PL Central users should do over the next six months

Connect with Mikel Richardson on LinkedIn (he said to reach out directly).

Supply Chain Saga is hosted by Mark Taylor, founder of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL with facilities in Southern California and North Carolina. https://warehouserepublic.com

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

BJ is founder and CEO of Pacific Mountain Logistics, a full-service 3PL in San Bernardino, California, with 30+ years in warehousing. Recorded April 2026, BJ and Mark cover the state of freight, warehousing, and tariffs — then pivot into a masterclass on total cost of service and what brands should ask when evaluating a 3PL.

TOPICS COVERED:

- 2026 logistics: ocean freight chaos, tariffs, and the end of the trucking freight recession

- CDL enforcement and capacity correction on the truckload side

- Record warehouse vacancy and the COVID hangover

- Housing starts as the leading indicator for warehousing demand

- Brick and mortar resilience vs the e-commerce warehouse play

- The death of peak season: the July-to-December cycle barely registers

- SoCal lease rates during COVID and the "fleeing effect" to Phoenix, Vegas, and Reno

- Workforce productivity: Phoenix labor half as productive as the Inland Empire

- Total cost of service: drayage, handling, outbound, chargebacks, and why storage cost is the wrong number

- Retail compliance, routing guides, and the "Routing Guide Rodeo"

- $400K in chargebacks reduced to $11K in two years

- Primary vs secondary vs tertiary distribution markets

- Walk the warehouse: what a clean, calm operation tells you

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Opening

0:40 State of Logistics: Chaos

1:21 Trucking: End of the Freight Recession

2:44 Warehousing Oversupply and the COVID Hangover

5:37 Housing Starts as the Leading Indicator

8:01 Brick and Mortar Resilience

11:25 Small Box vs Mid-Size Warehousing

14:41 The Death of Peak Season

17:47 Social Media Impact on Brands

20:23 SoCal Lease Rates and the Fleeing Effect

25:06 Workforce Productivity in Outlier Markets

28:57 Breaking Down Total Cost of Service

33:05 Why 40% of US Imports Come Through LA

38:26 Retail Compliance and Routing Guides

41:11 Chargebacks: Punitive by Nature

43:04 From $400K to $11K in Chargebacks

48:54 The TSA Analogy for Routing Guides

51:06 How to Select a Good 3PL

54:33 Tribal Knowledge vs Embedded Processes

58:43 Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Markets

1:04:42 Single-Point vs Multi-Location Distribution

1:08:22 The Supply Pipe Revisited

1:13:17 Walk the Warehouse

1:18:48 "We Only Get Paid to Do It Once"

1:22:29 The Kama Sutra Cookbook Story

1:23:51 Closing Thoughts

ABOUT THE GUEST:

BJ Patterson is founder and CEO of Pacific Mountain Logistics, a full-service 3PL in San Bernardino, California. He previously held senior roles at Target, Walmart, and NFI. BJ first appeared on Supply Chain Saga Ep. 001.

KEY TERMS:

BJ Patterson, Pacific Mountain Logistics, total cost of service, 3PL, warehouse vacancy, freight recession, CDL enforcement, tariffs, retail compliance, chargebacks, routing guides, Inland Empire, housing starts, supply pipe, Southern California logistics

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

Megan Smith is a serial entrepreneur who has spent 20 years building businesses in the parts of supply chain most people overlook. Recorded live at BGSA 2026 in West Palm Beach, Megan shares her path from launching an eco-friendly boutique in Denver to running Total Pallet Management sites for Publix and CHEP, to growing a 3PL through acquisition, to now disrupting the moving and storage industry with Packgistics and Ray the Mover in Naples, Florida.

TOPICS COVERED:

- From babysitter to boutique owner to pallet manufacturer: a 20-year entrepreneurial arc

- Unity Boutique: eco-friendly fashion in Denver before green was a trend (2006)

- Total Pallet Management: how pallets get graded A, B, and C and why it matters

- Growing a national pallet network for P&G, Unilever, and Driscoll's

- Retail chargebacks: the millions hiding in minutia that new brands never think about

- Poshmark boutique with 150,000 followers and the resale economy

- Gen Z dupes, Buy Nothing groups, and cultural shifts in consumption

- Acquiring a 45-year moving and storage business and why the industry is ripe for disruption

- Warehouse decommissioning: the move every 3PL dreads

- FF&E, inventory tracking, and order fulfillment during a warehouse relocation

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

0:30 First Impressions of BGSA 2026 at The Breakers

3:27 Megan's 20-Year Entrepreneurial Journey

5:49 University of Denver and Unity Boutique

9:37 From Retail to Pallet Management

13:02 Pallet Grading: A, B, and C

15:11 Chargebacks and the Cost of Minutia

19:44 Just-in-Time, Lean Management, and Breeding Genius

21:52 Micro Supply Chains and Buy Nothing

25:11 Poshmark and the Resale Economy

30:34 Gen Z, Dupes, and Cultural Shifts

33:24 From Pallets to Omnichannel 3PL

35:14 Founding Packgistics and Acquiring Ray the Mover

38:50 Warehouse Relocation: The Move Every 3PL Dreads

45:30 What Drives Megan Today

47:38 How to Find Megan Smith

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Megan Smith is the founder of Packgistics and owner of Ray the Mover, a 45-year moving and storage business in Naples, Florida. She holds a master's in supply chain from Michigan State University and has spent 20 years in supply chain entrepreneurship spanning pallet management, omnichannel fulfillment, and warehouse relocation services.

KEY TERMS:

Megan Smith, Packgistics, Ray the Mover, serial entrepreneur, pallet management, CHEP, Total Pallet Management, TPM, retail chargebacks, retail compliance, 3PL, warehouse decommissioning, warehouse relocation, FF&E, Poshmark, resale economy, BGSA, omnichannel, P&G, North American Van Lines, CRST

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

Glenn Gooding spent 21 years at UPS — from package handler to driver to corporate revenue management for Dell, IBM, and Apple. He then spent nearly two decades in third-party parcel negotiation. Glenn shares how carriers price, how they view 3PLs, and what operators must do to compete.

TOPICS COVERED:

- 21 years at UPS: package handler to corporate Special Pricing for enterprise clients

- The Nintendo story: zone skipping 900,000 Game Boys for Black Friday delivery

- UPS vs FedEx DNA: Teamster drivers vs contracted operators and the RLA

- COVID's impact on the carrier market and the residential volume hangover

- USPS losing $9.1B per year and the Delivering for America plan

- Amazon, Walmart, and Target building their own delivery networks

- How carriers view 3PLs as resellers and why that must change

- Zone skipping for 3PLs: peak season strategies and carrier collaboration

- Volume thresholds: $2M+ for one carrier, $10M+ to multi-source

- Custom corrugated, returns, and inventory positioning as value props

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

0:19 Glenn's UPS Career: Package Handler to Revenue Management

3:50 The Nintendo Story: Zone Skipping for Black Friday

7:09 UPS vs FedEx: Ground DNA, Air DNA, and the 1997 Strike

12:10 The UPS Driver as Brand Ambassador

17:30 Bird Dog Solutions and Third-Party Negotiation

23:10 Enterprise Pricing: 10% Out of Dell's Costs Year Over Year

28:10 COVID and the Small Parcel Market

33:44 USPS Crisis: Delivering for America

37:03 Amazon, Walmart, Target: Building Their Own Networks

43:01 Multi-Sourcing: Why No Single Carrier Works

48:43 The 3PL Margin Problem and the Carrier Perspective

56:29 Proving Value: Average Zone, Corrugated, Network Efficiency

1:09:03 Zone Skipping for 3PLs: When and How

1:18:05 Returns as a Differentiator

1:29:20 The Fragmented Marketplace and What's Next

1:40:27 Who's Innovating in Small Parcel

1:43:29 Closing Thoughts

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Glenn Gooding spent 21 years at UPS and nearly two decades in parcel negotiation at Bird Dog Solutions and iDrive Logistics.

KEY TERMS:

Glenn Gooding, UPS, FedEx, USPS, small parcel, zone skipping, carrier negotiation, 3PL, Bird Dog Solutions, iDrive Logistics, Delivering for America, gig economy, residential delivery, demand surcharges, returns, multi-sourcing

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

Ben Emmrich spent 10 years at Google managing parcel carrier relationships for Google Shopping before leading carrier partnerships at Shippo for four years. He discovered that alternative carriers could save shippers 30–40% on small parcel — but nobody could access them at scale. In 2021, he founded Tusk Logistics to solve that problem. Recorded live at BGSA 2026 in West Palm Beach.

TOPICS COVERED:

- From Google Shopping to Shippo to founding Tusk: how Ben discovered the alternative carrier ecosystem

- What alternative carriers are: regional operators like GLS, UDS, CDL, and DoorDash that deliver for 30–40% less than UPS or FedEx

- Zone skipping explained: when it makes sense, how to back-load trailers with multiple carrier stops, and linking freight tracking to final mile

- Volume thresholds: local alternatives first, zone skipping at 10,000+ parcels per day

- Chinese 3PLs entering the US market: zone skipping at massive scale with regional last-mile delivery

- UPS margin optimization under Carol Tomé: closing facilities, prioritizing margin over volume

- The Fast Group collapse: what happens when PE-backed carrier consolidation fails

- Anti-fragile shipping: why single-source UPS shippers were panicking during the 2024 Teamsters near-strike

- 3PL billing pain: unified invoicing across multiple carriers

- Dynamic parcel pricing: negotiating rate caps with carriers who flex down

- Ship with Walmart at $6.90 all-in vs. $15 loaded through traditional carriers

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction: Live at BGSA 2026 in West Palm Beach

2:30 Ben's Story: Google Shopping, Shippo, and Discovering Alternative Carriers

9:10 What Tusk Is: Shipping Infrastructure for Alternative Carriers at Scale

10:10 China's Inroads: Chinese 3PLs, Zone Skipping, and Regional Last Mile

13:57 Zone Skipping Explained: How It Works and Multi-Stop Trailer Strategy

16:12 Volume Thresholds: When to Start with Local Alternatives vs. Zone Skips

21:43 Tracking Visibility: Linking Freight Tracking to Final Mile Across Carriers

27:04 Rate Comparison: $10 Retail to $6.50 Loaded with Alternative Carriers

30:23 Carrier Consolidation: The Fast Group Collapse and Ecosystem Dynamics

34:12 UPS Strategy: Carol Tomé's Shift from Volume to Margin

37:35 Anti-Fragile Shipping: Why Optionality Beats Single-Source Risk

41:20 3PL Billing Pain: Unified Invoicing and the Smart Zack File

49:01 Dynamic Parcel Pricing and the Future of Rate Shopping

55:35 What Keeps a 3PL Operator Up at Night

1:04:04 When Carriers Pitch Your Clients Direct: How to Handle the Conversation

1:13:18 How to Work with Tusk and Closing Thoughts

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Ben Emmrich is the founder and CEO of Tusk Logistics. He spent 10 years at Google and four years at Shippo before founding Tusk in 2021 to make alternative parcel carriers accessible at scale.

KEY TERMS:

Tusk Logistics, alternative carriers, regional carriers, zone skipping, small parcel, GLS, UDS, CDL, DoorDash, Shippo, Google Shopping, FedEx, UPS, USPS, carrier performance, unified invoicing, dynamic pricing, PLD, parcel level data, anti-fragile, Carol Tomé, Fast Group, BGSA

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

Jonathan Green became VP of Technology at Colliers International at 22 and spent 13 years scaling the company from 40 employees to 15,000 across 122 acquisitions. He went on to build direct-to-consumer systems for medical device companies, reverse engineer claims processing in healthcare, and now runs Health Admins — acquiring TPAs and rebuilding them on Salesforce. In this episode, he shares practical ways any supply chain operator can start using AI tools today.

TOPICS COVERED:

- From making video games for Sega and Activision to becoming VP of IT at Colliers International at 22

- Building Snap-On Smile's D2C system on Salesforce in eight weeks — from $2M to $18M in revenue

- Why Salesforce is the only platform that inherits security, updates three times a year, and interrogates your code

- WMS systems are a race to the bottom — why none are leveraging AI effectively yet

- Notebook LM for supply chain: upload contracts, manifests, and invoices and ask questions of your data

- Custom GPTs: build one for marketing, one for manufacturing, one for logistics

- Crystal Knows: AI personality profiling from public data to prepare for any meeting

- Make and Zapier: workflow engines that stitch together WMS, Zendesk, Slack, QuickBooks, and Bill.com

- Why curiosity and critical thinking matter more than technical knowledge for adopting AI

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

0:44 Jonathan's Story: Video Games, Colliers International, and Medical Devices

6:44 The Common Thread: Stitching Together Existing Technologies

9:35 Why Salesforce Is the Only Platform That Verifies Your Code

13:40 Real Estate, WMS, and Where AI Opportunities Exist in Supply Chain

16:31 What Steps Should 3PL Operators Take to Keep Up with AI?

19:11 Getting Started: Notebook LM, ChatGPT, and Custom GPTs

23:23 Stitching Tools Together: Make, Zapier, and Workflow Automation

26:00 Building Your Online Brain: Crystal Knows, Storyworth, and Personality AI

28:59 AI in Real Life: Diagnosing Appendicitis with ChatGPT at 1 AM

31:30 The Big Picture: Starlink, Rural Access, and Why Curiosity Wins

32:13 Tool Recap: Crystal Knows, Notebook LM, Superhuman, Make, and Salesforce

34:52 Closing Thoughts

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Jonathan Green is the CEO of Health Admins and a technology leader with 30 years of experience. He became VP of Technology at Colliers International at 22 and has built technology systems across commercial real estate, medical devices, and healthcare.

KEY TERMS:

Jonathan Green, Health Admins, Colliers International, Salesforce, AI, artificial intelligence, Notebook LM, ChatGPT, custom GPTs, Crystal Knows, Make, Zapier, Superhuman, beautiful.ai, WMS, workflow automation, direct to consumer, platform thinking, TPA, claims processing

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

Phil Siegel is a private equity investor and the co-creator of the prepaid return label in the box. He and his wife launched Newgistics (originally I Return It) in 1999 after a trip to Legoland sparked the idea. The company grew to hundreds of millions in revenue before being acquired by Pitney Bowes. Phil now invests in supply chain and logistics companies through his PE firm.

TOPICS COVERED:

- From the University of Chicago and BCG to founding Newgistics with his wife's brainstorm at Legoland

- How the prepaid return label reduced customer service calls by 70–90%

- Unintended consequences of easy returns: consumer fraud, gaming, and retailer blacklists

- 24,000 3PLs in the US: why the entrepreneurial model works and why European-style consolidation raises prices

- PE in supply chain: how firms evaluate risk, diligence, and growth potential in smaller operators

- Contracted vs. spot business: why operators should avoid betting on commodities they don't control

- Investment timelines, COVID boom-and-bust, and the $80M-to-$10M EBITDA crash

- Three types of tech investment: efficiency automation, visibility (now table stakes), and regulatory compliance

- Why supply chain outsourcing is still growing at low teens annually — and will for two more decades

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

0:24 Phil's Background: University of Chicago, BCG, and the Path to Entrepreneurship

1:31 The Legoland Moment: How Phil's Wife Invented the Prepaid Return Label

4:13 Newgistics: Founding, Funding, and Zone Skipping with the Post Office

6:46 Market Opportunity: Catalogs, Early E-Commerce, and Amazon as an Early Customer

8:39 The Aha Moment: Reducing Customer Service Calls by 70–90%

10:46 Returns Fraud: Unintended Consequences of Making Returns Easy

13:44 Returns Today: COVID, Gaming, and How 3PLs Handle It

15:15 Market Consolidation: 24,000 3PLs and Why the US Model Works

21:22 Private Equity in Supply Chain: How PE Firms Evaluate Smaller Operators

25:15 Preparing for Acquisition: What Small Operators Need to Know

27:45 Real Estate vs. Operations: Contracted Business vs. Spot Business

31:56 Investment Timelines and the COVID Boom-to-Bust Cycle

34:08 Automation ROI: Three Types of Technology Investment

37:46 Why Supply Chain Is Still Vibrant for Investing and Entrepreneurship

40:47 Closing Thoughts

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Phil Siegel co-founded Newgistics (originally I Return It) in 1999, inventing the prepaid return label in the box. The company grew to hundreds of millions in revenue before being acquired by Pitney Bowes. He now invests in supply chain companies through his PE firm.

KEY TERMS:

Newgistics, I Return It, Pitney Bowes, returns, prepaid return label, zone skipping, Boston Consulting Group, Austin Ventures, private equity, 3PL, market consolidation, contracted vs spot, real estate, automation, visibility, EBITDA, outsourcing, nearshoring, capital intensity

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

JB Sauceda is a serial entrepreneur who went from commercial photographer to Twitter parody account (Texas Humor) to launching his own retail brand — and when he couldn't find a 3PL that met his standards, he built one. Sauceda Industries grew from a 3,000 SF garage operation to 125,000 SF and 120,000 orders per month before being acquired by Cart.com in a 30-day close in July 2021. JB explains how culture, bootstrapping, and a "yes and" mentality drove every stage of growth.

TOPICS COVERED:

- From commercial photography (NYT, Wired, Southwest Airlines, Yeti) to launching Texas Humor on Twitter

- Why photography and logistics are the same business: vision, budget, timeline, and a rotating cast of people

- "Give a Shit" as a core value: writing job descriptions that attract the right people and repel the wrong ones

- Bootstrapping from 3,000 SF to 125,000 SF and $13M in revenue with zero outside investment

- Employee loan programs, paternal leave, and benefits that create generational wealth at no cost

- The 30-day exit to Cart.com: why clean books and an SPA vs. asset sale made it possible

- Why the Shopify Fulfillment Network mattered — and how Sauceda shipped the very first SFN package

- The 4PL model critique: why "software will take care of that" is never the full answer

- Venture capital in logistics: why Convoy failed and why Deliverr wasn't successful for the ecosystem

- Customer-centric FP&A as the real competitive advantage — not robots or software layers

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

0:56 JB's Story: From Commercial Photography to Texas Humor to 3PL

8:23 Early Days: From the Garage to a Proper Warehouse in 12 Months

14:36 First Warehouse: Forklift in 3,000 SF and Packages in the Silverado

18:22 Culture as Competitive Advantage: Outsider Perspective in a Traditional Industry

24:28 Job Descriptions, Core Values, and Recruiting for Culture Fit

31:54 Benefits and Employee Programs: Loans, Paternal Leave, and Retention

35:14 Growth Trajectory: From 3,000 SF to 125,000 SF

38:24 The Exit: How Sauceda Industries Sold to Cart.com in 30 Days

47:16 PE, VC, and Logistics: Why Bravado Without Operations Knowledge Fails

54:13 The 4PL Critique: Deliverr, Shopify Fulfillment Network, and Ecosystem Impact

1:06:29 Shopify, Amazon, and the Future of Entrepreneurial Retail

1:12:48 Closing Thoughts

ABOUT THE GUEST:

JB Sauceda is a serial entrepreneur based in Austin, Texas. He built Sauceda Industries from a garage fulfillment operation into a 120,000 order/month 3PL before selling to Cart.com in 2021. He previously ran a commercial photography studio (Public School) and created the Texas Humor brand.

KEY TERMS:

Sauceda Industries, Cart.com, Texas Humor, 3PL, culture, bootstrapping, D2C, direct to consumer, Shopify Fulfillment Network, SFN, 4PL, Deliverr, Convoy, venture capital, private equity, SPA, asset sale, quality of earnings, FP&A, Six River Systems, Saltbox, Shopify, customer acquisition cost

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

Danny He is the founder and CEO of Soapbox (soapbx.com), a unified supply chain platform that combines WMS, OMS, TMS, shipping, and returns in one native tool. After managing 52 CPG brands and discovering that every software solved only one piece of the puzzle, he built Soapbox to give 3PLs and brands real-time visibility across their entire fulfillment network — no integration headaches, no data reconciliation lag.

TOPICS COVERED:

- From IBM and Royal Caribbean to managing 52 CPG brands — and why no existing software could tie the ecosystem together

- Why the WMS should be prescriptive: standardize operations first, handle exceptions as exceptions

- Soapbox as a unified platform: OMS, WMS, TMS, shipping, and returns on one data layer

- The beverage company doing 10M units/month on pen and paper — and how Soapbox went live in five days

- Why Soapbox started as a 4PL to drink their own juice — and why they stopped

- The Shopify-Deliverr-Flexport theory: was Deliverr always a play for Flexport equity?

- Why venture capital in supply chain creates unsustainable models: subsidized fulfillment and gig-work warehousing

- 80% of Amazon third-party sellers are Chinese manufacturers — what that means for US brands and FBA capacity

- Section 321 cross-border fulfillment: how it works, who lobbies against it, and Soapbox's first Mexico border warehouse

- TikTok fulfillment, Walmart's infrastructure play, and the future of marketplace logistics

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

1:47 Danny's Background: IBM, Royal Caribbean, and 52 CPG Brands

6:05 The Problem: Why No Software Tied the Supply Chain Together

14:11 Standardization vs. Customization: What a True 3PL WMS Should Do

25:01 Soapbox for 3PLs: Onboarding, Integration, and Real-Time Visibility

33:28 Real-Time Data vs. Batch Updates: Why Seconds Matter

37:25 The Beverage Company: 10M Units on Pen and Paper

44:32 From 4PL to SaaS: Why Soapbox Stopped Operating and Went Software-Only

50:00 Venture Capital in Supply Chain: Subsidized Fulfillment and Gig-Work Warehousing

1:06:29 Industry Trends: Amazon, Walmart, Shein, Temu, and the Marketplace Wars

1:13:38 Amazon and Chinese Sellers: The 80% Problem

1:23:36 Section 321 Fulfillment and Cross-Border Logistics

1:28:00 TikTok Fulfillment and Closing Thoughts

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Danny He is the founder and CEO of Soapbox (soapbx.com), a unified supply chain platform. His background spans IBM, Royal Caribbean's digital transformation, and operations leadership for a $300M CPG conglomerate with 52 brands.

KEY TERMS:

Soapbox, soapbx.com, WMS, OMS, TMS, unified platform, 3PL software, order management, inventory management, real-time visibility, 4PL, Deliverr, Flexport, Shopify, FBA, Amazon, Walmart fulfillment, Section 321, cross-border, Shein, Temu, TikTok fulfillment, venture capital, gig work, NetSuite, FedEx Consulting, API integration

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

James Garvey founded Self Financial in 2015 to help people build credit through a savings-backed loan. He grew it from a Techstars accelerator to 600 employees, $127M in venture capital, and 1.3 million active customers. Mark met James at Techstars and explores what operators can learn from his fundraising discipline and team building.

TOPICS COVERED:

- How Self Financial works: a small-dollar loan deposited into a CD that builds credit and savings simultaneously

- Why 100 million American adults have no credit score or a subprime score — and how that affects jobs, insurance, and housing

- Why the smartest people in banking said it would never work — and how millions of customers proved them wrong

- Weekly investor newsletters: seven years of Saturday updates that built trust from seed through Series E

- Fundraising strategy: warm intros beat cold emails and repeat investors are the holy grail

- The team evolution problem: why early-stage risk takers may not fit at Series C

- How a random employee connection led to the San Antonio Spurs jersey patch deal

- Mentors at different stages: why your advisory needs change as the company scales

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

0:16 James Garvey's Story: From Hurting His Credit Score to Founding Self Financial

6:39 How Self Financial Works: The Credit Builder Product

8:56 Credit Scores in America: Why Half the Country Is Subprime or Invisible

12:22 Serial Entrepreneurship: Identifying the Opportunity

17:34 AI, Automation, and Why Warehouse Workers Need Credit Tools

21:48 Fundraising from Seed to Series E

29:14 The Weekly Investor Newsletter: Seven Years of Saturday Updates

34:40 Fundraising Strategy: Warm Intros and Building the Right Team

43:27 The Team Evolution Problem: Risk Takers vs. Scale Operators

45:28 Mentors and Peer Networks

51:13 The San Antonio Spurs Jersey Patch Sponsorship

55:36 Economic Outlook and Parting Thoughts

ABOUT THE GUEST:

James Garvey is the founder and former CEO of Self Financial. He raised $127M in venture capital through Series E, grew the company to 600 employees, and secured a jersey patch sponsorship with the San Antonio Spurs. He and Mark met at Techstars in 2015.

KEY TERMS:

Self Financial, credit builder, credit score, fintech, Techstars, venture capital, fundraising, Series A, Series E, investor updates, San Antonio Spurs, jersey patch, Moody Center, secured credit card, subprime, startup, accelerator, team building, mentorship

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

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