Michael Pierce is a new shipping manager who came up through the ranks starting as an associate.

He contacted me saying he was a fan of the podcast and wanted to come on & talk about his journey from associate to manager, lessons he's learned along the way, challenges he faced in a new manager role, & what he was doing to tackle them.

I immediately said yes & was thrilled to talk about some of the REAL stuff that happens in the world of managing a warehouse.

Online today it often seems as if warehousing posts are either 1) grainy video of a forklift accident 2) a burger burn or some other type of morale event in a warehouse or 3) (Distant third) a choreographed dance with the warehouse employees. All good, but it was nice to have a chat about the real stuff that's 99% of a warehouse leader's time!

I love highlighting new and exciting startups on the podcast! Spurthi Venkatesh Prasad is the Founder of HudQu which is "Bridging non-tech jobs and talent, one scroll at a time."

She joins me for a chat about her innovative and exciting new company that is modernizing and simplifying the world of staffing and recruitment for warehouse jobs (and many other industries).

Job seeking sucks ok, we can all agree. But with HudQu, it can actually be.... dare I say.... fun for BOTH sides of the fence.

Check the podcast out to learn more about how they can help you in your search as a candidate, and how as a company, you can swipe through daily to see what new "potential all-stars" are available before the temp agencies ever get their hands on them!

The 3PL world is huge. There are thousands....10s of thousands of them around the globe and trying to learn which one might be the best for brands is a challenge. What separates the good from the bad? What is life like inside one?

Nish George, the CEO of Fetch Fulfillment, was my guest for this episode! We pull back the curtain on how Fetch operates, what are some of the missteps and oversights brand owners often make when deciding on 3PLs, and how Fetch is able to achieve some of their stellar performance metrics.

He also walks me through exactly what happens when customers start partnering with him and the nuts and bolts that go into achieving success for both sides.

Oh, Nish drops some amazing stories (of some ridiculous situations) from his former life before Fetch!

I was super thrilled that Kelly (Dockrell) Brown stopped by for this episode! She is the creator and owner of a very successful recruiting firm called Acclaim Recruiters which has a big presence in the Supply Chain space.

She reveals some AWESOME insider knowledge about how the industry works behind the scenes with clients....(is it taboo to say it's a smidge like online dating?), how to optimize all your stuff specifically your LinkedIn profile which can't be understated in importance, what "knowing your worth" really means & much more.

Oh, in her "spare time" she is a published author of a very genuine and honest book "Acclaimed Journey to Aloha: A Faith-Fueled Pursuit Into The Unknown" and she is a motivational speaker.

Check this episode out and you'll see why she's so endearing to everyone she interacts with!

Running out of space in a warehouse or distribution center is the WORST! If you have lived through this like I have you know how awful it is. Ready for the laundry list? Productivity down. Safety risks up. Inventory write off odds up. Housekeeping down. MORALE DOWN!

But to all the warehouse managers and DC/FC ops managers out there just know you don't have to suffer through it! John Brooks the CEO at Warehouse on Wheels dropped in for this episode to talk about some solutions to these pain points for operations leaders.

"WoW is a family of companies specializing in solving business needs in a multitude of industries by providing storage, cartage, and over the road trailers. We're making our customer's lives easier! And you're getting the Ritz Carlton service at the Hampton Inn price."

Great show and check them out today as your pressure relief valve!

Paul Lukehart Managing Principal, PL Programs LLC was my guest for this episode. He's well versed in the operations world realities with the background to prove it from some well-known big names. But he took that knowledge/wisdom and put it into his own organization.

PL Programs is helping operations executives deliver projects critical to their supply chain capabilities from new site launches to automation upgrades.

I loved getting into the weeds with him on how they go about delivering for clients, what makes PL Programs unique, and some of his own unique perspectives on the industry.

Oh, he's also a published author with books for operations leaders out there. The books are great, but you won't want to miss the "pure gold" comedic review he received from one reader! Paul is somebody you should definitely be following online and utilizing as a resource!

Tomas David Ye and Dibyesh Giri from Perseuss stopped by the Podcast for this episode. Up front, they have a fantastic solution that is helping operations reduce their shipping cost and optimize their packing process.

In the warehousing world it's often picking which takes up a lot of the oxygen, resources, and labor. But they're here to tell you that you are possibly bleeding money out by not optimizing pack and you don't even realize it!

Savvy operators realize that it's an ever-changing ballgame at pack to optimize it with literally thousands and thousands of variables. Don't leave this up to chance or expect packers to figure them all out. Utilize a well thought out solution like Perseuss to do it!

Thanks to the real Mike Meyers the founder of Lully for coming on the show! Mike has been connected with the software and optimization side of warehouse and distribution for a long time. Now, he has taken all of that expertise and started his own company.

Lully is here to "maximize warehouse efficiency with unparalleled flexibility and simplicity. Simplify achieving warehouse operational efficiency through our end-to-end orchestration platform."

This is very GRITTY show, we challenge many warehousing "truths", and this sometimes gets people worked up! Decide for yourself where you come down on the arguments.

Great podcast with Cliff Hardesty the VP at Bar Code Depot. We dove into the history of Bar Code Depot, how a family legacy turned into a trusted partner for warehouses and distribution centers across the country.

We also talked about exciting new partnerships, including how they're working with Nexus AMR to bring cutting-edge robotics to their customers. T

he conversation also touched on where they're headed next – from emerging technologies to their bold vision for the future of Bar Code Depot.

A great "go to" to have ready in your queue for tech solutions in your warehouse!

Running out of space in your warehouse? Having to store pallets of goods down the aisles just so that you can unload trucks and not pay detention? This scenario sucks. Next? Safety risk up. Inventory write-offs up. Productivity down. And what are you supposed to do about it....raise the roof higher?

Why yes! I loved chatting with Matt De Vito of LIFTEX and Rob Marek of Raise The Roof Logistics who do exactly that for industrial buildings and warehouses.

Square footage is expensive for new warehouses these days, so the best option just may be to go higher in the facility you're in.