Most people would jump at an offer to design a product line for Walmart, but Dr. Lisa Williams turned them down three times. It wasn’t until she watched an interview with a little girl who explained that she didn’t want to play with a black doll because she didn’t like the color of the doll’s skin that she called them back and said, ‘Yes.’
Dr. Williams is the CEO of The World of EPI, a global manufacturer of multicultural dolls, but she is not only a pioneering toy industry entrepreneur. She is also the first African American to receive a doctorate in logistics from Ohio State University, and the first African American to earn tenure at Penn State University. But even Dr. Williams’ qualifications didn’t make it easy to manufacture the line of dolls she had in mind. Her ‘yes’ was just the beginning of the journey.
In this episode, Lisa shares her amazing leadership story with host Scott Luton:
• Why it was important that the manufacturer she chose to produce the dolls not just work with her specification, but also buy into her vision
• The constant innovation and creativity required to stay competitive in the global toy business
• How the strongest visions with the most pull won’t let you walk away, even when you’ve already given everything you have
Additional Links & Resources:
Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-now
Subscribe to Supply Chain Now and all other Supply Chain Now programs: https://supplychainnow.com/subscribe
Webinar- Harness Supply Chain Data to Drive Better First-Mile Performance: https://bit.ly/3t0DQTg
Webinar- Data at the Heart of Supply Chain Resilience and Agility: https://bit.ly/3I7kDnd
Check out the 2022 Supply Chain and Procurement Awards: https://supplychainprocurementawards.com/
Learn more about the 2022 Reverse Logistics Association Conference and Expo, February 6-9: https://rla.org/event/125
This episode was hosted by Scott Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/pinchable-moments-journey-change-childrens-lives-815
