The future of supply chain is accelerating, and today hosts Scott Luton and Kevin L. Jackson are unpacking the innovations and investments transforming the industry. From AI-driven visibility to the “zero distance” strategy by GE Appliances, this episode dives deep into what’s next for supply chain leaders. Welcome to The Buzz, powered by OMP!

Scott and Kevin are joined by Pam Simon, Conference Chair and EVP of Programming at Manifest, to explore how technology, leadership, and collaboration are driving a smarter, more resilient supply chain ecosystem.

Together, they discuss:

• How Steph Curry’s investment in the AI-powered startup Burnt is redefining the intersection of supply chain and the food industry
• GE Appliances’ zero-distance supply chain initiative and its impact on efficiency, technology adoption, and reshoring
• The rising influence of artificial intelligence in e-commerce, predictive analytics, and logistics optimization
• New features coming to Manifest 2026 in Las Vegas, including a dedicated procurement stage and expanded cold chain focus
• Why real-time visibility and autonomous systems are key to future-ready supply chains

Listen in as Scott, Kevin, and Pam unpack the trends shaping 2026 and beyond — and share how today’s leaders can stay agile, connected, and innovative in a rapidly changing world.

Additional Links & Resources:

• Learn more about OMP: https://omp.com/
• “With That Said”: https://bit.ly/WTS-16Nov2025
• SPS Commerce 5 Question Quiz: https://www.spscommerce.com/supplychainnow/
• OMP ebook: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0pgvWp0
• Vector Global Logistics: https://vectorgl.com/
• Steph Curry & Burnt: https://tcrn.ch/4r9pOus
• Manifest Vegas 2026: https://bit.ly/ManifestSCN
• Connect with Pam Simon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pgranoff4/
• Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.com
• Watch and listen to more Supply Chain Now episodes here: https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-now
• Subscribe to Supply Chain Now on your favorite platform: https://supplychainnow.com/join
• Work with us! Download Supply Chain Now’s NEW Media Kit: https://bit.ly/3XH6OVk

This episode is hosted by Scott Luton and Kevin L. Jackson, and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/buzz-next-global-supply-chains-ai-manifest-2026-1509

Welcome to Supply Chain.

Now the number one voice of supply chain.

Join us as we share critical news, key insights and real supply chain leadership.

From across the globe.

One conversation at a time.

Hey, hey.

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you may be.

Scott Lewton and the one and only.

Don't look now, but Kevin L. Jackson is back with us here now.

Welcome to today's live stream.

Kevin, welcome back.

How are you doing my friend?

Hey man, it's good to be back.

Thank you very much for having me.

I know I've been away for a while, but you know, I come back with smiles just in time for the Christmas season.

Well, you've been busy and we may touch on some of the great work you've been up to.

A lot.

You've been here and there and everywhere around the globe.

But folks, welcome to the Buzz.

You know, where Every Monday at 12 noon Eastern time we discuss a variety of news and developments across global supply chain and business news that matters, we like to call it.

And folks, all month long the Buzz is brought to us to all of our friends at omp, a software and consulting company delivering advanced supply chain planning solutions specifically tailored to individual industries worldwide.

You can learn more@omp.com now.

Kevin, we got a lot to get to here today.

We got a future NBA hall of Famer who's investing in a supply chain startup.

Stay tuned for that story.

We're going to be discussing one manufacturer's attempts at creating a zero distance supply chain.

We'll talk about the ever evolving arms race in E commerce and as you might expect, it might involve AI.

All that and much more and even better.

Kevin.

We got Kevin back.

But we also have Pam Simon with Manifest back.

He's going to be sharing big updates on a really big supply chain event coming up in February.

Kevin Gee, Manifest is always taking the lead and leading us into the future.

I can't wait to hear more from Pam.

Same.

Also, artificial intelligence taking over everything.

You don't even know if it's me for real, do you?

You know we're gonna have to send you a blood test just to make sure you're all human.

But it is exciting to see a lot of the practical breakthroughs.

Seems like hour by hour that AI Folks, stay tuned for a great edition of the Buzz.

And two things before we get going.

Number one, give us your take in the comments whether you're tuned in via LinkedIn or YouTube X Facebook Twitch, no matter, let us know what you think.

And number two, if you enjoy the show today, we'd love for you to share it with a friend and or your network.

They'll be glad you did.

Okay, so, Kevin, I hope you ate your weedies this morning.

Cause we got four things we want to knock out before we bring on the one and only Pam Simon.

Are you ready to go?

Yeah, ready to go, babe.

All right.

You're always ready.

And T squared, we are bringing on the good, good nourishment, ltns.

Kevin L. Jackson.

That's an acronym.

Kevin's Long time no see, baby.

You're showing your age there.

Scott.

You know, as always, great to have you here from the wonderful city of Baltimore.

And thanks for holding down the Fort Force on YouTube.

Okay, so let's knock out number one, the most latest edition of with that said published over the weekend.

Now here we let off with a variety of incredible initiatives that Christie Porter and the Vector Global Logistics team are up to, including helping Jamaica rebuild from that devastating hurricane.

They're helping plan for more resilient supply chain ecosystem to help fuel Ukraine's reconstruction.

They're providing food and other supplies for families in need here in the US it's still kind of stemming from the government shutdown that thankfully, I think it's resolved.

Gosh.

And as most folks know, Christy is one of the incredible hosts of our podcast, Logistics with Purpose.

And Kevin, I love Christie's quote right here says quote, across the world, logistics continues to prove its power to connect, rebuild, and serve.

We believe that when supply chains unite, hope moves faster.

Folks, you got a lot more information, all that stuff, including how to get involved.

You got news, live events, perspectives, and a whole bunch more.

So, Kevin, did you get a chance to dive into with that said over the weekend?

You know, I actually did.

And, you know, you know, I grew up on the Mississippi Gulf coast back in the 60s, and so hurricanes have always been a bit part of my life.

Right.

So with Melissa, I was just watching every day as it was cat 5 monster just barreled through that island.

And, you know, Camille was a Cat 5 and it just destroyed the entire place.

So, you know, I was hurricanes.

Nothing you can do about them, but you can respond.

And I'm so really impressed with leveraging logistics for Jamaica and what Vector is doing with Inspire goods and lifting hands, international and logistics aid network down there.

You know, the generators and critical supplies to, you know, get these people back on their feet.

Well said, Kevin.

And folks, I know there's lots of options to contribute to in terms of humanitarian efforts everywhere.

But make sure as you're making your generous decisions there, make sure you're contributing to a vetted organization.

And the ones we put in with that said are all vetted indeed.

So check that out.

Okay, Kevin, on a much, much lighter note, we've already dropped the link to with that said, for all of that information and much, much more.

Thank you Amanda and Joshua behind the scenes making production happen.

But on much, much lighter note, did you hear that they have rounded up a whole bunch of supply chain super villains?

No, we've got a lot of there a live shot of the supply chain super prison.

And look, we got tariffs.

I didn't realize Gargamel.

That's a pretty scary looking tariffs creature we got representing bad data.

We got Shredder, workforce challenges, Cobra Commander from Gold, GI Joe and Skeletor.

But we've always done it this way.

So do you recognize any of those characters?

Kevin?

Oh yes, absolutely.

Skeletor all the time.

Well, you know, there is a new he man movie coming out soon, so we're all going to get a another big dose of Skeletor.

But kidding aside, let's talk about tariffs just for a second.

Our incredible team here polled, they're always polling our audience right?

And here most recently speaking of tariffs, they asked our audience which challenge will hit manufacturers hardest in the next 12 months.

And to no one's surprise, trade and tariffs.

50% of respondents said trade and tariffs.

And check this out.

Kevin, Veronica shared I thought great perspective here.

I'm going to share this with all my family over Thanksgiving.

Veronica says quote, tread and tariffs.

Absolutely.

The unpredictability is what makes this so challenging for supply chain planning.

You can't lock in long term sourcing strategies when tariff policy could change overnight.

Manufacturers need diversified sourcing and strategic supplier partnerships rather that can pivot quickly.

Not just lowest cost sourcing.

The companies with supply chain resilience built in will weather this much better than those trying to react in crisis mode.

Well said Veronica and appreciate your input.

Respond to that.

Kevin.

I'll tell you, that's Shakespearean, huh?

Yeah.

But it's always worse when it feels like you're shooting and shooting yourself in the foot.

That's right.

It's so true.

Yeah.

I just wish that we can figure out how to stop ruining the good things that we have.

Right.

Why make things harder?

Yeah.

Who needs more complexity?

One more complexity.

Not many hands will be raised.

So folks, check it out and stay tuned.

Joshua and Laura, you'll have a survey coming to you Soon.

And we'd love to get you to weigh in with perspective.

Just like from T Squared.

He was talking about our supply chain super villains.

T Squared says this speaks to my Gen X sensibilities and perfectly aligns with the amorphous issues of supply chain management.

I gotta go look that one up.

Look at the word.

That's right.

It's a good throwing those big words at it too.

Oh, man.

All right, we got one more thing before we bring on an outstanding guest here today.

And I mean an outstanding guest.

Great to have Pam Simon with Manifest back.

But, folks, you know we want to share resources right here on the Buzz.

Powered by omp.

Well, our friends at SPS Commerce lead the industry in solutions that keep every partner, process and transaction in sync across your supply chain.

So if you're wasting time chasing invoices, playing phone tag with suppliers, or wondering just where the heck my orders are, imagine bringing order to the chaos.

What if it all just worked?

Man, that's music to my ears.

Your orders flow, your data is automated.

You're always a step ahead.

When everyone's in sync, every part of the supply chain performs better.

Well, folks, your five questions away from better connections with the free supply chain assessment quiz at write this down.

SPSCommerce.com supply chain now.

And we're dropping a link to that.

You're one click away.

If you're watching live, take the assessment.

Let us know what you think, okay?

Okay, Kevin, are you ready?

We gotta jam up guests, we gotta jam up rest of the buzz.

We got Kevin L. Jackson back in the saddle with us.

Are you ready to go?

Yeah, ready to go.

Well, let me introduce a repeat guest, great friend of the show.

Pam Simon is a very successful entrepreneur and business connector with more than 20 years of experience and multiple exits in event production, content creation, experiential marketing and angel investing.

That's right, she created whole shebang.

Now, she continued to lead Manifest, which it became known as the global supply chain event, which has doubled each year in size and space leading up to the recent acquisition just a few months ago by hive.

Now, amongst many.

We'd be here all day if I shared all the ventures she's created been a part of.

But Pam also founded the Latam Founders Network, which is the largest private network of CEOs, founders and investors focused on the technology sector in Latin America.

Impressive.

Very impressive.

Seriously.

Let's welcome in the one and only Pam Simon, conference chair and EVP of Programming with manifest.

Hey.

Hey, Pam, welcome back.

How you doing?

Hi, how are you?

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

Kevin, you, you and I have been looking forward to, to Pam rejoining us here on the buzz, haven't we?

Absolutely.

Thank you very much for joining us again.

Happy to be here.

And Pam, you're down in Miami right now where it is absolutely gorgeous and almost perfect.

Is that right?

Yes, sorry, man.

Down on south beach, man.

Well, share that with everybody.

Everybody needs a nice mental image, right.

The perfect weather.

But I want to start with this.

To Pam and Kevin.

We got a lot to get to here today.

And Leah.

Hey.

It's okay.

Being a little bit tardy is fine.

Welcome in back.

I was just out your neck of the woods in Seattle.

I can't wait to hear your perspective throughout the show here today.

But let's start with a funeral question.

Kevin and Pam, we got a holiday, a birthday to celebrate.

End quote.

Engelbart would later call it the mouse because he said the tail of the wire reminded him of a tail.

Right.

So happy 55th birthday to the mouse.

And check this out.

The image comes from this day in tech history.

This is the first prototype of the mouse that looks painful to me, Kevin.

I mean, it has all the right parts, though.

Got a button, you know, it rolls everything.

I guess so.

I guess so.

So with the mouse's birthday in mind, Pam, the fundamental question is what's one of your first computer memories that you recall kind of growing up as a kid?

I mean, being in computer lab, I would say, you know, obviously playing Oregon Trail with.

Yes.

And then the, the typing programs like the, when you would compete with each other or at least we did.

So I can still type 90 words a minute.

Yeah, I appreciate those.

Not.

No, we're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna clock you.

A minute is moving so you really legit.

90 plus words per minute.

Very competitive.

What can I say?

Okay.

Your days are much more productive than mine because I'm somewhere between five and seven, I think.

Kevin.

She rolled out the Oregon Trail, which most.

A lot of folks on this, this live stream, I bet recognize what was one of your earliest computer memories.

But First, I have to say that I clock out burning up my keyboard at ten words a minute.

I believe you.

I'm going.

That's right.

And the reason I remember it, because I was in the Navy and I was getting ready to go on cruise, and I bought my laptop specifically to write reports and evaluations when I was on cruise and people would come into my stateroom.

Ooh, what's that?

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

I brought my dot matrix printer and everything.

Oh, you know, it just takes 7 minutes to print anything on that document.

Yes.

Good old days.

Yes.

And that's right.

I would just add one more to our collection of memories here, and that's the good old computer lab.

Back in the days, you remember, in elementary school for us, I think it was on Fridays, we'd go to spend a few hours at the computer lab.

Oregon Trail, and lots of floppy disk, if you want to do anything, goes on a floppy desk somewhere.

But the good old days, I tell you what.

And that's right, Leah.

We learned so much from history, including the types of peripherals that you don't want to have.

Like the big wooden block that we shared a second ago.

It was my dad's old laptop that hooked into a docking station on my desk in my dorm room.

That's high polluted.

Amanda, I wonder if you still have that.

A lot of stuff to get to here today.

Pam and Kevin and Pam.

Great to have both of y' all back with us.

We're going to walk through three stories, and then we're going to get an update on all the great things going on at Manifest, which you don't want to miss.

I will touch on that in just a second.

But let's get into the stories first.

As reported by our friends at TechCrunch, NBA Super All Star and future hall of Famer Steph Curry is getting into the supply chain startup world.

So Curry's venture firm called Penny Jar Capital.

Penny Jar Capital.

Penny Jar, okay.

It made a $3.8 million investment into a startup called Burnt, which is aiming to revolutionize the food industry, especially the seafood industry.

Hence the big crap with AI.

Now, the founders at Berndt shared an example of how things work today.

And having been in the food industry, I can vouch for this.

They talk about how sales representatives at food distributors get an order via a variety of channels.

Email, phone calls, WhatsApp, voicemails, texts, faxes, maybe homing pigeons.

And then each of them have got to be keyed into the system manually.

Right.

So you have lots and lots of potential for errors.

Well, this really inefficient process is said to eat up, is not just said to eat up.

It does eat up a ton of time that could be spent on higher value human work, such as winning new customers or creating new opportunities with current customers.

So Berndt is rolling out AI agents that will automate and overhaul order entry processes just like this one across the food industry.

And better yet, one last point before I get Pam and Kevin to weigh in.

The Bernt team has significant food industry experience, both in the restaurant business and the seafood, seafood wholesale business industry.

Rather unlike what they call tech tourists who roll out technology and don't have any experience in the food industry.

Right, that's been done a lot in the last couple decades.

Creating lots of burnout and mistrust.

Yeah, you name it.

So Pam first and then Kevin.

Pam, your thoughts on this story and what Steph Curry and his VC outfit is investing into?

I mean, I always think it's great when founders are dealing with a problem from their industry and then are like fed up with it and then find a way to solve it themselves.

So I think it's great that they already have that experience.

I also love seeing more, you know, athletes diversifying their investment strategies and getting more involved in our industry.

There are more athletes and, you know, celebrities and artists that have gotten more into the space.

So I think it's, it's good to see not just the traditional investors, you know, looking at ways to change how goods are moving around the world.

Pam, well said.

And I believe non traditional is a big part of Steph Curry's VC thesis.

Help support folks from non traditional journeys.

I love that, Kevin.

I should also just add and well said there, Pam.

I wish I had a penny jar that had almost $4 million and I don't have one of those.

But Kevin, your thoughts on this story?

Well, first of all, I was looking at something on TV a couple of days ago and they were talking about the GDP of the United States and that most of the growth is being driven by artificial intelligence, but that they think that's actually causing a bubble because as Pam sort of alluded to, people that have no understanding of a specific industry think that AI, whatever AI they have, can fix it with no understanding of the industry's processes, challenges, or real value that can be delivered.

So it's causing a bubble.

So I'm glad people are looking and leveraging artificial intelligence for new things.

But you have to have human intelligence to guide the artificial intelligence.

And that's sometimes that's lacking, that's lacking here, but that's something you really have to look out for.

Well said, Kevin.

Well said folks.

Don't take our word for it.

Go check out the Tech Crunch article which we're dropping right there in the links.

And I would just add one more quick comment.

As I mentioned, I spent some time in the food industry and back in the day, and this is a long time ago, back in the day we collected orders on our laptops like, like we were referencing earlier.

No T squared, it wasn't an Apple Iie.

I'm not quite that old, but it was an early generation laptop.

And after we got the order from out restaurants, we had to race.

Especially if you're in a rural part of the state like I was.

We had to race to somewhere you could, you could plug your computer into a telephone socket and upload and transmit all your orders before 4:30pm Eastern time every day because that's when the window closed.

And I got to tell you, you saw me running 95 miles per hour.

Some of those back South Carolina roads.

Get all those in.

Technology has changed quite a bit.

Okay, Pam and Kevin.

Man, these crabs are making me hungry.

It's like the seafood restaurant we ate at up in D.C. kevin?

Yeah, some blue crabs.

Yes.

Joe's.

Joe's Seafood.

Seafood, yeah.

Right next to the capital.

That's right.

Let's, let's get to the next story.

Supply Chain Dive reports that GE Appliances is leveraging technology and its aim to create a quote, zero distance supply chain.

And it gets, it plans to almost double down on that investment as a company says it's going to spend another $3 billion over the next five years getting much closer geographically to their custom part of this zero distance mentality at GE Appliances.

Reshoring, equipment, investments, automation, all big parts of the where those investment dollars are going.

For example, GE Appliances has spent the last 10 years investing in its end to end visibility.

Like a lot of companies out there, right?

Leveraging technology to create a digital thread across its manufacturing footprint.

Well, who cares?

Right?

Well get this.

This real time data stream has provided an incredible degree of visibility across its supply chain.

And Bill Good, who's the vice president of supply chain at GE Appliances, says It's made a big impact, especially when it comes to downtime and minimizing downtime.

Downtime hovered between 15 and 20% across its plants previously.

Now thanks to these visibility and technology investments, it's down to about 5% in most of their facilities.

That dog Pam, as they say, will absolutely hunt your thoughts on the overall story.

Pam?

I think they're a great example of a company that started this process.

The fact that they've been doing this for 10 years.

They're already much further ahead in any of their onshoring and reshoring processes than a lot of other companies.

But I think, you know, when you're creating large items that are things that people depend on on their day to day lives, having it as close to the customer as possible is a great approach.

We're seeing that, you know, for companies that are popping up, even micro warehouses in different fulfillment centers across.

So the closer to the customer the better.

I think it helps the overall delivery process if there are issues that come up.

And then of course with tariffs and economic issues, having everything here will make it much easier to, to handle the disruptions that come.

That's right.

Pam, a lot of good stuff that you just shared there.

And I think they're seeing, because of these changes, they're seeing orders go up.

They are very, very busy at GE Appliances.

Kevin, your thoughts on, on some of the investments they're making?

Well, you know, change is constant, so.

But you also have to watch the pendulum.

Don't go too far the other way.

I'm all for near shoring and onshoring, but there's also important to stay part of the global supply chain and to be an active member of that global supply chain.

So you have to balance.

That's all I'm saying.

That's right.

That is right.

Well folks, if you haven't bought.

Pam and Kevin, if y' all bought a, a dryer or washing machine recently.

No, no, not recently.

No, I, I did a year ago.

Okay.

Buy one a year ago because ours kind of flooded.

Yeah.

But it is what you want.

To come home to.

It's not.

It'S amazing.

The innovation that are baking into washer and dryers.

The new one we got when we're a little bit slow in loading and unloading, it actually yells at us.

Come get these built in AI to.

Yell at you try to reprogram it to get the kids going.

But it's a work in progress.

But regardless, getting closer to customers.

Right.

No matter.

I mean they're doing a lot of things at GE Appliances.

But that zero distance mentality is an interesting one many other organizations are leaning into.

Especially as Pam pointed out, these ever evolving trade policies.

Man, before we get into one more news story and then we got a bunch of perspective on Manifest programming, I want to share a cool new resource from the team over at OMP who are powering the buzz all month long in November.

You can check out this new ebook entitled Making AI Work for you.

From Explainable to Agentic, you all have heard us AI has dominated the buzz so far.

This ebook explores how decision centric planning powered by Unison IQ enables organizations to move beyond explainable AI toward truly agentic systems.

It's a practical guide.

So check it out.

We're dropping the link right there in the comments and let us know what you think.

Pam and Kevin, I got an interesting story before we get into Manifest stuff because this is like universal.

It is universal, right?

And we're talking about online shopping.

I'm not going to surprise you with about anything I'm about to share, except one thing and I'll let you know when we get there.

So CNN Business reports on the continued arms race when it comes to online shopping.

This should surprise nobody.

As I mentioned, Google, Amazon, OpenAI, Alibaba.com, perplexity all, and then some are all adding new AI powered shopping tools to their services.

Get this AI and online agents are expected to be involved in $73 billion worth of global online sales from the Tuesday before Thanksgiving so next week through Cyber Monday, just in that short time frame that is 22% of all orders placed according to Salesforce data.

But wait, there's a whole bunch more.

For example, if you tell Google what you're looking at or what you're looking for, rather than its AI agent will call local stores and ask the retailers if they have the product in stock, what are the promotions?

What are the price points?

But some platforms have a get the word out challenge.

Get this Pew Research center says that 66% of Americans still haven't used ChatGPT.

Wow.

And 20% said they haven't even heard of it.

Oh my gosh.

Those two data points is what surprised me.

One Final note, I was just out in Seattle at Amazon Business Reshape last week where they rolled out last week some really cool AI driven business buying tools.

That's going to change the business buying game.

Stay tuned as we release a few interviews in the weeks ahead.

That surprises me a bit.

Your thoughts, I mean, I agree with that, but at the same time I'm pretty sure my grandma and her community have never encountered Chachi.

Fair enough.

So.

And even the 66% haven't even tinkered around with it yet.

That was also surprising to me.

I'm surprised by that.

I don't.

You would think people curious to at least play around and see what they can come up with, right?

People are scared of technology.

You know, that's one of the, one of the biggest problems.

I use AI every day for a lot of different things and it's valuable, it is very valuable.

But you know, the next thing you're going to see from these online shopping is that you're going to have to prove you're a human.

Right?

And all, all this automatic support may go away because the vendors don't want to give all their information to AI.

Well, Kevin, that's interesting and you know, automated transactions or something we'll all have to keep our eye on.

Spending anomalies was one of the big AI driven tools that Amazon business rolled out last week.

So it'll be interesting to see where that goes, especially from a business perspective.

But Pam, in general, we're all consumers, arguably, I guess now we'll shop online.

Although now after seeing some of those numbers, I might doubt that a little bit.

Your general reaction, I mean, I think this was something we all expected.

AI innovations in our buying experiences, huh?

I mean, yeah, it's something that you kind of can't get away from, I would say from a customer service perspective, I think it's definitely helped a lot of companies be able to meet the needs of their customers that have all of these questions and want immediate response, immediate feedback or customization related issues.

So it makes the whole process, I think less frustrating for the consumer.

That said, I also think Instagram is targeting me a little too hard.

So you know, there are boundaries, I think there are boundaries that maybe could be respected more.

I'm with you.

Bam.

Well said, well said.

All right, Kevin, I'll circle back to you one more time.

Your thoughts as a consumer.

Are you leveraging AI to make faster, easier decisions to take the friction out of your processes.

Well, how many out there are always trying to find a press zero for human button.

Yes.

As soon as you hear the computer start talking, I want a human.

I want a human.

No matter what it is.

I get kind of tired of you can't talk to a human.

You can never find a human.

You could barely find a telephone number anymore.

Everybody wants you to do chat or send an email.

I still like humans.

Some of my best friends are humans, but other than Scott.

But you know, I do what I can, man.

Ouch.

I'm with you though.

Whenever, whenever it's something like really important.

I'm just like, give me, give me a person, just give me.

Well, the cool thing about what both of y', all, we're having a little fun with and kind of being serious at the same time.

You're pointing to the unique human superpowers which, you know, problem solving, empathy.

You know, some of the best words you'll hear as a consumer is, hey, I got you.

Let me, let me take care of that for you.

We're still waiting for AI to get there.

Now let me speak out of the other side of my mouth because it is amazing to see how far the bots and the chat agents have come to make our lives easier.

At least in my experience.

So we'll see what's next.

I want to share.

Look, check this out from Leah.

My 73 year old mom uses chat GPT.

Leah, you're wrong.

That's great to.

Yeah, I think, I don't know this is arguable or not, but I think we all are better off at least with experimenting with AI, right?

You don't even, even if you don't use it every day, all day, that's fine.

A lot of people won't.

But it'll really be eye opening I think for folks that have never, you know, even just experiment with a little bit how it can make their days easier.

One last comment then we're going to shift gears is most folks may not know this is Kevin's hand.

We're not sure if he's human today.

We think he's.

It might be AI driven this appearance here today.

Okay, we got a lot to get into about Manifest.

As we were talking earlier, me and the Supply Chain now team can't wait to be back in Vegas.

It runs from February 9th through February 11th at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

And Pam, I tell you, when you do events at the Venetian, you're like Elvis.

You have arrived, you got the best thing in town running.

Would you agree with that?

Pam I completely agree.

I'm so, so excited to be back at the Venetian.

It's such a good place for the show and it really just, it feels like a home.

Like, it feels like your LinkedIn just came to life and everyone's there and you.

Yes.

You know everything.

It's very productive.

My son lives right down the street from the Venetian.

He's in Vegas.

And then, well, Kevin, we're going to.

Look him up, we're going to get him out at Vegas as we're there in February.

And Pam, let me ask you this.

A lot of our audience has either been or they're going to.

They are certainly familiar.

They've consumed the content on site or between the events.

Pam okay, so I think there's three big things that are, that are new.

So first, our dedicated procurement stage where we'll dive into the whole procurement playbook and the critical role of planning and risk mitigation and obviously how AI plays into navigating global supply issues amid constant disruptions.

And we'll hear from Nordstrom, Patagonia, Taylor Brands, Source iq, Intel, Tealbook and more.

So very excited for that.

And we'll be covering all aspects of cold.

So from the pharma side through transparency, building an end to end, you know, supply chain transparency with especially when things are temperature controlled, it becomes a little bit more involved.

And we have some amazing speakers from Merck Global and Sun Pharma, Vamo Delivery, Arctic, Tempur Pack, americold, Avery Denison and more.

So very excited.

We're really leaning into that.

You know, I listen when people make suggestions.

So this is working out pretty well.

Love it.

And then our newly revamped hosted program for shippers so that they can get the most value while they're at Manifest.

So those of you that are overseeing supply chain, logistics, procurement, manufacturing, sourcing, we'll be able to sit down with your peers at different tables covering specific topics that you care most about.

And many of these companies are bringing their teams to the show.

So really that's been the big shift of being able to spread out and take the most advantage of it.

If your team is large enough, we'll even, you know, provide a private meeting room.

If the team is large enough.

And the revamped portion is that for those that qualify also includes their eligibility for a travel credit.

And we can share those details with you if you're interested directly, you can reach out or you can find the information on our website under hosted shippers.

Outstanding.

Well, Kevin, that's a ton of new stuff.

Yeah, the procurement stage, the greater cold chain presence, which I love.

It's a fascinating industry on the move.

And for all our shippers out there, there's a ton of value in connecting with Pam and the team and connecting with other folks there at Manifest to find a better path forward.

What was your favorite new item there, Kevin?

What you hear?

Well, I heard the, you know, the private rooms.

That sounds awfully interesting.

Getting business, private rooms, pan bar service and no, you too.

You went too far.

But no, getting that personalized service, getting all that information and being able to do real business before you get out there on the strip.

Lots of business to be done.

I think Manifest is a bit made a name for themselves a bit in terms of connecting people and helping them make big business relationships happen.

Would you agree with that, Pam?

Yes.

An insane amount of business gets done at the show, whether it's new investment rounds, new partnerships, new customers, clients.

Every day I talk to somebody new that's created new business or closed a deal at Manifest.

So nice.

Well, folks, we are dropping the link right there to figure out use that link because Pam, as we talked about a second ago, prices are about to go up.

I think November 21st, folks.

Act now.

They can still save a couple hundred bucks off that next price tier.

Is that right, Pam?

That's correct.

So you know you're going to be there, get your tickets now.

That's right.

That's right.

I also like that idea of your LinkedIn coming to life.

That was a another good visual.

All right, we got big guests.

We got of course Leah and T squared and Amanda and others.

We also have Tony Sharoda right here in the cheap seats.

Tony says from the dark side.

Right.

Because he's returns in reverse.

Pam Simon as one of the growing number of event content leaders who recognize the importance of including reverse logistics in their schedule.

Pam has included returns discussions since their first manifest.

I'm proud of to find thought leaders to talk at their event.

Now, Pam, that is high praise coming from Tony Schroeder.

I know.

Thank you.

Thanks, Tony.

And good to see you.

We'll look Forward to seeing you again very soon.

That is right.

Tony's doing big things now at the NRF where the Reverse Logistics association is now parked.

Okay, so Pam and Kevin, a little bit more about Manifest here.

You know, I'm looking forward to leading a terrific panel session.

I've been connecting with Tanzel doing big things as part of the Manifest team.

I've got some powerhouse supply chain leaders.

Stay tuned for that.

Pam, this is kind of probably asking you about your, your favorite kid, right?

There's no, no one wants to name their kid.

What session or two are you most excited about right now?

I mean besides yours obviously.

And you're right, I can't pick.

That's not fair.

But I will say there are a few that I'm, I'm very excited for.

So I think with, with near shoring and reshoring, you know, putting more of a spotlight on the future of manufacturing, I'm looking forward to some of the conversations with Estee Lauder, New Balance, XRC Ventures and McKinsey diving into, you know, digitally enabled cost effective manufacturing and strategic partnerships and how that will look.

So that's one I'm definitely looking forward to.

When it comes to automation and robotics, it's hard to pick a specific, you know, session.

You're right.

Of too many kids in this category.

But I will say I'm really excited to hear from the CEOs of Apptronic Lab Zero, Corvus Robotics, River Bedrock, Locus, Persona, Dane Technologies, EV Bots.

So those are some of the ones that I'm pumped to see and also see their, their robotics live which is always going to be, that's always fun.

And I'm looking forward to our sustainability symposium from discussing Scaling energy and electric solutions with 12 and Alaska Airlines to recommerce and circularity with Fika Ventures, IKEA pds, Create me.

I think it's really interesting with these different alternative products that are really going to change the way things are put together.

And we have over 155 sessions taking place at Manifest.

So it's really choose your own adventure.

Go to the sessions that you're most interested and inspired by and make sure you talk to everybody in the room because they too are also excited to, to be there.

That is terrific.

And folks, if putting this graphic back up there, the agenda is now live.

You can go check out all those sessions that Pam just mentioned.

You can check out the new things that we were talking about earlier.

Procurement, cold chain, the big new shippers value, you name it.

So go check it out and Come join us in Vegas now, Kevin, she shared some great sessions there.

What did you hear there that might spark your interest?

And who knows, we might get Kevin L. Jackson there in Vegas, make it a family affair.

Well, you know, quite a few name drops there.

I tell you.

It's like the who's who, who supply chain and logistics.

I mean, how can you not want to go to every one of them?

I mean, I got to cut myself out.

I guess I'll check out all the replays because I can't.

You know, you miss something if you go to one, you're going to miss two, three other things.

Bring your digital twins and you can.

Digital twin, yes, that's what's going to have to do one of those.

You mentioned sustainability.

PAM yeah, and I would argue, PAM and Kevin, it's been an interesting time for the sustainability topic in business, but I would argue that the world class companies out there, their commitment hasn't wavered.

Check out this factoid I saw over the weekend came from Harold Sinott, who's doing some great work.

And that is just one of a million different data points you can find that we've got to figure out as we continue leveraging all the innovation AI and innovative technology brings.

We've got to continue solving this in the sustainability challenge.

Your quick response to that?

Kevin yeah.

So you know, I live in Manassas, Virginia and here in Manassas and in Loudoun county we're the AI Beta center capital of the world.

And everyone, you know, you like to have jobs moving the city.

But what's happening is the noise pollution being caused by these huge mega data centers and now they're bringing in more power.

So it's, you know, just like everything else, you have to work the balance out here.

And you know, I'm very practically optimistic about breakthroughs we'll have including from a sustainability standpoint in the months ahead.

And it takes, it takes organizations and shows like Manifest to bring all these people in the room, right.

Have Eureka moments.

It unlocks not just business opportunities, but breakthrough and innovation opportunities.

Yeah.

One thing I also want to sort of add to that is that we're the first space data center was just launched.

Okay.

So these data centers are going in a low earth orbit.

Okay.

Well, you know, Jeff Bezos, Pam and Kevin, Jeff Bezos had predicted not too long ago that in a few years I Think he called it a 20 year window.

You're going to have mega data centers in orbit.

That's all powered by the sun.

That'd be interesting.

We'll see.

I'm not sure how they transfer all that power back down to earth.

I'll leave that to the smart people.

But let's do this.

I'm getting way off the beaten path here.

I want to make sure folks know how to connect with you.

And the hard hitting manifest team, we're dropping a link for registration right there on the chat.

How can they connect with you?

I know you do a lot of keynoting and speaking, a lot of angel investing.

You know, if they want to follow up with with you on anything you shared here today, how can they connect with you?

LinkedIn or pamanifestevents.com Feel free to reach out.

And as, as you mentioned, there's still a take advantage of the discounts because prices go up on November 21st.

You got plenty of time now.

You got four or five days but you gotta act now.

And we're dropping a link right there.

See a bunch of the topics there.

Come join us in Vegas.

Okay.

Use your AI shopper.

Get it now.

That's right.

That's an interesting thought.

How AI can make event registrations easier.

We'll have to touch on that next time you join us.

I got one final question for you both and this is a two parter so we're, you know, it's November 17th.

Where did the year go?

And Pam, you got to go first that two parter.

Your thoughts?

I think one of the business trends or developments that, that I've seen that's been most intriguing is how organizations are co developing strategies and solutions more and more given the turmoil with you know, geopolitically or economically, lots more collaborations on sourcing side and near shoring and manufacturing.

So I think that you know that's, that's been really interesting and something that, that I'm watching more closely.

As far as my prediction or my bold prediction, it's a good question.

Well, I think real time visibility is no longer a differentiator.

It's table stakes and disruption.

Whether it's climate or labor or geopolitical, it continues to rise.

So systems that can autonomously adapt will Become competitive.

Mandatory rather than optional.

Yes.

I think we're seeing companies that are experimenting to see how AI can continuously simulate reroute or self repair supply flows without the human intervention.

That's where I'm watching.

I'm.

I like that.

And you and I kindred.

What they say smart minds think alike or something like that.

Kindred, whatever.

Yeah, Monday's messing with brain maybe.

But I shared an element of what you just shared there in a prediction last year at some time about how visibility is becoming table stakes.

I put that there on social and Pam and Kevin, the powers that be, were coming after me.

Folks have been in this room a long time, were coming at me.

They were ready to chase me down and put me in something.

It was, it seemed to be just something that struck the wrong vein.

But Pam, I see, I see it much like you do.

We got to move beyond.

We still have some more heavy lift, new visibility, but we got to move beyond.

We got bigger things to do.

So.

All right, I'm going to share Tony's and then Kevin, I'm coming to you for your two parter.

Tony says Tony predicts we're going to hear the word orchestration a lot from any consultants on the stage who knows orchestrations everywhere for good reason.

But I like your prediction, Tony.

What say you?

First of all, the meteoric rise of AI in everything that we do, everything.

You know, last year this time it was like yes, AI is something that's important.

You got to watch it.

But this year I use it every day for everything.

I mean that's what's happening.

But what's more important is the rise of agentic AI where you're going to have your AI agents out in the world identifying the changes that are happening, identifying other agents that you can work through and automatically eat, collaborating with those agents in real time to improve your own visibility, your own workflow, your own logistics chain.

It's going to be about more collaboration, more automation, unfortunately more AI.

And these agentic.

Your representatives are going to be out there in the marketplace negotiating, using smart contracts to improve your positioning.

And that's what's happening.

That's going to happen next year.

Yep.

I like it, man.

I love both of Yalls visions of the short term future.

I'm going to take a page out of Clubber Lang's book and a lot of our listeners or viewers will know exactly where I'm going with this.

I think it was Rocky 2, Clubber Lang was in portrayed by the one and only Mr. T. Right?

And as he was going to fight Rocky Balboa, a reporter stopped and said, hey, what's your prediction for this fight coming up.

And Clubber Lang looked that reporter in a very intimidating fashion.

He answered in one word, pain.

Pain.

So that is my prediction.

I know it's a bit negative, but there's going to be lots of complexity, there's going to be lots of pain, there's going to be lots of tariffs and there's going to be a whole bunch of reason why it's a great time to be in global supply chain.

Tip of the hat to Corinne Bursa because we get to solve all of that and then some.

And as we do that, it opens all sorts of opportunities for career advancement, bonuses, promotions, you name it, especially to those folks that are willing to learn new things.

And so that 22% was it.

Where's my note that 22% out there has never worked with ChatGPT or it?

Never heard of it, folks.

Yeah, yeah.

Opportunity jump in experiment.

It will change your life and it could potentially change your business journey forward and all the opportunities there with it.

Okay, we're running out of time.

Kevin, we covered.

I wish we had another hour because Pam Simon, really have enjoyed your perspective here today.

But Kevin, you get the final question because out of the last hour, we covered a lot of ground.

I really enjoyed learning from both of y' all here today.

What is one key takeaway, though, from today's discussion here on the bus?

To be honest, the key takeaway I heard was having your LinkedIn come to life at Manifest.

Microsoft are going to love that.

You know, I just learned, I just saw last week something new actually scan the room using your LinkedIn device on your, your app on your phone and you can see who you're sitting beside and their LinkedIn profile right there on the app.

Pam, that was my reaction.

I was like, oh my God.

I'm so excited.

So we're gonna send out.

So folks, they will have to send a link out in terms of how to do that.

But hey, connecting people is a beautiful thing.

Pam Simon, appreciate what you and the Manifest team are doing to connect industry, connect professionals, connect shippers, you name it.

Really had a wonderful time last year and looking forward to being back in February.

So, Pam Simon with Manifest, thank you for being here.

Thank you for having me and we'll look forward to seeing you in Vegas very soon.

Can't wait.

Can't wait.

Kevin L. Jackson.

Yes.

From your Global Travels.

You've got a bunch of folks.

I can't share with y' all what he shared in the pre show in terms of some of the ventures he's part of, but he's making the world a safer place.

I'll just put it like that.

And folks, make sure you connect with both Kevin and Pam, which we dropped their LinkedIn links right there in the chat.

Man is a big Barney fan.

Kevin, thank you so much for being here, my friend.

No, thank you very much.

Yes, click on my LinkedIn and disconnect.

And Pam, it was just so great thinking with you and collaborating with you here during this show.

Thank you for joining us.

Likewise.

Again, thank you for having me.

A lot of kindred spirits.

Okay, folks, as we wrap here today, big thanks to Pam Simon with Manifest.

Come on and join us February 9th through the 11th in Las Vegas.

Act now, the price is about to go up.

Big thanks to my esteemed co host, Kevin L. Jackson.

Of course, big thanks to Amanda and Joshua who's behind the scenes helping to make production happen.

Really appreciate what they do.

And most importantly, big thanks to our global audience for being here.

Right?

But folks, know you got homework and Pam and Kevin shared a lot of great perspective.

Take one thing you heard here today.

Share it with your team, share it with your family.

Share it with your 73 year old mom.

Like Leah, she needs GPT chat too.

That's right.

Do something with it.

And it's all about deeds, not words.

And with all that said, on behalf of the whole team here at Supply Chain Now, Scott Luden, challenge you do good, give forward, be the change that's needed.

And we'll see next time right back here on Supply Chain Now.

Thanks everybody.

Join the Supply Chain now community.

For more Supply Chain perspectives, news and innovation, check out supply chain now dot com, subscribe to supply chain now on YouTube and follow and listen to Supply Chain now wherever you get your podcasts.