For the Season 4 premiere, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsbysat down with retired Rear Admiral Kevin Sweeney to explore how military leadership principles translate to the business world.

Throughout his remarkable career in the U.S. Armed Forces, Sweeney commanded the USS Cole during its historic rebuilding and served as chief of staff to Defense Secretary James Mattis. He is now a trusted senior advisor on government relations and management in the private sector. Sweeney’s conversation with Ted and Tom spanned geopolitics, defense manufacturing, cyber readiness, and building strong teams. Along the way, he offered insights into how trust and adaptability remain vital whether leading sailors, managing crises, or guiding corporate boards.

Recorded live at the Fall 2025 Supply Chain Forum, Sweeney brought decades of experience navigating complexity under pressure—wisdom that supply chain professionals can apply in their own leadership journeys.

This episode was recorded at the Marriott Knoxville Downtown on November 5, 2025.

Watch the video.

Related links:

• Relive the Fall 2025 Supply Chain Forum
• Download free white papers from UT experts for improving returns management processes, reshoring manufacturing, procurement capabilities, and more.
• Save the date for the Spring Supply Chain Forum, April 21–23
• Learn about our SCM Academy programs, including upcoming virtual courses on Leadership (Jan. 30–May 10), Finance (March 2–May 3), and Planning (March 11–May 10).
• Join the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative to explore advanced concepts in SCM with top industry experts and scholars
• Become a GSCI partner
• Follow GSCI on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

Text the Tennessee on Supply Chain Management team!

In this special episode, regular co-host Tom Goldsby and Scott DeGroot, managing director of UT’s Global Supply Chain Institute, catch up with Mark Baxa, president and CEO of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, at the organization's EDGE 2025 Conference in Washington, DC.

Earlier in the week, Tom was recognized as a CSCMP Distinguished Fellow, while Scott and other UT supply chain management faculty participated in several sessions as expert panelists.

We'll be back for the launch of Season 4 of the podcast at the Fall 2025 Supply Chain Forum, Nov. 4–6, in Knoxville.

The episode was recorded live on October 5, 2025, during the CSCMP Edge Conference in Washington, DC.

Related links:

• Learn more about Mark Baxa
• Download our latest white papers from UT experts on returns management and reshoring manufacturing.
• Learn about UT’s new master’s degree in global supply chain management
• Register for the fall Supply Chain Forum, November 4–6, in Knoxville
• Become a Supply Chain Forum partner
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

Text the Tennessee on Supply Chain Management team!

For the final episode of Season 3, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby spoke with supply chain consultant and former Procter & Gamble senior director Andrew Byer to explore how people, culture, and technology intersect to shape resilient supply chains.

Byer shares lessons from his long career at Procter & Gamble, where he supported global operations for health, hygiene, and cleaning products. He discusses how licensing, supply chain planning, and culture building are critical levers for performance, and why growing talent from within remains essential. The conversation also touches on how machine learning and automation are shaping new approaches to work.

Plus, Ted and Tom cover the latest headlines: the Supreme Court’s upcoming case on the legality of Trump’s tariffs, the end of the “de minimis” loophole for online orders, changes to EV tax credits, and new data on consumer prices and jobless claims.

The episode was recorded virtually on September 11, 2025.

Related links:

• Supreme Court to hear Trump’s tariff legality case in November
• ‘De minimis’ loophole is ending; here’s what it means for online orders
• EV tax credit ends soon, but it's still as complicated as ever: What to know
• Consumer prices rose at annual rate of 2.9% in August, as weekly jobless claims jump
• Download our latest white papers from UT experts on returns management and reshoring manufacturing.
• Learn about UT’s new master’s degree in global supply chain management
• Save the date for the fall Supply Chain Forum, November 4–6 in Knoxville
• Become a Supply Chain Forum partner
• Subscribe to GSCI’s monthly newsletter
• Read the latest news and insights from GSCI

Text the Tennessee on Supply Chain Management team!