Smarter Sourcing

Smarter Sourcing
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The Smarter Sourcing podcast is dedicated to helping sourcing, procurement, and finance leaders elevate their influence and get their seat at the table. Each episode features conversations with innovative leaders, sharing best practices, lessons learned, and actionable insights you can apply immediately. Whether you’re focused on procurement strategies, supply chain optimization, or aligning financial goals with operational excellence, this podcast will leave you with actionable insights that you can immediately put to work.

  1. EP 43 - Utz Brands' Ron Schnur on Outpacing Competitors with Risk-Taking and Supplier Partnerships

    3D AGO

    EP 43 - Utz Brands' Ron Schnur on Outpacing Competitors with Risk-Taking and Supplier Partnerships

    Utz Brands’ Senior VP/CPO Ron Schnur's M&A integration framework strategy challenges the standard playbook: across six acquisitions, his team at his previous company, White Wave, diagnosed each deal separately. Some received immediate full integration, others got a soft touch for a few months to protect supplier innovation pipelines that created category advantages. The critical question wasn't spend consolidation potential, but whether forcing integration would damage the supplier relationships driving growth. This "leave the nickel on the table" philosophy prioritizes speed-to-market and supplier innovation over immediate cost savings.  At Utz, where the company faces competitors several times its size, Ron applies lessons from his roles at companies that had to "punch above their weight class" through risk-taking rather than scale. For hiring, he screens for curiosity and perseverance over technical capabilities, asking probing questions about how candidates work through challenging situations rather than testing Excel proficiency. Universities should handle hard skills; what matters is the ability to challenge first answers and grind through complex supply market problems.   Topics discussed: Building curiosity and perseverance over technical skills when hiring supply chain professionals for complex problem-solving roles Applying differentiated M&A integration playbooks at White Wave Foods across six acquisitions to protect supplier innovation pipelines Implementing "leave the nickel on the table" philosophy that prioritizes supplier innovation and speed-to-market over immediate cost savings Competing as smaller companies against industry giants by taking calculated risks and building strategic supplier partnerships Leveraging AI for rapid supply market intelligence gathering compared to traditional three-month global supplier assessment cycles Developing enterprise-wide mindset that values total business impact over purchase price variance and acquisition cost optimization Evaluating ROI on emerging technologies through targeted investments in customer-facing versus supply-facing AI applications

    36 min
  2. EP 42 - St. Luke's Adrian Wengert on Embedding Medical Directors to Find Cost Savings Buyers Miss

    MAR 3

    EP 42 - St. Luke's Adrian Wengert on Embedding Medical Directors to Find Cost Savings Buyers Miss

    St. Luke’s Health System built a 330,000 square foot consolidated service center with an ASRS featuring 28 automated pickers and nearly 20,000 bins. Adrian Wengert, CSCO & VP of Supply Chain, spent 3 years visiting a dozen health systems before construction, extracting one unanimous lesson: every organization regretted not building bigger. He secured board approval for initially unused space by extending their 10-year pro forma, arguing future expansion would cost significantly more than justifying empty square footage upfront.The automation investment directly addressed Boise's labor market, where three Amazon distribution centers compete for the same warehouse talent.  Facing inflation that has grown fourfold with vendors embedding anticipatory tariffs, St. Luke's is pursuing direct manufacturer relationships, bulk pre-buys, channel fee negotiations, market share consolidation with fewer suppliers, and e-auctions to counter double-digit quarterly supply cost increases. Their clinical integration includes a medical director in supply chain who uncovers opportunities traditional teams miss. Sustainability investments include reusable sharps containers, solar-ready infrastructure for 2 megawatts to power the building and electric vehicle fleet, and blue wrap reduction.   Topics discussed: Building 330,000 square foot consolidated service centers larger than needed by extending 10-year pro formas to justify unused space Implementing automatic storage and retrieval systems with automated pickers to combat Amazon's labor market saturation Integrating tech vendors for goods-to-person automation while managing interface complexity and validation during warehouse implementations Unifying supply chain and pharmacy operations infrastructures to reduce transportation costs and create operational efficiencies Combating fourfold inflation growth through direct manufacturer relationships, bulk pre-buys, channel fee negotiations, and e-auctions Embedding medical directors within supply chain teams to uncover clinical cost reduction opportunities traditional buyers miss Deploying contract lifecycle management tools with AI to monitor market share commitments and proactively signal deviations Implementing reusable sharps containers, solar-ready infrastructure, and electric vehicle fleet transitions for sustainability ROI

    28 min
  3. EP 41 – EBIT Intelligent Procurement's Joanne McCourt on Measuring Procurement Success beyond Savings

    FEB 24

    EP 41 – EBIT Intelligent Procurement's Joanne McCourt on Measuring Procurement Success beyond Savings

    EBIT Intelligent Procurement ditched their 50% gain-share model for fixed-fee managed services after recognizing how gain-share creates operational friction: departments paying fees from their budgets start resenting consultants as cost-cutting mercenaries, regardless of actual performance. The fixed-fee pivot quieted the "who really drove this saving?" disputes that derail stakeholder relationships and freed category experts to focus on supplier relationship management and outcomes beyond P&L line items.  When a client needs marketing expertise for a quarter, then shifts to facilities work the next, CEO Joanne McCourt and her team pull from EBIT's specialist pool without carrying fixed overhead or managing staff augmentation contracts. Their C-suite pitch challenges why companies attempt building procurement capability across fragmented indirect spend instead of investing that talent in core business operations. The MRO reality: manufacturing sites that have operated independently with local contractors for years will emotionally resist centralization, even when compliance requirements and supply chain transparency demand it. The business case exists, but the operational resistance is real.  Topics discussed: Transitioning from 50% gain-share to fixed-fee managed services to eliminate departmental friction and stakeholder resistance Implementing virtual procurement models that provide flexible category expertise through monthly fees Targeting C-suite executives instead of procurement teams when selling outsourced services to address strategic business priorities  Managing emotional resistance when centralizing MRO and facilities procurement across manufacturing sites that operate independently  Measuring procurement success through operational outcomes like supplier relationship management, governance improvements, and board-level reputation rather than savings alone Protecting revenue through procurement interventions in courier performance issues, payment processing optimization, and customer experience improvements across indirect categories Partnering with LogicSource to move away from spreadsheet-based client management systems

    34 min
  4. EP 40 – Bon Secours' Daniel Hurry on Industry Elevation over Retention in Leadership Development

    FEB 17

    EP 40 – Bon Secours' Daniel Hurry on Industry Elevation over Retention in Leadership Development

    Daniel Hurry, President at Advantus Health Partners & CSCO at Bon Secours Mercy Health, helped  justify building Advantus Health Partners to their board by calculating the admin fee equation, then proving they could negotiate better pricing at their scale. Their commercialization strategy was to skip the crowded commodity categories where another contract for gloves or gowns adds no value, and focus on complex operational purchase services and hyper-complex implants where national GPOs have gaps.  Healthcare still lacks universal product codes, which means supply chain leaders can't access the real-time demand planning or behavior modification strategies that retail and energy industries built decades ago on UPC data. Instead, healthcare spawned entire cottage industries for data cleanup and item master enrichment, workarounds that other sectors never needed. Dan's leadership development program, built with Miami University's supply chain school through MBA residencies and internships, has now placed five former team members as chief supply chain officers at other health systems, treating talent development as an industry investment rather than internal retention problem.   Topics discussed: Building Advantus by calculating admin fee equations versus internal operating costs to justify better pricing at scale Commercializing GPOs by targeting complex operational purchase categories and hyper-complex implants where market gaps exist Implementing single-partner category strategies with open-book economics and daily KPI-driven continuous improvement cycles  Addressing healthcare's universal product code gap that prevents real-time demand planning available in retail and energy industries Managing dual chief supply chain officer and GPO president roles through execution excellence despite political and communication challenges Developing supply chain talent through MBA residency programs with Miami University producing five chief supply chain officers Navigating post-merger integration and pandemic disruptions while launching new commercial GPO operations and maintaining ministry focus Shifting supply chain strategy from foundational pricing benchmarks toward utilization management and consumption analytics at point of use

    32 min
  5. EP 39 – Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Matthew Laud on Diversity in Team & Supplier Selection

    FEB 11

    EP 39 – Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Matthew Laud on Diversity in Team & Supplier Selection

    Procurement at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center requires abandoning traditional sourcing language when working with physicians whose primary concern is patient outcomes, not optimization metrics, but Matthew Laud, Director of Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Management, has figured out the translation. Framing procurement's value into clinical terms creates the trust necessary for physicians to delegate critical supply decisions. His approach centers on connecting procurement capabilities to Memorial Sloan Kettering's mission of eradicating cancer, using the universal impact of cancer as common ground for building stakeholder relationships. In turn, his distinction between good vendors and great partners hinges on suppliers who proactively deliver value beyond contractual obligations, whether through emerging technologies that provide competitive advantages or flexible pricing that redirects savings toward patient care. Matthew implements this through rigorous category management including quarterly business reviews, stakeholder scorecards, and regular rebidding of existing suppliers to drive continuous improvement. He also shares why visiting hospital rooms to see sourced medical devices in use with cancer patients provides fulfillment that recognition and praise never could, reinforcing the tangible connection between vendor negotiations and life-saving treatments. Topics discussed: Translating procurement terminology into clinical language that resonates with physicians focused on patient outcomes Building trust with stakeholders in cancer treatment by connecting sourcing capabilities to the mission of eradicating cancer Distinguishing good vendors who meet basic requirements from great partners who proactively deliver value through emerging technology, flexible pricing, or enhanced capabilities Category management frameworks, including quarterly business reviews, stakeholder scorecards, and regular supplier rebidding to maintain quality while managing costs Overcoming gatekeeper resistance from internal procurement teams through strategic networking at industry summits and tech events Managing sourcing complexity across hundreds of acquired entities with independent sourcing teams and category structures Thriving in procurement's inherent ambiguity by developing complete execution plans from vague, high-level business requests Operating as an unsung hero who finds fulfillment in impact rather than recognition Evaluating emerging AI tools and new vendors through rigorous RFP processes that test capabilities against established competitors Advancing diversity in both internal team composition and supplier selection to reflect the patient populations being served

    31 min

  6. FEB 3

    EP 38 – Northwestern Medicine’s Gary Fennessy on the Shift to Partnership-Based Healthcare Procurement

    Welcome to the inaugural episode of Smarter Sourcing: Healthcare, with host Eric O’Daffer. Gary Fennessy, VP & Chief Supply Chain Executive at Northwestern Medicine, has been NM's Chief Supply Chain Officer for over 20 years and brings 44 years of industry experience navigating the transformation from a single academic hospital to a multi-site health system. His operational approach during COVID-19 kept Northwestern "two steps ahead of the bear," maintaining full supply availability when other systems faced shortages. That success came from years of building procurement infrastructure and distributor partnerships that most executives overlook until crisis hits. Gary's leadership development philosophy of "throw you in the deep end but never let you drown" has produced chief supply chain officers now leading major health systems, along with multiple CFOs who came up through his finance and operations teams. He identifies shadow supply chain areas like pharmacy and lab as the next major opportunity for cost reduction, noting that indirect spend now delivers bigger returns than traditional medical supply optimization. His candid admission about delegating AI leadership to his team while timing retirement around the next ERP implementation offers a realistic view of generational transition in healthcare supply chain.  Topics discussed: Navigating 44-year healthcare career progression from accounting through finance and operations into corporate leadership  Managing M&A expansion integrating multiple community health systems into academic medical center operations framework Building procurement infrastructure that maintained full supply availability during COVID-19 by staying "two steps ahead of the bear" Transitioning from hard-nosed vendor negotiations to collaborative partnership model with distributors, GPOs, and tech providers Identifying shadow supply chain opportunities in pharmacy, lab, facilities, and indirect spend categories as next frontier for savings Developing leadership talent through "throw them in deep end but never let them drown" philosophy  Delegating AI and rapid technology adoption to next generation while planning retirement timeline around ERP implementation cycles Establishing executive credibility by delivering value through foundational work

    27 min

  7. JAN 23

    EP 37 – Eric O'Daffer on 3 True Norths for AI Investment, Indirect Spend, & Benchmarking

    Most health systems report supply chain spend in the high teens while industry data confirms it's actually 35-40% of operating expenses, a measurement gap that systematically undermines investment cases to the C-suite. Eric O'Daffer, Executive Producer for Smarter Sourcing: Healthcare Edition, shares why he's convinced the answer to indirect spend isn't another platform but sustained center of excellence expertise: the average $3 billion health system has 2-3 people managing purchase services at a 1:$250 million ratio across 800 categories, and when they get good at sourcing, they get promoted out.  His three true north focus areas reveal where the biggest gaps remain: doubling AI and analytics investment, solving the governance and knowledge retention problem in indirect (which represents roughly 30% of total spend), and creating benchmarking with "unfettered access to data" that counts supply chain the same way. Rather than exhausting failed experiments, Eric argues organizations should lean into entrepreneurial entrants putting focused effort into supply chain. There simply aren't enough companies doing it, and the industry hasn't made it easy for them.   Topics discussed: Measuring supply chain spend accurately by including fully loaded costs instead of GPO-submitted data that undercounts actual expenses Solving indirect spend management through sustained center of excellence expertise rather than platform-only solutions Addressing the 1:$250 million staffing ratio problem where 2-3 people manage purchase services across hundreds of spending categories Implementing "stick-to-itiveness" principle by keeping leaders in roles 5-10 years instead of promoting every 18-24 months Doubling investment in AI and analytics technology while recognizing supply chain is understaffed in wrong areas, not overstaffed Developing definitive benchmarking systems with unfettered access to data that counts supply chain consistently across organizations Leaning into entrepreneurial companies focused on supply chain instead of continuing failed experiments Shifting evaluation from pure sourcing lens to integrated clinical alignment, procurement, logistics, and analytics in equal footing

    39 min
  8. EP 36 - Supplier Data as a Compass, Not a Mirror with Aleck Matambo

    JAN 6

    EP 36 - Supplier Data as a Compass, Not a Mirror with Aleck Matambo

    Aleck Matambo's approach to supplier relationships proved critical during Dell's COVID-era factory relocations. When inventory shortages forced allocation decisions across the industry, suppliers prioritized Dell because of partnerships built long before the crisis. His framework moves beyond transactional cost negotiations to create symbiotic relationships focused on innovation, market insights, and long-term value creation. This partnership model becomes essential during supply chain disruptions, enabling faster adaptation and stronger resilience against geopolitical challenges that continue reshaping global manufacturing. Aleck’s experience at Google reveals that most procurement teams struggle with AI adoption because they lack aligned strategy and change management. Rather than implementing AI tools to improve existing workflows, he advocates for using AI's transformational capabilities to reimagine operating models entirely. The key lies in selecting three to five priority areas, building strong business cases that address change impact, and investing in reskilling so teams view AI as capability augmentation rather than job replacement.  Topics discussed: How e-procurement and e-auctions in automotive achieved 20-30% savings while enabling low-cost sourcing expansion into China. The transition from operator to consultant, bridging the gap between conceptual strategy and practical implementation. Partnering with senior executives to identify how procurement addresses boardroom priorities like innovation, resilience, and growth. Redefining procurement as a strategic enabler rather than cost center through executive partnerships, data-driven decision making, and leveraging AI and digital tools to reimagine workflows and organizational value. Using data as a compass for opportunity identification rather than a mirror for cost savings alone. Building symbiotic supplier relationships that deliver competitive advantages during crises. The balance of trade program where procurement opened doors for sales teams by leveraging supplier relationships that sales didn't have. AI implementation challenges where 85-95% of programs fail to achieve ROI, requiring aligned corporate strategy, prioritized use cases, strong change management, and focus on reskilling rather than replacement. Moving beyond cost-focused metrics to measure total cost of ownership, supplier partnership quality, third-party risk management, and procurement's contribution to organizational resilience and agility during supply chain shocks. Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Watch on YouTube

    22 min
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Ratings & Reviews

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About

The Smarter Sourcing podcast is dedicated to helping sourcing, procurement, and finance leaders elevate their influence and get their seat at the table. Each episode features conversations with innovative leaders, sharing best practices, lessons learned, and actionable insights you can apply immediately. Whether you’re focused on procurement strategies, supply chain optimization, or aligning financial goals with operational excellence, this podcast will leave you with actionable insights that you can immediately put to work.

Information

  • Creator
    Smarter Sourcing
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Smarter Sourcing
  • Show Website
    Smarter Sourcing