Bryan Ball is the Vice President and Principal Analyst for Aberdeen’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) research practice, responsible for developing Aberdeen's research coverage within the practice and delivering findings via published works, speaking engagements, on-line events and media interaction. With over 30 years of supply chain, operations and materials management experience acquired across multiple product lines and serving several markets, including retail, wholesale, commercial, OEM and private brand customers, Ball brings a high level of knowledge and insight on the challenges and opportunities facing supply chain practitioners worldwide. Ball’s career encompasses a range of experience areas including system implementations, startup operations, consolidations, and outsourcing, all while delivering value in the form of cost reductions, improved inventory turns and enhanced efficiencies attained through process improvements. His professional accomplishments cover a wide range of disciplines including sales and operations planning, risk mitigation, strategic sourcing, product sourcing, change management, purchasing management, cost reduction, and lean manufacturing. Prior to joining Aberdeen, Ball served as Vice President of Supply Chain for FuelCell Energy, a manufacturer of stationary fuel cells for the distributed power generation market. Before that, he served as Vice-President, Global Supply Chain for FluidMaster, Inc., responsible for all aspects of the Supply Chain serving major customers including retailers The Home Depot, Lowes and OEM's Kohler and American Standard. Previously, Ball was Director of Supply Chain for Dover Industries Unified Brands where he directed sales and operations planning, sourcing and procurement across all plants. He has also held leadership roles in Stanley Mechanics Tools and software provider i2 Technologies. Ball holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University, and is an APICS Certified Fellow in Production and Inventory Management (CFPIM). Less   View all posts

Rick D. Blasgen currently serves as the president and chief executive officer of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) in Lombard, Illinois, USA. He began his career with Nabisco, where he held various logistics positions of increasing responsibility in inventory management, order processing, and transportation and distribution center operations management. He became vice president, supply chain, at Nabisco in 1998, then vice president supply chain for Kraft in 2002. From 2003 until 2005, he served as senior vice president integrated logistics at ConAgra Foods. Less   View all posts