by Janice Marquardt | Jan 6, 2026 | Creative Solutions, Org Chart
If you’re like many people, you came back from an extended holiday vacation this week and realized the Holiday Elves failed to magically clean your email inbox while you were gone. While some manage to achieve the coveted Inbox Zero over the holiday, most of us are...
by Janice Marquardt | Nov 18, 2025 | Definitions, Org Chart, Processes
I once had a supervisor who was obsessed with what he called “the 4-box model” of procurement. His version graphed supply chain complexity/risk on the y-axis and supply chain cost on the x-axis, classifying suppliers into one of the four resulting quadrants. Low cost...
by Janice Marquardt | Oct 28, 2025 | Benefits, e-Auctions, Savings
Profit Levers: Where to Find Value in Uncertain Times CEOs really do think differently. When I asked my CEO why we were doing e-auctions, he looked at me and said something like, “When times are tight, we can seek to improve our profits from one of three sources:...
by Janice Marquardt | Sep 2, 2025 | Benefits, Contracts, Processes, Supply Chain Career
Are you ready for the holidays? Those of you in retail are responding, “Of course, I’ve had to be worrying about stocking up and overseas freight for weeks now. After all, some FedEx Demand Surcharges start on September 29th this year.” The rest of you might be...
by Janice Marquardt | Aug 12, 2025 | Contracts, Processes, Savings
There’s only one place I’ll use the word “vendor” instead of “supplier” regularly: Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI). Why? First, because this is an industry-wide and well-accepted term for having a supplier (or vendor) take charge of your stocking levels, refill used...
