Supply Chain Matters provides another edition of amplifying Distinguished Supply Chain Professionals who have garnered noteworthy and well deserved industry or professional recognition.

In December 2012, The Institute of Business Forecasting and Planning (IBF) presented a Lifetime Achievement in Business Forecasting & Planning award to Larry Lapide, Ph.D, Research Affiliate, MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics and Lecturer, University of Massachusetts Boston.  Many of our readers probably know Larry from his career in both management consulting and the Industry Analyst world, as well as his appearances and talks at many industry conferences and management forums.   

This author was especially pleased to hear of this award, since Larry was my very able mentor and first manager while we worked together in the original supply chain management research practice at AMR Research. I am proud to have Larry as a continued friend throughout the years.

This IBF recognition notes:

“Larry has provided valuable input in the development of IBF’s body of knowledge that drives our certification, research, and training programs.  He has contributed over 60 articles to our Journal of Business Forecasting. He provides valuable insight and thoughts on improvement, enabling forecasting and planning professionals to succeed in this challenging environment.”

Anish Jain, Managing Director, IBF summed up Larry’s lifetime achievement as follows:

“Larry volunteered to speak at the first IBF best practices conference back in April 1996 and has been a contributor every year, sharing his experience, driving new thought and imparting knowledge.  He volunteers to train and enrich budding Forecasting and Planning Professionals at IBF’s Tutorials, Workshops, and Academy every year since the 90’s.”

Those of you who know or have worked with Larry throughout the years are probably aware that he tends to always downplay these types of industry accolades.  When I heard about the award, I insisted that we would amplify this prestigious award on this blog, since Larry truly deserves this recognition.  He has made his mark in supply chain thought leadership and practical advice.

Supply Chain Matters provides a hearty Tip of the Hat and job well down to Larry Lapide, and we echo our thanks to the IBF for their choice in a lifetime recognition award. We also invite our readers to share their congratulations as well in the Comments section of this posting.

We also extend congratulations to Patrick Bower, Senior Director, Corporate Planning and Customer Service at Combe Inc., for also earning the IBF Excellence in Forecasting and Planning Achievement award.

Bob Ferrari, Fonder and Executive Editor

One area that Supply Chain Matters has been neglectful has been that of highlighting honors and citations for distinguished supply chain management professionals.  In the coming weeks, our blog will highlight such awards on a periodic basis.

Thus, we would like to honor Don Ralph, Senior Vice-President of Supply Chain & Logistics at Staples Inc. for receiving the Salzberg Medallion, an honor extended by the Harry E. Salzberg Memorial at the Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University. The Salzberg  Medallion has come to be recognized as one of the most prestigious awards in the field of transportation and supply chain management, in part because of the rigorous selection process. Don was honored for his outstanding contribution in supply chain management, including accomplishments in development of new industry-leading infrastructures, spearheading impeccable inventory management, perfect order execution and a highly efficient cost structure. Don has spent more than a decade driving the effort to build a fulfillment and delivery infrastructure that includes 79 fulfillment centers and 75 fleet delivery cross-docks in the U.S. and Canada.  He has led the development of both the Staples delivery (B2B) and retail logistics networks and a superior supply chain management team.

Don Ralph, Senior Vice-President, Staples

Also honored in the category of transportation was Mike Haverty, Executive Chairmen of the Kansas City Southern Railway Company.

Full details of this award are in the press release issued by the Whitman School of Management.