A final farewell

In March of this year, President & CEO of The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Rick Blasgen announced his retirement after 15 years with the organization. The CSCMP Board of Directors named Mark Baxa, previous chairman of the CSCMP Board and current president and CEO of FerniaCreek Global Supply Chain Consulting Group as interim CEO for the organization. Blasgen has written our publication’s Direct Connection column for the past 14 years as well. In honor of his service to CSCMP and} CSCMP’s Supply Chain Quarterly magazine, we wish him all the best and would like to leave our readers with his final farewell column.

How could I have known that when I said, “2020 would kick off the decade of supply chain” from a stage in Anaheim, California, in 2019, that truer words would never be spoken. As an optimist, I am always looking for the silver lining, and despite the unpredictable and challenging year we just had, it was amazing to witness the words “supply chain” become part of daily commentary on a mass scale. Those that had never uttered the terms before are now talking about global supply chains and are aware of things like demand planning, inventory management, and logistics. It has also become clear what we at CSCMP have known all along—the economic powerhouse of supply chain management.

There is never a perfect time for a leadership transition, but even as I make plans for the next phase of my life, I am confident and proud of the team to whom I entrust the bright future of CSCMP. This is an emotional and challenging thing for me to do, as CSCMP, the supply chain community, and the professionals we serve have been the focus of my energy for the last 15 years. The awareness of what goes on within today's supply chain has grown significantly and will prove beneficial to our discipline and the professionals serving within it for a long time to come.

CSCMP is an amazing community and has become part of my life. My entire career has been enmeshed in this dynamic arena of supply chain management, with a desire to instill passion and commitment to those hungry for personal and professional excellence. I am proud to have been part of serving each of you in some way over my tenure. I have always been impressed with our staff, our terrific volunteers, and their talent and determination to serve the CSCMP member community. I am inspired by the breadth and diversity of our members, from individuals to companies, across all functions of the end-to-end supply chain, countries, and people of all backgrounds and age groups.

It has been my honor and privilege to serve CSCMP for the last 15 years. I wish you well and hope our paths cross along our supply chain journey.

All my best,

Rick Blasgen

CSCMP President and CEO