Food Logistics Names Chris Smith and Brandon Anderson as Recipients of the 2024 Rock Stars of the Supply Chain Award
Dublin, Ohio—Feb. 12, 2024 — Food Logistics, the only publication exclusively dedicated to covering the movement of products through the global cold food supply chain, named Chris Smith, EVP of Warehouse Operations, and Brandon Anderson, Director of Transportation at FST Logistics, recipients of this year’s Rock Stars of the Supply Chain award, which recognizes influential individuals in the industry whose achievements, hard work, and vision have shaped the global cold food supply chain.
Chris Smith was recognized for the Lifetime Achievement Award. This award honors company leaders who’ve contributed to the supply chain space. With over 40 years of experience in warehouse operations, Smith’s receiving this award does not come as a surprise. A recent initiative showcasing his unique abilities is opening two additional warehouses and onboarding three customers at FST, the largest in FST history. This rapid growth required FST’s Warehouse division to expand its headcount by over 50%. Navigating this in standard marketing conditions would be challenging enough, but doing so with the extended lead times still a part of the recovery from the pandemic and record-low unemployment in Columbus made it more difficult. Chris turned to his experience and devised a plan while incorporating several cross-functional teams within FST. While the success of this was indeed a team effort, Chris’s leadership and experience once again was the “X-factor” in helping everyone at FST be successful. We are very fortunate to have Chris and cannot thank him enough for his fantastic knowledge and growth mindset for the business.
Brandon Anderson was recognized with the Rising Star Award. This award recognizes influential individuals in the industry whose achievements, hard work, and vision have shaped the global cold food supply chain. During his time after FST, Anderson launched a fuel efficiency program, leveraging technology to monitor and provide real-time cost-saving solutions. Through driver training, route optimization, and vehicle maintenance enhancements, the program reduces fuel consumption across the fleet, resulting in cost savings and a decreased carbon footprint. This initiative, among many others, shows Anderson’s bright future at FST and within the industry.
“Supply chain rock stars are the backbone of the cold food chain. The words used to describe many of this year’s winners range from collaborative, passionate, innovative, and forward-thinking to inspired, driven, and dependable,” says Marina Mayer, editor-in-chief of Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive. “New this year, we broke the award into four distinct categories: Top Warehousing Stars, Top Shippers, Rising Stars, and Lifetime Achievement. These winners continue to go above and beyond to improve food safety, enhance efficiency, and disrupt supply chain disruptions.”
This year’s award recipients will be profiled in Food Logistics’ Jan/Feb 2024 print issue and at http://www.FoodLogistics.com.
Go to https://foodl.me/u2nlsbsl to view the complete list of winners. Go to https://www.foodlogistics.com/awards to learn more about other Food Logistics awards.
