You have shared how much you enjoy our guest writers, and this week, I am especially honored to have our media partner, supply chain expert and friend Scott Luton from Supply Chain Now share his thoughts and encourage everyone to celebrate National Supply Chain Day® on Wednesday, April 29. He will even feature our very own AME Board chair, Billy Taylor, as one of his guests on the podcast that day.
Scott Luton
Scott Luton is the founder and CEO of Supply Chain Now, the #1 voice of Supply Chain. Supply Chain Now is an award-winning global digital content platform dedicated to the global supply chain industry and its robust community. At the heart of the platform is the almost-daily Supply Chain Now podcast, which has landed on podcast leadership charts in over 60 countries.
With over 20 years of extensive experience in the end-to-end supply chain, Scott has become a recognized global thought leader in the industry. His insights have been featured in major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and CNN. In 2024, Thinkers360 named him the #1 Global Thought Leader and Supply Chain Influencer. Additionally, Supply & Demand Chain Executive recognized him as a Supply Chain Pro to Know in both 2019 and 2025, and he has also been recognized by RateLinx, ISCEA and other organizations for his industry leadership.
Scott is a proud United States Air Force veteran, and since transitioning to civilian life in 2002, he has been committed to supporting the veteran community through various initiatives.
The Dirt Road and the people who make it all happen
Written by Scott Luton
Growing up, I enjoyed one of the best luxuries in life: I lived in the same town as all four of my grandparents. Looking back, I’m not sure I knew how special that was at the time, but I sure do know it now.
Dick Rutland was my mother’s father and one of the most important role models in my life. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about him. My granddad worked long, irregular hours in retail for years. So when Kimberly-Clark opened a new factory in Beech Island, South Carolina in 1968, it captured his attention. The pay and benefits with the new jobs were attractive. But most important for my granddad was the fixed hours, so he could spend more time with his family. That’s what appealed to him the most.
Some of that time was spent with all his grandkids, like me. Just down from his house, there was the famous Dirt Road. We walked down this road countless times with my granddad, sharing stories, looking at birds and saying “hey” to neighbors. In fact, I largely learned how to ride a bike down this special path here. It was one of those banana-seat bikes from the 1970s, with a few gears that I’d never learn to use. Granddad pushed the bike from the back, then ran beside me to make sure I didn’t run off the road and get hurt. That’s a special role that grandparents play in a larger sense, I imagine.
While it’s paved now, that sacred stretch is still there in my hometown of Aiken, SC.
The ol’ Dirt Road in Aiken, SC
Dick Rutland would work for almost 20 years as a machine operator at the Beech Island Mill for Kimberly-Clark, which is currently the company’s largest manufacturing site in the world. He was a hard-working, values-driven, talented professional, like so many good folks who make up the global manufacturing and supply chain industries.
Even in this golden age of business technology, it is still the beautiful human factor that gets stuff done each and every day. It is nothing short of amazing in terms of the modern conveniences that consumers enjoy in this current chapter of civilization, isn’t it?
The celebration of the human spirit really speaks to the heart of why Mary Kate Love [Supply Chain Now’s president] envisioned a day when we’d recognize not only a global industry but the masses of wonderful people who enable it all to happen.
National Supply Chain Day® (NSCD) returns on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, with Supply Chain Now, bringing together professionals across the industry for an annual celebration dedicated to recognizing and elevating the people, processes and innovations that keep the world moving.
Established in 2020, National Supply Chain Day® was created as a way to lift the supply chain industry up and propel it forward by spotlighting the stories, leaders and breakthroughs that shape global commerce. What began as a single-day celebration has grown into an industry-wide movement that continues to inspire pride, visibility and momentum across the profession.
It’s important to note that we view the supply chain industry in the most holistic of ways: Plan-Source-Make-Move-Warehouse-Deliver-Return (as a simple example). Of course, the manufacturing industry plays a critical role in global supply chains and the global economy, for that matter. We’d love to have a wide variety of manufacturing professionals join us for a special day of programming. In fact, we welcome all of the AME community to join us, no matter what industry you may work in.
We are incredibly fortunate to be featuring one of my favorite business leaders that I’ve ever met: Mr. Billy Ray Taylor. Many of our friends at AME will know Billy as a dynamic keynote speaker who challenges leaders to elevate their game. He is a masterful storyteller (I love his anecdotes that feature his mother) and the author of the terrific bestseller, “The Winning Link: A Proven Process to Define, Align, and Execute Strategy at Every Level”.
New for NSCD 2026, we will be featuring several awards that will recognize innovation, lifetime leadership and organizations that “give forward” in meaningful ways.
On behalf of our Supply Chain Now team, I invite you to join us for National Supply Chain Day®. Learn more here.
Or find a way to celebrate the Dick Rutlands of the world in your own neck of the woods.
And a big thanks to Kim Humphrey and the entire AME community for continuing to serve such a noble mission that creates so much opportunity for professionals and organizations everywhere.
Thank you, Scott, for sharing your story. I have wonderful memories of my own “ol’ dirt road” in Wayland, Massachusetts, with my grandparents and great grandparents, who gave me that same sense of values and work ethic.
We truly appreciate you and your entire team at Supply Chain Now, and we look forward to celebrating National Supply Chain Day®.
As always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
