Advisory Board

Each board member brings a unique perspective and deep industry background, which shapes and informs the editorial content of Distribution Center Management each month.

It is an honor to have the support of this esteemed group of colleagues and advisors.

Mike Coronado
Distribution Director
The Container Store
www.containerstore.com

Mike Coronado has twenty years of experience in overall distribution management. He has spent the past five years with The Container Store in the role of Distribution Director. The company’s 810,000-square-foot centralized distribution center in Coppell, Texas, supports the 38-store chain. Mike’s past experience includes responsibility for multiple distribution centers throughout North America.

Rick Goone
Distribution Center Manager
Weekenders USA, Inc.
www.weekenders.com

Rick Goone is distribution center manager for Weekenders, where he oversees the distribution of product and all fulfillment operations. Previously, Rick spent more than 15 years in various supply chain, transportation, and distribution management capacities at companies such as TDK Corporation and ABF Freight System. While an operations manager at Kanebridge Corporation, he successfully eliminated the need for overtime, developed parameters for a same-day shipping policy, and helped design and integrate computer systems to efficiently route orders to the correct distribution facility.

Pat Kelley
Founder
Labor Development Group
www.labordevelopmentgroup.com

Pat Kelley is founder and CEO of the Labor Development Group, a consulting firm based on the concept of dramatically increasing distribution center productivity and quality by using the Simplified Gainsharing incentive system. He is also the Director of Logistics for True Value Hardware, the corporate umbrella for three hardware co-ops: True Value, Servistar, and Coast to Coast Hardware. He has been with True Value for 28 years, performing nearly every position in the logistics organization. In the early 1990s he ran True Value’s corporate Human Resources department for four years, then returned to logistics. Currently he oversees seven DCs with dotted line responsibility for the other six DCs in True Value’s network.

Susan Rider
President
Rider & Associates
www.riderandassociates.net

Susan Rider is president of Rider & Associates a consulting firm specializing in supply chain, operations and marketing consulting. The firm also specializes in training in sales, leadership and software. Previously she was executive vice president at RedPrairie a leading WMS supply chain software company and vice president at Manhattan Associates. Her expertise is unique because she has been on both the software side and the operational design/automation side while vice president of a systems design company and material handling company. She has been in this industry for twenty years and is a past-president and former board member of WERC. She currently serves on the editorial advisory board for Modern Materials Handling, on the board of directors of CSCMP, is a featured brain trust panelist for RetailWire, and a sought after speaker on motivational, and supply chain and logistics issues.

Geoff Sisko
Assistant Vice President
TranSystems | Gross & Associates
www.transystems.com

Geoff Sisko is an assistant vice president with TranSystems | Gross & Associates, where he has undertaken assignments in a variety of industries including soft goods, toys, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food ingredients, aviation, and marine supplies. His assignments have included projects in China, Mexico, Canada and Brazil. Prior to joining TranSystems | Gross & Associates Jeff received his MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University and spent 24 years in operations work, which included experience in manufacturing, distribution, production and inventory control, construction management, and general management. Jeff is a frequent speaker at national conferences and professional societies in addition to presenting the workshop Maximizing Warehouse Space for WERC. He is also the author of A Complete Guide to Pallet Storage Systems, published by WERC.

Thomas L. Tanel
President and CEO
CATTAN Services Group
www.cattan.com

Thomas Tanel is president and CEO of CATTAN Services Group, a logistics advisory, counseling and training firm. With 35 plus years of experience, he offers a seasoned perspective on distribution and has an international reputation as a subject matter expert, consultant, and seminar leader. He is a recipient of a number of prestigious honors, including the Transportation Management Field Award and the Physical Distribution Field Award, bestowed by the Society of Logistics Engineers (SOLE), as well as the Advanced Professional Designation in Logistics Management, jointly conferred by the Air Force Institute of Technology and SOLE. Having been certified in Transportation and Logistics, he has served as Director of Education for the American Society of Transportation and Logistics. He has also been designated a Lifetime Certified Purchasing Manager by the Institute of Supply Management, and is currently vice chair for the ISM’s Logistics and Transportation Group. He also is a member of WERC’s Education Committee.

Jim Tompkins
President and CEO
Tompkins Associates
www.tompkinsinc.com

Jim Tompkins is president and CEO of Tompkins Associates, a leader in total supply chain consulting and integration. For more than 30 years, his practical expertise and leadership have helped hundreds of companies worldwide achieve Supply Chain Excellence. Jim received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering in 1969, his Master of Science in Industrial Engineering in 1970, and his Ph.D. in 1972, all from Purdue University. He is the 1984 recipient of the Reed-Apple Award from the Material Handling Education Foundation, the past president of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, the Material Handling and Management Society, and the College-Industry Council on Material Handling Education. He is a 1999 recipient of the Distinguished Engineer Award from Purdue University’s School of Engineering. Jim is also a 1999 inductee in Modern Materials Handling’s Hall of Fame.