Supply chain isn't just about moving boxes. It’s about the human experience.

For too long, our industry has been viewed as a back-office utility. A cost center that simply "makes things happen."

But as Patrick Van Hull, Supply Chain Storyteller & Strategist, explains in this week’s episode, the leaders who win in 2026 aren't just the ones with the best data. They are the ones who can tell the best story about that data.

What We Discuss:

00:00 What it means to be a "supply chain storyteller"

02:11 The pivot table mistake that shut down a mining company

05:02 Why supply chain gets blamed but never gets credit

07:48 "Do good and talk about it" — earning your seat at the table

10:29 When supply chain isn't in the room from day one

12:57 AI hype vs. AI reality in daily operations

15:49 One AI platform or ten disconnected solutions?

18:33 Automating the work that burns people out

21:27 Entry-level roles nobody knows how to define yet

23:47 The new essential skills: Prompting AI and storytelling

26:47 Where to find Patrick Van Hull

Connect with us:

SCOPE Recruiting | https://www.scoperecruiting.com/ Connect with Friddy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fhoegener/ Connect with Evan | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-cave

Connect with Patrick | https://www.linkedin.com/in/pvanhull/

About Procurement Pulse: Real conversations with supply chain and procurement professionals who've been on both sides—building teams, solving problems, and staying ahead of what's coming next.

About SCOPE Recruiting: SCOPE Recruiting is a boutique supply chain recruiting firm where every recruiter is a former supply chain professional. Co-founders Friddy and Melissa, both ex-ABB global category managers, built the company after seeing how many “generalist” recruiters didn’t truly understand supply chain, procurement, or logistics roles.

By hiring professionals first and teaching them recruiting second, SCOPE delivers better matches, higher retention rates, and faster hiring results across manufacturing, procurement, logistics, and supply chain leadership.

If you're building a supply chain team and the usual recruiting approach isn't working, check out scoperecruiting.com.

You hire great people. But three months in, they're struggling. Not because they lack talent because nobody showed them how to succeed in your specific environment.

1,800 learning management systems exist in the market. Most companies either don't have one, use an outdated "Stone Age" system, or have a platform that nobody touches after onboarding.

But here's what changed: AI emerged in 18 months and reshaped every job description. The skills your team had last year aren't enough today. And the "just hire ready-made talent" strategy isn't sustainable when unicorns are rare and expensive.

In this episode, Darryl Fitzpatrick, CRO of Intellek, breaks down why L&D infrastructure isn't just an HR nice-to-have, it's a competitive advantage for talent attraction, retention, and performance.

00:00 Introduction

00:28 What is an LMS and how do companies actually use them?

01:29 Why LMS engagement drops after week two

03:22 Why 300-person companies still don't have learning platforms

05:12 When your LMS is built on old HTML and nobody uses it

07:45 What separates Intellek from 1,800 other LMS platforms

09:24 "We're not ready for new software": What companies are actually saying no to

11:30 Why hiring only experts limits your growth

14:03 First impressions matter: How LMS impacts company culture and retention

18:09 The future of L&D: Alignment, AI, and building unicorns internally

Connect with us:

SCOPE Recruiting | https://www.scoperecruiting.com/

Connect with Friddy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fhoegener/

Connect with Evan | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-cave

Connect with Daryl Fitzpatrick | https://www.linkedin.com/in/darylfitzpatrick/?originalSubdomain=uk

About Procurement Pulse: Real conversations with supply chain and procurement professionals who've been on both sides—building teams, solving problems, and staying ahead of what's coming next.

About SCOPE Recruiting: SCOPE Recruiting is a boutique supply chain recruiting firm where every recruiter is a former supply chain professional. Co-founders Friddy and Melissa, both ex-ABB global category managers, built the company after seeing how many “generalist” recruiters didn’t truly understand supply chain, procurement, or logistics roles.

By hiring professionals first and teaching them recruiting second, SCOPE delivers better matches, higher retention rates, and faster hiring results across manufacturing, procurement, logistics, and supply chain leadership.

If you're building a supply chain team and the usual recruiting approach isn't working, check out scoperecruiting.com.

Your supplier worked perfectly for 10 years. Then overnight, tariffs made them unviable. Now you're scrambling to find alternatives while maintaining quality, delivery, and relationships.

Welcome to 2025's biggest supply chain challenge.

What worked last month is obsolete today. India looked perfect until it wasn't. Mexico had advantages until the rules shifted. And traditional "set it and forget it" supplier strategies are dead.

In this episode of Procurement Pulse, host and SCOPE Recruiting Co-Founder Friddy Hoegener sits down with Flavio Albarino, VP of Procurement at TK Elevator, who's spent over two decades navigating offshore transitions, nearshoring strategies, and supply chain redesigns across multiple continents.

What we discuss:

00:00 Welcome to Procurement Pulse

01:58 Why HTS codes matter more than you think

04:48 The 80/20 strategy: Having vendor options ready before you need them

08:13 When your 10-year supplier relationship hits a tariff wall11:50 Why e-auctions killed your supplier relationships (and when they actually work)

15:24 The "control room" test: How mature is your procurement org?

19:34 AI is making market intelligence 10x faster

21:35 How to become tactical buyer to strategic leader

27:29 What TK Elevator looks for in procurement talent

Connect with us:

SCOPE Recruiting | https://www.scoperecruiting.com/ Connect with Friddy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fhoegener/

Connect with Evan | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-cave

Connect with Flavio Albarino | https://www.linkedin.com/in/flavioalberino/

About Procurement Pulse: Real conversations with supply chain and procurement professionals who've been on both sides—building teams, solving problems, and staying ahead of what's coming next.

About SCOPE Recruiting: SCOPE Recruiting is a boutique supply chain recruiting firm where every recruiter is a former supply chain professional. Co-founders Friddy and Melissa, both ex-ABB global category managers, built the company after seeing how many “generalist” recruiters didn’t truly understand supply chain, procurement, or logistics roles.

By hiring professionals first and teaching them recruiting second, SCOPE delivers better matches, higher retention rates, and faster hiring results across manufacturing, procurement, logistics, and supply chain leadership.

If you're building a supply chain team and the usual recruiting approach isn't working, check out scoperecruiting.com.