Supply Chain, Logistics & Transportation: The Backbone of Global Commerce

In this course students will learn about the basics of supply chain, including activities such as planning, sourcing & procurement, manufacturing, transportation & freight, reverse logistics and supporting technologies. We will explore and go deeper into industries or aspects that students find a connection to (ex: the supply chain of sports or the sustainable supply chain or Gen AI-powered autonomous supply chains). We will hear from guest speakers from companies such as Accenture, DataBank, Capital Group, Deloitte, Gartner, IFC/World Bank, Altana and Amazon, etc. and discuss career opportunities in supply chain, and related areas (finance, marketing, operations, talent, consulting, etc.). Weather and time-permitting, we will look to have a field trip to a warehouse or distribution center (TBD). The class will conclude with a project that asks the students to fuse what they’ve learned with an innovative new idea. (Open to Juniors and Seniors or by instructor approval)



John Atherton graduated from Middlebury College in 1993 with a major in geography, and a minor in studio art. After coaching athletics at the college level, and teaching at a boarding school, he found his way into the world of global supply chains, and has been a practitioner for over 20 years. John has worked for a major global container shipping line, grew a tech start-up from nothing to something, and is now with the biggest consulting firm on the planet. In 2018, John was inducted into the Middlebury College Athletic Hall of Fame (Soccer, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse and Football)./