After more than three decades building a career in supply chain leadership, transportation, warehousing, and fulfillment, Chad Claude has come full circle. A former Ruan team member who began his career with the company 33 years ago, Chad has returned to lead Ruan's newly rebranded Contract Distribution & Fulfillment service line as Vice President. Bringing extensive experience across supply chain operations, he joins Ruan at an exciting time of growth and opportunity. In this People First Spotlight, Chad shares what drew him back to Ruan, his vision for Contract Distribution & Fulfillment, and the trends he believes will shape the future of the industry.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself and the career journey that led you to this role.
After getting my degree in Transportation and Logistics (now called Supply Chain Management) from Iowa State, I started my career with Ruan 33 years ago. I worked here for two years before taking an opportunity with Hormel. I spent 16 years in various roles there in transportation, warehousing, and supply planning and analysis. From there, I spent nearly five years with The Schwan Food Company, leading inventory strategy and cost savings project management. I came back to 3PL with DHL Supply Chain, where I oversaw warehousing for several food companies before starting my own consulting business. I had always wanted to rejoin Ruan and was excited to see this role posted. I am very excited to be back and am very much looking forward to what’s to come.
Q: What made you want to come back to Ruan?
While the company has changed, the feel of a family business (specifically how everyone works together) has not. The vision of working for a solid, growing, Iowa-based business was key to why I kept my eyes open for this opportunity.
Q: What excites you most about serving as Vice President of Contract Distribution & Fulfillment?
Having seen the progression of Ruan, from primarily a rental/lease company to a respected, transportation-focused 3PL, has been exciting. I now see the growth opportunities within Contract Distribution and Fulfillment and am pleased to be part of that.
Q: You have spent much of your career in distribution and fulfillment. What lessons or insights have most influenced your approach to the industry?
Like most things surrounding supply chain, the easy answer is to remain nimble. Opportunities will present themselves through relationships (new and existing), reputation (as a strong provider), and results (driving renewals and expansion). A deeper answer is tied to how supply chain, as a whole, with key emphasis on transportation and warehousing, is the overarching key to business success. Our customers are primarily manufacturers. When we can provide our expertise to let them focus on what they do best, we are all successful.
Q: Our newly named Distribution & Fulfillment service line reflects capabilities we have delivered for years. Why is this work so important to customers today?
The rebranding from Value Added Warehousing to Contract Distribution and Fulfillment is a conscious decision to focus on our capabilities. Warehousing, as a term, is pretty generic. It typically is thought of as running a building, receiving product and sending it back out. Distribution and Fulfillment can (and should be) so much more. Defining ourselves as CD&F opens up the potential positive impacts we can have for our customer. If all they want is a warehouse, there a many providers. Our customers want a company that can act as a trusted partner – providing the extra value we offer.
Q: What industry trends or innovations are you most excited about right now?
Technology advancements in distribution excite me. Not all customers, products, or facilities are set up to take advantage of some of these, but others are. If I were to call out the general category that excites me most, it would dynamic task management. The ability to move activities from one area to another as the need arises allows us to best utilize our greatest asset – our teams. I also get excited seeing autonomous equipment (robotics), upgraded unloading technology, and automatic cycle counting.
Q: As you step into this role, what are your priorities and what does success look like for the team?
My first priority is to learn as much about the operations as I can. Each customer and location has its own flavor, and rarely do you find a one-size-fits-all strategy in this field. Knowing that, there are some foundational keys to that apply to any operation. As we progress, I look to ensure that we are providing the service our customers expect, regardless of what site they are looking at. This includes a unified view of safety, quality, utilization, inventory accuracy, and distribution success. Going forward, setting up a consistency and depth that allows us to take advantage of the opportunities we are presented with will be a good measure of success.
Q: Looking ahead, what do you believe will define the most successful distribution and fulfillment organizations over the next five years?
Ruan has a long history with many of our customers. There is a reason for that – we deliver in a way other companies can’t. I believe that success in any distribution and fulfillment organization can be boiled down to consistency and mutual success. Our customers need us to deliver. We need them to trust our ability to do so. While there will always be trials, how an organization responds and recovers is important. Our customers will value us more if they don’t have to worry about those times – and focus on what they do best so we can do the same.