- Hey, Supply Chain Squad. Welcome back to the She's Supply Chain's podcast. We've got an amazing guest today, Rhonda McKnight. Rhonda is currently driving innovation and operational excellence as a site director at Mars. And her career journey is nothing short of impressive. She's worked at Ann Heiser-Busch, General Mills, Luxodica, and Coca-Cola. Rhonda has a BS and computer engineering from Georgia Tech, where we first met, and an MBA from WashU in St. Louis. But that's not all. She's also a travel enthusiast, a football fan, and a wine lover. We are thrilled to have her on the show today. Welcome, Rhonda. (upbeat music) - Welcome, Rhonda. - Hi. - Hey, guys. - How are you? Do you love Canada? - It's been a while. - It's been a while. - It has been. - The move went okay. - The move went well. I mean, it was a lot involved, which-- - Both no. - I was not thinking that Canada would be all that, but yeah, it was a lot. But I'm through it, so. - Good. - Everything from new license to new social security, their version of social security, and all that kind of stuff. But you guys both know, so. - No one tells you about that. Everyone thinks it's so glamorous. The paperwork alone will take you out. - It's true. And I don't know about y'all, but I had to carry around multiple, multiple copies of small passport photos of me, the whole family, and it was like forever. You want cable? I need a passport photo. - It was like everything. - I had like a packet, a whole bunch of-- - I didn't have a packet of them. I did. - I do have to travel with a binder, and that binder has like my work permit that also has a picture and like all this stuff. And anytime I leave the country and then come back, I have to go to the immigration desk. Like I always get red flagged, me and my husband. And I would go to the immigration desk, show them all our stuff, and then they're like, okay. So it's, yeah, it's a lot. - Well, it's so good to see you. - You're our, Sabrina was our first guest. I was like, we have all the Georgia Tech people coming in like full, full circle. - I love it. - So we're gonna jump right in. So Katie and I both met Rhonda at like separate times. - Yeah. - And it's so, it is so weird how it's all full circle. So Rhonda and I met in college, and then Katie and Rhonda, I think you guys made it, and has her book, right? - Yeah, and that can save me less. - Correct. - So with that, Rhonda, tell us about yourself, your background, personally, professionally. - Yeah, so I'm originally from Georgia, which you might hear in the accent a little bit. At least everybody here says I have an accent. I'm a Georgia Tech grad, as Courtney mentioned. Yes, and yellow jackets. I've been in industry now, and believe it or not, for 20 years, which is kind of crazy. I've had the privilege of working with several large CPG companies. So I started my career at Amha's or Bush, which is where I met Katie. And then I spent time also at General Mills, Coca-Cola, and now I'm at Mars. So most people hear Mars, and they're like, "What is that?" But Mars makes Snickers, M&Ms, Skittles, Starburst, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. So all your chocolate candy favorites. So now I'm a site director with Mars here in a new market, Canada, which is about 40 minutes outside of Toronto. Personally, I am also newly married. Congrats. So-- - Yes, congratulations. - Yes, thank you. Thank you, one year down. So married for one year now. Yeah, I think that's me. I love to travel. That's where all my money goes. And I would say most of my family is still down in the Southeast. - All right. And Rhonda, so how did you get into supply chain? Was this your plan? Or did you just fall into it? How did you start on your career path? - Yeah, this was not the plan. So, graduating from Georgia Tech, I had a degree in electrical and computer engineering. So in my mind, I was going to be, you know, write Disney movies. That's what I wanted to do. - Right in the middle of Disney movies. - Yeah, I'll either work for one of the gaming companies at the time, which were really big, you know, making video games. So that was what I had in my mind. But I start spending time at career fairs and talking to different companies. And, you know, when I talked to Inhauser-Busch, it was interesting to me just like, yeah, so I know this product and see it all the time, but there are positions, there are people that are actually making this happen. So it was a bit of intrigue. And then once I started, which was, my first position was a group manager, which I think for most people, they'd call it a supervisor or like a production lead, something like that. I mean, I really enjoyed, you know, working with a team, having these goals and targets that I was trying to achieve, and then figuring out like how to get better every day. So I'm a bit competitive because I'm a pass athlete, it's just a little. So I think that kind of played into that mindset of like, okay, how do we win today? And, you know, how do we get better than we were yesterday? And I think that really started to get me more and more interested in this work I was doing and exploring supply chain even further. - All right, Rhonda. So you see a stranger walking down the street and they're like, what do you do? How would you describe it? - I would probably say I bring the thing that you're eating your favorite candy or your favorite beer or your favorite cereal. I bring that to life. So, you know, there's a whole world to bring that from ingredients to you putting it in your mouth. And I'm one of the key pieces in bringing that product to life. - Perfect and simple. You make a sound so beautiful. - I do. And I would say to you like, we all say, thank you. When I have that secret Snickers bar, I'm like, thank you Rhonda. (both laughing) All right, so you're a site director now. You sort of have grown up and worked in manufacturing across a lot of different places. I think sometimes people hear manufacturing and if they're not familiar with it, there might be some misconceptions. Maybe people, some people think it like is like, oh, it's like pumping out a bunch of widgets. I think sometimes people think it like that. I love Lucy's show where she's like, popping chocolates in her mouth. I don't know. But what do you think are some of those misconceptions that are out there? And then what would you say is more like realistic and more typical of what you see in manufacturing? - Yeah, I think a lot of people have a view of manufacturing that's dated. So, you know, they think dirty, grimy, pushing a button or just a super manual type environment that is kind of like the last resort type of job. But the reality is, and I know the both of you are aware of this is, you know, sites manufacturing are becoming highly automated. Digitization plays a big part of most company strategies these days. So, when I go out, which I was just a bit ago and I walk out on the floor and I'm talking to associates, they are pulling up trending and looking at their dashboards to tell me how things are going for today or decisions that they plan to make based on deviations. So, we're looking at things and being a lot more proactive. It's not a world of just a lot of French turners or people kind of being, you know, super reactive and going home like beak down every day. But instead, we're using AI to be predictive and adjustments that need to be made to keep tolerances tight for a chocolate bar as an example. So, the world is very different and I will say engineering particularly plays a heavy role and how we've started to advance and improve that overall landscape in a manufacturing site. And I think now we just have to get that message out so people understand what manufacturing looks like in 2024. - So, you talked about automation and technology, how quickly it's evolving. And so, you've talked a little bit about how you're seeing it impact manufacturing today. So, how do you think that's gonna look in the next five to 10 years and how do you see the workforce adapting to those advancements? - Yeah, I think so right now, I think a lot of the digitization, at least that I'm seeing and that most companies are comfortable with moving towards is equipment related. So, they may be looking at automatic truck loading or automated guided vehicles that are moving pallets or, you know, that sort of thing or some of the AI that I mentioned, I think in a lot of areas is still in early development and people are having learnings that they can apply more broadly. Where I think we're gonna go is even going further when you look at things like virtual reality, how do we use virtual reality to start training associates? So, instead of using man hours or downtime, out in production to take someone and train them, like how can we put them in a conference room setting where we've completely landscaped and created a virtual view of our equipment to learn how they're supposed to do a change-up. So, those sorts of things and I think it falls hand in hand with how our generations are changing. A lot more people are used to using their phone, their iPad, and they live in the world of digital. So, I think we have to play to that as we look at how we attract talent and retain them. So, I think we're gonna be moving it even further, like not just equipment based, but how do we use this new landscape and mindset to really target our associates? - I think that's a really good point, Rhonda, because I think especially as we look at the workforce, we can't expect them to come into our workforces and use pencil and paper when that's not how people are engaging things. And so, I do think that is a huge retention tool and to just as we hire as well. So, that's a really good call. - Very modernizing for the incoming workforce, yeah. - Absolutely. So, as you think about that, 'cause I think this is another maybe, even with all the misconceptions about it as being old and grimy, there's all this technology, there's all this automation, and there's still people involved in all of this. And so, what do you, was you think about like your day to day, what are some of the, as you're working with like these big teams, as you're thinking about the future of your site, and you're thinking through digitization and automation, what are some of the challenges that you sometimes come across? And then I wanna finish it, 'cause I think it's a little positive. And what are some of like kind of rewarding experiences you also get from working and manufacturing site? - Yeah, I think the daily challenge that I'm still trying to figure out if we'll ever get away from is, there's this dynamic relationship when you work in manufacturing between the business and your customers. And how do you continue to deliver and be that great business partner, to the brands, to the company that you're committed to supporting, while also being that voice for the customer and making sure that they consistently get the products that they need, because like I said earlier, we're bringing the products to life, right? So it's a problem when someone goes to buy their favorite candy and it's not there. So I think that's always the challenge, because you're always gonna have upsets in a manufacturing environment. There's always gonna be kind of the issue or problem of the day that you need to solve for. And there's these constant little battles of like, how do you keep winning? And how do you create the sustainability within your team, within your ways of working and your culture, that you're able to overcome those problems when they arise? Now, the little joys that I find throughout the day is the moments where you see someone really applying or using coaching that you gave them. Because I feel like at this point in my career, I do a lot of coaching. My role is to be the super coach and to remove barriers. So, you know, when I'm spending time and whether it's in meetings, on the floor, through other interactions, just supporting the team, giving them feedback sometimes, and then also praise and encouragement, and then seeing them take that and be able to go five times further. That's where I have my little joys and my little moments feeling like a proud auntie of like, all right, we're on our way because it has to be bigger than me. So, when I'm not here, when I'm doing whatever else, people have to be able to continue to move the ball in my absence. - Okay, so I love this, 'cause I think this is actually one of the things that if people aren't familiar with manufacturing, they don't realize how people-centric it is. Even with all the automation, even with all the digitization, it's still about developing people, developing a team to solve these problems. And I love that you call them joys, like this is the joy that you find, and can't think of a more differential experience and like developing your own leadership skills, your own team, like being a great teammate too, than working in manufacturing, 'cause of all the things that you just said. - Oh yeah, because you think about it, you've got, as a side director, have my leadership team, that I'm coaching and developing on their own journeys. They are also leading their own respective functional teams. And, you know, it really does take the whole village to come together to have the right strategies and really be able to deliver on both ends, because we are delivering for the business and our customers, but then, as I always remind them, we're delivering for our associates. They come to work every day. This is their livelihood, their way that they support their families. So we always have to make good decisions and put them in a position to win, so that they can continue to do that and have that stability in their lives. - That's such a good perspective. - It is, it resonates so much, I get excited about this, because this is where I really think working in supply chain, like you're impacting a community, you're impacting the world around you, not just by bringing these products to life, but literally the entire community around that manufacturing site, I love it. - Okay, we're gonna jump to talk about intersectionality, Rhonda, so navigating race and gender in supply chain. We wanna talk about that within manufacturing and how have you navigated and what advice would you give to aspiring black women who want to follow in your footsteps? - I'll say, I think the way that I've navigated, and sometimes, honestly, I feel like I'm still trying to figure out my path and that respect, because it's not always so straightforward. But I think, you know, the kind of the key thing that I've done is making sure that I build a network of allies, and that network of allies looks very different. So, I have, you know, my African-American female members of that circle that I can go to to talk about very specific things that I'm going through, or that I need a, I just need feedback on, am I thinking about this too hard? Am I being sensitive? At the same time, in that network, I have white males that I go and I talk to and give them some of the same perspective, so they understand what I'm thinking and why this might be something that's sensitive or triggers me. So, I use this circle as my, you can call it my board of directors or my little team wrong if you will, but, you know, it's been a good way for me to have conversations that I need to make sure that I can progress and work through different challenges that I've faced. And at the same time, I use the same circle to educate and to bring other people perspective on how someone like me might be affected by something. - Yeah, I think it's super important 'cause I would say some of my best allies did not look like me at all. And I do think sometimes it's easy to surround yourself with people that look and think like you. And so, I do think it's a good, good reminder to have that full circle of your board of directors or your team, Rhonda, team Courtney, team Katie. I think that's super important. As you talk about your network, Rhonda, can you share about your experience as a board member for women in manufacturing? - Yes, so during my time at Coca-Cola, my role was the director of process improvement for Coca-Cola North America. An opportunity came about to speak on a panel. And I can't remember the topic, but it was related to women in the workplace or women in technical roles. While we were preparing for that panel, I met the other panelists in Allison Grayless, which is who's the founder and president of women in manufacturing, was also on the panel. So in just the interaction of being in the same place, we were able to form a connection. And from there, we started to talk more about women in manufacturing, which of course sparked interest for me. And I also saw a need and an opportunity for at Coca-Cola. So with that common interest, then we started to talk about how I could further be involved and support the broader mission. And that's how I started my board membership with women in manufacturing, which after a year became a member of the executive committee for women in manufacturing. I was the treasurer of the London. - So kind of coming back to networks then, that story you told, I think highlights, all of you listening out there. Rhonda is one of these people that just connects with others really well. And I think it's because you were genuine, you were truly curious about getting to know other people. So can you talk a little bit about, as you've moved across companies, how do you build your new network and still maintain your existing network? How do you do that, any thoughts? - Yeah, and I think it builds off of just what you say, Katie, my curiosity. I use it to my advantage. So as you've heard, I've changed companies a few times. Now, and I'm always very intentional in the beginning of understanding the lay of the land. Like who are my stakeholders? Who really is going to care? Or I'm going to need to have common connections with or drive a similar agenda or really trying to map out all those roles and who's sitting in those roles. And from there, I always make it a point of early on, first 30 days, 45 days, making connections with those people. And you know how it is. When someone's new, everybody's wondering, I wonder what this person's about. Or I wonder how they think about this or what they're going to do with this strategy or what their approach is going to be. So I make it easy. So they're not wondering, I set up a one-on-one, do my introduction and let them hear my sweet Georgia voice. And then, you know, and then it's a lot easier as I'm coming up to speed to come back to them and say, "Hey, you know, we spoke about this before. "Now that I've got a good informed opinion, "I want to talk about it further." It's always easier to do that after you've already broken the ice. So I think for me, it starts with that kind of stakeholder mapping and really understanding who those folks are. And it's simple after that, it's starting with an introduction and making, you know, kind of taking the tension out of having a new person. - Even your approach, one of the little nuggets I just got there for me was, even as you're building that stakeholder map and you're thinking about like, "Who will I need to know and get to know?" You frame up the conversation as, what are they probably wondering about me? Like, how can I ease their mind and how can I establish trust? Like, you're already framing it up from like, what might their point of view be and how can I help? How can I help ease that for them? I appreciate that. - 'Cause I'm sure as even as I think about coming here to Newmarket, so I had worked with this team for the last three years in my previous role as the MSC director. So I had exposure to them. They had some exposure to me, but obviously coming in now as their leader is a different tone, right? Then we come in popping in for site visits. So, you know, at the very beginning, I think it was important for me to at least be ready to answer some basic questions, give them some ideas on ways of working or what's important to me, you know? What are three things that's important to Rhonda? Just putting that in the atmosphere right away. So at least there's a bit of, okay, at least I know how she likes to be communicated to her or I know, you know, how best to approach her. Does she need a pre-read or does she, she's okay if I just pop up at her desk? So, you know, I think just doing those small things, at least kind of helps to ease people as they're also making a transition just like you are. - Okay Rhonda, now those are the hard questions. Now we're gonna get into the fun advice questions. So you talked about your passion for travel and can you please talk about how you got into the right getaway and like how that's progressed for you and how that matches with your passion for travel. And also for our listeners, what's your favorite place to travel? 'Cause Rhonda has been like everywhere. So we wanna hear that as well. - Yes, so the right getaway. So, you know, this purely came from a passion to travel and also a passion to help other people see the world. 'Cause I'm, you know, you guys both know, I grew up small town. Most people that, you know, I grew up with and that, you know, I had exposure to, did not, you know, go out of the country, certainly when we were younger. They didn't take big trips, maybe drive to Florida, you know, or go to Atlanta. So it, you know, it was not something that I grew up experiencing. However, I was a really good softball player in high school and in 11th grade or 10th, I was able to play for a national, U.S. national team and go over to Amsterdam and play a number of teams in Europe when I was 16. - I did not know this either. - This is like, we find out more secret information of people that we think we know. And then I'm like, I don't know, you would all run. - Yeah. - No, just, I thought it was just correct. - Yeah, so I stayed in the app, no, softballs. - Okay. - So I ended up playing over there for a whole summer, but I just loved the experience of being in this totally new place, like eating different foods, going to museums. And I mean, it ignited something within me. And since then, especially since I started making money 'cause in college, I was just broke. But after that, like, I was like, this is like, it's important for me to see the world and learn about other cultures. And after, you know, really thinking a few years back about my passion for travel and helping other people, I was, I thought, there's something there and I'm just gonna explore it and see what happens. And now the right getaway is booming, like, has stats. - That's so amazing. - That is incredible, Rhonda, like, incredible. - Thank you, thank you. It really is like, that's my little baby right now. - Katie, this podcast is our new baby. - It is, it is, it feels like it. Yes, I'm loving it. - That's amazing, Rhonda. So proud of you. - Yeah. - It was so great to have you, Rhonda, and so good to see you and-- - I know. - Congratulations. - I know, he's gonna see you guys' face. It's been amazing. - I know, we gotta do this more often. You can come back, come back on the show. - See you. - Bye guys. - See you. - Thanks for joining us on the She Supply Chains podcast. We had an incredible chat with Rhonda about the ups and downs of working and manufacturing. She shared some great insights into the dynamic relationship between the business, customers, and consistently delivering top-notch products. A huge shout-out to our producer, Alistair Lachan, and you, our amazing listeners. If you enjoy the podcast, please rate, review, and share the love. Stay tuned for our next episode with Jen Tracy from ColliPower, where she'll dive into the world of startups and mindfulness amidst the chaos of supply chain. See you soon, supply chain squad. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) [BLANK_AUDIO]
