This interview will be on “St. Louis on the Air” at noon Wednesday. This story will be updated after the show. You can listen live.
George Zsidison studied political science and music in college. But he also participated in the U.S. Army ROTC, and after serving as a quartermaster of logistics in the military as a young man, he strayed from his initial academic interests. He re-entered civilian life equipped with a different sort of skillset, one he soon put to use in the world of supply chain management and research.
The supply chain is an aspect of life many people take entirely for granted — except when local stores run out of, say, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and food staples. But it’s also a critical system that, even before 2020, has often meant the difference between life and death.
August Jennewein
And if you ask Zsidison, who now spends much of his time instructing aspiring supply chain professionals, he’ll tell you the job security within the industry is also a plus.
“People will always need stuff,” he explained. “So I figured if I could get into a field where there’s always going to be a demand for it, well, that makes sense to me.”
Zsidison, who directs the Supply Chain Risk and Resilience Institute at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, will join St. Louis on the Air host Sarah Fenske on Wednesday for a closer look at the supply chain — and at St. Louis’ geographical importance as a multimodal hub within it.
He’ll also discuss why he hopes the new attention to his industry amid the COVID-19 crisis makes its importance more visible to the general public — “all the work, the warehouses, the people working in retail, all the people doing deliveries” to keep life running smoothly.
Zsidison joined UMSL as its John W. Barriger III Professor of Supply Chain Risk and Resilience in August 2019.
Have a question or comment about the supply chain? Is there a particular consumer good shortage this year that has you thinking a bit more about the importance of this field? Tweet us (@STLonAir), send an email to [email protected] or share your thoughts via our St. Louis on the Air Facebook group, and help inform our coverage.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
