Over the years, Thanksgiving has taken on many different meanings: an opportunity to express thanks, a showing of appreciation for family and community, a way to teach young people about our traditions and values. But as the holiday evolves, one thing stays the same: Thanksgiving is about gathering together.

Everyone here at ASCM knows that it is our partnerships, our relationships and our bonds with others that enable the important work we do. With the shared purpose of strengthening supply chains, we gather together to create a better world every single day.

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I can’t help but reflect on a groundbreaking 2019, made possible by our connection with others. This season, I give thanks for

• the volunteers and staff members who helped launch ASCM, with the goal of creating a better world through supply chain via learning and development, corporate transformation, and making an impact.
• everyone who helped us build ASCM’s strong foundation — 60 years of industry-leading APICS certifications, education and training
• our world-class partners and global alliances, including Accenture, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Deloitte and PwC, that collaborate with us to fuel opportunities for end-to-end supply chain innovation, deliver essential products and services to people across the globe, and transform supply chain management for today’s increasingly interconnected and digital world
• Carey Lohrenz, the first female F-14 Tomcat Fighter Pilot, who shared lessons learned from her career in the cockpit at Mach 2 in order to help ASCM 2019 attendees build stronger teams
• the new ASCM Foundation, the philanthropic channel of ASCM that is building frontier and humanitarian supply chains; fostering K-12 supply chain, STEM and career awareness; advancing supply chain workforces; and driving diversity and inclusion in the industry
• the talented students from Harvey-Mudd College, who inspired us all with their winning presentation in the 2019 ASCM Case Competition
• all of you who took the time to respond to our 2019 Supply Chain Salary and Career Report and indicated that, overwhelmingly, supply chain professionals love their jobs
• supply chain leaders from Petrobras, our inaugural ASCM Enterprise Certification designee, for their dedication to environmental, ethical and economic supply chain excellence
• The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, for its grant, which ASCM will use to develop a transformational learning program to support supply chain organizational strength-building activities in Africa
• and of course, supply chain professionals, especially our members from all across the globe who are shaping the future of supply chain each and every day.

On behalf of all of us at ASCM, we wish you a joyful Thanksgiving as you gather with family and friends in gratitude.