Franklin Center for Supply Chain Management

H.H. Franklin Center for Supply Chain Management

As one of the earliest endowed transportation programs in the nation, the H.H. Franklin Center for Supply Chain Management's mission is to enhance the University’s position as a nationally recognized leader in supply chain management education and research. In pursuit of this mission, we seek to foster a close community of students, faculty, staff, and practitioners focused on advancing the state of knowledge, engaging the mind, and stimulating the best effort of all. In 2019, the H.H. Franklin Center for Supply Chain Management celebrated its 100th year.

The Franklin Center and its advisory board oversee the annual Harry E. Salzberg Memorial Program.

Board Members Log In Here   Board Members Teams Access

Our Guiding Principles

For students: Provide a challenging and enjoyable environment in which to learn, do and grow. Mentor, place and maintain relationships with them.

For alumni: Provide ongoing career advice and networking opportunities.

For practitioners: Provide services and products to meet your needs, such as internships/co-ops, talented employees, and opportunities to share your experiences with our students and executive education.

For more information on our H.H. Franklin Center for Supply Chain Management, please contact - 

Gary LaPoint, Co-Director 
Assistant Professor of Supply Chain Practice 
(315) 443-3331 
gelapoin@syr.edu


Julie Niederhoff, Co-Director 
Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management
(315) 443-3399 
jniederh@syr.edu

Supply Chain Projects

The faculty and students of Whitman's renowned supply chain program assist companies and organizations from around the world with various supply chain projects. 

Staples Grant and Projects

Whitman received a grant from Staples to conduct two different projects. Under this grant, Whitman students and faculty conducted a data-intensive inventory analysis to maximize operational excellence at Staples fulfillment centers. In addition, the team built a new capacity decision model that considered various disruption risks. 

Crouse Hospital

Each year, more than 1.2 million people are admitted to U.S. hospitals with chronic respiratory illnesses. Their treatment often includes inhaled medications administered three to four times per day by respiratory care practitioners (RCPs) assigned to the patient care unit.  However, due to common medication schedules and lengthy administration times, most hospitals struggle to administer those medications on time.  Whitman faculty and partners addressed the tardiness problem at Crouse Hospital by staggering the scheduled administration times and consolidating the unit-based RCPs into a “swarm” that travels together from care unit to care unit administering inhaled medications.

Since an RCP visits each of the hospital’s care units every day, chronic respiratory patients can be paired with the same RCP whenever they are re-admitted to the hospital. These primary care relationships help enhance the effectiveness of patient education, enable more consistent, comprehensive patient assessments, and support evidence-based care for those patients.  Eighteen months after implementing this chronic care treatment strategy, one 350-bed hospital realized a 24% decrease in the 30-day COPD readmissions rate and a 90% reduction in tardy administration of inhaled medications.

This project was a semi-finalist for the INFORMS 2016 Franz Edelman Award for Achievement in Operations Research and the Management Sciences.

Minnowbrook

Whitman faculty and staff brought together four high-achieving students: Brian Becker, a second-year J.D./MBA, Sandra Carruitero ’16, Kelley Long ’15, and Isaac Signorelli ’15. Students made strategic operational recommendations to improve the struggling University-owned Minnowbrook Conference Center. 

New York State Maple Producers Association

While most consumers associate maple syrup with the state of Vermont, New York produces a significant amount, predicted to be larger than that of its neighboring state. For this project, Whitman School supply chain students and faculty determined how to penetrate high-end retail chains by educating consumers about the local and natural production of high-quality maple syrup obtained in the state of New York, as well as how to expand markets internationally. 

Craftistas

The Craftistas firm sells do-it-yourself craft kits through a subscription system. During the project, Whitman School participants identified the best point at which to switch to a large-scale distribution facility, determined the best way to source ingredients for kits, and explored whether similar subscription kits can be provided in international markets (e.g., South East Asia).

Franklin Advisory Board

The H.H. Franklin Center for Supply Chain Management is served by the Franklin Supply Chain Advisory Board.

Jeff Abeson ‘94- Vice President Business Development, Ryder Supply Chain Solution

Chantel Campbell-Goutcher '94 - General Manager, CSX Transportation

Matthew Eagle ‘92– President/Owner, Eagle Leasing Company

Jorie Fox ‘10- Senior Manager of Supply Chain Integration, True Value Company

Anthony Ilacqua '87 MBA - Mgr, Safety Program Delivery

Nancy Jenkins-Kennedy '77 - Director of Worldwide Parts Operations (retired), IBM

Ronald Leibman '83 MBA - Partner, McCarter & English, LLP

Matthew Menner '94 MBA - Senior Vice President, Transplace

Evan Monahan ‘12– Logistics Consultant, Google

Nicholas Pinchuk - Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Snap-on Inc.

Jason Seidl '93 - Cowen & Company

Paul Svindland '93 - CEO, STG Logistics

Danielle Willmott '15 - Senior Manager for Contract Reporting & Analytics, Johnson & Johnson (Medical Device Sector)

Richard Zarski '76 - Executive Vice President, Fujitsu