BridgePort Group Participates in USMCA and Global Supply Chain Discussions in Mexico
Cleveland, Ohio – BridgePort Group, LLC (BPG) was honored to be selected as a key participant in a distinguished gathering of U.S. academics, government officials, corporate leaders, and small businesses in Mexico to discuss the evolving landscape of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the future of global supply chains and international trade.
The visit, led by Dr. Nick Vyas, included exclusive tours of leading Mexican companies such as Fisher & Paykel, a medical device manufacturer; RSI, a prominent Mexican supplier; Collins Aerospace, a global leader in aerospace technology; and Skyworks, a semiconductor company driving innovation in wireless connectivity.
As a small business dedicated to advancing supply chain and logistics solutions, BPG was proud to represent the unique challenges and opportunities facing small enterprises in this crucial trade dialogue. The discussions also explored the potential impact of the incoming U.S. administration’s decisions on public policy and trade, ensuring small businesses have a voice in shaping the future of commerce across North America.
BPG’s participation underscored its commitment to the principle of “Think Globally, Act Locally.”
Andre Bryan, Managing Partner, representing BPG at the event, actively engaged in presentations, Q&A sessions, and roundtable discussions, contributing insights on how international trade policies impact small businesses as a critical element of supply chains.
“Participating in these discussions is essential to ensuring that small businesses remain competitive in an increasingly complex global trade environment,” said Andre. “BPG is committed to advocating for policies that create opportunities for small enterprises while strengthening North America’s supply chain resilience.”
The visit fostered meaningful collaborations between industry leaders, policymakers, and small businesses, laying the groundwork for continued dialogue and strategic partnerships that will drive sustainable trade and economic growth in the region.
For more information about BridgePort and Andre Bryan’s participation in the summit, please visit, www.bridgeportgroup.solutions.
About BridgePort Group, LLC: ** BridgePort is a 4PL global consultancy specializing in enterprise-level Agile, DevOps, and Automation solutions. With 20+ years of experience, we provide innovative solutions, certification training, and managed services to help clients achieve digital transformation and operational excellence worldwide. As a small, minority, veteran-owned business, BridgePort is committed to driving innovation, resilience, and sustainability in supply chain operations.
Students Forecast Long-Term Strategic Growth Using GIS Mapping Technology
By engaging tomorrow’s leaders, sponsors of a case competition gain actionable perspectives and critical data to expand its number of site locations that serve marginalized populations resulting in a positive impact on public healthcare, while addressing chronic illnesses and healthcare disparities.
Cleveland, OH – A team of six University of Southern California (USC) Master of Science in Business Analytics(MSBA) graduate students were the top winners in the third annual case competition hosted by the Marshall School of Business, case sponsor BridgePort Group and technology sponsor Esri. The first-place team, Team Insighters –made up of Eloise Yu, Rania Soetirto, Ching Yi (Ada) Yu, Xiaoyi (Guan) Guan, Nico Santoso, and Shun Yeung Ng – competed against other graduate students from the USC Marshall School of Business on November 4, 2023.
BridgePort Group, LLC, a minority and veteran-owned global supply chain and logistics technology firm in partnership with the USC Marshall School of Business and Esri held a business analytics case competition with two hundred and thirty-two students and the ten judges participating in the event. TheUSC MSBA Marshall Global Case Competitionoffered thirty-six student led consulting teams a unique chance to analyze a complex business case, problem-solve using GIS generated maps as a visual analysis tool and present their findings before a panel of high-ranking executives from various industries and USC faculty.
Cleveland-based BridgePort Group (BPG) presented a problem statement that exposed the students to a realworld business site selection challenge. The teams were tasked with conducting geospatial research and analysis to choose the optimal location for BPG’s expansion and establishment of a nationwide network of temperature-controlled warehouses. The teams also had to consider societal, economic, public policy, and environmental impact data. Andre Bryan, BridgePort’s Managing Partner, and a judgefor the competition, stated: “The presentations were very high quality and well-developed business solutions. The problem statement highlighted the innovative work of BridgePort and our challenges, and we are proud to provide future business leaders with opportunities to foster their creativity and entrepreneurial mindset.”
BridgePort looks forward to continuing its relationship with the USC Marshall School of Business, Esri and other collegiate partners by creating engagements for students and professionals to develop solutions that lead to more equitable and sustainable supply chains. Gary Sankary, ESRI Industry Marketing Strategy for Commercial Business noted, “With today’s competitive job climate, we must provide students with innovative learning opportunities and access to business tools that simulate the real world to best prepare them for the job market.” He also stated, “BridgePort’s contribution and commitment to the students has resulted in an excellent developing partnership.”
For more information about BridgePort and the opportunity to partner, please visit the company’s website at www.bridgeportgroup.solutions.
Building the Next Generation of Supply Chain Leaders for a More Equitable Future
Students and experts from diverse industries contribute to a real-world challenge focused on improving medication accessibility in disadvantaged areas.
Cleveland, OH – BridgePort Group, LLC, a minority and veteran-owned global supply chain and logistics technology firm, would like to express its sincere gratitude to the thirty-three students and the ten judges who participated in the recent supply chain case competition held in partnership with Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). The case competition offered students a unique chance to demonstrate their knowledge by tackling a critical supply chain challenge in front of professionals from a range of industries, including supply chain, healthcare, government, engineering, and technology.
A team of three CWRU Master of Engineering and Management (MEM) graduate students were the top winners in the second annual case competition hosted by BridgePort. The first-place team, Team Standard Consulting – made up of Alex Glatz, Morris Lee, and Daniella Rupert– competed against other graduate students from the Weatherhead School of Business on April 21, 2023.
The Cleveland-based company organized the competition in partnership with the CWRU Weatherhead School of Management and the student-led Operations and Consulting Clubs. The problem statement exposed the students to real-world pharmaceutical delivery challenges and allowed them to compete for monetary prizes of up to $3,000. In addition to prize money, students networked with industry professionals and were given an opportunity to earn a Scrum Alliance Agile certification through BridgePort.
George Arterberry, BridgePort’s Director of Global Supply Chain said “The competition offered a challenging case that combined consulting and supply chain management. The business problem at the center of the competition focused on last-mile delivery of cold-temperature medications, an area of supply chain management that has gained attention since the pandemic. Specifically, addressing the logistics challenges in the pharmaceutical cold chain, linked to the sensitivity of the products and their access to patient.”
BridgePort looks forward to continuing the relationship with Case Western Reserve University and other collegiate partners by creating engagements for students and professionals to develop solutions that lead to a more equitable and sustainable supply chain. Deborah Bibb, CWRU Executive Director Enrollment, Career Development and Student Experience noted, “With today’s competitive job climate, we must provide our students with innovative learning opportunities that simulate the real world to best prepare them for the job market.” She also stated, “BridgePort’s donation of prizes, time, and commitment to our students has resulted in an excellent partnership for experiential learning through the development of a case challenge. We express our deepest gratitude to BridgePort for their support.”
For more information about BridgePort and the opportunity to partner to create a case competition for your university, please visit the company’s website at www.bridgeportgroup.solutions.
Students Solve Medical Challenge for Inner City Patients: BridgePort Partners with Case Western Reserve University for Supply Chain Case Competition.
Minority and veteran-owned global supply chain and logistics technology firm provides complex problem statement for students to solve a real-world supply chain challenge.
Cleveland, OH – BridgePort has partnered with Case Western Reserve University to provide a unique opportunity for engineering, data analytics and supply chain students to address current and growing medication accessibility issues.
The case competition will present students with a problem statement designed by BridgePort’s professional supply chain experts. Graduate and undergraduate students will work in teams to analyze the problem, design solutions, and present their recommendations to a panel of judges.
“We are thrilled to partner with Case Western Reserve University to provide the next generation of supply chain leaders with an opportunity to tackle a critical supply chain problem,” said BridgePort’s Director, James Morrow. “We believe that the case competition will allow students to apply their knowledge and skills to impact the healthcare of the aging community within historically disadvantaged areas.”
The case competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at Case’s Weatherhead School of Business. The competition will take place on April 21st, 2023, and judged by professionals ranging from supply chain, healthcare, government, engineering, and technology industries. The first-place team will receive a prize of $2,000 and agile certification training; the second place receives $750, and the third-place team will win $250.
“We are appreciative to partner with BridgePort on this innovative project,” said Deborah Bibb, Executive Director at Case. “This competition will provide our students with a unique opportunity to work on a real-world supply chain problem that BridgePort can implement and gain valuable experience that will prepare them for future careers in the industry.”
The case competition is just one of many initiatives that BridgePort is undertaking to support the development of the next generation of supply chain and technology professionals. Through its commitment to diversity and inclusion, BridgePort is working to create a more equitable and sustainable supply chain for the future.
For more information about BridgePort and the opportunity to partner to create a case competition for your university, please visit the company’s website at www.bridgeportgroup.solutions.
We’ve been talking about the strength of the American workforce this week and the resiliency we’ve seen from people around the country in various industries as they respond to recent events — Laurie’s hotel, Patti’s PPE manufacturing, Peter’s pipeline. Each one has had to retool or rethink their career plan and skills in some way over the last year.
Another industry that has felt the pandemic strain is supply chain and logistics. We were forced to confront the fact that our global supply chain wasn’t as strong as we may have thought. Domestically, we’re now seeing many supply chains being disrupted by factories and warehouses low on workers.
Today, we want to share some perspective from a company in Cleveland, Ohio that started a workforce training program in the middle of last year — at the height of the pandemic — in supply chain and warehouse logistics.
In 2015, Andre Bryan launched BridgePort Group, an African-American, veteran-owned small business that specializes in global supply chain consulting, warehouse distribution, logistics technology, and related certification training programs. He has been training for years at the corporate level — larger corporations and companies would send their project managers and other employees to Andre for training and various certifications.
In the middle of 2020, BridgePort Group partnered with a local community college and developed their Supply Chain Logistics Technology and Warehouse (SCLT&W) pre-apprenticeship course designed to develop a qualified workforce to attract higher entry level wages, and to put students on the path to advancement within the growing supply chain industry. Initially, it was created to ensure BridgePort Group had a pipeline of qualified workers in their warehouse, but they quickly saw where their training could fill a need in urban and rural parts of Northeast Ohio. Those who complete the SCLT&W program receive four in-demand certifications that are transferable to multiple positions throughout the supply chain and related industries.
Andre knows personally the frustration of going through a job training program and there being no job at the end, which he says is an issue he’s found with many other similar programs in the area. “What we do is try to get sponsors for the program upfront, so that when we train the students, we can customize them for the workplace they’ll probably end up going to,” Andre told us. The current training is specifically geared toward the Cleveland Clinic, which is seeing a need for more warehouse and logistics workers for their PPE supply chain.
“We have one participant who is 18 and never finished high school but just recently got his GED. He’s excited because he can see a pathway forward that’s not a McDonald’s job or hanging out on the streets. He can say ‘Hey, there’s a major hospital system right around the corner from my house called the Cleveland Clinic that is interested in hiring me because of all these certifications that I have.’”
Another program participant is a college-educated man in his late 40’s who was recently laid off from his job of 20 years as a transportation manager and is now seeking this new education and these certifications to make him more employable as he re-enters the workforce.
“Our vision is to give people the opportunity to walk into a job with more tools in their toolbox. It allows them to ask for higher entry jobs and better wages,” said Alex Harper, a project manager at BridgePort Group. “Economic development doesn’t come overnight. Low-income communities remain that way due to a number of factors including lack of education and training opportunities, non-promotion or dead end jobs with non-livable wages, no realistic career path, and few sustainable job opportunities.”
But given a chance at these opportunities, Alex continued, people can then support and grow their communities by investing there, or it allows them to get out of situations or communities not serving them.
The pandemic reminded us that everything runs on our supply chains — from DoorDash to Amazon to our grocery stores. These are industries where lower income communities aren’t moving up to higher levels of the job, Alex and Andre explained. “They’re at the entry level warehouse position, but they’re not able to get to that management, corporate level, because they don’t have a lot of the necessary formal training.” BridgePort Group’s certification training and workforce development gives them the opportunity to advance within their organization, or the opportunity to leverage their skills elsewhere.
“Historically the problem in urban communities, disadvantaged communities, and rural communities is that in those areas, there’s a limitation on the types of jobs you can get and the skills that you get after high school, that is if you finish high school,” Andre said. “It is typically limited to a small industry. If you can gain some skills in the supply chain field, it just opens up a huge opportunity, because supply chain entry level jobs are 20-25% higher paying than other entry level jobs. The wages are sustainable wages with promotion paths.” Participants of the SCLT&W program are exposed firsthand to over 50 careers of the nearly 300 or so related to supply chain logistic technology and warehouse management — and they’re all high paying.
BridgePort Group plans to expand the program with more students and some specialized training designed to anticipate future trends in needed skills for the 21st century workforce. Look no further than Andre, Alex, and their program trainees to find Americans providing and taking advantage of opportunities to better their communities, and the country.
Additionally, Andre Bryan is the Small Biz representative of the Infrastructure bill subcommittee on Capital Hill and has presented the program to Congressman Donald Payne who heads up the subcommittee. “I plan to get an endorsement from him or his staff in the near future and expand the program to the NY/NJ area as well as west coast with the help of Congressman McCarthy.”
On Monday June 13th, the BridgePort’s Supply Chain Logistics, Technology & Warehouse (SCLT&W) students took a trip to the Cleveland Clinic’s warehouse to gain real-life experience of what it would be like to work as a supply chain manager within a warehouse. Steve Pullman, the Chief Operating Officer, hosted the tour showing the students around Cleveland Clinic’s warehouse campus. Students were able to see real world examples of what they have been studying within the 9-week SCLT&W Certification Program. They were able to observe the logistic operations, the processes of getting items off the truck to where the clinic stores the items for everyday use.
Throughout the tour, everyone was also able to observe how the Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) were able to coexist within the supply chain space. These AGV’s are used to move materials around the Cleveland Clinic grounds efficiently and quickly. The Automated Guided Vehicles work and move along magnetic tracks placed throughout the facility and even have sensors to sense if there are people walking so it knows to go around.
The students attending were from two cohorts, one near completion and one just beginning. By visiting warehouses throughout the program’s timeline, students can witness their knowledge growing and have the ability to ask deeper questions. During this time together, it also allowed seasoned students to mentor new students. Cleveland Clinic and BridgePort work closely together to be able to provide jobs for the students in the program. After the tour there was an hour-long Q&A with Steve Pullman to gain further knowledge of supply chain and warehouse operations. Students asked questions regarding hiring and discovered how to one day become a part of the Cleveland Clinic team. Throughout the tour they were about to ask the COO questions and learn how a successful warehouse is run.
BridgePort’s SCLT&W program is hosted at Tri-C with the majority of students receiving full tuition with additional resource support. Each cohort is exposed to tours of local facilities and industry guest speakers in order to help the students network and have a greater understanding of diversity within the industry. The 8-10 week program is available to businesses wanting a professional to train their employees, 18-year-old students who have graduated high school, and anyone searching for a program that will give them above entry level career benefits. During the program students will:
Learn the basics of the global supply chain and the technology needed to manage logistics
Understand warehouse management systems for receiving, stocking, and distribution
Learn the process for managing hazardous materials and safety planning
Learn the basics of artificial intelligence, RFID, OCR bar code scanning, and EPC technology
Gain an understanding of various types of forklifts and warehouse equipment in a lab environment
Develop teamwork, collaboration, and customer service skills
BridgePort’s SCLT&W program is designed to prepare & certify students in CLA, CLT, Forklift Operator, OSHA-10, CPR & First Aid exams and certifications.
If you or your business would like to learn more about attending the BridgePort SCLT&W program, setting up custom training for your employees or establishing a training for workforce development at or for your location.
This week four students that are enrolled within BridgePort’s Supply Chain Logistics Technology and Warehouse (SCLT&W) Program located at Tri-C were provided Laptops by PCs for People, a non-profit organization with a mission of providing refurbished computers and laptops to underprivileged communities.
Together, BridgePort and PCs for People, have a mission to provide a life-changing impact on individuals through their business model. BridgePort’s SCLT&W programdirector has spent the past year reaching out to community organizations to provide a pipeline of new career opportunities to individuals within homeless shelters, community reentry programs, and individuals in the community who need career opportunities. Through collaboration with Tri-C, Scholarships, Grants, and Partnerships like PCs 4 People BridgePort has provided their 9-week Career Certification program at no cost to over 95% of enrolled students.
“We are on a mission to make digital equity a reality.
PCs for People is a national nonprofit social enterprise working to get low-cost quality computers and internet into the homes of individuals, families, and nonprofits with low income. By recycling and then refurbishing computers, PCs for People provides a valuable service to businesses, families, and the planet by keeping computers out of landfills and repurposing them to advance digital inclusion.”
– PCs for People
These computers allow the SCLT&W students to gain independence and have the ability to do in coursework in class and at home; for example: homework, study and apply to jobs on their own time rather than having to spend additional time traveling to a computer lab or library to complete assignments.
“For many of our students gaining access to computers, work clothes and shoes create a large barrier in their belief that education and a new career are possible. They cannot just hop in their car and drive to school or get on a computer when it is convenient. They have to plan their day around a bus route and other meetings. So, we try to gain as much access to resources to help them make a big life change.”
BridgePort supports homeless shelters, re-entry program and individuals searching for new career opportunities. By gaining this certification individuals are able to move past entry-level work into management positions or start at a higher pay. The five certifications they acquire during the program give them an edge that many others do not have within the Supply Chain, Logistics and Warehouse job market.
For more information about upcoming SCLT&W classes, please see the “Programs” tab of the BridgePort Webpage or contact info@bridgeportgroup.solutions.
BridgePort is redesigning the way warehouses can impact the community around them by designing a new, innovative, and sustainable warehouse solution. This will positively impact the community by providing jobs and affordable housing to the local neighborhood. James Murrow, Director of Operations at BridgePort, is the primary mastermind behind the iSpace warehouse, a cold storage advanced technology warehouse. According to Murrow, “industry drives sustainability.” He and his team at BridgePort have done extensive research to design a new warehouse in Cleveland that will positively benefit the community by becoming an asset that provides jobs and sustainable, affordable housing.
During BridgePort’s research on the community, they asked Cleveland citizens what their biggest concerns were regarding the new warehouse. Like most communities, there is a concern for employment available to those of the surrounding community and attainable housing that positively impacts the neighborhood without raising rates. Next to the Warehouse BridgePort is also installing a 100 unit attainable & sustainable housing structure to address most people’s concern with the rise in utility bills. BridgePort found a way to cut costs by redirecting excess heat from the refrigeration of the warehouse to the housing units. By generating electricity from solar panels located on the warehouse and housing units and the redirection of heat the tenants will have minimal utility costs.
Additional sustainability efforts will be used through refrigerated, electric vehicles to deliver pharmaceutical products to and from customers at this state-of-the-art supply technology warehouse. Customers will be proud to support a company with strong sustainability values. BridgePort displays their values through reducing their carbon footprint and providing technological advances to the supply chain industry as well as to the community.
BridgePort plans to be an asset to the community through innovative technology by using solar panels and electric vehicles; but that’s not where sustainability ends for the company. BridgePort plans to use drones and Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the iSpace warehouse to be more energy efficient; such as, having robots that will be able to withstand cold temperatures. By limiting the refrigeration door being opened will allow the room to stay at the required temperature reducing the amount of energy used within the warehouse and ensuring temperatures are maintained for quality control. BridgePort continually is trying to find ways to reduce their carbon footprint in the community, in the world and overall improve the standard of supply chain, logistics and warehouse technology.
Building the Next Generation of Supply Chain Leaders for a More Equitable Future
Students and experts from diverse industries contribute to a real-world challenge focused on improving medication accessibility in disadvantaged areas.
Cleveland, OH – BridgePort Group, LLC, a minority and veteran-owned global supply chain and logistics technology firm, would like to express its sincere gratitude to the thirty-three students and the ten judges who participated in the recent supply chain case competition held in partnership with Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). The case competition offered students a unique chance to demonstrate their knowledge by tackling a critical supply chain challenge in front of professionals from a range of industries, including supply chain, healthcare, government, engineering, and technology.
A team of three CWRU Master of Engineering and Management (MEM) graduate students were the top winners in the second annual case competition hosted by BridgePort. The first-place team, Team Standard Consulting – made up of Alex Glatz, Morris Lee, and Daniella Rupert– competed against other graduate students from the Weatherhead School of Business on April 21, 2023.
The Cleveland-based company organized the competition in partnership with the CWRU Weatherhead School of Managementand thestudent-ledOperations and ConsultingClubs. The problem statement exposed the students to real-world pharmaceutical delivery challenges and allowed them to compete for monetary prizes of up to $3,000. In addition to prize money, students networked with industry professionals and were given an opportunity to earn a Scrum Alliance Agile certification through BridgePort.
George Arterberry, BridgePort’s Director of Global Supply Chain said “The competition offered a challenging case that combined consulting and supply chain management. The business problem at the center of the competition focused on last-mile delivery of cold-temperature medications, an area of supply chain management that has gained attention since the pandemic. Specifically, addressing the logistics challenges in the pharmaceutical cold chain, linked to the sensitivity of the products and their access to patient.”
BridgePort looks forward to continuing the relationship with Case Western Reserve University and other collegiate partners by creating engagements for students and professionals to develop solutions that lead to a more equitable and sustainable supply chain. Deborah Bibb, CWRU Executive Director Enrollment, Career Development and Student Experience noted, “With today’s competitive job climate, we must provide our students with innovative learning opportunities that simulate the real world to best prepare them for the job market.” She also stated, “BridgePort’s donation of prizes, time, and commitment to our students has resulted in an excellent partnership for experiential learning through the development of a case challenge. We express our deepest gratitude to BridgePort for their support.”
For more information about BridgePort and the opportunity to partner to create a case competition for your university, please visit the company’s website at www.bridgeportgroup.solutions.
