PodParley PodParley
PodParley
From Afterthought to Advantage: Reverse Logistics at Enterprise Scale episode artwork

EPISODE · Oct 13, 2025 · 40 MIN

From Afterthought to Advantage: Reverse Logistics at Enterprise Scale

from Supply Chain Now · host Supply Chain Now

In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton sits down with two leaders shaping the future of reverse logistics from the floor to the classroom: Troy Campbell, Director of Reverse Logistics Centers at The Home Depot, and Dr. Glenn Richey, Jr., Harbert Eminent Scholar in Supply Chain Management at Auburn University.Troy opens the doors to Home Depot’s four Reverse Logistics Centers: Phoenix, Pittston (PA), McDonough (GA), and Indianapolis, showing why a people-first culture remains the operating system for returns at scale. He gets real about “automation when the box isn’t a box,” how rethinking inbound flows through 3PLs reduces touches and transportation cost, and why simple vendor conversations (like consolidating daily pallets into a single weekly load) can unlock outsized impact. His north star: make associates’ days easier, and the entire reverse network improves.Glenn zooms out to the macro shifts: the move from minimizing returns to maximizing returns within a circular economy, generative AI for scenario planning and real-time decision support, and reverse logistics as the operational backbone of sustainability. He maps the skills the next workforce will need, calls for clearer industry coding to separate reverse data from forward logistics, and outlines how universities can build dedicated reverse tracks. Together, Troy and Glenn offer a practical, research-backed playbook for turning returns into speed, value, and advantage without losing the human element that makes it work.Jump into the conversation:(00:00) Intro(01:17) Interview with Troy Campbell from Home Depot(04:20) Challenges and innovations in reverse logistics(08:49) Networking opportunities and industry insights(17:20) Interview with Glenn Richey from Auburn University(19:30) About Auburn’s supply chain management program(20:52) Maximizing returns in a circular economy(23:29) Role of generative AI within supply chain operations(28:34) Reverse logistics and sustainability practices explained(32:26) The next generation of logistics skills(34:55) Engaging students in reverse logistics educationResources:Connect with Troy Campbell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troy-campbell-6321a31/ Connect with Dr. Glenn Richey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennrichey/ Learn more about The Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/ Learn more about The Harbert College of Business at Auburn University: https://harbert.auburn.edu/index.html Learn more about the Reverse Logistics Association: https://rla.org/ Connect with Scott Luton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottwindonluton/Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.com Watch and listen to more Supply Chain Now episodes here: https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-now Subscribe to Supply Chain Now on your favorite platform: https://supplychainnow.com/join Work with us! Download Supply Chain Now’s NEW Media Kit: https://bit.ly/3XH6OVkWEBINAR- The Power of Partnership: Building Long-Term Success with Automation Integrators: https://bit.ly/3Ie1WUOWEBINAR- Real stories: People first - Leadership lessons in driving digital supply chain transformation: https://bit.ly/3INxtNwWEBINAR- The Optimized Digital Transformer: Key Concepts for Enhancing Modern Leadership: https://bit.ly/4gGWCGgWEBINAR- Reengineering supply chain planning: How to get more bang for your buck in 2026- https://bit.ly/3VahMCQWEBINAR- Optimizing End-to-End Logistics: Efficiency, Collaboration, and Innovation- https://bit.ly/4ml2TZhWEBINAR- Empowering Decision-Making in 2026 with Supply Chain Orchestration: https://bit.ly/3W7swlLThis episode was hosted by Scott W. Luton and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/afterthought-advantage-reverse-logistics-enterprise-scale-1492 The content in this episode, including all audio, videos, visuals, and graphics, is the property of Supply Chain Now and is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, modification, or re-uploading of this content in any form is strictly prohibited without explicit written permission from Supply Chain Now.For licensing inquiries or permissions, please contact us at [email protected]© 2026 Supply Chain Now. All rights reserved. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What this episode covers

In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton sits down with two leaders shaping the future of reverse logistics from the floor to the classroom: Troy Campbell, Director of Reverse Logistics Centers at The Home Depot, and Dr. Glenn Richey, Jr., Harbert Eminent Scholar in Supply Chain Management at Auburn University.Troy opens the doors to Home Depot’s four Reverse Logistics Centers: Phoenix, Pittston (PA), McDonough (GA), and Indianapolis, showing why a people-first culture remains the operating system for returns at scale. He gets real about “automation when the box isn’t a box,” how rethinking inbound flows through 3PLs reduces touches and transportation cost, and why simple vendor conversations (like consolidating daily pallets into a single weekly load) can unlock outsized impact. His north star: make associates’ days easier, and the entire reverse network improves.Glenn zooms out to the macro shifts: the move from minimizing returns to maximizing returns within a circular economy, generative AI for scenario planning and real-time decision support, and reverse logistics as the operational backbone of sustainability. He maps the skills the next workforce will need, calls for clearer industry coding to separate reverse data from forward logistics, and outlines how universities can build dedicated reverse tracks. Together, Troy and Glenn offer a practical, research-backed playbook for turning returns into speed, value, and advantage without losing the human element that makes it work.Jump into the conversation:(00:00) Intro(01:17) Interview with Troy Campbell from Home Depot(04:20) Challenges and innovations in reverse logistics(08:49) Networking opportunities and industry insights(17:20) Interview with Glenn Richey from Auburn University(19:30) About Auburn’s supply chain management program(20:52) Maximizing returns in a circular economy(23:29) Role of generative AI within supply chain operations(28:34) Reverse logistics and sustainability practices explained(32:26) The next generation of logistics skills(34:55) Engaging students in reverse logistics educationResources:Connect with Troy Campbell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troy-campbell-6321a31/ Connect with Dr. Glenn Richey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennrichey/ Learn more about The Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/ Learn more about The Harbert College of Business at Auburn University: https://harbert.auburn.edu/index.html Learn more about the Reverse Logistics Association: https://rla.org/ Connect with Scott Luton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottwindonluton/Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.com Watch and listen to more Supply Chain Now episodes here: https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-now  Subscribe to Supply Chain Now on your favorite platform: https://supplychainnow.com/join  Work with us! Download Supply Chain Now’s NEW Media Kit: https://bit.ly/3XH6OVkWEBINAR- The Power of Partnership: Building Long-Term Success with Automation Integrators: https://bit.ly/3Ie1WUOWEBINAR- Real stories: People first - Leadership lessons in driving digital supply chain transformation: https://bit.ly/3INxtNwWEBINAR- The Optimized Digital Transformer: Key Concepts for Enhancing Modern Leadership: https://bit.ly/4gGWCGgWEBINAR- Reengineering supply chain planning: How to get more bang for your buck in 2026- https://bit.ly/3VahMCQWEBINAR- Optimizing End-to-End Logistics: Efficiency, Collaboration, and Innovation- https://bit.ly/4ml2TZhWEBINAR- Empowering Decision-Making in 2026 with Supply Chain Orchestration: https://bit.ly/3W7swlLThis episode was hosted by Scott W. Luton and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/afterthought-advantage-reverse-logistics-enterprise-scale-1492

NOW PLAYING

From Afterthought to Advantage: Reverse Logistics at Enterprise Scale

0:00 40:11

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

Why Live and Evergreen Models Both Fall Short

Feb 4, 2026 ·18m

Similar Podcasts

Chewing the Fat with WorkForge WorkForge Bite-Sized Conversations for Building a Stronger Workforce Welcome to Chewing the Fat, a podcast delving deep into the world of food manufacturing. Dive into real conversations around critical topics like staffing, retention, onboarding, and career development in this essential industry. Subscribe now to gain insights from your peers, subject matter experts and more on the biggest issues facing food manufacturers today: -Hiring and retaining employees -Addressing the challenges of the Silver Tsunami -Improving time to productivity of new employees -Engaging employees from hire to retire And more... Tune in to Chewing the Fat, a WorkForge podcast, and join the conversation on how to build and sustain a resilient, high-performing workforce in food manufacturing. The Course Mentors Podcast The Course Mentors Hey there, future course creator!Ever feel like turning your know-how into an online course is like trying to solve a Rubik's cube blindfolded? Well, grab your headphones because "The Course Mentors Podcast" is here to be your secret weapon!Meet Aimee and Odette (that's us!), your new best friends in the course creation world. We've been in the trenches for over a decade, and for the last five years, we've been rocking the online course space. Now we're here to spill all our secrets in bite-sized, 15-20 minute episodes that'll fit perfectly in your coffee breaks.No fluff, no filler - just real, actionable advice that'll take you from "um, what's a landing page?" to "holy moly, I just hit six figures!". We're talking everything from crafting your course to marketing it like a pro and building a business that'll have you pinching yourself.Whether you're dreaming of ditching the 9-to-5 grind, adding a sweet extra income str NEWMORROW SESSIONS - A PodCast Series on the Future of Hospitality Mario C. Bauer, Florian Schneider, Axel Weber & Dr. Tillman Bardt The Newmorrow PodCast is more than a podcast — it's a platform for open dialog on the future of our business, a platform for those building what doesn’t exist yet. Here, we share and embrace our passion for the hospitality industry, but we won’t romanticize the journey. We ask the tough questions, confront uncomfortable truths, and prepare for a future that resists easy answers. We believe that the tougher and wilder times become, the more openly, honestly and humanely people need to talk to each other and act together. We believe, openness, togetherness, and truthfulness should also be cornerstones of a professional community to develop our utopian idea of „open source“. This is a space where visionaries don’t just imagine the future — they wrestle with the paradoxes that shape it: success vs. happiness, data vs. instinct, stability vs. reinvention. Join leaders, entrepreneurs, and thinkers as they share not what made them — but what’s actively shaping them, now and next. So tune in FEAR NOTHING and Have Lots of Fun with Carlie Lara Wallace carlielara Welcome to The Fear Nothing and Have Lots of Fun Podcast!! We get vulnerable, we have fun, and there’s always a bit of the gospel! These episodes detail all that God is doing in my life right now, and what I’m learning through these experiences. NEW EPISODES come out every Wednesday at 6:05am for those hump day early risers!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Supply Chain Now?

This episode is 40 minutes long.

When was this Supply Chain Now episode published?

This episode was published on October 13, 2025.

What is this episode about?

In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton sits down with two leaders shaping the future of reverse logistics from the floor to the classroom: Troy Campbell, Director of Reverse Logistics Centers at The Home Depot, and Dr. Glenn Richey, Jr.,...

Is there a transcript available for this episode?

Yes, a full transcript is available for this episode. You can read the complete transcript on the episode page.

Can I download this Supply Chain Now episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!