Bin Long’s (MBA, ’03) plans for the future are sure to keep pets and pet parents happy. As associate director of supply chain network topology planning for Chewy, Inc., he is responsible for long-term planning for the online retailer of pet food and pet-related products.

Long’s role is critical to Chewy’s growth. He constantly considers the future of the Fortune 500 Company’s infrastructure and makes plans to handle its speedy development.

When Long joined the company in 2021, he was the first in his role. He immediately built a team of research scientists, bringing in statisticians and mathematicians, and built an optimization model forecasting through 2026.

“Chewy continues to grow quickly,” Long says. “The goal is to keep fulfillment capacity and network on track with this growth.”

Long is no stranger to a fast-paced business. Prior to planning for Chewy, he worked in multiple roles at Amazon for eight years, covering supply chain management, retail and planning. He managed operations integration, oversaw sort centers moving over one million packages each day and led supply chain optimization for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).

In these roles, Long kept packages moving to customers and helped Amazon sellers optimize their businesses. His team designed a model to route FBA sellers’ inventory to the best sites  for growth. He worked closely with leadership in the U.S. Postal Service, holding weekly –  and sometimes daily – meetings, to discuss metrics and manage delivery performance.

Long says the principles he uses in his work he gained through his experience in the Haslam College of Business MBA program. These include learning from others, attention to detail and thinking outside the box.

“Haslam taught me to learn from not only my professors but also my teammates,” Long says. “I learned about the importance of details in a lean process and that there are often multiple ways to solve a problem. I’ve carried these concepts throughout my career and continue to benefit from these.”

After completing his MBA and before moving to Amazon, Long worked for Williams-Sonoma, Inc. as an analyst for international inbound operations. His combination of experience in supply chain management, business and planning from his prior roles built the skills he needed for his current role at Chewy.

“I want to continue to lead and grow this space,” Long says.

His plans include aiding the next generation of business leaders by providing coaching to students and helping them apply skills to the business world. He encourages students to work with passion, be quick and constant learners and be thankful for experiences.

“You will face challenges, but you will realize, ‘I can do this,’” Long says.