“Pollock...isn’t surprised that Gray’s videos draw such massive audiences. He argues that executives are now effectively celebrities, like movie stars and athletes. ‘Why does what time they wake up or when they do their workout matter to them doing their job?’ he asks. ‘But that’s what people love, because we live vicariously through our heroes. Business executives increasingly, for better or worse, play that role in society.’"

“Automation won’t replace everyone’s jobs at once, but it could start taking over simple tasks in a restaurant. The technology might not be there right now, but it might be there in six to 12 months. That's why doing a good job at the other aspects of the job that are more human-oriented would be key to making sure that you don't get displaced.”

“As UPS grew, it grew the reach of businesses, first across the U.S. and then around the world. It enabled businesses to have a larger reach. Things like package tracking that every business uses today can be attributed to UPS in the 1990s as it worked to hone that technology, as well as things like integrated supply chain networks for businesses to make their products. UPS was ‘a fundamental enabler’ of e-commerce. ‘Big Brown’ helped companies like Amazon grow up to what they are today. There’s a lot of things that we take for granted now that UPS created.”

“Firearm deaths have risen 60 percent from 2014 to 2023; that’s a lot. People tend to experience firearm violence through personal touch and personal anecdote. The way people feel about it tends to be how close it is to them. East Tennesseans may not know each shooting victim personally, but stopping gun violence would boost the local economy. In 2023, each firearm-related death cost Knox County $308 per person, and the statewide cost per person was $510.”

“Early movers are now structurally advantaged. Companies that relocated production during the first Trump term didn’t just ‘avoid tariffs.’ When trade policy shifts again, they don’t have to react; they just execute their plan. Companies that moved capacity out of China into Mexico, Vietnam, Poland, et cetera, reduced geopolitical exposure, shortened lead times (nearshoring), and improved working capital turns. The savviest companies treated trade volatility as a permanent operating condition, not a temporary disruption.”

“While uncertainties remain as companies restructure their workforces around AI and cope with rising goods and labor cost, I would characterize our outlook as precariously positive. The labor market has cooled and downside risks are elevated, but consumer spending in Tennessee has remained firm, which, if sustained, could help keep economic growth positive over the near term.”

“Ethical sourcing is both a set of practices and a strategic perspective on how you’re going to engage your supply chain to deliver value for customers. Organizations committed to ethical sourcing typically consider a supplier’s commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. Ethical sourcing shakes up the norm and forces organizations to look at their entire production stream from a different angle. It requires commitment to working with suppliers over time to achieve ESG and other goals, which pushes organizations out of a short-term, transactional mindset into one that considers the long-term sustainable value of the company.”

“It’s not uncommon for there to be some sort of expectation around who should have a particular occupation. Pilots tend to be male, most schoolteachers are female, and salespeople are often seen as extroverted. But that doesn’t mean that women can’t be pilots, men can’t be teachers, or that introverts can’t work in sales.”

“There has been a swing away from single sourcing as companies look to build resiliency by diversifying their supplier base. But sometimes you have to single source; there is competitive advantage when you go deep with a supplier. Don’t be afraid of dependency. Instead, be smart about it. Ask yourself, ‘Who am I choosing to have a dependency with?’ We must demand transparency and put in processes to mitigate risks.”