In recent years, a lot of work has been done to raise awareness about the massive problem of human trafficking as well as to start to attack that problem.

In this week’s episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner interviews two women engaged in an important part of that fight through an organization called Gift of Freedom: Sharon Siar and Nicole Glenn.

Sharon Siar is the Founder and President Gift of Freedom, and she is also the Vice President and CFO at Talon Freight Services

Nicole Glenn, is a Board Member for Gift of Freedom, the Founder and CEO of Candor Logistics Management, and a host of the Ladies Leadership Coalition Podcast.

Unlike organizations focused on raising public awareness, or rescuing victims of trafficking, Gift of Freedom is focused on aftercare. They provide the funding for counseling, a need that can extend years or even decades after a rescue is complete.

Even though this is a hard topic to hear about, it is a challenging reality for far too many people - children especially - in the United States and around the world.

In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Sharon and Nicole share their perspectives on:

• Why aftercare counseling has been overlooked as an area of need in the past
• The connection between human trafficking and supply chains
• Why social statistics fail to capture or represent the scope of this problem

Links:

• Sharon Siar on LinkedIn
• Nicole Glenn on LinkedIn
• Gift of Freedom
• Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
• Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
• Art of Supply on AOP
• Subscribe to This Week in Procurement

“Between 2008 and 2013, China’s fledgling solar-electric panel industry dropped world prices by 80 percent, a stunning achievement in a fiercely competitive high-tech market.” - John Fialka, Scientific American

In March, Corning, Suniva, and Heliene announced a partnership that will allow them to build a U.S. supply chain for solar panels, from polysilicon to wafers to cells to panels.

In a global solar industry worth $100 Billion, the opportunity is massive, but so is the risk. The path to the present moment is littered with companies who failed operationally or found themselves tangled up in controversy because they were trying to compete with China on cost.

With a history of tariffs, concerns about forced labor, and imbalances between supply and demand, the solar supply chain offers many lessons for other manufacturers looking to reshore.

In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner examines:

• Unique challenges facing the solar supply chain and how they ironically created an additional incentive for this partnership
• Why it is essential that more than just final assembly take place in the United States
• The role of government incentives and regulations in making this possible

Links:

• Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
• Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
• Art of Supply on AOP
• Subscribe to This Week in Procurement

Economic commentators often look at consumer spending as a barometer for confidence and outlook - how good or bad financially do individuals and families think the broader economy is, and how profitable it will be for them?

The same can perhaps be said for companies and hiring managers. How confident are they that they will be able to keep people employed in uncertain times, and what skills are they most eager to invest their scarce dollars in?

In this week’s Art of Supply interview, Kelly Barner speaks with Christine Corson, Managing Director of Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Engineering Recruitment at DSJ Global. She is focused on manufacturing labor at the management level in a way that allows her to form her own opinion of industry outlook, confidence, and planning horizon.

In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly and Christine discuss:

• The current supply of - and demand for - manufacturing labor
• Whether hiring is being impacted by the uncertainty around tariffs
• Her advice for the candidates hoping to secure mid- to high-level positions in manufacturing companies

Links:

• Christine Corson on LinkedIn
• USA Supply Chain Talent Report 2025: Hiring, Careers & Compensation
• Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
• Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
• Art of Supply on AOP
• Subscribe to This Week in Procurement