The University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics presented the 6th Annual Commonwealth Supply Chain Innovation Award, to Misty Doan-Eldridge, Supply Planning Manager, and Steve Bauer, Senior Manager of Forecasting, at Escalade Sports Inc., headquartered in Evansville, Indiana.

Doan-Eldridge and Bauer received the award as part of the college’s tenth annual Supply Chain Forum at the Woodford Reserve Club at the University of Kentucky’s Kroger Field. This recognition honors individuals and/or organizations that have demonstrated operational excellence in supply chain management as evidenced in a recently completed supply chain improvement project.

“We’re honored to be receiving this award for our supply chain digital transformation project,” said Doan-Eldridge. “This 18-month transformation initiative has improved our ability to visualize our supply chain and gain efficiencies in generating our demand and supply plans.”

Escalade Sports, Inc. is a $200 million company that manufactures, imports, and distributes over 47 widely recognized sporting goods brands in basketball goals, archery, indoor and outdoor game recreation and fitness products through major sporting goods retailers, specialty dealers, key on-line retailers, traditional department stores and e-commerce.

“We are pleased to honor Escalade Sports Inc. for their transformational work in the supply chain field,” said Simon Sheather, dean of the Gatton College. Their supply chain work will inform other companies about ways to enhance their own processes to improve customer satisfaction and inventory optimization.”

Sponsored by business analytics company SAS, the award was presented by Thomas Roehm, Senior Director. SAS has a 40-year history of helping industry globally use data to drive insights and optimize their supply chains.

The Commonwealth Supply Chain Innovation Award judging panel consists of practitioners, academics and consultants in the supply chain industry, appointed by the advisory board of the Gatton College Supply Chain Forum. The forum brings together approximately 200 corporate leaders, professors and students to share ideas about the latest supply chain issues.

Hosted by the Don and Cathy Jacobs Executive Education Center at Gatton College, the 2020 forum’s theme was "Converging Digital and Physical Supply Chains.” The event featured a keynote presentation on Digitizing the Supply Chain - A Consumer Products Industry Case Study by Francisco Fraga, CTIO, Campbell Soup Company. 

As the Commonwealth Supply Chain Innovation Award recipient, Escalade Sports qualifies for future supply chain improvement project support from graduate students enrolled in the Gatton College’s one-year accelerated MBA program.