Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

inbound

Supply chain expert writes the book on American Basketball League

A new book by supply chain expert Dr. Robert C. Lieb details the defunct league's brief, colorful history.

Dr. Robert C. Lieb, professor of supply chain management at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Boston's Northeastern University, is a prolific author, with seven books on transportation, logistics, and supply chain management to his credit. His literary ambitions, though, extend far beyond the world of plan-source-make-deliver.

Lieb is also the author of the new book Shooting Threes and Shaking the Basketball Establishment: The Short, Chaotic Run of the American Basketball League. The book follows the rapid rise and fall of the American Basketball League (ABL) built by Abe Saperstein, the founder and owner of the Harlem Globetrotters. Despite the league's brief lifespan, Lieb points out, its owners, coaches, and players left a legacy (including introducing the three-point shot to professional basketball) that still affects the game today.


The author, a self-described "gym rat" in his youth and a former college baseball player, has a personal connection to the American Basketball League: He played against a number of ABL players while a student in Pittsburgh. Now, decades later, he is able to tell their story.

The book, published by St. Johann Press, is available in paperback at Amazon.com and Tower Books online.

The Latest

More Stories

Jason Schenker
Jason Schenker, president of Prestige Economics and chairman of The Futurist Institute

Straight talk on supply chains and the economy: An interview with Jason Schenker

After a dismal 2023, the U.S. economy finished 2024 in pretty good shape—inflation was in retreat, transportation fuel costs had fallen, and consumer spending remained strong. As we begin the new year, there’s a lot about the economy to like, says acclaimed economist Jason Schenker. But that’s not to suggest he views the future with unbridled optimism. As the year unfolds, he says he’ll be keeping a wary eye on several geopolitical and supply chain risks that have the potential to spoil the party.

Schenker, who serves as president of Prestige Economics and chairman of The Futurist Institute, is considered one of the best economic minds in the business. Bloomberg News has ranked him the #1 forecaster in the world in 27 categories since 2011. LinkedIn named him an official “Top Voice” in 2024, and almost 1.3 million students have taken his LinkedIn Learning courses on economics, finance, risk management, and leadership.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

2024 International Foodservice Distributor Association’s (IFDA) National Championship

2024 International Foodservice Distributor Association’s (IFDA) National Championship

Truckers, warehouse workers get some love

It’s probably safe to say that no one chooses a career in logistics for the glory. But even those accustomed to toiling in obscurity appreciate a little recognition now and then—particularly when it comes from the people they love best: their kids.

That familial love was on full display at the 2024 International Foodservice Distributor Association’s (IFDA) National Championship, which brings together foodservice distribution professionals to demonstrate their expertise in driving, warehouse operations, safety, and operational efficiency. For the eighth year, the event included a Kids Essay Contest, where children of participants were encouraged to share why they are proud of their parents or guardians and the work they do.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trucking industry experiences record-high congestion costs

Trucking industry experiences record-high congestion costs

Congestion on U.S. highways is costing the trucking industry big, according to research from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), released today.

The group found that traffic congestion on U.S. highways added $108.8 billion in costs to the trucking industry in 2022, a record high. The information comes from ATRI’s Cost of Congestion study, which is part of the organization’s ongoing highway performance measurement research.

Keep ReadingShow less

From pingpong diplomacy to supply chain diplomacy?

There’s a photo from 1971 that John Kent, professor of supply chain management at the University of Arkansas, likes to show. It’s of a shaggy-haired 18-year-old named Glenn Cowan grinning at three-time world table tennis champion Zhuang Zedong, while holding a silk tapestry Zhuang had just given him. Cowan was a member of the U.S. table tennis team who participated in the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan. Story has it that one morning, he overslept and missed his bus to the tournament and had to hitch a ride with the Chinese national team and met and connected with Zhuang.

Cowan and Zhuang’s interaction led to an invitation for the U.S. team to visit China. At the time, the two countries were just beginning to emerge from a 20-year period of decidedly frosty relations, strict travel bans, and trade restrictions. The highly publicized trip signaled a willingness on both sides to renew relations and launched the term “pingpong diplomacy.”

Keep ReadingShow less
forklift driving through warehouse

Hyster-Yale to expand domestic manufacturing

Hyster-Yale Materials Handling today announced its plans to fulfill the domestic manufacturing requirements of the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act for certain portions of its lineup of forklift trucks and container handling equipment.

That means the Greenville, North Carolina-based company now plans to expand its existing American manufacturing with a targeted set of high-capacity models, including electric options, that align with the needs of infrastructure projects subject to BABA requirements. The company’s plans include determining the optimal production location in the United States, strategically expanding sourcing agreements to meet local material requirements, and further developing electric power options for high-capacity equipment.

Keep ReadingShow less