Peter Valhouli's Profile

Ben, you are quite a prolific author. You certainly have your way with prose. Not to nitpick but you failed to capitalize the “N” in “Nike” a few times. Just want to make sure you properly recognize Mr. Knight.

The most interesting part for me was how they are starting to design shoes with NikeID and customizability in mind. That seems to have a real impact on both the design team as well as the supply chain team. Do you think that the quest for customizability and need to create a “fast” supply-chain will ever start to drive too much of the design decisions? Feel that they are often at odds.

Great job, Michael. Think you went a little long though. Plugged this into Microsoft Word and it looks like its 821 words. Just something maybe worth double checking.

Super interesting post. It seems that we are getting way too caught up in outsourcing “big data” to make all of our decisions, but even the most sophisticated analytics operations are using to both guide and supplement human thought. Arrested Development being the prime example of a show that had success after it was canceled that Netflix was both able to A) recognize the creative genius and B) prove there was market demand given all of these online signals. Really cool that a company that essentially started as a glorified supply chain for DVD’s now has this internal capability.

Really interesting post, Matthew! Also great grammer/spelling throughout. Seems like you are really learning…

Lots of the reason for large central warehouse are centralizing logistics and economies of scale with the supply chain. Do you think Macys, with this current model, will be able to off-set those loses? Feel like it could be tough having somebody in the back managing complex, omni-channel orders but at the same time, the stakes may be too high to not do otherwise. Just some food for thought.

Thx.

Great post! Been a big user past month or two and have really enjoyed it. I have been trying to figure out what brings them past being a glorified “music podcast” as the majority of their usage is when people aren’t looking at the screen. Do you think wearables/sensor data will be key to what they do going forward?

Also slightly unrelated, but would love to hear your thoughts on why they did the big rebrand away from SkyFit. Felt like it was a great emerging brand than the name change really set them back.

Tuyee- Really strong post. Can tell that you have spent a few months in the continent so appreciate your perspective. To build up such a massive network of doctors do you think the solution is to either further leverage the small base of doctors in Africa by making them more efficient and accessible through mPharma and telehealth? Or do you think that the supply issue remains so large that they will need to connect (via telehealth) with doctors from other regions, which may drive cost of care up given exchange rates.

Pls work on correcting the proper capitalization in your title. Thx.

Much love.

Brad- Thank you for the thoughtful post. You certainly fit in a lot into 797 words. Interesting theme emerging across all of our posts on how much of the implication of climate change is impacting the supply chain and prices of many of our favorite goods. While we may be enjoying a warmer winter, you do a good job at showing the hidden costs of climate change and the need for sustainability.

Will- Remarkably prolific prose and very strong article. Really enjoyed the way you weaved in the implications of the US political system, especially the conservative base that they have to play in, as part of the story. Lots of ramifications for sustainability but seems like they could do a really great job of playing Switzerland in the world of climate change.

Matty- Very interesting post. To build on Will, I have also not thought very much about the role that minerals and mining play in global climate change.

It feels that much of the next generation of natural resource battles will happen around precious resources like water. Do you feel that mining will increasingly come under the microscope? Tesla seems to be battling this now with the environmental degradation caused by mining all of the necessary materials for the batteries it uses. Do you think this public fight will continue to other businesses? Apple could be susceptible here.

A few minor formatting changes I would recommend but will take that off-line.

Tuyee- Very profound. Quite interesting, especially around the rise of chocolate in emerging markets. I also very much enjoyed your post on how the future sustainability challenges of chocolate could provide a very big moral quandary for consumers going forward. As people start to think of the environmental impact of what they eat, do you think that consumers will ever turn on chocolate?

You also seem very focused on chocolate role as a special treat around Valentines Day. I hope the sustainability challenges that chocolate faces forces you to develop a new “go to move” around 2/14.

Really phenomenal article on sustainability at Wickman Farms. It was so well written you would almost think the writer was a Doctor!

The most interesting part for me was how the need for sustainability is driving consolidation of farmland in rural Texas. Small family farms are being forced to band together to provide a more diverse ecosystem for cattle to survive and thrive (an example of this being Wickman Farms acquiring a neighboring three farm so their cattle could have shade while grazing). I would imagine this trend will have a profound impact on agriculture in not just Texas, but across the world, in the coming years.