Procurement Pulse

Companies spend millions on procurement technology and walk away with almost nothing to show for it. Not because the tech failed, but because nobody planned for the hard part.The hard part is the people.In this episode of Procurement Pulse, host Friddy sits down with Amanda Prochaska, Founder and Chief Wonder Officer at Wonder Services, who left her dream job at MGM Resorts to fix one of procurement's most persistent problems: digital transformations that look great on paper and fall apart in practice.Amanda makes a sharp case for why most failed implementations have nothing to do with the software, what agentic AI actually changes about adoption, and why the entry-level role decisions companies are making right now could quietly hollow out the next generation of procurement leadership.What We Discuss:00:00 Welcome to Procurement Pulse00:48 From "who doesn't like buying things?" to procurement transformation02:57 The digital implementation trap most CPOs don't see coming05:23 What an SI told Amanda that changed everything09:10 Why agentic AI might finally solve the adoption problem11:07 The entry-level role question keeping Amanda up at night13:27 Replace headcount or unlock capacity? The fork in the road ahead18:10 Why vendor relationships matter more than category expertise now24:51 The soft skills that will outlast every wave of automation29:16 Full-time vs. contract talent: what's actually shifting in the market32:34 Where to find Amanda and Wonder ServicesConnect with us:SCOPE Recruiting | https://www.scoperecruiting.com/ Connect with Friddy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fhoegener/ Connect with Evan | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-cave About Procurement Pulse: Real conversations with supply chain and procurement professionals who've been on both sides—building teams, solving problems, and staying ahead of what's coming next.About SCOPE Recruiting: SCOPE Recruiting is a boutique supply chain recruiting firm where every recruiter is a former supply chain professional. Co-founders Friddy and Melissa, both ex-ABB global category managers, built the company after seeing how many “generalist” recruiters didn’t truly understand supply chain, procurement, or logistics roles. By hiring professionals first and teaching them recruiting second, SCOPE delivers better matches, higher retention rates, and faster hiring results across manufacturing, procurement, logistics, and supply chain leadership.If you're building a supply chain team and the usual recruiting approach isn't working, check out scoperecruiting.com.

Hundreds of applications. Zero callbacks. That's the reality for a lot of senior professionals right now. And it's not because they're underqualified.The job market has quietly shifted. More competition, more AI-generated resumes flooding the same roles, and a hiring system that was built to process candidates, not advocate for them. Something had to give.So what does it look like when the entire model gets flipped on its head?In this episode of Procurement Pulse, Friddy sits down with Adam Feinberg, founder of My Personal Recruiter, to unpack what reverse recruiting actually is, why it's gaining traction right now, and what it reveals about the state of hiring in 2026.Friddy and Adam get into how the traditional recruiting model has always served the employer and left job seekers to navigate a system stacked against them. They also tackle the AI question nobody is asking out loud: as more candidates use AI to bulk-apply and auto-generate resumes, does any of it even matter anymore? And if everyone looks great on paper, what actually separates the people who get hired?Friddy also makes a prediction about where AI in recruiting is ultimately headed that stopped Adam in his tracks.What We Discuss:00:00 What reverse recruiting is and why it didn't exist before03:03 How the job search actually works when someone else is running it for you06:11 Who the job market is hardest on right now and why10:08 The AI resume arms race and why it may be backfiring on candidates14:53 Friddy's counterintuitive prediction: AI will matter less, not more23:38 What happens to entry-level jobs and the leaders who were supposed to come from them30:32 Where the job market goes from hereInterested in My Personal Recruiter? Use code SCOPE10 for 10% off.Connect with us:SCOPE Recruiting | https://www.scoperecruiting.com/ Connect with Friddy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fhoegener/ Connect with Evan | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-cave Connect with Adam | https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-fineberg/ About Procurement Pulse: Real conversations with supply chain and procurement professionals who've been on both sides—building teams, solving problems, and staying ahead of what's coming next.About SCOPE Recruiting: SCOPE Recruiting is a boutique supply chain recruiting firm where every recruiter is a former supply chain professional. Co-founders Friddy and Melissa, both ex-ABB global category managers, built the company after seeing how many “generalist” recruiters didn’t truly understand supply chain, procurement, or logistics roles. By hiring professionals first and teaching them recruiting second, SCOPE delivers better matches, higher retention rates, and faster hiring results across manufacturing, procurement, logistics, and supply chain leadership.If you're building a supply chain team and the usual recruiting approach isn't working, check out scoperecruiting.com.

Are you hiring for today or for 24 months from now?In this episode, Darryl Fitzpatrick, CRO of Intellek, challenges the "plug-and-play" hiring mindset that's dominating procurement and supply chain recruiting right now.His point: Everyone's chasing unicorns - ready-made experts who can hit the ground running on day one. But what happens when you hire someone without a development plan, clear milestones, or learning infrastructure in place?You're not just setting them up to struggle. You're telling top talent that you haven't thought beyond their first 90 days.The companies winning the talent war aren't just offering better comp packages. They're showing candidates a defined career path, meaningful metrics, and proof that people succeed there. That's what keeps unicorns from walking out the door six months in.If you expect results in 6, 12, 24 months, you need to invest in getting people there, not just hope they figure it out.What we discuss: 00:00 Hiring with Future Intentions02:51 The Challenge of Attracting Talent04:43 The Importance of Learning and DevelopmentConnect with us:SCOPE Recruiting | https://www.scoperecruiting.com/ Connect with Friddy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fhoegener/ Connect with Evan | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-cave Connect with Daryl Fitzpatrick https://www.linkedin.com/in/darylfitzpatrick/?originalSubdomain=uk About Procurement Pulse: Real conversations with supply chain and procurement professionals who've been on both sides—building teams, solving problems, and staying ahead of what's coming next.About SCOPE Recruiting: SCOPE Recruiting is a boutique supply chain recruiting firm where every recruiter is a former supply chain professional. Co-founders Friddy and Melissa, both ex-ABB global category managers, built the company after seeing how many “generalist” recruiters didn’t truly understand supply chain, procurement, or logistics roles. By hiring professionals first and teaching them recruiting second, SCOPE delivers better matches, higher retention rates, and faster hiring results across manufacturing, procurement, logistics, and supply chain leadership.If you're building a supply chain team and the usual recruiting approach isn't working, check out scoperecruiting.com.

When your team asks for development tools and you say "we're not ready,” what are you really saying no to?In this episode, Darryl Fitzpatrick, CRO of Intellek, calls out the uncomfortable truth: "We're not ready for learning technology" actually means "We're not ready to invest in our people."His take? Companies that said they weren't ready for AI 3 years ago are struggling now. The ones who committed early are thriving.The tech is easy. It's cloud-based, simple to adopt. What's hard is admitting that without ongoing development, you're setting your team up to fail in a world that's evolving faster than ever.So the real question: Are you building a team for today, or for what's coming?What we discuss: 00:00 The Readiness for Technology Adoption02:55 The Importance of Continuous Learning and Development04:08 Challenges with Outdated Learning Management SystemsConnect with us:SCOPE Recruiting | https://www.scoperecruiting.com/ Connect with Friddy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fhoegener/ Connect with Evan | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-cave Connect with Daryl Fitzpatrick https://www.linkedin.com/in/darylfitzpatrick/?originalSubdomain=uk About Procurement Pulse: Real conversations with supply chain and procurement professionals who've been on both sides—building teams, solving problems, and staying ahead of what's coming next.About SCOPE Recruiting: SCOPE Recruiting is a boutique supply chain recruiting firm where every recruiter is a former supply chain professional. Co-founders Friddy and Melissa, both ex-ABB global category managers, built the company after seeing how many “generalist” recruiters didn’t truly understand supply chain, procurement, or logistics roles. By hiring professionals first and teaching them recruiting second, SCOPE delivers better matches, higher retention rates, and faster hiring results across manufacturing, procurement, logistics, and supply chain leadership.If you're building a supply chain team and the usual recruiting approach isn't working, check out scoperecruiting.com.

You hire great people. But three months in, they're struggling. Not because they lack talent because nobody showed them how to succeed in your specific environment.1,800 learning management systems exist in the market. Most companies either don't have one, use an outdated "Stone Age" system, or have a platform that nobody touches after onboarding.But here's what changed: AI emerged in 18 months and reshaped every job description. The skills your team had last year aren't enough today. And the "just hire ready-made talent" strategy isn't sustainable when unicorns are rare and expensive.In this episode, Darryl Fitzpatrick, CRO of Intellek, breaks down why L&D infrastructure isn't just an HR nice-to-have, it's a competitive advantage for talent attraction, retention, and performance.00:00 Introduction00:28 What is an LMS and how do companies actually use them?01:29 Why LMS engagement drops after week two03:22 Why 300-person companies still don't have learning platforms05:12 When your LMS is built on old HTML and nobody uses it07:45 What separates Intellek from 1,800 other LMS platforms09:24 "We're not ready for new software": What companies are actually saying no to11:30 Why hiring only experts limits your growth14:03 First impressions matter: How LMS impacts company culture and retention18:09 The future of L&D: Alignment, AI, and building unicorns internallyConnect with us:SCOPE Recruiting | https://www.scoperecruiting.com/ Connect with Friddy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fhoegener/ Connect with Evan | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-cave Connect with Daryl Fitzpatrick | https://www.linkedin.com/in/darylfitzpatrick/?originalSubdomain=uk About Procurement Pulse: Real conversations with supply chain and procurement professionals who've been on both sides—building teams, solving problems, and staying ahead of what's coming next.About SCOPE Recruiting: SCOPE Recruiting is a boutique supply chain recruiting firm where every recruiter is a former supply chain professional. Co-founders Friddy and Melissa, both ex-ABB global category managers, built the company after seeing how many “generalist” recruiters didn’t truly understand supply chain, procurement, or logistics roles. By hiring professionals first and teaching them recruiting second, SCOPE delivers better matches, higher retention rates, and faster hiring results across manufacturing, procurement, logistics, and supply chain leadership.If you're building a supply chain team and the usual recruiting approach isn't working, check out scoperecruiting.com.

Most companies fail at Lean because the people designing the process aren’t the ones living it every day.Jared Paget, VP of Operations at ClearOne, explains how giving a voice to the people closest to the work leads to better decisions, smarter production, and a stronger culture.What We Discuss:00:00 Why you can't just build products and hope someone buys them — the S&OP foundation01:32 Tying sales team compensation to forecast accuracy (and why it worked)03:53 Every moment on the shelf is waste — the three types of waste to eliminate04:09 The "most infant state" rule: Why customizing too early kills flexibility05:26 The operator buy-in secret: Don't ask about efficiency, ask about easeConnect with us:SCOPE Recruiting | https://www.scoperecruiting.com/ Connect with Friddy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fhoegener/ Connect with Evan | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-cave Connect with Jared Paget | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredpaget About Procurement Pulse: Real conversations with supply chain and procurement professionals who've been on both sides—building teams, solving problems, and staying ahead of what's coming next.About SCOPE Recruiting: SCOPE Recruiting is a boutique supply chain recruiting firm where every recruiter is a former supply chain professional. Co-founders Friddy and Melissa, both ex-ABB global category managers, built the company after seeing how many “generalist” recruiters didn’t truly understand supply chain, procurement, or logistics roles. By hiring professionals first and teaching them recruiting second, SCOPE delivers better matches, higher retention rates, and faster hiring results across manufacturing, procurement, logistics, and supply chain leadership.If you're building a supply chain team and the usual recruiting approach isn't working, check out scoperecruiting.com.

Will AI replace your job, or make you irreplaceable?Host Friddy Hoegener, Co-Founder and Head of Recruiting at SCOPE Recruiting breaks down what supply chain professionals need to do now to stay relevant as AI reshapes the industry.The conversation reveals why learning to prompt AI is becoming as critical as knowing Excel, and why professionals spending 80% of their time on manual tasks need to level up fast. It also explores where AI still struggles - particularly with creative judgment in recruiting - and what that tells us about which human skills will remain irreplaceable in the years ahead.What We Discuss:00:00 Why learning to prompt AI is the new essential skill01:54 The 80/20 rule: If you're spending 80% of your time on manual tasks, it's time to level up02:27 Why AI still struggles with the creative side of recruiting (and what that means for you)04:05 Why experienced recruiters can spot great candidates instantly (and AI can't replicate that yet)Connect with us:SCOPE Recruiting | https://www.scoperecruiting.com/ Connect with Friddy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fhoegener/ Connect with Evan | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-cave About Procurement Pulse: Real conversations with supply chain and procurement professionals who've been on both sides—building teams, solving problems, and staying ahead of what's coming next.About SCOPE Recruiting: SCOPE Recruiting is a boutique supply chain recruiting firm where every recruiter is a former supply chain professional. Co-founders Friddy and Melissa, both ex-ABB global category managers, built the company after seeing how many “generalist” recruiters didn’t truly understand supply chain, procurement, or logistics roles. By hiring professionals first and teaching them recruiting second, SCOPE delivers better matches, higher retention rates, and faster hiring results across manufacturing, procurement, logistics, and supply chain leadership.If you're building a supply chain team and the usual recruiting approach isn't working, check out scoperecruiting.com.

What happens when you force top talent to choose between their dream job and relocating to a specific city? You lose them to your competitors.In this episode of The Procurement Pulse, host Friddy Hoegener, Co-Founder and Head of Recruiting at SCOPE Recruiting, sits down with David Heacock, Founder and CEO of Filterbuy, who learned this lesson the hard way when his attempt to centralize remote workers in Atlanta became a "largely failed experiment."David shares how Filterbuy's $280 million manufacturing company discovered that the best candidates for niche roles often live in completely different zip codes, and why high-performing candidates will exclude companies that force in-office requirements from their job search entirely.But this isn't just about remote work policies. David reveals his systematic approach to building authentic corporate culture in a distributed workforce, including his three-pronged framework for values that actually work: Model it, Articulate it, and Incentivize it. He also explains why quarterly in-person meetings are non-negotiable and how to hire and fire based on cultural fit even when it means letting go of high performers.What We Discuss:00:00 Why geographic hiring requirements limit your talent pool00:45 The failed Atlanta office experiment01:46 The difference between managing remote vs. in-person teams02:08 The importance of quarterly in-person meetings03:01 Building corporate culture with clear values04:09 The three-pronged approach to authentic company valuesConnect with us:SCOPE Recruiting | https://www.scoperecruiting.com/ Connect with Friddy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fhoegener/ Connect with Evan | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-cave David Heacock | https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfilterbuy Filterbuy | https://www.linkedin.com/company/filterbuy About Procurement Pulse: Real conversations with supply chain and procurement professionals who've been on both sides—building teams, solving problems, and staying ahead of what's coming next.About SCOPE Recruiting: Every recruiter at SCOPE is a former supply chain professional. Freddy and Melissa, both former ABB global category managers, started the company because they were tired of recruiters who didn't understand the roles they were filling. The result? Better matches, higher retention rates, and fewer headaches for everyone involved.If you're building a supply chain team and the usual recruiting approach isn't working, check out scoperecruiting.com.

A vendor you stopped working with years ago still has your customer data. They get hacked. Suddenly, your company is in the headlines.Or your only aluminum can supplier goes on strike — and your product can’t reach customers.These aren’t “what if” scenarios. They’ve happened to global brands, and they show how risk management is about more than compliance checklists or IT security. It’s about protecting every part of your business.In this episode of Procurement Pulse, SCOPE Recruiting Co-Founder and Head of Recruiting Friddy Hoegener and co-host Evan Cave interview guest Tiffany Bray, Independent Consultant at Risk Right LLC, about why risk management needs to go way beyond onboarding and compliance.They dig into overlooked offboarding steps, real supply chain breakdowns, and how some companies actually use risk planning to win new business. Tiffany also shares what other industries can borrow from banking’s “tight ship” approach to vendor management, and why a solid backup plan might be the best sales tool you have.What We Discuss:00:00 Welcome to Procurement Pulse00:39 What third party risk management really means01:24 The simple risk most companies overlook03:01 The Volkswagen data breach case study04:14 Why vendor offboarding matters05:59 How banking does risk management differently08:07 The Budweiser aluminum shortage crisis12:11 Current tools and AI in risk management16:54 Using risk management as competitive advantageConnect with us:SCOPE Recruiting | https://www.scoperecruiting.com/Connect with Friddy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fhoegener/ Connect with Evan | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-cave Connect with Tiffany Bray | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-bray-mba-ctprp/ About Procurement Pulse: Real conversations with supply chain and procurement professionals who've been on both sides—building teams, solving problems, and staying ahead of what's coming next.About SCOPE Recruiting: Every recruiter at SCOPE is a former supply chain professional. Freddy and Melissa, both former ABB global category managers, started the company because they were tired of recruiters who didn't understand the roles they were filling. The result? Better matches, higher retention rates, and fewer headaches for everyone involved.If you're building a supply chain team and the usual recruiting approach isn't working, check out scoperecruiting.com.

Why do so many supply chain hires flame out in their first year? And why does finding good talent feel impossible right now?In this first episode of the Procurement Pulse, we break down what's actually broken in supply chain recruiting, and what companies that consistently hire great people are doing differently.Host Friddy Hoegener, Co-Founder and Head of Recruiting at SCOPE Recruiting, along with co-host Evan Cave, Sr. Supply Chain Recruiter, talk about the reality behind the hiring process. Both worked in the supply chain before becoming recruiters.Evan spent years at Randstad, one of the world's largest recruiting firms, before joining the company. He's seen both sides: the corporate machine that prioritizes speed over quality, and the boutique approach that actually works.Before starting SCOPE Recruiting, Friddy was a global category manager at ABB, managing $80-90 million in procurement across everything from mobile phone contracts to aluminum casting. He's been the hiring manager trying to find the right person, and now he's the recruiter trying to deliver them.Together, they explore why the best supply chain professionals never apply to job postings, which roles AI will actually eliminate (and which ones are safe), and the simple scorecard system that stops hiring managers from talking past each other in interviews.What We Discuss:00:00 Welcome to The Procurement Post1:16 Evan's Background: From Gym Manager to Recruiter3:53 Problems with Large Recruiting Firms7:44 Why Speed Hurts Quality in Recruiting8:38 Finding Passive Candidates14:10 Friddy's Background in Supply Chain18:08 Why SCOPE Hires Former Supply Chain People20:42 Which Jobs AI Will Replace24:18 Skills to Stay Relevant with AI28:28 Problems with LinkedIn's AI Matching33:46 Using Scorecards to Remove Bias38:56 Large Companies vs. Small Companies43:01 What's Coming in Future EpisodesConnect with us:SCOPE RecruitingConnect with FriddyConnect with EvanAbout Procurement Pulse: Real conversations with supply chain and procurement professionals who've been on both sides—building teams, solving problems, and staying ahead of what's coming next.About SCOPE Recruiting: Every recruiter at SCOPE is a former supply chain professional. Freddy and Melissa, both former ABB global category managers, started the company because they were tired of recruiters who didn't understand the roles they were filling. The result? Better matches, higher retention rates, and fewer headaches for everyone involved.If you're building a supply chain team and the usual recruiting approach isn't working, check out scoperecruiting.com