October 27, 2021

Senior Solutions Architect Offers Time, Wisdom, and Encouragement to Young Supply Chain Professionals

RALEIGH, N.C. (October 27, 2021) – Open Sky Group, global specialists in Blue Yonder solutions, is proud to announce J.J. Swick, Senior Solutions Architect, as MHI’s Mentor Award recipient for 2021, recognizing his dedication to helping young professionals in the supply chain industry advance their careers under his leadership and support.

The MHI Mentor Award is presented annually to an MHI member who offers professional guidance, is a positive and inspiring role model, instills and nurtures talent, advocates for employees, and supports the professional development of young professionals in the industry.

“I am extremely humbled to have received this recognition,” said J.J., who was nominated by several recent and past mentees for his generous contributions to their developing careers. “What I appreciate most about this is that it rewards taking a long-term view of your business. Mentoring is time-intensive with softer short-term benefits. It does make your business stronger in the long run.”

J.J. has been in the supply chain industry for almost 20 years, spending more than 15 years implementing Blue Yonder projects. He has been involved in 27 go-lives with Open Sky Group, served as technical project lead for 26 warehouse implementations, and has contributed his expertise on projects to the benefit of more than 50 customers worldwide.

“From the first day we worked together, he started teaching, guiding, and correcting me whenever he noticed he could help,” said Jeremy Carson, Open Sky Group Director of Managed Services. “I am still able to reach out to him for feedback on any issue and know that he will take the time to respond.”

J.J. has mentored people both inside and outside of Open Sky Group, leading by example with his strong commitment to the company, customers, and young people in general.

“It’s like having a secret weapon,” said Curt Sardeson, Open Sky Group CEO. “We bring young people into our organization and after a few months of working alongside J.J., they start performing as though they’ve been here a long time. He definitely lifts our game.”

“From the first day that J.J. joined our project, he brought energy and confidence to a daunting implementation. Not only did he teach our staff valuable tips on using our system, he helped us overcome some major challenges. J. J. creates very detailed documentation, so much so that we have been able to use it to train new support team members. He has been an amazing mentor to our team,” said Janet Bays, Senior Manager, Applications and Development for Toyota Tsusho America. Inc.

The MHI Young Professionals Network (YPN) is dedicated to providing resources and programming to a diverse group of professionals looking to advance their careers in the material handling, logistics, and supply chain industries. The group’s goals include increasing industry retention, education, and networking, as well as offering career support.

About MHI

MHI is an international trade association that has represented the industry since 1945. MHI members include material handling, logistics and supply chain equipment and systems manufacturers, integrators, consultants, publishers, and third-party logistics providers. Much of the work of the industry is done within its product- and solution-specific groups. The association also sponsors trade events, such as ProMat and MODEX, to showcase the products and services of its member companies and to educate industry professionals on the productivity solutions provided through material handling and logistics.

About Open Sky Group

Open Sky Group, global specialists in Blue Yonder warehouse management, labor management, and transportation management solutions, helps clients to lower costs and risks with its proprietary methodology and no-modifications approach to upgrades and implementations. As the largest, dedicated Blue Yonder WMS Implementation partner and one of the first accredited for WMS, Open Sky Group is committed to client success and strives every day to be the best consulting partner on the planet for supply chain solutions.