UND Supply Chain Club - Heath Holtz

Well you told me just to answer some questions so I can throw slides up but I'm happy to just talk through and not bore you guys. Slide? No worries. If you want to share a little about your educational background and anything personally, that sounds great. I'm Heath Holtz, Chief Operations and Supply Chain Officer at Kohler. Originally from a small town in Ohio, married 25 years, two daughters who are gymnasts. I enjoy golf, boating, cycling, and running marathons. My undergrad was at the Air Force Academy in operations research, masters at Georgia Tech, then two more masters from MIT in engineering systems and an MBA from Sloan.

I started in the Air Force doing strategic planning and teaching math. After grad school at MIT, I spent 14 years at Nissan in roles from vehicle distribution to procurement, logistics, plant management, and VP of supply chain in Europe. Then I ran global supply chain at Target for four years, and now I'm at Kohler. Each role built on strengths and expanded into new areas, touching large parts of the business.

The coolest was site selection for a new plant in Brazil—flying around, assessing locations, engaging with local governments. The one I'm most proud of is building Target's last-mile network with sortation centers and Shipt drivers, which is faster, cheaper, and more sustainable. We built 10 centers and have one more coming.

Yeah, it definitely increased demand and gave fast, reliable next-day service to online customers.

I've managed multi-site teams my whole career, so virtual management was nothing new. I traveled every month to each site—Russia, Spain, France, UK, Geneva. In three and a half years I traveled over 450 days. It was fun at first but got old.

You'd have to ask my wife. For me, work-life balance is about quality time, not quantity. I was present with my family on weekends, didn't golf, and made sure to pick up my daughters from practice. We traveled together in Europe.

First, safety of our 30,000 associates. Second, quality of products and services—without customers, there's no business. Third, having a clear vision so the team can execute. These have been consistent throughout my career.

Two stories: When I became a young VP in the UK, I was all business. A team member told me I had no personality and was robotic. I learned you have to connect personally to motivate a team. Another time, a plant manager told me 'it doesn't hurt to smile.' How you show up—eye contact, a smile—has a huge impact on the team.

Realize many people feel that way. Your job isn't to know everything but to ask the right questions. You were selected for a reason. Give yourself small wins. Even now, some days I feel overwhelmed, but I take a deep breath and move forward one step at a time.

Be intentional about roles that let you learn across the business. Don't be afraid to take uncomfortable leaps—I moved into procurement with no experience and kept a notebook to learn new terms every day. Stretch yourself and embrace opportunities even when you don't feel ready.

Find something you're passionate about—you'll spend a lot of time at work. Also have a passion outside work, like running or golf, to recharge. When you step away, the best ideas come, and you return more engaged.

That's fantastic. Traveling was the best experience of my career. Learn about local cultures, try their food, embrace the history. It gives you perspective and makes you a better leader. Diverse teams produce the best ideas. It will make you more well-rounded.

Great to talk to everyone. I'd love to do it in person next time. Thanks for having me.