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ATLANTA, March 26, 2019Food Logistics, the only publication exclusively dedicated to covering the movement of product through the global food supply chain, has named Gary Keimach, Senior Vice President Supply Chain and Pricing Strategy for Martignetti Companies, to its 2019 list of Food Logistics Champions: Rock Stars of the Supply Chain. Recipients are profiled in the March 2019 issue of Food Logistics, as well as online at www.foodlogistics.com.

In 2018, Keimach oversaw the implementation of Blue Ridge’s supply chain planning solution to align Martignetti’s wine and spirits inventory with anticipated demand from its customers. The solution quickly improved the company’s forecast accuracy, helping buyers make better decisions while also reducing daily average inventory. A video of Martignetti’s story is available here.

“We wanted buyers to have everything they needed to be able to order the right quantities, while having confidence that they will not have too much inventory, but also won’t run short,” said Keimach. “The Blue Ridge platform has helped us improve our forecasting while driving average inventory down by eight percent.”

Blue Ridge’s cloud-based, distribution-focused forecasting and inventory planning system balances customer needs with business realities such as tracking and forecasting vintages, managing long lead times, seasonality, deal management and all the other variables that put pressure on today’s wine and spirits distributors. For more information on how Blue Ridge serves the Wine & Spirits industry, click here.

“In the past we measured overstocks on a different platform that was cumbersome and very difficult to pinpoint,” Keimach said. “Now, all of our buyers have that data at their fingertips, and I have it on my dashboard.”

In addition to Martignetti, Blue Ridge supports a long list of wine and spirits distributors in improving their operations, including Athens Distributing Company, Epic Wines, Frederick Wildman and Sons, Regal Wines, Georgia Crown Distributing Co., Opici Wines, Major Brands, Vectura and more.

Blue Ridge will be available to answer questions at the WSWA Conference in Orlando on March 31-April 3.

The Food Logistics Champions: Rock Stars of the Supply Chain recognizes influential individuals in the food and beverage industry whose achievements, hard work and vision have shaped and attained milestones in safety, efficiency, productivity and innovation through the global food supply chain. From early pioneers and entrepreneurs to non-conformist thinkers and executive standouts, this award aims to honor these leaders and their contributions to the industry.

“Our 2019 Food Logistics Champions: Rock Stars of the Supply Chain reflects the expanding diversity that is emerging in our industry, both in terms of demographics and talent,” said Lara L. Sowinski, Food Logistics Editor-in-Chief. “The combination of experience and wisdom complemented with a new generation of professionals is resulting in a food and beverage supply chain that is in sync with consumers’ demands while simultaneously staying ahead of the logistical requirements.”