Executive Forum with Randy Haines, Founder for ScaleBridge LLC, and Matt Vuckov, Chief Executive Officer for TalentCraft

The Executive Forum is open to the public, as seating permits, and provides opportunities for the exchange of ideas and discussion of topics and issues facing business and management.

Randy Haines is an accomplished supply chain executive with over 20 years of experience spanning large multibillion dollar manufacturing organizations to 2 startups he founded.  Randy completed his undergraduate degree from Krannert (now Daniels) in Management and returned back to West Lafayette 4 years after his undergraduate degree to earn his MBA in the weekend program.  Randy is a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity where he still keeps in touch with many of his brothers and has strengthened his professional network.

He started his career in supply chain in East Chicago, Indiana, working for ArcelorMittal, the largest steel company in the world at the time.  He quickly rose through the procurement ranks becoming the youngest category manager in his department while having the most spend under management, roughly $300mm.  After 4 years there, he transitioned to the food industry, working for Smithfield Foods, the world's largest pork producer, in their newly formed Strategic Sourcing department in downtown Chicago.  Again, he quickly advanced in the organization where he was the Managing Analyst responsible for all sourcing analytical activities as well as overall category strategy design.

After 6 years at Smithfield, he set out to scratch his entrepreneurial itch and co-founded a boutique procurement consulting firm, Strategic Buying Group headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois.  Randy grew this business over 5.5 years before Smithfield brought him back to corporate America to be their Chief Procurement Officer.  He once again advanced quickly and in less than 6 months, his role was expanded to also manage the Transportation and Warehousing operations, adding Senior Vice President of Supply Chain to his title.  He was responsible for $3 billion in expense, 1100 employees, 7 distribution centers, over 35 third party warehouses, roughly 600 private and dedicated trucks and procurement for over 40 manufacturing facilities.

The second venture Randy founded after 4 years at Smithfield and taking 6 months off for "temporary retirement" is ScaleBridge.  He currently serves as the President and Founder.

ScaleBridge is a supply chain management platform that acts as an extension of their clients' teams to solve problems for manufacturers in transportation, warehousing and procurement.  With decades of experience on their core team and established, vetted and trusted partners, ScaleBridge acts as the general contractor for their clients to bring the right tools, processes and teams to execute on their problem statement.  Engagements range from redesigning processes coupled with technology deployment to full supply chain transformation at publicly traded multibillion dollar organizations.  ScaleBridge is privately held with no outside investment that has quickly grown and continues to scale both with internal resources (both human capital and AI agents) and strategic partnerships that augment staff and capabilities.

Randy is an Indiana native, raised in "The Region" and then moving to Chicago post college.  Currently, he resides in Williamsburg, Virginia, with his wife of 13 years and 10- and 8-year-old boys.  Randy is an avid golfer and boater and enjoys traveling both for work and pleasure with his family.

Matt Vuckov is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TalentCraft, a national workforce solutions and advisory firm headquartered in the Chicago area.  TalentCraft is a national workforce solutions and advisory firm that helps organizations build the talent required to power America's most important industries.  The company partners with employers ranging from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 organizations across semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, AI and digital infrastructure, healthcare, financial services, and technology.  Through executive search, professional staffing, workforce strategy, and talent advisory services, TalentCraft helps clients reduce workforce risk, accelerate growth, and develop long-term talent pipelines for critical business initiatives.

Since founding the company in 2018, he has led TalentCraft's evolution from a technology recruiting firm into a strategic workforce partner helping organizations solve talent challenges across semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, data center infrastructure, healthcare, financial services, and other critical industries.

Recognized for his ability to connect industry, education, government, and the workforce, Matt advises organizations undertaking large-scale workforce transformation initiatives and major capital investments throughout the United States.  His work focuses on helping companies mitigate workforce risk while building sustainable talent ecosystems that support long-term economic growth.

Beyond TalentCraft, Matt serves in several national leadership roles advancing workforce development and U.S. competitiveness, including leadership positions with the American Staffing Association and the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue.  He also chairs the Workforce & Innovation Committee for One Region, helping shape workforce strategy across Northwest Indiana.

A Purdue University graduate, Matt is passionate about helping future business leaders understand how demographic change, artificial intelligence, reshoring, and advanced manufacturing are transforming the future of work.  He believes that the greatest opportunities are created where business, technology, education, and public policy intersect.