From cargo fraud and natural disasters to ever-changing food safety regulations and increase in tariffs and cost of goods, many of today's supply chain leaders are faced with a number of challenges. But it's their resilience, hard work, innovation and attention to quality, sustainability and food safety that separates these rock stars apart from everyone else.
The winners of this year's Rock Stars of the Supply Chain award are no different.
In fact, they continue to push the importance of transparency, visibility and food safety through all aspect of the cold food chain, whether it's through developing cutting-edge TMS or implementing best practices.
Case in point: 47% of nominees reside in the transportation sector, followed by 23% in warehousing and 22% in software and technology.
This year's award was broken down into four categories:
Top Warehousing Leader --> Recognizes professionals in the cold storage and warehousing space.
Top Transportation Professional --> Recognizes professionals in the transportation space, including freight, trucking, rail, air cargo, ship/ports, etc.
Rising Stars --> Recognizes young or newer professionals (39 and under) whose achievements, hard work and vision have shaped the supply chain network.
Leaders in Excellence --> Honors company leaders who’ve made outstanding contributions to the supply chain space. Must have at least 10 years’ documented experience in supply chain and logistics.
Each category consists of a number of winners who continue to go above and beyond to develop innovative technology, promote workforce development, execute sustainable initiatives and more.
CLICK HERE to view the full list of winners.
Let's first meet the four overall winners:
Top Warehousing Leader --> Aaron Nussbaum, VP, Logistics Operations, Jarrett, www.gojarrett.com 
Aaron Nussbaum is recognized for his expertise in transportation, warehousing and business process improvement, as well as his ability to build high-performing teams and deliver operational excellence. But it’s his engagement in the day-to-day business that separates him from other logistics leaders. Under Nussbaum’s leadership, Jarrett’s warehousing operations expanded total warehouse space of 180,000 square feet to over 750,000 square feet across multiple facilities, including the company’s headquarter location in Orrville, Ohio. He also remains the driving force behind the warehousing division’s revenue growth, increasing by more than 3,000% over the past six years. CLICK HERE to read an exclusive interview with Nussbaum on how combining strategic vision with a people-first mindset drives company growth, revenue and culture.
Top Transportation Professional --> Kary Jablonski, EVP, Broker Segment, Trucker Tools & Marketing, DAT Freight & Analytics, www.dat.com
Kary Jablonski has experienced two phases of her career: one at Trucker Tools before its acquisition by DAT, and another as a leader at DAT following the acquisition. However, her journey didn’t start in trucking or technology. Post-college, it was her management job at Uber that first introduced her to logistics and freight technology, where she became interested in marketplaces, how to move product from Point A to Point B, and the challenges involved. Enter her time as CEO of Trucker Tools, where she originally joined as COO, stepping into a small, founder-led, bootstrapped business with an ambitious but unfocused product roadmap. In a short time, she refocused Trucker Tools on load visibility and tracking for freight brokers. She made tough strategic decisions, retired legacy products and rallied teams around a mission to help brokers capitalize on the location technology available in every truck. Currently, she serves as EVP, broker segment, trucker tools and marketing at DAT Freight & Analytics, responsible for the DAT One load board, Trucker Tools visibility service, and Carrier Management Suite. CLICK HERE to read an exclusive interview with Jablonski to talk trends, challenges and opportunities impacting brokers in 2026.
Rising Stars --> Zachary Dolphin, Senior Business Development Representative, Redwood Logistics, www.redwoodlogistics.com
When it comes to winning business, Zachary Dolphin doesn’t just stop there. In fact, his competitive differentiator is his ability to translate front-end commercial work into back-end execution discipline for time- and temperature-sensitive freight. That’s why, as senior business development representative for Redwood Logistics, Dolphin oversees business development and account expansion for Team MOVE, where he serves as the primary interface between clients and internal delivery teams, translating business objectives into clear execution plans. Dolphin manages the full commercial lifecycle from prospecting and qualification to proposal development and handoff to operations, and partners closely with operations, marketing, finance, and product to scope solutions, align pricing, and maintain strong governance. Dolphin completed his move into a full managerial role, effective Nov. 1, 2025, and over the next 12 months, will use his new position to push two clear targets: exceed prior-year hub net revenue by more than $1 million and sustain an average of $1 million in monthly net revenue. CLICK HERE to read an exclusive interview with Dolphin about building strong relationships and focusing on scalability and long-term sustainability.
Leaders in Excellence --> Ryan Leschber, VP, Operations, Fresh Freight, www.freshfreight.com
After more than a decade leading supply chains for major food brands, Ryan Loeschber left the shipper world to help reshape how carriers operate. He stepped away from the security of established systems to help build something more personal and impactful—an operation designed around food quality and service, not just freight at the lowest cost. His path began at Labatt Food Service, where he rose from supply chain analyst to logistics manager, learning the mechanics of routing, forecasting, and network optimization to keep food moving reliably from source to table. From Labatt, he joined Whole Foods Market as director of global perishables logistics, overseeing international sourcing and cold chain operations that connected growers and suppliers around the world. Today, he serves as VP, operations at Fresh Freight, uniting 15-plus years of shipper-side experience with a carrier’s precision. At Fresh Freight, his leadership bridges the shipper side with the carrier side, creating a model built on accountability and performance. He’s implemented technology that delivers real-time visibility, optimized routing, and measurable performance tracking, all while strengthening collaboration between shippers, carriers, and internal teams. CLICK HERE to read an exclusive interview with Leschber about bridging the gap of shipper-level precision to an asset-backed brokerage built for food logistics.
Congratulations to all of this year's winners. CLICK HERE to view the full list of winners.
Below are a couple of additional standouts (in alpha order by company name).
Manoj Bhalerao
Senior Manager, Hub Group
www.hubgroup.com
Category: Top Transportation Professional
Manoj Bhalerao is a global supply chain and transportation expert, recognized for creating advanced managed services solutions and leading transformation in food logistics networks worldwide. With nearly 20 years of experience, Bhalerao has held leadership roles at KPMG and other Fortune 500 companies, designing award-winning initiatives in global trade compliance, managed transportation, and supply chain resilience. He currently serves as senior manager of Hub Group, responsible for leading advanced transportation managed service and supply chain optimization initiatives for large-scale logistics and supply chain operations for 60-plus customers. His day-to-day responsibilities blend high-level strategy with direct operational oversight to maximize efficiency, resilience, and regulatory compliance across multimodal logistics networks. On a typical day, he oversees the management and continuous improvement of managed transportation services platforms; analyzes transportation data and leverages technologies; designs and implements frameworks for clients moving food, perishables, and agricultural products nationally and internationally; collaborates with IT, operations, procurement, and compliance teams globally to streamline processes, implement best practices, and troubleshoot high-priority issues in real time; provides executive guidance, change management, and training for diverse stakeholders; develops and refines governance structures, performance dashboards, and KPI monitoring systems; and maintains ongoing engagement with industry organizations. For instance, Bhalerao completed the Wharton CTO Program, which includes certificates in Executive Presence and Influence, Technology Acceleration. He is an NCBFAA-Certified Customs Specialist, a Six Sigma Black Belt (Transportation Rates Optimization), ITIL Foundation-certified, and an Oracle Transportation Management Certified Implementation Specialist. He's also a Chartered Member of CILT and an honored Fellow of the Institute of Supply Chain Management (IoSCM). In the next 12 months, Bhalerao is committed to scaling digital twin and AI analytics in food logistics; expanding next-generation trade compliance services; and continuing his industry leadership and advocacy.
Shawn Donahue
Product Marketing Manager of Automation, The Raymond Corporation, a brand of Toyota Material Handling North America
www.raymondcorp.com
Category: Rising Stars
Shawn Donahue joined The Raymond Corporation in September 2024 as product marketing manager of automation, where he oversees the entire product life cycle — from developing go-to-market strategies to driving adoption once products are in market. He also collaborates cross-functionally with teams, such as sales, project management and engineering, to ensure successful product launches. Donahue has been instrumental in preparing Raymond products for market by providing essential support, including the development of marketing and sales strategies. Most recently, Donahue played a key role in the rollout of a new automated solution that had been in the early stages of development. He also collaborated closely with the sales team to equip team members with the necessary materials to sell the product and ensured it was fully integrated and orderable through the customer relationship management system. Before joining Raymond, Donahue held various marketing roles across multiple industries, including financial services and health care. Looking ahead, Donahue is focused on advancing and developing go-to-market strategies for new automated guided vehicles while enhancing technology for existing AGV solutions.
CLICK HERE to view the full list of winners.
*Please note, all winners underwent a vetting process, which included a review of confidential information submitted in the application process. This list is compiled of supply chain professionals who actively submitted a digital application for this award. Not all applicants were named winners.
