Linked Lessons, Applied Learning Unlock Key SCM Knowledge for Scott Miller

This interview was originally published in spring 2019. Scott has since accepted the position of Senior Supply Chain Manager for The Willamette Valley Company LLC.

What attracted you to BU over other schools? Particularly, why did you choose MET?
For me, the biggest draw to Boston, BU, and MET was the diversity. Growing up, I was not part of a very diverse community. This is something that I felt held me back, especially going into a field like supply chain management. By joining BU’s diverse student population, I was able to learn new things about several cultures while completing projects with peers from around the world. Even walking around the city of Boston, I might hear three different languages spoken on every block. It is truly a melting pot of a city, and that offered additional value to my education.

In terms of your overall educational experience, what stands out most about the MS in Supply Chain Management program at BU MET?
The most notable experience from my time at MET was sitting in the Quality Management (MET AD 734) class as we went through an exercise determining whether or not inspection was needed for a sample process. With the class divided into two groups, each team was encouraged to utilize available information to assess the process. What made this experience so exciting was that our time was limited—so we had to digest the information, develop a model for testing, then analyze the information, all while racing against the clock. Experiences like this helped me feel better prepared for future decisions that might need to be made quickly.

What do you find most fascinating about your area of study? Do you have a particular focus within the broader area of supply chain management?
The best way for a supply chain to identify areas for improvement and scale in a sustainable manner is through the use of quantifiable metrics. I am most interested in discovering new ways to track and exploit available data to leverage into increased effectiveness of business decisions within the supply chain.

How do you use the concepts you learned in your courses at BU MET in your current job?
I am constantly using concepts from the MS in Supply Chain Management program in my current job as a supply chain manager for Dune Sciences. Most recently, I have leaned heavily on methods I learned from lectures on forecasting and quality in Dr. Canan Gunes Corlu’s Global Supply Chains (MET AD 680) and Dr. Maleyeff’s Quality Management (MET AD 734) courses, aiming to better analyze the throughput of suppliers, allowing for more reliable expectations of lead times.

Is there a particular course or project that enhanced your experience in the MS in Supply Chain Management program?
One of the things I loved the most about the Supply Chain Management master’s program is that each course lent value to the next. Investigating the potential value of a publicly traded company in Professor Bill McGue’s Financial Concepts (MET AD 632) course helped me understand how slight changes in a business model could affect a company’s bottom line. This was useful later in the program when I was tasked with discovering a profitable business plan for a craft brewery startup as part of Dr. Vladimir Zlatev’s Quantitative and Qualitative Decision-Making (MET AD 715) course. Similar experiences, building one lesson off the last, are prevalent throughout the program.

In what ways were faculty available to you as a resource? Is there a particular faculty member who enhanced your experience at BU MET? Who and why?
Dr. Corlu and Dr. Maleyeff were both integral to my BU MET experience. Both inside and outside of the classroom, they challenged me to think critically and creatively when analyzing a supply chain. I would not have gained all that I did from my time at MET without the help of those two fantastic professors.

What is next in store for you?
Some hard-earned stability! I have bounced around the United States over the last year and a half, so I am very much looking forward to settling down in Eugene, Oregon while helping to grow Dune Sciences into a household name.