CaseStack CEO Dan Sanker Sees Value in Collaboration

Dan Sanker began his career in corporate finance and later took positions with consumer packaged goods companies Procter & Gamble, Nabisco, and Kashi. Now, he leads CaseStack Inc., a cloud-based supply chain management firm based in Fayetteville.

You started out in the CPG world, working with Procter & Gamble and Nabisco. What triggered your switch to supply chain management and logistics? 

“I was on some of Procter & Gamble’s teams that initiated collaborative relationships with retailers. I eventually realized how important supply chain and logistics was to the success of all parties. I had the opportunity to help transform our supply chain from a cost center to a competitive advantage.

“At Nabisco, our supply chain was hurting business. We couldn’t deliver on our promises. When I started, my division was dead-last in areas such as best growth, market share and cost structure improvements — but we eventually rose to the top.

“I attribute the transformation to supply chain changes. We addressed everything from pre-manufacturing, all the way through to the in-store experience. For me, it was a first-hand example of how using supply chain and logistics as a competitive advantage could create a winning company. That’s the same thing that we do for a multitude of different midsize manufacturers at CaseStack, but now we are heavily technology-enabled.”

In 2011, you published a book called “Collaborate: The Art of We.”  Why are you so passionate about collaboration? 

“I believe that the prominence of any individual is dwarfed by the prominence of the group. Throughout history, we see the big ideas coming from collaboration.

“This isn’t just theoretical. I have seen it all work. Collaboration with your customers, and sometimes even with apparent competitors, creates stronger businesses.” 

What role does technology play in collaboration? Because it offers new opportunities for collaborative work, are we working together better now than ever before? Is it the key to the future of collaboration?

“Technology is a tool, and the tools we are working with these days are phenomenal. Collaboration isn’t just about tools, though. It’s about changing mindsets. Collaboration keeps becoming more normal to each generation. 

“At the same time, expectations have changed. The bar has risen, and it will never come down again. Check out these quotes from business leaders: 

• Everything that can be invented has been invented. — Charles H. Duell,  U.S. Commissioner of Patents from 1898 to 1901.

• 640K ought to be enough for anybody. — Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, 1981. 

• There will never be a bigger plane built. — A Boeing engineer, after the first flight of the 247, a twin-engine plane that holds 10 people.

“Those sentiments were commonplace, but not anymore. I spend a lot of time with my two ‘Generation Z’ boys. While someone of my generation might find the above quotes to be absurd, my sons find them even crazier. At the ages of 11 and 12, Jon and Julian just can’t see the world as win-lose; it is a win-win world that is predicated on collaboration. There is optimism that everything can and will be better, and it is understood that collaboration is essential — because no one individual or company and can do it all alone.”  

When and why should a supplier start talking to a logistics consultant? 

“I often tell prospective clients and partners that I think we can help them with efficiency and expertise, but I will be the first to let them know if we aren’t the best match. We are in a big industry — arguably a trillion-dollar business sector. Our services can be a game-changer for many of our clients and partners, but there is room for many great players. So, it just makes sense to refer others elsewhere if that is right for them. That attitude gives us and our partners the ability to consult to each other and to prospective clients.”