Lisa McKay
Lisa McKay
Vice President, Supply Chain
Although I was always good at math, I didn’t like the structured nature of accounting. So, I began exploring other majors while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration at John Carroll University. That’s when I was introduced to logistics and knew it would be the perfect career path for me.
Logistics is still very analytical and math-driven, but it’s creative, too. I loved the idea of designing something and then using analytics to understand the performance of what was designed.
After earning my degree, I worked at Avery Dennison for a short time before being recruited to join Swagelok as a scheduler in 2001. When I look back on my career here so far, I’m most proud of being a part of so many great teams and incredible projects.
Early on, I was on a project team that implemented the organization’s first advanced planning system, and that work was way ahead of its time. It was a foundational project that eliminated the need for us to adjust lead times manually. Today, the system continues to keep us from overcommitting our supply chain, which was especially important during COVID-19 pandemic.
As I moved into leadership roles, first in raw materials and later in customer service, outbound supply chain, and logistics, I was fortunate to play a role on many more project teams that helped move the business forward. For example, establishing a vendor-managed inventory program with authorized Swagelok sales and service centers enhanced global supply chain availability and implementing a foreign trade zone continues to provide significant duty savings.
In my most recent role as director of global supply chain, my team has been working to create analytics effectiveness to help us balance demand and labor, as well as advance commercial consensus forecasting, carrier and trade management, and enterprise inventory management. We’ve accomplished so much in this area thanks to the incredible people on the team, and as a leader, it’s so rewarding for me to see the team grow and do amazing work!
Today, as vice president, supply chain, I’m excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. When I entered the workforce, logistics and supply chain weren’t popular fields of study. Fast forward to today. Supply chain has evolved from being an unknown, underappreciated function to a critical discipline that helps grow the business and support customers.
I’ve grown up in supply chain at Swagelok and have worked with the team in many capacities for a long time. I’m also responsible for customer service now, and I’m looking forward to sharing our knowledge and resources to help authorized Swagelok sales and service centers continue to develop their analytical tools and business processes.
We continue to bring in bright, new talent through our internship and career development programs, and I enjoy engaging with local universities and students to set us up for future success. I serve as the ambassador to John Carroll University, and I’m on the board of the supply chain council for The University of Akron. It’s a great opportunity for businesses to influence the supply chain curriculum at universities to make sure it’s data analytics-driven and up to date with practical trends.
I also serve on the boards of the Swagelok Foundation and the Women’s Recovery Center, which addresses the needs of women affected by substance use disorder and trauma.
My two amazing kids—who love playing sports—keep me busy, too. I love watching them play, and I like what team sports teach you about communicating and working together with different people; there are some important life lessons there. I enjoy volunteering at their schools as well. It’s cool to see the kids grow up. I love my kids, love volunteering; it’s a good life. I’m doing the things I want to do with my time.