Read about the people who make SCA: Marcel Robitaille

The core of Supply Chain Alliance ("SCA") is our team, which treats our clients' business as their own, and asks, "What decisions would we make to improve our business to ensure sustainable growth?", and applies that to the client solutions.

We spoke to a core member of the team, Marcel Robitaille, who is currently a Principal and Practice Leader, co-leading Client Delivery for SCA about his interests and his professional journey leading to SCA.

Can you talk about your career path leading you to SCA?

My path leading me to consulting and ultimately SCA is an interesting one and not traditional by any means.

Having grown up in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada, my first passion was hockey! Although I played at the top minor hockey levels, like many other kids in Canada, there comes a time when you realize this path is not in your future. I chose an education in “Advertising Art and Graphic Design” and was hired out of college to join a Promotional Products company running the graphics department and continued in this industry for 11-years.

My love for design slowly switched to a love for Operations, LEAN Manufacturing, and Distribution and I moved to Indianapolis, USA where I spent six years growing the US Operations through the mergers and acquisitions of three companies, which led to the need for the design and opening of a new state of the art manufacturing and distribution center.

Unfortunately, my father fell ill, and I looked to return to Canada to be closer to my family. I interviewed in the US with Amazon to launch the Canadian Operations and Distribution and I was selected as one of the senior leaders to bring this to life. The takeover of the current 3PL in place, standing up six fulfillment centers in various Canadian cities, and launching programs such as “Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)”, “Home, Music, Health & Beauty”, etc.… E-Commerce was alive and well in Canada!

Following the success we achieved at Amazon, I made the tough decision to leave, seeking for a more balanced life. As well, having spent my career with large organization, I was looking to take my experience into a start-up organization and joined a tea manufacturer partially funded by “Dragons' Den”. I spent two years streamlining this operation and distribution and built a strategic plan for the company to launch in the US.

Having found success with this startup challenge, I was ready to transition back into working with global organizations. Rather than working directly with one organization, I had the unique opportunity to work with numerous organizations as an independent consultant for Supply Chain Alliance. Over the next five years, I worked on multiple projects across North America, delivering value to our clients, and launching SCA's Operational Excellence practice.

In April 2022 I joined the Executive Leadership team of SCA, and together with my colleagues, have been growing the business!

What types of projects do you enjoy working on and the skill set you bring to the team?

I enjoy working on Distribution/Manufacturing and Operational Excellence Projects. My training and experience in the US and Amazon combined with my LEAN SIX SIGMA / BLACK BELT certification, allow me to help our clients make the improvements they need to realize continued success and operational excellence!

My Graphic Design and Marketing background provided leadership in creating presentation standards for our clients, and as a Principal help guide decisions for the company's growth through Marketing and Business Development.

How do the SCA philosophies and principles align with your views on how a consulting partnership should be formed with clients?

You will often hear us talk about SCA's “Secret Sauce” and that is our TEAM & CULTURE! We are all pragmatic individuals who have made mistakes of our own over the years running companies, businesses, operations, etc., and have learned how to overcome those mistakes and pass that knowledge on to our clients or as we like to call them “Our Partners”.

End-to-End (E2E) and from Strategy to Implementation (S2I), WE CAN HELP! We have an entrepreneurial spirit, enjoy bringing our “A” game every day, to bring value and to help our clients succeed. And we HAVE FUN while doing it; that is SCA and what makes the culture AMAZING and what we strive for everyday.

What lights you up as a human and what are some of your interests outside of work?

My family, hands down is the #1 thing that lights me up daily! Spending as much time with my wife of 22 years and my four daughters. Playing music, riding motorcycles (Crotch Rocket Speed is my Jam!), hockey, golf, good friends, and great company, always!! I love to golf as much as I can with my wife and/or friends.

I love music (I play guitar, drums, harmonica, percussion, and I am a vocalist) and playing live music with a band is one of my passions that I realized later in my life, but now have been playing for over 20 years!

I also still have a love for the game of hockey and the discipline and lessons it provided me that I use in my personal life and my career to this day. I was fortunate that my youngest daughter showed some interest in playing hockey, so I signed her up and volunteered to be the head coach of her House League team. I have been coaching for three years and now coaching a U13B Rep hockey team and I love it!

Coaching is one of the most fulfilling roles I have had, and I appreciate the opportunity to pass on my love for the game and knowledge to all the (my) girls!