Chain Connectors
Linking Your Supply Chain for Optimal Performance


founding partners

Dr. Chris Norek

Dr. Chris Norek has over 25 years of supply chain and logistics experience in industry, consulting and academia across several industries including retail, consumer products, industrial products, services, and eCommerce. He has consulted for both CSC (Computer Sciences Corporation - formerly Cleveland Consulting Associates) and Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting). He was also a professor of logistics and transportation, both at Auburn University and the University of Tennessee. In addition, he has worked in industry for Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Apple Computer and Office Depot. It is this unique combination of experience that allows him to work with clients to provide value while leaving behind the necessary knowledge to understand key supply chain opportunities.

Dr. Norek has his B.S. in Business Logistics from the Pennsylvania State University, an M.B.A. with a concentration in logistics and transportation from the University of Tennessee, and an M.A.B.A. and Ph.D. in logistics and transportation from The Ohio State University.

Through his industry and academic experience, Dr. Norek has amassed considerable contacts and visibility in the field. He has been quoted in several journals in the discipline as well as general business publications like the Wall Street Journal and Business 2.0 magazine. He has published in Supply Chain Management Review, LQ (formerly Logistics Quarterly), DC Velocity, Journal of Business Logistics, International Journal of Logistics Management, and Supply and Demand Chain Executive. Dr. Norek is a contributing editor to LQ as well as a member of the Advisory Board for both LQ and DC Velocity.  Dr. Norek is a senior instructor in Penn State's Smeal College Executive Education programs in supply chain management (ranked #1 by Gartner) teaching both public offerings as well as custom corporate courses. He is also a recurring lecturer in Denver University's ITI Executive Masters program .  Dr. Norek is one of four key faculty members featured in the Penn State and CorpU venture for online supply chain training.

Dr. Norek is also very active in industry associations. He is Chairman and immediate past president of NASSTRAC (National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council). He was general program chair for the 2005 Council of Supply Chain Management (CSCMP) conference in San Diego, responsible for selecting all education tracks--the first under the new name (was Council of Logistics Management or CLM).  


Alan Zorner



Al Zorner spent a majority of his professional career with the chemical giant, Union Carbide. He left in 1994 to become the Director of Technology/CIO at Foxwoods Resort Casino that evolved into the largest casino in the Western world and is publicly-acknowledged as technically-innovative. He then elected to experiment in the services delivery sector and assumed the role of Technical Executive/CTO for the IBM Interactive Media Group that became the incubator and the premier e-business center within the IBM umbrella. In early 2000, Al joined Enterpulse, an eCommerce services firm, to experience the entrepreneurial environment as the Vice-President/CTO with sole responsibility for the delivery of B2B Commerce, Supply Chain and Content Management solutions.

Al was one of twelve key executives responsible for opening the Foxwoods Resort Casino within nine months from groundbreaking. Reporting to the CEO, he envisioned and delivered a leading edge technology platform including integrated systems, internet-ready applications and sound strategies to accept seven additional phases of construction and, over 100,000 guests per diem while, maintaining sub-second response time for the player.

In his twenty-five year career with Union Carbide, Al played a key role in the design, development and operation of the nationwide computer-based order entry and processing system for the logistical network of six regional offices, forty-five manufacturing sites and over 2000 vehicles. The state-of-the-art Decision Support Center became the focal point for long-term marketing strategies, tactical distribution enhancements and daily operations analysis. He also served as the divisional liaison to the federal Department of Transportation in the interpretation of regulations. Following a favorable FTC ruling, Union Carbide purchased over forty privately-owned distributors and elected to consolidate their operations. Al and his team of five experts were asked to apply the "best practice" methodology to each local operating discipline and management information system.

Al is a seasoned professional with experience in the various methodologies of management science as well as the application of software solutions to provide a competitive edge and/or operational efficiencies.

We have years of experience in supporting key supply chain processes including:   READ MORE

Published Articles

We have published in many of the top supply chain journals including: Supply Chain Management Review, LQ, Supply and Demand Chain Executive, DC Velocity, Journal of Business Logistics and International Journal of Logistics Management. Click on Published Articles for easy downloads.

Mission Statement
We will provide superior quality and delivery of supply chain management consulting and deployment services to our clients. Our focus is to provide value to our clients by pricing our services so that both mid-market and Fortune 500 clients will gain significant benefits from our work. A key enabler for Chain Connectors is the Internet and the solutions that are enabled by it. Our services/solutions have the ability to predict, monitor and manage internal as well as external business processes.