Kole Mewhorter, a business administration and supply chain management alum from UW-Stout, is being honored as an Institute for Supply Management 2025 ISM 30 Under 30 Rising Supply Chain Star.
Mewhorter, a demand planner at H.B. Fuller, a leading global adhesives provider headquartered in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota, is among the 30 exceptional young professionals awarded by ISM for making a measurable impact across supply chain, procurement and operations roles worldwide.
“These rising leaders reflect the strength and future of the supply management profession,” said Debbie Fogel-Monnissen, interim chief executive officer of ISM. “Their curiosity, discipline and commitment to continuous improvement are helping organizations navigate complexity and build more resilient, forward-looking supply chains.”
Now in its 12th year, the ISM 30 Under 30 program recognizes individuals who demonstrate leadership, collaboration, innovation and a commitment to advancing the supply management profession.
Mewhorter and other honorees will be celebrated at the Awards Gala during the ISM World Annual Conference, April 26-28 in Denver, Colorado. Honorees this year are from the United States, Brazil, France, India, Kenya, Malaysia and United Kingdom. They represent manufacturing, pharmaceutical, aerospace and defense, oil and gas, business services and other industries.
“Receiving this award means that there is a sense of what I am doing day-to-day is meaningful. Earning a global recognition justifies to me that I can continue to make a difference. I am proud of that,” said Mewhorter, a 2022 alum.
Continuing to push for innovation and improvement in supply chain
Through his work, Mewhorter reflects a deep sense of ownership, a forward-looking mindset and a commitment to elevating operational excellence. He began at H.B. Fuller as a buyer/scheduler a month after graduation and was promoted to demand planner seven months later.
Mewhorter continues to support improvement initiatives at H.B. Fuller, upholding the mission of Connecting What Matters. “This is done by bringing people, processes and products together to purposefully solve problems. A key part of this is with Supply Chain Excellence to become the best supplier to our customers,” he said.
H.B. Fuller partners with an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 clients and continues to establish more partnerships within the company.
During H.B. Fuller’s transition to a regionally led supply chain structure, Mewhorter played a key role in developing the North America regional demand planning team — one of the foundational building blocks of the company’s new operating model.
He independently created and implemented a standardized demand review process, setting clear performance expectations while meeting structure and forecasting guidelines, increasing accuracy in every business segment he works with.
“The North America demand planning team provides detailed insight into how we review our capacity/utilization, and where and how much stock we hold. It supports how much production needs to be scheduled, and how much raw materials our sourcing department needs to procure,” Mewhorter said. “It also impacts various projects that come up. Our demand planning department was not mature, and in the past two years or so, we have established ourselves as a respected seat at the table. I am proud of being a key contributor to that.”
Mewhorter also built a suite of key performance indicators (KPIs) and analytical tools, including integrated performance dashboards and enhanced reporting. These tools improved forecast visibility and enabled stronger operational decision-making.
Partnering closely with operations and commercial teams, he works directly with plant leadership, supply managers, and commercial directors to resolve complex issues and align customer demand with production capabilities and business strategy.
Mewhorter supported the rollout and adoption of a new stocking strategy framework and contributed to stock-keeping unit (SKU) rationalization initiatives. He has strengthened forecast-to-revenue alignment by collaborating with finance and commercial teams to develop more accurate, transparent methods for translating demand signals into revenue projections. He designs scalable tools, improves complex processes, and creates resources that accelerate learning and adoption across the company’s global supply chain organization.
To build alignment among different stakeholders, Mewhorter sets clear expectations around what type of information needs to be communicated and how, knowing that it is critical to understand the deliverables or information that each stakeholder requires.
“Overcommunicate everything,” he said. “It is better to pull people in versus leaving them out. They may have a different perspective or concern that could be critical. At H.B. Fuller, we pride ourselves on the ‘Power of Collaboration.’ This is not something that can be taught, but it is a culture.
“We have a culture that positively supports the idea of ‘We are in this together.’ It is amazing, and I wouldn’t be effective at my job if I did not regularly collaborate with various parties,” he said.
Mewhorter feels motivated to continue pushing for innovation and improvement in supply chain because there is always room for improvement, knowing that the work he has done has driven positive impacts.
“This motivates me to keep the ball rolling. I also am always thinking about the direction of our business, and to get there we need to continue to optimize our supply chain operations,” he said. “Supply chain is becoming more critical every day and the only constant in this profession is change. The companies that will thrive when there are economic changes are the ones that have strong supply chains. The people within their supply chain organizations need to adapt.
“I see the future of supply chain becoming one of the most critical departments within an organization. This is because of advancements in AI, new tools and technologies, and an ever-changing economic environment. Strong supply chain departments will persevere through difficult economic activity and effectively adopt new technology,” Mewhorter said.
Prepared to work anywhere and be a valuable employee
Originally, Mewhorter wanted to attend a university that was close to his hometown of Chippewa Falls, and he heard about UW-Stout’s business administration program. During his first semester in that program, he learned about supply chain and was immediately intrigued.
“I was mostly amazed with how supply chain deals with end-to-end business activity; from buying raw materials to shipping to the customer and everything in between,” he said. “From that point on, I pursued a double major in business administration and supply chain management. I knew I could work anywhere and be a valuable employee.”
Mewhorter felt challenged, encouraged and supported by his peers and professors, including Program Director Gene Gutman. “There was an aura that what you were going through was extremely difficult, but you could do it, and it would benefit you down the road. My experiences at Stout helped me to stay driven, collected, and effective in the workplace when difficult scenarios arise,” he said.
“I am StoutProud that I went to a university that challenged me more than other universities. I got firsthand experience with professionals that prepared me to be effective in the workplace. It wasn’t just lectures and exams. It was opportunities to think critically, problem-solve and execute on deliverables. The polytechnic approach is so effective, and I am grateful for that,” Mewhorter added.
Founded in 1915, the Institute for Supply Management is the leading not-for-profit professional supply management organization, with more than 200,000 members in more than 100 countries, managing about $1 trillion in corporate and government supply chain procurement annually.
ISM is committed to advancing the strategy and practice of integrated, end-to-end supply chain management through leading edge data-driven resources, community, and education to empower individuals, create organizational value and drive competitive advantage. Its vision is to foster a prosperous, sustainable world.
UW-Stout’s School of Management offers 20 undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates that build students' leadership skills in business, hospitality and technology innovation, military science, and operations and management fields.
