At this point in the pandemic, most American consumers have faced some supply issues – be it waiting for a part for your car, or not being able to get the perfect present during the holiday season.

This episode’s guest explains why we are plagued with supply chain issues – and how we as a society can fix them.

G. 'Ravi’ Ravishankar is a faculty member at the Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Operations Division at the Leeds School of Business. He is an expert on supply chain issues, lean transformation, product innovation strategies, and technology transfer from national laboratories.

We talked to him about how the pandemic upended our supply chain – and the cracks in the system that were there all along.


EPISODE QUOTES:
On the changing nature of who is an “essential worker”
[00:06:48] If the circumstances change enough, who becomes essential is going to change. If you have a war, soldiers are essential; if you have a famine, food production is essential. So everybody is essential at different points in time, and we need to look at the entire labor pool in that manner.


On where products are made
[00:07:50] We don't make stuff in this country. We mostly import anything that is made. And that is a fundamental problem when all of a sudden, where something comes from is disrupted. It doesn't matter what that item is. If you don't make something, then you need to ensure that the supply from wherever it is coming from is rock solid.


On implementing lessons from recent pandemic problems
[00:26:17] The supply chain problems have got tentacles that go in a thousand different ways. We are just facing the ripple. We've tossed a rock in the pond, and all of a sudden, this ripple is playing out, and it's making us rethink. My fear is that you let things alone for too long, that ripple will die out, and it'll be back to business as usual until something else happens. And I guarantee something else will happen. It’s just a matter of time.

S1E1: Professor ‘Ravi’ Ravishankar – Untangling the Supply Chain

Two years ago, it would’ve been hard to imagine a Disneyland devoid of happy families and beloved characters. But for months, the park was mostly empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the crowds are back – but the experience has been updated to account for the new normal. 

Clark Jones is Senior Vice President and CFO at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, is a 26-year veteran of the Walt Disney company's theme park business – and he’s been at the helm of efforts to ensure Disneyland’s success for generations to come, even amid a pandemic. 

EPISODE QUOTES:
On balancing change and tradition
[00:23:15] With the legacy that Disneyland has, especially with its avid fan base, anytime you make a change can be challenging … [but] once you make a change and put it into the environment and let the guests actually then interact with it and participate with it, in most cases, they realize, “You know, sometimes change is good, and sometimes, it's better.” You're never going to make everybody happy all the time, but, if we don't make some changes, we're just going to be the same Disneyland we were, you know, ten years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago. And, I think, our guests expect more from us.  

On his advice to people new to the workforce 
[00:20:48] As somebody brand new to the workforce, you're bringing that to the table. You are bringing a brand-new perspective to organizations and to companies. And I don't think you should be afraid to say what you're thinking and say how you might change an organization. Because I think that is your expectation that the company should be listening. And I think we, as leaders, know that that's your expectation, and we need to create an environment in which you can do that. So don't be afraid to come in and provide perspective, add value, and question things. 

On the wisdom of ‘Encanto’
[00:13:29] One of my favorite quotes right now is coming from the film Encanto, which, hopefully, the listeners have had a chance to see. And it's such a great film, and there's a character in there who is the perfect daughter. She says, “It doesn't have to be perfect. Sometimes it just has to be.” And I think when you think about planning, it doesn't have to be spot on all the time. But you have to have [a plan], and you have to be thoughtful about it, and it needs to be there, so when the time does come, you're ready to act upon it.

S1E2: Clark Jones – Riding Through the Pandemic at Disneyland

Professor Sarah Zechman is Chair of the Accounting Division at Leeds, as well as an expert in financial communications and disclosure. She’s been researching SPACs – short for special purpose acquisition companies – and their sudden popularity, especially among celebrities.

This episode digs into what SPACs are, why they’ve been in the news more, and what listeners should consider before going in on SPACs 

EPISODE QUOTES:
Why are SPACs an alternative to IPOs?
[00:05:39] People at this point are looking for alternative investments. I've seen a lot of creative investments out there and SPACs are one of them that are a bit different. It's difficult to obtain stakes in a traditional IPO. Even those entities that have access are often constrained in their allotment.  If you want to invest in early-stage investment, there's very limited options for many entities and individuals. But SPACs expand the pool of investment opportunities available.

A brief history on the popularity of SPACs
[00:21:00] The first SPAC was actually back in the 1990s, but they were extremely infrequent until 2003. And even from 2003 to 2017, there were maybe 20 a year. So still very infrequent. Then, in 2018 and ramping up in 2019 and certainly 2020 they've exploded quite a bit. In 2020, there were 200 SPACs that raised over $70 million.

S1E3: Sarah Zechman – Unpacking SPACs

Smells like a youthful jam

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Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Karmakaio & Auyo Flow Hypertechno Remix)

For this episode we convene at Jungle, a Boulder rum bar and burger shack inspired by the Tiki tradition. Jeff, as you learned in our Season 7 premiere, is an avid tiki afficionado, and here he lets his passion for big fruity drinks and the culture and lore behind them stand out like the loudest aloha shirt.

Sadly, Brad was unable to join us at Jungle, but we’re fortunate to have Jeff’s good friend and colleague, Andrew Nelson, Professor of Management at the University of Oregon’s Lundquist School of Business, where he’s also the Academic Director of Lundquist’s Center for Entrepreneurship. This “battle of  entrepreneurship center directors” begins with Jeff and Andrew breaking down the flavor profile of Jungle’s signature (and rather strong) Mai Tai. 

Jeff brings up the importance of studying all aspects of entrepreneurship, not just the headline-grabbing, venture-funded endeavors. They agree that the bigger story of entrepreneurship is how one can turn their passion into a business, and use entrepreneurship as a tool for having a good life.

This segues into a discussion about Andrew’s latest published paper, which traces the competition between Hammond and Everett (maker of the Orgatron) to bring an electric organ to market back in 1935. While the Orgatron mimicked the pipe organ remarkably well, it was too close to the real thing, leaving little space for innovation, whereas the organ-like Hammond could be used to create innovative sounds. It eventually evolved into the Hammond B3, an instrument still ubiquitous to any keyboardist’s arsenal. 

Funny how the Orgatron never really caught on…

Enjoy and cheers! 
—

This episode of Creative Distillation was recorded at Jungle in downtown Boulder. Learn more at jungletiki.com.

Learn more about Andrew J. Nelson on his faculty page at the University of Oregon’s Lundquist School of Business. https://business.uoregon.edu/directory/faculty-staff/all/ajnelson)

Read Andrew’s paper, “Even Better Than the Real Thing: Electronic Organs and the Dilemma of Product Mimicry” in the June 2025 issue of Strategic Management Journal. https://sms.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smj.3704)

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Learn more about CU's Deming Center for Entrepreneurship: https://deming.colorado.edu

Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note at CDpodcast@colorado.edu.

Thanks for listening.
- An Analog Digital Arts Production for the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship Produced, recorded and edited by Joel Davis

"Whiskey Before Breakfast" [Traditional] performed by Jeffrey York and Brad Werner. Recorded, mixed and mastered by George Figgs

___

CREATIVE DISTILLATION

University of Colorado-Boulder professors Jeff York and Brad Werner distill entrepreneurship research into actionable insights.

Jeff York | Associate Professor | Research Director jeffrey.york@colorado.edu

Brad Werner | Instructor | Teaching Director walter.werner@colorado.edu

Deming Center for Entrepreneurship | CU Leeds School of Business 303.492.9018 | deming@colorado.edu



CDEP 85: Andrew Nelson (OR): Jungle Mai Tais and the Optimal Distinctiveness of Electric Organs

University of Colorado-Boulder professors Jeff York and Brad Werner distill  entrepreneurship research into actionable insights.

CDEP 85: Andrew Nelson (OR): Jungle Mai Tais and the Optimal Distinctiveness of Electric Organs

Creative Distillation

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