Chain gang: No longer under the radar, leaders of North Carolina's logistics industry discuss their work amid unprecedented challenges.

• Author: Pressler, Alyssa

Some students who walked across the stage in May to receive degrees at N.C. Central University in Durham and Fayetteville State University wound up borrowing caps and gowns from alumni. The supplier, Indianapolis-based Herff Jones, struggled to fill orders filed more than a month earlier because of material and labor shortages.

That is among a million examples of problems with the supply chain, a facet of the business world historically taken for granted. Now, shortages and delays related to goods and services affect and frustrate virtually every business and consumer.

North Carolina has a big role in the global logistics industry because of its central location between the Northeast and Florida; ports in Wilmington and Morehead City; major regional airports in Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro; significant rail infrastructure; and a history of entrepreneurial trucking and other transportation companies.

This story spotlights eight N.C. logistics industry leaders, representing global and local companies and institutions. Many of their businesses have benefited in recent years as digital commerce takes market share from traditional retailing and a robust economy has sparked strong demand. More consumers receive products at their front door rather than heading to a store, creating big opportunities for those involved in warehousing, brokering and delivering goods.

One beneficiary is GXO, a Connecticut-based logistics company that was spun off from XPO Logistics last year. Its North American operations center is in High Point, where Louis Dejoy operated New Breed Logistics before its 2014 sale to XPO. GXO now employs more than 800 people at the Guilford County site, and revenue gained 28% to $7.9 billion last year.

It isn't just the big cities benefiting from logistics, either. Railroad company CSX opened its Carolina Connector intermodal terminal in Rocky Mount last year. Mocksville gained about $100 million in corporate investment and added about 550 logistics-related jobs over the past year because of its location on Interstate 40 near Winston-Salem, according to Davie County economic development leaders.

Solving supply chain problems is a global challenge. According to several executives interviewed, the challenges won't go away anytime soon.

Responses are edited for brevity and clarity.

Kevin Baker

executive director

Piedmont Triad Airport Authority

Greensboro

Baker joined the authority in 2008 after working for the Michael Baker International consulting provider, where his clients included the Greensboro airport. More than 9,000 employees work for various enterprises in the airport complex, including Honda Aircraft and Haeco. PTI made international headlines in January when Denver-based Boom Supersonic said it will build a $500 million assembly plant there.

The Pittsburgh native is a civil-engineering graduate of Lehigh University. The authority is a seven-member board with representatives from Greensboro, High Point, Winston-Salem, and Guilford and Forsyth counties.

* What is your most important duty?

Job creation.

* Most fun part of the job?

Job creation!

* Key mentor?

My brother. He passed away in December following complications from a surgical procedure. He was a great human being. He was 21 years older than me and flew F-4s in...