Tompkins Ventures

06/02/2026

The April Logistics Managers' Index put transportation capacity at 28.4 – the second lowest reading ever recorded. Transportation prices hit 95.0.

For shippers who got comfortable during the soft market, that combination is a serious problem.

Our CEO Mike Royster explains what those numbers mean in practice: why low contract rates can become paper rates, how to read your routing guide for warning signs, and what a smarter carrier strategy looks like right now.

Find out the details: https://tompkinsventures.com/paper-rates-dont-move-freight/

Paper freight rates look great in a contract. But when capacity tightens, your routing guide and spot market exposure reveal the true cost.

05/28/2026

Most companies chose their offshore call center model for one reason: labor cost. That decision made sense on a spreadsheet. It makes less sense when you factor in time zone friction, high turnover and customers who notice the difference.

Nearshore bilingual call center services offer a better answer – closer to your operations, aligned with your time zone and capable of serving both English- and Spanish-speaking markets without sacrificing quality.

Dive in to see how the model works and what it delivers.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tompkins-ventures_offshore-call-centers-shouldnt-cross-12-activity-7465768732531908608-PPKf?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAE_JMkBIolmafasslgIQoN-lh6r78RG2ks

Most companies chose their offshore call center model for one reason: labor cost. That decision made sense on a spreadsheet. It makes less sense when you factor in time zone friction, high turnover and customers who notice the difference. Nearshore bilingual call center services offer a better answe...

05/26/2026

The workforce shortage in warehousing and distribution is as much of a family problem as it is a pay problem.

Jim Tompkins has been making this case for years. He connects 70 years of shifting family economics to the labor crisis hitting distribution and manufacturing today – and explains why on-demand labor is the model built for the workforce as it actually exists.

If you're struggling to staff up and wondering why the usual fixes aren't working, read Jim’s latest here.
https://tompkinsventures.com/on-demand-labor-can-fill-your-workforce-shortage/

Everyone blames the workforce shortage on bad break rooms. They're wrong. On-demand labor solves what better amenities never will.

05/21/2026

Jim Tompkins has been ahead of this conversation for years. His latest makes the case for fractional executive leadership in manufacturing – and backs it up with real numbers and real results.

If your operation is facing a leadership gap, a turnaround or a transition, the answer may not be a six-month search. It may be an experienced operating executive who can step in now.

Read Jim's take. Then let's talk.
https://tompkinsventures.com/manufacturers-turn-to-fractional-executive-leadership/

Your operation is slipping. A six-month search won't fix that. Fractional executive leadership puts experienced operating executives to work in weeks.

05/19/2026

At Tompkins Ventures, we believe the words leaders use shape the strategies they build.

That’s why in his latest thinking, Jim Tompkins makes the case that reindustrialization sets U.S. manufacturing on the wrong path – and that a Manufacturing Renaissance is the right frame for the investments, workforce and operating philosophy America needs to compete.

Read Jim's latest thinking:
https://tompkinsventures.com/reindustrialization-of-u-s-manufacturing-wrong-word/

The words we use shape our strategies. Reindustrialization gets U.S. manufacturing wrong. But a Manufacturing Renaissance changes everything.

05/14/2026

Hidden procurement problems rarely show up in financial reports. They show up later – in shrinking margins, declining cash flow and missed EBITDA targets.

Our latest breaks down how companies and PE firms can find and fix those issues fast. Worth a read if operational performance and enterprise value matter to your organization.
https://tompkinsventures.com/ebitda-leakage-often-hides-in-procurement/

Fragmented suppliers. Inconsistent pricing. Unmanaged contracts. Your EBITDA is paying for procurement problems you can't yet see.

05/12/2026

Most treat distribution centers as cost centers. The companies pulling ahead treat them as strategic assets.

Tompkins Ventures Chairman Jim Tompkins and Tompkins Solutions President Richard Lanpheare just published an in-depth look at intralogistics – and why what happens inside your four walls determines whether your supply chain wins or loses.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jimtompkins1_supplychain-intralogistics-warehousing-share-7459913206820397056-xfZI?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAH6qlUBtB5jG5ou1ZWXmAalMMsv8fEi8T8

05/07/2026

Your analysts aren't slow. Your data foundation probably is.

When operations, finance and transportation each show up to the same meeting with different numbers, the real cost isn't the argument – it's the decision that doesn't get made in time.

We broke down why data integration challenges set the ceiling for every business intelligence investment – and what to do about it.

https://tompkinsventures.com/data-integration-challenges-weaken-business-intelligence/

Without solid data integration, business intelligence tools produce noise, not decisions. Learn what leading companies do differently.

05/05/2026

What happens inside your facility drives everything that follows.
Jim Tompkins uses his 45 years inside to break down why intralogistics gets overlooked – and the cost of that blind spot:

https://tompkinsventures.com/intralogistics-is-where-your-supply-chain-performs-or-not/

Many supply chain problems don’t start outside. They start with intralogistics. If your warehouse doesn’t work, nothing else does.

04/30/2026

Are you frustrated with the complexity of IEEPA tariff refunds – or settling for 60, 50 or even 40 cents on the dollar?
That’s a mistake.
Some companies are recovering 70% or more. The difference comes down to how they approach it.
Tompkins Ventures’ latest breaks down how companies are navigating the process, avoiding common missteps and getting more of what they’re owed.
Read it here:
https://tompkinsventures.com/many-wont-recover-a-dime-from-ieepa-tariffs/

IEEPA tariffs were ruled illegal. Many won’t recover a dime. Tompkins Ventures simplifies how companies recover what they’re owed.