NRF gets new seat at DC supply chain table
Joining senior supply chain executives from Lowe’s, Walmart and Amazon on an influential Department of Commerce committee is Jonathan Gold with the National Retail Federation (NRF).
Gold serves as NRF’s vice president for supply chain and customs policy and he becomes the newest member of Commerce’s Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness. Established in 2011, the committee consists of 45 senior-level private sector supply chain experts and industry representatives who advise Commerce, the Transportation Department and other government agencies on supply chain issues that affect the international competitiveness of U.S. businesses.
In addition to Gold, other notable retail industry executives on the committee include Rick Gabrielson, VP of transportation with Lowe’s, Jevon Jamieson, Walmart’s senior manager of audit and corrective action exports and direct imports and Mark Michener, director of transportation with Amazon.
“The global supply chain is critical to the success of any retailer, as well as the overall economy. This committee plays an important role in not only identifying ongoing challenges, but also developing solutions to ensure the competitiveness of American companies,” Gold said. “As the nation’s largest private-sector employer, it is critical that the retail industry’s supply chain works as efficiently as possible in order to provide consumers with a wide range of product choices on a daily basis.”
Given his background, Gold is a logical addition to a committee tasked with providing government officials with detailed advice on the elements of a comprehensive national freight infrastructure and freight policy to support U.S. supply chain and export competitiveness.
In his role with NRF, Gold is responsible for representing the retail industry before Congress and the administration on supply chain, international trade, and customs-related issues impacting the retail industry. He led NRF’s efforts in support of passage of the Trade Promotion Authority and approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, traveled to Bangladesh to assess improvements in worker safety, helped convince the White House to intervene in last year’s West Coast ports slowdown, and has been a leading advocate of the value of trade and imports to the U.S. economy.
Prior to joining NRF in 2007, Gold served as a policy analyst in the Office of Policy and Planning for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He joined CBP in May 2006 and was responsible for providing policy guidance on issues surrounding maritime cargo security and trade-related matters. Gold also worked on implementation issues surrounding the SAFE Port Act and other issues within the agency including CBP intelligence reform, pandemic flu and trade facilitation.