project44’s John Fitzgerald receives SCLA Lifetime Achievement Award
Vice President of Business Development honored for more than five decades of industry contribution, mentorship, and professional advocacy across the global supply chain community
CHICAGO, June 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- project44, the Decision Intelligence Platform for the modern supply chain, today announced that John Fitzgerald, Vice President of Business Development, has been named a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, jointly presented by Supply Chain Leaders in Action (SCLA) and the Distribution Business Management (DBM) Association. The award recognizes professionals whose contributions to the supply chain industry reflect a standard of impact that reaches well beyond commercial results.
John has spent more than 50 years building a career in logistics and supply chain, beginning at IBM and continuing through service as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps. He later joined Airborne Freight, now part of DHL, at a time when the discipline of supply chain management had not yet been named. From there, he spent three decades at Fritz Companies, which was later acquired by UPS Supply Chain Solutions, accumulating deep experience across transportation, operations, and commercial development. In 2010, he reinvented himself moving into software and joined GT Nexus before moving to project44, where he currently leads business development efforts.
His career spans the full arc of the industry’s technological transformation, from telex communications and manual freight operations to today’s world of real-time visibility, IoT-connected logistics networks, and AI-driven decision-making. That span of experience gives John a grounding that informs his work at project44: a firsthand understanding that technology only creates value when it is anchored in the practical realities of supply chain operations, and that the most effective AI keeps humans at the center of every decision.
Throughout every phase of that career, his defining focus has been the people behind the industry. That conviction is the subject of his book, “I Never Met a Stranger,” an exploration of how professional relationships shape outcomes in ways that processes and platforms cannot fully capture.
Beyond his commercial career, John has invested significantly in developing the next generation of supply chain professionals. He has taught at Northwestern University since 1980 and has served as a guest lecturer at Penn State, Arizona State, and Florida Gulf Coast University. He is also recognized across the industry for his advocacy for women in supply chain, having supported and championed the advancement of women across the organizations he has served and in the broader professional community for more than 40 years.
“Few people in this industry have seen as much, built as much, or connected as many people as John Fitzgerald. His career is a reminder that the supply chain runs on expertise and trust as much as it runs on data, and that combination is exactly what project44 is built around. This recognition is well deserved, and we are proud to have him on our team," said Jett McCandless, Chief Executive Officer, project44.
"John is a master connector. His gift is his genuine love of people and his extraordinary ability to remember them, value them, and bring them together. At a time when supply chains and society are being reshaped by AI and rapid technological change, John stands as an important reminder that none of it matters without people," said Amy Thorn, Chief Executive Officer, DBM Association.
About project44
project44 is the Decision Intelligence Platform for the modern supply chain. Its context-based AI transforms fragmented logistics management into unified intelligence, bringing certainty to global supply chain operations. With intelligent transportation management, end-to-end visibility, yard management and last mile solutions, and a preferred carrier network of 267,000 carriers, project44 connects over 1.5 billion shipments annually for over 1,000 leading brands in manufacturing, automotive, retail, life sciences, food and beverage, CPG, and oil, chemical and gas. Learn more at project44.com.
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