Looking Ahead, Looking Back: Supply Chain Lessons and the Road to 2027

As another year comes to a close, what lessons should the publishing industry carry forward—and how should we prepare for what comes next?

Join KEN BROOKS, Chair of BISG's Supply Chain Committee and Executive Vice President of Supply Chain at Amplify Education, and JACK STEVENS, BISG Board Member and President of Woodland Global USA, for a year-end reflection on the forces that shaped publishing supply chains in 2026 and the trends likely to define 2027.

Drawing on insights from across this year's Supply Chain Lunch & Learn series—and their own extensive industry experience—Ken and Jack will examine the key developments influencing publishing operations, logistics, manufacturing, and distribution, while offering practical guidance for navigating the year ahead.

Topics will include:

• Key lessons from 2026: what worked, what didn't, and why
• Policy, supply chain, and technology trends likely to shape 2027
• Operational priorities for the year ahead, including capacity, inventory, sustainability, and data readiness
• Practical strategies for building more resilient, agile, and efficient publishing operations

Designed as an interactive discussion, this session will emphasize shared learning and actionable takeaways rather than predictions alone. Participants are encouraged to compare experiences, ask questions, and identify priorities for their own organizations as they prepare for 2027.

Featured Speakers

JACK STEVENS serves as the President of Woodland Global USA, overseeing U.S. operations and managing a team of over 100 staff across six locations since October 2017. Prior to this role, Jack held positions such as Business Optimization Manager and Digital Projects Manager at Woodland, where responsibilities included implementing best practices, enhancing digital platforms, and optimizing staff and customer experiences.

KEN BROOKS is the EVP of Supply Chain at Amplify Education, a K12 publisher of reading, science and math curricula products. He is also the president of Treadwell Media Group, a publishing and operations, technology and strategy consulting firm focused on the education and trade publishing sectors. Over the course of his career, Ken has founded digital services companies both in the U.S. and abroad; a public domain publishing imprint; and a distribution-center based print-on-demand operation and has worked in trade, professional, higher education and K-12 publishing sectors. Prior to Amplify and Treadwell he was the Chief Content Officer for the Academic and Professional Learning division of Wiley, and the Chief Operating Officer of Macmillan Learning. Prior to Macmillan he has held senior positions at McGraw-Hill Education, Cengage Learning, Barnes & Noble, Simon & Schuster, and Random House. Ken is also the chairperson of the Book Industry Study Group’s Supply Chain Committee.

About the Supply Chain Lunch & Learn Series

BISG's Supply Chain Lunch & Learns are always highly interactive, so you'll have a chance to contribute at the session. If you have any specific questions you'd like us to cover in this Lunch & Learn, you may send them in advance to info@bisg.org or simply add them to the chat during the session.

To allow participants to speak—and not just type questions—these sessions are conducted in a Zoom meeting (rather than webinar) format. Please take a moment to ensure that your microphone is muted until you'd like to contribute. While we encourage you to attend the live session, the conversation will be recorded and shared with registrants after the session takes place.