Supplying the demand for procurement advice

	Rudzki's book shares his expertise on world-class procurement and supply management practice.

When he graduated from Lehigh in 1975, Robert Rudzki never thought he'd be a published author. But over the past decade, Rudzki has been bombarded with reasons to share his expertise in world-class procurement and supply management practice.
In the past 10 years, 600,000 different businesses have filed for bankruptcy ... That's 5,000 businesses per month for a solid decade that don't make it, says Rudzki, the president of Graybeard Advisors LLC, a Pittsburgh-based consulting firm. Those staggering numbers convinced me it was time to share some of my knowledge with others.
The result is Straight to the Bottom Line: An Executive's Roadmap to World Class Supply Management, a book that Rudzki co-authored with Douglas A. Smock, Michael Katzorke, and Shelley Stewart, Jr. The quartet began writing in August 2004, and delivered a finished manuscript to the publisher by the following April, Rudzki says.
The book and the buzz that it's generated have helped Rudzki attract new clients while positioning him as one of the country's most sought-after speakers on procurement and supply base management.
Rudzki, who graduated summa cum laude from Lehigh with a B.S. in industrial engineering (plus a minor in chemical engineering) before earning an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, credits Lehigh with setting him on the road to success.
Lehigh enabled me to enjoy a diverse and exciting business career, Rudzki says.
--Bill Doherty
Lehigh Alumni Bulletin Online
January 2006