Following tradition, I’d like to thank the more than 50 logistics and supply chain managers who took the time to enter our 2008 Best Practices in Logistics Management Awards program. Considering how busy our readers are these days tackling unprecedented challenges both domestically and internationally, our editorial staff was amazed at the level of specificity, inspiration, and passion that was put into this year’s entries.

Probably one of the most intriguing parts of our annual judging process is that it allows us to identify layers of common themes as we go deeper into the judging. Let me explain: After reading all the entries, it was readily apparent that a majority of this year’s crop clearly reflected the pressures of the times. Sharply rising freight rates, unwieldy surcharges, disparate internal systems, and longer, more fragmented supply chains were at the core of just about every entry that made our Top 20.

And as the editorial staff winnowed the list, another layer of underlying themes began to emerge: First, we noticed that the entries we earmarked were from shippers who were responding to today’s challenges with decisiveness—and they did it quickly with the right data to support their decisions. The savviest entrants described themselves almost as number crunchers, analysts if you will, who can make sense of what their systems are reporting to them.

Second, the top shippers wasted no time communicating why a change was justified. And as you’ll find in this year’s Gold, Silver, and Bronze stories, each winner stressed that the faster that they were able to bring management and staff into the loop, the quicker they were able to get “buy in” and change the culture.

All of this year’s winners are game-changers, and they did so by practicing patience, persistence, and common sense—backed up by sound data.

So, after more than a month of pouring over submissions, the editorial staff of Logistics Management is pleased to announce the entries that made it to the top of our list:

I think you’ll find that all three of these success stories contain elements that are worthy of Gold. Each focuses on a logistics and supply chain champion who has armed himself with a clear justification for change and had the courage to push a clear-cut plan through to fruition, regardless of resistance.

I had the honor of spending time with Ashland’s Craig Cover, the transportation buyer who’s now in charge of the chemical giant’s centralized truckload purchases—and who’s reassuring smile graces this month’s cover. Group News Editor Jeff Berman tells how Harper Brush ushered in a “leaner” frame of mind to improve inventory accuracy and cut transportation costs. While Executive Editor Patrick Burnson dug into Sun’s new logistic e-sourcing program that’s greatly simplified the company’s logistics operations.

This is one of my favorite issues to put together, so I hope you enjoy reading these tales of success as much as we enjoyed writing them.

Comments? E-mail me at michael.levans@reedbusiness.com