Message from the Publisher

Transition is always a challenge for the people involved. And maybe a bit of a challenge for those outside the change who wonder what is going on. That is how the Reverse Logistics Association has been going lately.

The last few months have been a whirlwind of visits, calls, and meeting with new and previous members. In my role as Executive Director, I consider it my responsibility to hear what colleagues in the reverse industry have to say. What the RLA has done is less important to some than what the RLA is going to do. And the RLA has a lot to do in the next year.

The good news comes from members who tell me there is a buzz of excitement when they talk with other colleagues about the revitalized RLA. There is a recognition of a newly formatted and streamlined Conference with world class speakers and presentations. There is a positive response to reduced pricing for memberships, along with added benefits, and a commitment to support all networking opportunities. The increasing numbers of registrations for the Conference indicate a lot of people who have enough interest to come back and see what the buzz is all about.

The best news is what my staff is hearing as companies contact us to be a part of the RLA Conference & Expo. When a CEO calls and says they are attending the Conference because their suppliers “told them to be there”, or when new retailers and companies are registering because of keynote speakers from Intel and Samsung, we have team calls to share the excitement

Plan to join the new RLA business team at the Conference in February on Las Vegas. We look forward to meeting everyone in person. And thank you for the calls.

Best regards, Tony Sciarrotta

In 2016, Tony took over the Reverse Logistics Association and became the Executive Director and Publisher after 12 years of active involvement on the Advisory Board and on Committees. Tony has held various industry positions including 15 years in returns management at Philips. During his Philips years, Tony developed new reverse logistics strategies and implemented many new returns initiatives. He worked with retail partners and industry groups on best practices still being used. Tony then became an evangelist for improving the customer experience to reduce returns and their associated costs. Today, Tony is considered a subject matter expert in reverse logistics and speaks for the industry at conferences all over the world.