Before a product reaches your doorstep, before a shelf is stocked, before a business delivers on its promise, there’s a supply chain making it all happen.
It’s a field that demands precision and adaptability, where success depends on equal parts data, strategy, and human connection. Ahead of Lehigh’s upcoming Supply Chain Symposium, we spoke with four alumni who’ve made an impact in the industry.
Chris Luke Andrassy ’21 | John Menna ’86 | Neha Bhuskute ’18 | Edward Gibbons MBA’92
Chris Luke Andrassy ’21
The idea for Andrassy’s company took shape when the world slowed down during the pandemic. With time to reflect on his post-grad path, he and Alfonso Alburquerque ’20 decided to take a chance and launch Astral Insights.
“We started listening to entrepreneurial podcasts and asking ourselves what we would do if we had our own business,” he says. “At first, we planned to freelance alongside full-time jobs, but within a few months, we had a client list and registered as an LLC. By the end of the summer, we were all in.”
What began as a financial modeling business quickly evolved into supply chain logistics. When generative AI became widely available, Andrassy and his co-founder embraced it, expanding their services to help companies operate more efficiently.
“We listen to the market and follow where it leads,” Andrassy says. “That mindset came directly from my time at Lehigh. We were taught that the best direction comes from customers. It’s 100% true.”
Lehigh’s network also played a key role in his early success. Many of his first clients were alumni he cold-called, trusting him based on that shared connection.
After reaching out to associate professor Zach G. Zacharia, Andrassy was invited to attend the 2024 Supply Chain Symposium. The experience proved invaluable for learning about emerging trends and building relationships that turned into long-term clients.
Now, as a member of the Center for Supply Chain Research advisory council at Lehigh alongside his co-founder, he remains thoroughly engaged.
His advice to students: Embrace change.
“There’s so much happening with AI and technology,” he says. “Familiarize yourself with new tools and use them creatively.”
John Menna ’86
Menna has always been drawn to analytics and problem-solving, making engineering a natural fit.
During his junior year at Lehigh, he secured an internship with United Parcel Service (UPS) in Buffalo, New York. By the end of the summer, he was offered a full-time position — and he accepted.
He began as an industrial engineer conducting time-and-motion studies.
“We analyzed every task involved in a job — picking up boxes, walking 20 feet, placing them on shelves — and broke it down to the minutes required,” he explains. “It was all about designing the most efficient workflows possible.”
Over more than 20 years at UPS, Menna helped build the company’s e-commerce presence, including its first website, online tracking system, and service center locator — tools that remain essential today.
His career also took him to Latin America, where he spent five years leading strategy and marketing efforts. He later served as vice president of strategy for healthcare logistics, developing global initiatives to support clients in the healthcare sector.
Menna credits his success to a willingness to step outside his comfort zone.
“By trying different things, you open yourself up to opportunities others might miss,” he says. “Technology evolves quickly, just like the rise of e-commerce did years ago. I wasn’t necessarily more skilled than others, but I was committed to learning fast and leading. That adaptability made all the difference.”
Now retired, he still finds ways to keep busy and make a difference.
“I call it my retirement job,” he says with a laugh. “I’m a co-founder of a healthcare startup focused on at-home blood and specimen collection for pediatric patients, many with rare diseases.”
Outside work, he enjoys staying active and still holds onto one of the passions that brought him to Lehigh in the first place — ice hockey.
Neha Bhuskute ’18
When Bhuskute explored her options in business, supply chain stood out. Once she chose her path, she fully committed.
Her career began at a small packaging company in Telford, Pennsylvania, where she gained hands-on experience across multiple areas of procurement and supply chain management.
After four years, she transitioned to a material planning role at Ocean Spray, where she discovered a passion for the food and beverage industry — and even snapped a photo in the company’s iconic cranberry bog.
She brought that enthusiasm to Campbell’s, where she now serves as a senior buyer in its juice concentrates and dehydrated vegetable department. The role feels especially meaningful given her childhood connection to the brand.
“Every job I’ve had has been rewarding,” she says. "It's scary to pivot, but each time I have, I’ve known it was the right move. You have to trust your instincts.”
Her personal motto could best be described as "Don’t knock it ’til you try it.”
“You might not be drawn to something at first, but it could become what you love most,” she says. “Stay open to the possibilities.”
Outside work, Bhuskute is a self-proclaimed foodie, often hunting down hidden gems in Philadelphia with her fiancé, PJ Murphy ’19.
Edward Gibbons MBA’92
“Work hard and take initiative,” advises Gibbons. “The more you learn, the more people can rely on you.”
It’s an approach that shaped his entire career and proved especially valuable in an industry defined by constant change.
After earning his master’s degree from Lehigh, Gibbons spent five years at Coopers & Lybrand Consulting in New York City, helping companies improve operations, transportation, and logistics while reducing costs.
He went on to spend the majority of his career as executive vice president and chief operating officer at Almo Corporation.
One of his proudest accomplishments came during the challenges of the pandemic. As his team rolled out new software, it had to quickly adapt, including hiring employees across the country and conducting fully virtual training.
“Training people on software while they’re learning remotely is tricky,” he says. “But we did it.”
The experience reinforced a lesson he’s carried throughout his career: Challenges are often opportunities in disguise.
Beyond operations, Gibbons built his reputation as someone others could count on. He stepped in where needed, continued learning, and took ownership of new challenges. Accountability, responsibility, and respect were guiding principles.
His advice to students and young professionals is grounded in that same perspective.
“Make sure you enjoy what you’re doing,” he says. “You spend the first 25 years of your life learning and the rest working. Find something that keeps you engaged and motivated.”
