KNOXVILLE — Terry Esper, associate professor of logistics in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Business Administration, joined the esteemed family of the Greater Knoxville Business Journal’s “40 under 40.” The “40 under 40” program, now in its fourth year, annually honors 40 individuals younger than 40 years of age for contributions to their professions and community.
“Joining this incredible group is a real honor,” said Esper. “The Knoxville area has so many amazing professionals. I feel privileged to have been selected.”
“The Greater Knoxville Business Journal celebrates individuals younger than 40 who have not only achieved success in their professional careers, but also make the region a better place to live and work because of their philanthropic efforts,” said Amy Nolan, editor of the Business Journal. “This year’s class, representing individuals working in business, nonprofit, government and academia, was selected from more than 200 nominations.”
Esper joined the UT Department of Marketing and Logistics in 2003. He is an award-winning educator and researcher, winning the 2010 inaugural F. Perry and Elaine Ozburn Award for Innovative Research from UT’s Department of Marketing and Logistics, the Bernard J. LaLonde Best Paper Award from the top academic logistics journal, The Journal of Business Logistics, the 2009 UT MBA Award for Excellence in Teaching, the 2009 UT Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and UT’s prestigious 2008 Hardy Liston Diversity Award.
Esper is a three-time recipient of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship, an Eno Transportation Foundation Fellow and a two-time participant in the Council of Logistics Management Doctoral Symposium. He was chosen as the 2001 Federal Highway Administration UTC Student of the Year from the University of Arkansas and was a finalist for a university-wide graduate student teaching award.
Esper is passionate about leveraging supply chain management for success.
“I am a strategist. I want to understand why some companies manage supply chains better than others and what differentiates the best in class from the rest in class,” he said.
Esper’s research has appeared in several academic journals, including The Journal of Business Logistics, the International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, Journal of Retailing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, the Transportation Journal, and several conference proceedings.
Prior to joining academia, Esper worked as a senior traffic administrator and logistics solutions strategic planner for Hallmark Cards Inc. and Hallmark.com. He also conducted transportation research for the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department and the Federal Highway Administration.