U of A, Plug and Play Host 2026 Supply Chain Trends & Expo Event

The Supply Chain Management Research Center within the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas is teaming up once again with Plug and Play to host the 2026 Supply Chain Trends & Expo event on Wednesday, April 22, in Bentonville.

This event brings together leaders in the retail supply chain and logistics industry, providing a platform for retailers, suppliers, logistics providers, fleet operators and OEMs to collaborate, share insights and develop solutions.

The event kicks off with an opening keynote from Rob Montgomery, EVP Supply Chain at Walmart. Additional highlights include fireside chats with Jordyn Wieber, head coach of the U of A women's gymnastics team and Olympic gold medalist, and John Davidson, CEO of 7Brew. Attendees will hear from startups tackling the toughest supply chain challenges and panelists discussing the retail supply chain and AI. The concluding reception offers attendees the chance to have strategic conversations with industry leaders and innovators across the world.

"The NWA Supply Chain Expo continues to be a valuable opportunity for students, professionals and industry partners to come together and explore how supply chain innovation is shaping the future of business," says Matthew Waller, dean emeritus for the Sam M. Walton College of Business. "This year's event highlights the growing importance of collaboration, data-driven decision-making and regional talent in strengthening supply chains both locally and globally."

"I'm excited about the future of supply chain thanks to both Plug and Play and the University of Arkansas," says Jordan Togami, director of strategic customer success for Uber Freight. "We partner with both at Uber Freight, and the talent and the focus on training and building the talent is great to see and something that we want to tap into for our talent base and really just shows that there's a bright future for supply chain."

The event will be held from 1-6 p.m. at the Heartland Whole Health Institute in Bentonville.

The event is free, but registration is required.

About Plug and Play: Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, it has built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, its programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 50 locations globally giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 50,000 startups and 550 official corporate partners, Plug and Play has created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. It provides active investments with over 200 leading Silicon Valley VCs, and hosts more than 700 networking events per year. Companies in its community have raised over $7 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/. 

About the Supply Chain Management Research Center: The Supply Chain Management Research Center was founded in 1996 to create an outreach platform for connecting representatives to the faculty and students of the then logistics and supply chain management program within the marketing department at the Sam M. Walton College of Business. Today, the SCMRC still serves as the connector between industry, faculty and students of the now stand-alone J.B. Hunt Transport Department of Supply Chain Management and is the trusted resource where industry leaders and academics can connect to exchange ideas, advance knowledge and cultivate the success of Walton supply chain management students. The SCMRC at the Walton College connects industry, faculty and students to lead the supply chain of the future.

About the Sam M. Walton College of Business: Founded in 1926, the Sam M. Walton College of Business stands as one of the largest colleges at the University of Arkansas, serving over 10,300 students across undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs. The college holds AACSB accreditation and consistently ranks among the top business schools in the United States. Walton College ranks 25th for its undergraduate business program among public colleges in the U.S. News & World Report's 2025 national rankings. Its undergraduate supply chain management program is recognized as the top program in North America by Gartner. In 2025, The Princeton Review included Walton's M.B.A. program in its Best Business Schools list for On-Campus M.B.A. Programs.