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PROCUREMENT. WITH A POINT OF VIEW.

Procurement leadership.
$20M+ in career savings.

I’m Joshua Palacios. I lead category strategy, develop suppliers and people, and build AI-assisted tools that turn sourcing decisions into business results.

Try the sourcing lab
Chemicals · Equipment · Consumer products·Joliet, Illinois
THE PERSON BEHIND THE NUMBERS
Joshua Palacios wearing glasses and a navy shirt
Joshua PalaciosProcurement & Strategic Sourcing
↗
Value delivered
$20M+

Career savings delivered

ACROSS PROCUREMENT ROLES
Category ownership
$40M+

Annual spend managed

ECOLAB · NORTH AMERICA
Supply responsibility
North
America

Petrochemical supply security

STRATEGY THROUGH APPROVAL
People leadership
4–6

Prior team size at Justin Blair

1 CURRENT DIRECT REPORT
EXPERIENCE ACROSSEcolabroVotorantim
CIMENTOS
Power Equipment
DIRECT
Justin Blair
& COMPANY
01 / THE IMPACT

Good strategy. Better numbers.

Selected outcomes, in context.
The impact ledgerCareer savings, with the context attached
Role totals · USD
$18.5MAcross five featured employers

$20M+ career savings includes additional projects. Ecolab combines direct delivery with implemented team savings.

Direct deliveryTeam coaching
Ecolab$4M
$3M delivered directly in 12 months + $1M implemented through team coaching
Votorantim Cimentos$10M
Ro$2M
Power Equipment Direct$1.5M
Justin Blair & Company$1M
AI & STRATEGIC SOURCING

Procurement experience. Built into a tool.

See how Joshua Palacios uses AI to build decision tools. Compare suppliers, test the tradeoffs, and explore the stakeholder review behind a sourcing decision.

Explore the working prototype
02 / BEHIND THE OUTCOMES

The work behind the wins.

Click a card to see the story.
Ecolab / Category strategy
$3Mrealized savings

Better economics. Stronger supply.

A North American petrochemical sourcing strategy that delivered $3M in realized savings in 12 months.

$40M+ annual petrochemical spend · North America · One direct report

Flip for the impact 01
Ro / Contract manufacturing
$355Kcost savings

Make the supply base work harder.

A contract manufacturing strategy that lowered supplement spend and shortened lead times.

Supplement contract manufacturing · Ro · 2023

Flip for the impact 02
Ro / Packaging
63%shorter flexible-packaging lead times

Closer suppliers. Less complexity.

Domestic flexible packaging and fewer corrugated SKUs delivered $181K in combined annual savings.

Flexible and corrugated packaging · Ro · 2022

Flip for the impact 03
Power Equipment Direct / Category growth
11%year-over-year growth

Buy with the whole business in mind.

Supplier negotiations and category strategy supported growth, margin, and better purchasing economics.

Five e-commerce categories · Approximately $12M annual revenue · 2019

Flip for the impact 04
Votorantim Cimentos / Equipment & CAPEX
$10Mtotal savings across the role

Buy for the plant. Deliver for the business.

Industrial sourcing across direct and indirect categories, with $10M in total role savings.

Approximately $50M annual spend · Multi-site industrial operations

Flip for the impact 05
Justin Blair & Company / Purchasing leadership
$1Mtotal savings across the role

Build the team. Improve the operation.

Purchasing leadership that combined $1M in total role savings with better availability and shorter lead times.

$3M annual purchasing · 3,000+ SKUs · Team of 4–6

Flip for the impact 06
03 / THE EXPERIENCE

Built across industries.
Grounded in execution.

View full résumé
01EcolabAssociate Procurement Manager$4M role savings$3M direct + $1M teamJuly 2025–Present

Own category strategy and security of supply for $40M+ in annual North American petrochemical spend.

  • Delivered $3M in 12 months through 3 RFPs, 1 e-auction, and supplier negotiations; led pre-scoping, sourcing strategy, and negotiation planning.
  • Championed formula-based pricing to improve cost transparency and strengthen supplier negotiations.
  • Develop alternative suppliers and lead cross-functional qualification and approval projects to reduce dependency risk and strengthen supply continuity.
  • Coached one direct report to implement an additional $1M in savings, separate from the $3M delivered directly.
02RoSenior Sourcing Manager$2M role savingsTotal across the roleMay 2021–November 2024

Led sourcing and supplier strategy across a $20M portfolio spanning supplements, ingredients, packaging, and contract manufacturing.

  • Developed a contract manufacturing strategy that reduced supplement spend by $355K and shortened lead times by 40%.
  • Re-shored flexible packaging, saving $55K annually and reducing lead times by 63%.
  • Reduced corrugated packaging SKUs by 60%, delivering $126K in annual savings and simplifying fulfillment.
  • Supported the launch and scale-up of 10 products, contributing to eight-figure revenue within 18 months through sourcing and supplier coordination.
  • Developed backup supplier options and provided executive updates on supply risks, sourcing decisions, and product readiness.
03Votorantim CimentosSenior Buyer$10M role savingsTotal across the roleFebruary 2020–May 2021

Managed approximately $50M in annual direct and indirect spend across a multi-site industrial operation, including industrial equipment and conveyor belts.

  • Led cross-functional RFPs and supplier consolidation initiatives to support cost reduction and operational requirements.
  • Managed sourcing for two CAPEX projects, delivering critical equipment on time and under budget.
  • Coordinated with plant stakeholders and suppliers to resolve delivery constraints and maintain supply continuity.
04Power Equipment DirectAssistant Category Manager$1.5M role savingsTotal across the roleAugust 2016–October 2019

Managed sourcing, supplier negotiations, and commercial planning across five e-commerce categories generating approximately $12M in annual revenue.

  • Developed category strategies that supported 11% year-over-year growth, approximately $4M in annual gross profit, and 33% gross margins.
  • Negotiated a bulk purchase arrangement that generated approximately $600K in savings.
  • Aligned product selection, pricing, supplier terms, and inventory planning with category growth and profitability targets.
05Justin Blair & CompanyPurchasing Manager$1M role savingsTotal across the roleFebruary 2013–July 2016

Managed a $3M annual purchasing portfolio, more than 3,000 active SKUs, and teams of four to six employees.

  • Delivered $400K in annual savings through supplier negotiations and purchasing improvements.
  • Improved out-of-stock performance by more than 95% through inventory planning and supplier coordination.
  • Reduced average lead times by 35%, supporting product availability and revenue growth.
  • Directed purchasing execution and resolved supplier, shipment, and invoice issues.
ALSO BUILDING

Less administration. More procurement.

Through independent consulting, I build sourcing models, dashboards, and AI-assisted workflows for supplier research, quote analysis, and reporting. Practical tools that make room for better decisions.

Independent procurement & systems consulting · January 2025–Present
[Joshua Palacios] could equally balance handling the day to day objective while thinking big about how to reduce potential risks in our supply chain.
GK
George KoveosFormer COO at Ro · Recommendation, January 2023
04 / BUILT FOR YOUR SHORTLIST

What does your next
procurement leader need?

Pick a priority.
See where I’ve done the work.

8 career examples · All evidence

LET’S PUT PROCUREMENT TO WORK.

Your next chapter.
My next challenge.

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