In 2021, the world wasn’t just battling a health crisis—it was facing a historic breakdown in the movement of goods. From the ports of Los Angeles to warehouses in Shanghai, the global supply chain—once an invisible, flawlessly synchronized system—was in disarray.
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a domino effect that exposed the fragility of international trade. Factory shutdowns, labor shortages, port backlogs, and a global container shortage turned the routine into the impossible. Shipping times doubled. Costs tripled. And businesses across every industry—from fashion to electronics to food—felt the shockwaves.
For Neil Conley, a seasoned import/export executive based in Green Brook, New Jersey, the challenge was unlike anything he’d seen since starting in 1985. “You had to think three steps ahead—routes, timing, tariffs—all of it could change overnight,” Conley says. “It wasn’t just about moving products anymore. It was about managing chaos with precision.”
Container ships idled offshore for days. Truck drivers were in critically short supply. Air cargo routes vanished. Conley, who manages trade across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, spent countless nights reworking logistics plans, calming clients, and finding creative ways to move inventory when conventional channels collapsed.
Even massive retailers weren’t immune. Some chartered their own vessels, while others scrambled to redesign supply chains or stockpile inventory months in advance.
