“In one of my first supply chain classes at Auburn, I learned that at the end of the day, supply chain revolves around customer satisfaction.”

The Harbert College is dedicated to developing graduates who are highly-skilled, professionally prepared, confident, ethical, and globally minded. Brock Murphy, a junior in Supply Chain Management, is well on his way.

Brock Murphy was enjoying spring break on the Gulf Coast with friends, briefly leaving the worries and headaches of starting a new business behind. Burn Nutrition opened its doors on Feb. 1, and the owner/operator of Auburn’s latest health café needed some time to unwind.

Then COVID-19 changed everything.

“It was tough,” Murphy, a junior in the Department of Supply Chain Management in the Harbert College of Business, recalled. “I had just opened a business, I’m in charge of making sure this business is successful. It was hard to tell some of our young employees that they’re not going to be able to work their normal hours. I was basically going to have to redefine the wheel for our business and find a way to make us successful. The week after spring break was one of the hardest weeks of my life.”

Brock Murphy is just 19 years old.

Since opening the doors to a shop that specializes in health-alternative, multicolored, flavored teas that carry unique names such as Captain America, Miami Vice and Cotton Candy — and a variety of vitamin-packed protein smoothies — Murphy has had the opportunity to utilize lessons learned in supply chain management classes at Harbert College and apply them to his business.

It’s a good thing, too. There have been shipping-related problems with popular flavor packets, and, with the onset of the virus, Murphy had to brainstorm new ways to attract customers — and keep the ones that line up outside the storefront on Opelika Road in Auburn.

“In one of my first supply chain classes at Auburn, I learned that at the end of the day, supply chain revolves around customer satisfaction,” he said. In other words, getting the customer what they want as quickly as they want it, and feel really good about the process.

“What we focus on at Burn is that initial two or three minutes so that our customers have the best satisfaction experience possible when they walk in. I’ve read many books on Chick-fil-A, and there’s a reason why people come back there. At Burn, we hope to provide that same quality service.”

“I chose supply chain management at the Harbert College of Business because it’s a major that really revolves around the customer experience and getting a product to the customer from point A to point B in the quickest amount of time. That’s what’s going to make me successful in the long run.”

For several weeks this spring, Murphy had to creatively explore new ways to bring in customers. Under COVID-19 restrictions, customers could no longer walk in Burn’s doors.

“Once all of this started, the manager and I really had a lot of time to figure out how to boost sales,” he said. “It was just the two of us sitting there going from ‘x’ amount to almost less than half of that,” he said, operating curbside only. “We were watching our new business fall apart.”

Employees who couldn’t get their normal hours were needed again. Inventory sitting in a back room was being utilized. Curbside pickup and social media promotions saved the day for Burn Nutrition.

“People ask me all the time, ‘What has been the biggest thing you have learned?’ I said that it was the ability to adapt to the changing circumstances,” Murphy noted. “Every day you might have to change to the circumstances. This time was very difficult but I saw this was an opportunity to use my knowledge that I had gained in school to keep my business afloat.

“We had to increase our staffing levels to where we had three people making all of this product, one answering the phone, and more delivering curbside. The curbside model really helped us build brand recognition. It built up a lot of regulars — and that’s where we are now.”

“Our supplier said they were doing everything they can to get the trucks out of the packaging facility,” said Murphy, who regularly delivers 20 to 30 loaded teas to East Alabama Medical Center each morning. “Due to circumstances beyond their control, they experienced many different shipping delays.”

Murphy could not have forecasted the disruptions, which are now resolved, but the process – and meeting customer demand – have made him fond of a necessary supply chain management discipline: forecasting demand. It’s a science, for sure.

“We haven’t been able to serve Cotton Candy loaded tea, which is a popular one, because of the necessary flavoring that hasn’t come in,” he said. “That’s on me for not ordering it early on. But the biggest thing I’ve learned is … at the end of the day … having too much inventory is bad, but running out of inventory is way worse.

“For us, we’re still trying to figure it out. The way our business works, we have only one place that we order from, so there are not really any other avenues. It’s hard because our product is expensive. Our business has really grown, but if I go out and order ‘x’ amount of dollars of product and then everybody decides to no longer drink the teas/shakes, then my numbers drop and I’m sitting on a ton of inventory that has a shelf life of three months. It’s hard because you just don’t know, especially during this time.

Murphy, who forged valuable relationships growing up in Daphne, Alabama, and at working beach rental outfitters along the 30-A in Florida, shares ownership of the business with two, and admits his own role is built on “sweat equity.”

It all began last July when Murphy happened across an advertisement for what he considered a “nutritional club,” now Burn Nutrition. He phoned a friend, and eventual investor, that afternoon.

“’I think one of these would do well in Auburn,’” he said. “’There’s a market for it and I’m surprised no one’s put one there yet.’” Months later, Burn Nutrition’s Auburn location was born.

He’s the owner/operator, but he’s 19. Odd? “People come in here and ask me if they can speak with the owner,” said Murphy. “It’s funny to get all of this experience so young. I’ve learned so much about leadership style. For me, it’s building some credibility because it’s tough at 19. Most people don’t want to listen to a 19-year-old. A lot of people are like … ‘You’re 19 and doing this?’”

Murphy is no stranger to business ownership. He owned and operated a commercial and residential lawn care business in high school, and brought those aspirations on to college.

“My goal is to one day have a company with a huge online presence that revolves strictly around supply chain,” he said. “I chose supply chain management at the Harbert College of Business because it’s a major that really revolves around the customer experience and getting a product to the customer from point A to point B in the quickest amount of time. That’s what’s going to make me successful in the long run.

“The level of detail that the professors here go into in explaining how a supply chain works and the fundamentals that come along with it are going to be a game-changer for me.”

It’s already paying dividends.