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Roger Lopez is senior vice president and head of supply chain at Lessen, a real estate technology property services provider. With decades of strategic sourcing, operations, program management, and engineering expertise, he joined the company in 2023 to lead supply chain operations.
“At Lessen, the opportunity for me is to scale our supply chain to increase the purchasing power of our network of customers and over 30,000 vendor partners,” Lopez says. “Our clients collectively manage over 1 million properties. The opportunity to scale operations as we continue to grow is fun, hard, and exciting.”
Lopez is responsible for all supply chain strategy and execution for several residential and commercial business areas. His duties include strategic sourcing, procurement, fleet management, warehouse and logistics, S&OP sales and operations planning process, and pricing. He has spent the last year building strong relationships and partnerships to understand the business and chart a supply chain strategy. Assembling a strong team has also been a huge focus.
“I’ve always looked for people who complement the team,” he says. “I look for people with expertise I don’t have. I look for a lot of energy and a lot of passion. That creates a high-performing team and helps you achieve those bigger goals and pursue higher challenges.”
As a leader of a newly formed team, Lopez emphasizes transparency and vulnerability.
“Transparency builds trust,” he says. “If you build trust, you can achieve great things together. I also like to provide the mission and where we’re heading. You can get people excited to achieve great things by doing that too.”
This foundational work has culminated in innovative e-commerce tools that connect the company’s customers, clients, vendors, manufacturers, and suppliers in one place. Through the Lessen One Source platform, individuals not only have access to discounted materials and products but also a one-stop shop for every supply chain need.
“Traditionally, retail stores handle supply chain management, so a vendor would need to go to three, four, or five different places to buy the material they need. Our platform connects multiple product suppliers and vendors in a single place,” he explains. “It also creates an opportunity for vendors to plan their workday, see inventory in a location close to them, and more. It’s a nice tool for them to maximize the operational and financial side of their business.”
Lopez grew up in Venezuela, where he studied chemical engineering. In 2000, he came to the United States and got his MBA from Xavier University. He then took on roles of increasing responsibility in engineering, continuous improvement, operations, and sourcing at companies like GE Aerospace, Boeing, and Honeywell Aerospace.
So why supply chain? For Lopez, it’s simple.
“I love working with people,” he enthuses. “I like to influence people, and I want to achieve great things. Supply chain work is perfect for me because you get to lead and experience a lot of people working together toward one common objective. For me, it’s more about helping and influencing those people to achieve big goals.”
Just as his passion for people has been a mainstay throughout his career, so has his commitment to giving back to the Hispanic community. That’s clear when you track his ties to Prospanica, an organization for Hispanic business professionals that hosts annual career and professional development events and connects Hispanic professionals to graduate programs and corporations. At the start of his career, he was a founding member of Prospanica’s greater Cincinnati chapter. Later, he served as an executive vice president for the organization’s Dallas chapter.
“Transparency builds trust. If you build trust, you can achieve great things together.”
Roger Lopez
Throughout his career, Lopez has also served as a representative of the executive leadership team for his companies’ Hispanic employee resource groups (ERGs). He continues in this role at Lessen.
“For me, organizations like Prospanica, SHPE Society of Hispanic Professionals Engineers, and ERGs are huge. Personally, those connections have provided me with mentors and coaches that led to my first job at GE,” Lopez says. “They’ve helped me to grow as a leader, offering opportunities for community involvement and professional development. They’ve also created a chance to celebrate my culture and heritage with people who have the same interests and speak Spanish.”
Moving forward, Lopez wants to continue having fun and following his passions at work. He’ll also keep giving back. He recently joined the Prospanica Phoenix organization as the executive vice president to continue the mission of helping Latinos achieve their highest potential.
“I want to help Latinos like me twenty years ago, who don’t have help or coaching. I want to help Latinos increase their career and leadership opportunities so they can make an impact in their communities and companies.”
Lopez regularly solicits feedback from his team to improve his leadership. He encourages others to do the same.
“When I get feedback from peers and coworkers, I share it with the team,” he says. “I want to know what ideas will help me get better. Feedback from your people or people outside your team is what makes you a better leader.”
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