Instructor Profiles

Merle W. Roberts, C.P.M.

Merle W. Roberts, C.P.M. is the Founder and President of Perpetual Frontiers. He has over twenty-five years of experience in Purchasing and Supply Management and has been an Associate Professor in the field since 1982.  He has taught within the University of California, California State University and California Community College systems.  He is a past President of the National Association of Purchasing Management - Orange County and has been providing guidance and training seminars for C.P.M. candidates since 1981.

Mr. Roberts is the author of ISM’s C.P.M. Review Course Module 4: Management - A Self-Study Workbook, a contributing author of ISM’s C.P.M. Study Guide and a former member of the C.P.M. item writing and review committee.  He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Management at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA.  He has received recognition and awards over the years for his outstanding work in the area of continuing education and professional development - including being recognized in 1993 as one of the “Top Nine Purchasing Professionals in America” by Electronic Buyers' News.

Mr. Roberts has presented over 600 full-day seminars on a wide variety of topics including: Procurement, Supply Management, Negotiation, Strategic Sourcing, eCommerce, Professionalism, Performance Measurement and C.P.M. and CPIM exam preparation.

 

Pat D. McLaughlin, C.P.M.

Pat D. McLaughlin, C.P.M. has over twenty years of supply chain management experience across a broad set of industries including Aerospace, Automotive, Consumer Products, Information Technology, Professional Audio, and Recreation.  He has held executive positions with market leaders where he was charged with multi-plant global supply management while influencing expenditures nearing $3 Billion.  During his career, Mr. McLaughlin has managed Distribution, Information Technology, Materials, Procurement, and Quality functions.

He has presented full day seminars on a variety of supply management topics and has taught within the California State University and California Community College systems.  He has also provided consulting and training services to a number of leading companies across multiple industries.  Mr. McLaughlin has been an active member of the Institute of Supply Management since 1989 and served as Association President for the Orange County California Affiliate in 1995-1996.

 

Mr. McLaughlin earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and his credentials as a Certified Purchasing Manager.  He also served as a corporate representative on the Global Electronics Benchmarking Network and CAPS Project 10x, a group of supply chain executives from various global companies that researched and collaborated on “Best in Class” supply chain practices.  He has extensive experience in Asian/European Procurement, Lean Manufacturing, Negotiation, Partnershipping, and Strategic Sourcing Techniques.