G erald Mosley, ’97, is at the pinnacle of his career as CEO of Welspun Tubular LLC—a national manufacturer of steel pipes for the oil and gas industry. 

The Little Rock, Arkansas, subsidiary of Welspun Corp. spans six continents. Mosley’s Master of Science in Logistics Management from Georgia College & State University has helped him focus on best practices and perspectives that assisted the big business of piping to long-term success.

“Today, logistics management is present in every facet of our lives and woven into the fabric of businesses,” Mosely said. “It’s a competitive differentiator. It’s a business. If you don't manage logistics well, you're not going to be competitive for very long.”

He predicted the demand for logistics management skills before earning his master’s degree at Georgia College. That’s why he pursued his degree in this field.

“I vividly remember one of my Georgia College professors describing how logistics is a key component of business,” Mosley said, “and how when logistics and the management of logistics is done well, it can be a key competitive differentiator for companies.”

Mosley was stationed at Robins Air Force Base when he earned his master’s. During the day, he was an aircraft maintenance officer. In the evening, he took classes at Georgia College’s satellite facility on the base.

The university was recommended by colleagues who were pursuing their degree or had gone through the program.

“They were impressed with the program and raved about the quality of instruction and the professors,” he said. “I was just as impressed with the college's reputation.” 

“The professors brought a lot of real-world, practical knowledge about how to apply logistics management concepts because they'd worked in the industry,” Mosley said. “They taught us practical applications of the concepts we discussed in class.” 

Professors stressed the interconnectivity of the global economy and how logistics was the piece that was going to make it all come together. 

“The world is interconnected,” he said. “If you're not prepared or structured to do business on a global scale and you're not plugged into that global economy, then you're at a disadvantage.”

Mosley’s logistics management degree has served him well in his career. He’s taken on leadership roles and increased responsibility with global organizations.

“It's not just about the international reach of products and services,” Mosley said. “We have a more global workforce so it’s important to understand the cultural nuances that accompany managing leading a global team. I think these nuggets, that were imparted on me at Georgia College, have just proved to be truer as I advanced in my career.”

A key component to Mosley’s leadership approach at Welspun Tubular is listening to others. As his career progressed, he discovered that asking the right, quality questions is important. He frequently meets with sales and marketing staff and customers to better understand industry and market trends, so he can position Welspun to provide the best products and support. He also spends his time on the plant floor in operations, getting insights from his associates on how their jobs are going and what they feel can be done to improve the process.

“It's important to stay plugged into both areas and know where the markets and business are headed,” Mosley said. “We have to make sure we are prepared to take care of not just the business that's in front of us, but that we're also doing the right thing, structurally, to make sure we're prepared to take care of the business 10 years or more down the road.”

Mosley’s studies at Georgia College help him define strategy and drive the business growth at Welspun. He manages the outbound logistics of the company’s finished products through rail cars, semi-trucks and barges. 

“Logistics management is a critical component of executing business on a high level,” Mosley said. “I didn’t realize how much my experience and degree in this area would help me going forward.”

“We've found that being a differentiator—if we're able to do that more effectively and satisfy the customer's needs—then logistics is often the reason that we win or lose jobs,” he said.

Although Mosley has held other positions through the years, the best part of every job has been the people. At Welspun, he builds high performing teams, so his associates can be the best version of themselves. He accomplishes this by equipping people with the tools, training and support they need. Then, he sets the strategy for them, so they can thrive.

“Watching teams evolve to be successful and achieve levels that maybe they haven't achieved before—that motivates and excites me,” Mosley said.

He and his team provide best-in-class products and services to their customers by helping them solve problems, address challenges and by finding answers to questions they may not have asked yet.

“We’re able to look forward to start developing those solutions that are going to address challenges five to 10 years down the road,” Mosley said. 

He is inspired by sustained excellence and those individuals who can achieve it.

“That's a different level of success,” Mosley said. “It takes a different level of teamwork and commitment to reach the summit of the mountain. And then to immediately start looking for the next challenge.”

What he learned from Georgia College helped Mosley get to a place where he sees himself as a business leader. Now, each day, he’s inspired to mentor others to achieve sustained excellence.

“Having the opportunity to take people who are part of my team and feel like I had some small part in helping them develop to be the best version of themselves,” he said, “and watch them go on to achieve higher levels of success is more rewarding than anything else.”