Life and career[edit]

John T. (Tom) Mentzer was born on December 7, 1951, in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in industrial administration from the General Motors Institute, now Kettering University. He continued his studies at Michigan State University, graduating with an MBA and a Ph.D. After completing his studies, Mentzer worked for General Motors and then took a position at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia, where he stayed for 17 years. In 1994, he accepted a position at the University of Tennessee, where he was appointed as the Harry and Vivienne Bruce Chair of Excellence in Business. While at Tennessee, he was also appointed as a Chancellor's Professor. He served as president of the Council of Logistics Management, president of the Academy of Marketing Science and executive director of the UT Demand and Supply Integration Forums. He wrote prolifically on marketing and supply chain management, publishing numerous articles and papers and eight books. He also served as editor of the Systems Section of the Journal of Business Logistics and worked on a number of boards and committees.^[1]


Mentzer received awards including the Academy of Marketing Science Outstanding Marketing Teacher Award in 2001, the Armitage Medal of the International Society of Logistics Engineers, the Council of Logistics Management’s Distinguished Service Award in 2004 and the Berkman Distinguished Service Award for service to the Academy of Marketing Science in 2008.^[2]


Mentzer died of melanoma at the age of 58. He was survived by his wife, Brenda and two daughters (Ashley and Erin).