JOE RAINES
THE SUPPLY CHAIN INTERVIEW
Over the last five decades, Varsity Brands has evolved into a leading tech-enabled services company, with routes tracing back to selling tennis nets to local rec departments from a pickup truck. Following a series of strategic investments and a strong understanding of customer needs, Varsity Brands has grown into the organisation it is today, driven by a desire to empower the next generation through sport.
By partnering with schools and teams, Varsity Brands helps transform the lives of young people through sport – whether through redesigning the school’ s sports identity, or leading programmes which help develop social and emotional skills in the youth.
Supply Chain Digital spoke to Joe Raines, the Chief Supply Chain Officer of the company. Since 2023, he has overseen operational and executional excellence across the organisation. He and his team focus on driving agility, scalability and resilience across Varsity Brands’ interrelated businesses: BSN SPORTS and Varsity Spirit.
“ Our supply chain plays an important role in delivering experiences that matter to athletes, coaches, schools and communities,” Joe explains.
“ Whether it’ s supporting championship events or delivering equipment and apparel to programs across the country, our focus is on reliability, responsiveness and customer experience. I also lead initiatives around operational efficiency,
JOE RAINES
TITLE: CHIEF SUPPLY CHAIN OFFICER
COMPANY: VARSITY BRANDS INDUSTRY: APPAREL LOCATION: US
Joe has a rich history working in apparel and retail, using his keen eye for strategy to solve complex business problems.
fulfillment, manufacturing strategy and talent development as we continue positioning ourselves for long-term growth.”
Keeping a cool head Throughout his career, Joe has been part of some very high-pressure teams, learning how to make decisions quickly in order to execute strategy efficiently. Following his eight-year service as an Army officer, he brought his skills of navigating complexity and staying focussed on teams and results into the supply chain. His experience in a consulting firm gave him the opportunity to assess challenges, identify opportunities and develop practical solutions at scale. Through this, he learned about manufacturing operations, distribution centre optimisation and how to lead large-scale operational transformation projects. Now, he has spent more than 20 years leading supply chain organisations as they grow and transform.
44 September 2026