AI is powering a new wave of applications in supply chain and warehouse, finance, HR, sales, marketing and customer service. These promise to deliver not just greater efficiency, but also greater effectiveness for distributors.

The key, according to AI expert Brooks Hamilton, is to “understand where humans act like machines. That’s where the opportunities lie.”

At the first-ever event on AI for distributors this month, Hamilton, who helps distributors build and implement AI strategies, gave our attendees the tools to get started with AI. Tapping into his extensive real-world experience, Brooks instructed distributors to embrace, educate and then expand their use of AI – building a solid foundation to reap the rewards of this game-changing technology.

Hamilton will join Wholesale Change hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein on Oct. 18 at 9 PT/12 ET to share his takeaways from our Applied AI for Distributors event. They’ll also dig into what comes next – after distributors decide to take their first steps. 

Supply Chain Equity Partners (SCEP) is “North America’s only committed private equity firm focused exclusively on making investments in the distribution and logistics industry,” says Jay Greyson, the firm’s co-founder and partner. He’ll join hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein, Ph.D. of Distribution Strategy Group on September 20 to discuss industry trends in M&A, along with how distributors can prepare for an equity event.

Jay, Ian and Jonathan will discuss how factors like strategic vs. financial buyers, company size, and many other elements impact valuation. They’ll discuss how a hot second quarter of distribution M&A activity was followed by the “summer doldrums” of fewer deals, as well as how positioning your company to be a “platform” player can help you acquire more effectively and be more valuable when it’s time to sell.

Sign up now to listen in as Ian and Jonathan spend time with one of the leading experts in distribution M&A.  

Join us on the Wholesale Change show when hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein, Ph.D. will be joined by distribution technology expert Klaus Werner. Klaus is also preparing to deliver a keynote presentation, “AI Applications and Use Cases for Distribution”, at our upcoming Applied AI for Distributors Conference.

In this Wholesale Change episode, Klaus will open the conversation about “AI Applications and Use Cases for Distribution,” which he will expand on at our upcoming Applied AI for Distributors Conference. Klaus will discuss how distributors can use AI to improve productivity, quality and profitability in areas like:

• Customer service 
• Supply chain 
• Sales automation 
• Personalization 
• eCommerce  

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from an early AI pioneer in distribution on Aug. 23 at 9 PT/12 ET and send in questions, too.  

What does the increasing pace of M&A activity mean for distributors, manufacturers and reps? How will this change the ecosystem of the industry? 

• Will the role of manufacturers’ reps evolve so they’re more like VARs? 
• What happens to associations as distributors consolidate?  
• How will manufacturers adapt as M&A activity continues?

Join us on the August 9 episode of Wholesale Change with our guest, distribution expert David Gordon. Outspoken, candid, expert and industry insider – David is all of these and more. He’s been the President of the Channel Marketing Group for more than 22 years and began publishing the leading independent blog in the electrical distribution industry, ElectricalTrends, 15 years ago. David also publishes US LightingTrends and, with Dorn Group, HVACRTrends.

David will join Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein for another spirited, unscripted conversation.

Join us on July 26 at 9 PT/12 ET when we welcome Ben Hensler, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of Motion & Control Enterprises (MCE), to the Wholesale Change show. Ben joined MCE in 2021. During that time MCE has seen significant growth, including the acquisition of 10 businesses, enhancing their technical product and service offering. 

MCE’s ability to recognize the talents of acquired companies is a key strength of their business model. Beyond the consolidated buying power, optimized pricing and value-added services within MCE’s platform, these acquisitions provide an abundance of talented individuals and innovative solutions. By fostering collaboration and synergies, MCE enables these talented teams to flourish, broadening their market reach and expanding their product lines for exciting cross-selling opportunities. This integrated approach not only adds value to MCE but also provides customers with comprehensive solutions throughout every stage of the product lifecycle. 

Ben has had executive roles at C.R. Lawrence, Test Equity, FCX Performance and Grainger.  

Keller Logistics Group is killing it. The logistics and distribution business is targeting $190 million in sales this year, nearly double the sales of a decade ago. Their Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG)? $1 billion by 2032.

But for CEO Bryan Keller, his work isn’t just about revenue. It’s about how his company can give back to the communities in which they work. That’s what really drives him.

Keller will join us for the June 28 episode of Wholesale Change. In addition to talking about the logistics and warehousing market landscape with our hosts, Keller will share his philosophy of delivering for employees, customers and communities. Keller Logistics Group invested $300,000 in sponsorships to community organizations last year, created a non-profit to help local veterans in crisis and collaborated with a local organization to help at-risk students find their purpose in life while learning skilled trades to prepare them for a successful future.  

You won’t want to miss this informational – and inspirational – episode of Wholesale Change. Join us June 28 at 9 PT/12 ET.

Join us for this Wholesale Change episode with our guest Newton Sears, Managing Director at Greenhill & Co., an advisory-focused investment bank dedicated to M&A, restructurings, financings and capital raising.  

Newton and his firm work with many distribution firms and publish data about M&A activity within the industry. A frequent advisor to distributors, Greenhill offers expert insight executives can use to make better decisions about acquisition opportunities, recapitalizations, valuations and much more.  

In our conversation with Newton, we’ll talk about:

• The state of the M&A market in distribution  
• How industrial distribution is perceived in the capital markets 
• What buyers of distribution markets focus on  
• What sellers should be prepared for when they consider putting their companies on the market 

Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, a current or prospective investor or if you just want to know how an expert investment banker identifies what makes a distribution company great, you don’t want to miss this conversation.  

Sign up below to listen live on June 14 at 9 PT/12 ET (bring your questions) or listen to the recording.

Join us on May 31 when we welcome Robyn Pollina, CEO of Palmer-Donavin, to the Wholesale Change show. Robyn ascended to the CEO position in 2020 after 25 years at the building materials wholesale distributor, including serving as the company’s CFO. “I shifted from managing day-to-day tasks to establishing six growth initiatives,” she notes.  

As the head of a leading distributor of building materials and an ESOP, Robyn’s job is to meet and manage the expectation of its many employee-owners while adapting the company to succeed in an evolving channel. Some long-term investments can affect short-term profitability but will pay off over time. A key part of Robyn’s job is to enroll the whole company into these strategies to ensure Palmer-Donavin’s success for many years.  

Robyn views building a strong culture as fundamental to the success of the company. Her leadership team has distilled 28 “Purpose-Driven Principles” to serve the Palmer-Donavin’s mission “to deliver more and guide our everyday interactions with each other and our business partners.”  

As one of a small number of women in a CEO role in distribution, Robyn serves as a great example to others who aspire to leadership roles in what has been a male-dominated industry.  

Join us May 3 when we’re joined by Marty Daley, CEO of Marco Rubber. In two years, Marty’s team has tripled the size of the business – organically and through acquisitions. Whether it’s a $400 seal for a critical application or a tri clamp gasket a customer needs quickly, Marco Rubber offers the kind of service that brings in new customers and keeps existing accounts coming back.

“Technology is woven into our DNA,” Daley notes. “Not just the front end, which is a source of technical information for serious buyers and engineers. We also aggregate supplier data, have an automated quoting tool for our internal team, interactive toolkits for customers and business intelligence tools to measure what we manage across all departments.”

While Marco offers great digital capabilities, they’ll take the order how the customer wants to place it and work closely with customers on specific applications. Business development managers perform a sales engineer role, and a group of technical sales consultants service thousands of customers all over the world.

After working for companies like Wesco, Sonepar, Interline Brands and True Value, Marty was ready to drive rapid growth in a smaller company by leveraging leading-edge technology in a technical business. He found that opportunity at Marco Rubber and he’s making the most of it. Bring your questions to the live show or sign up below to access the recording.

“All customers should be treated special, just not necessarily the same…” -Marty Daley, CEO, Marco Rubber

Join us on the Wholesale Change show on April 5 at 9 PT/12 ET when distribution legend Dirk Beveridge shares talent strategies he has learned in decades of working with the world’s best distributors. You need the best team to surpass competitors – and meet customer expectations, especially in the dynamic world of distribution.  

As new challenges and opportunities arise, it’s crucial to evolve the way you lead. Dirk has compiled the top 10 human resource strategies for 2023: From solving the talent shortage to building a strong employer brand, adopting these principles will ensure you develop an energized, inspired and customer-focused team that wins in the market through an empowering, collaborative culture.  

Sign up below to join us live with your questions or to access the recording. 

In this episode of Wholesale Change, host Ian Heller has a frank conversation with Kevin Short, President and CEO of master wholesaler ORS Nasco. He shares his take on the importance of trust in the distribution channel as it relates to better serving the end-customer. He also shares an update on ORS Nasco’s focus from 2023 onward, as they look to refine their value proposition to better support distributors of all types.

ConEquip Parts & Equipment is a rapidly-growing B2B marketplace. They offer 500,000 parts, represent 3,000 suppliers and $52B in inventory – but you can’t order a thing online! How is this possible and why do they do it?

We’ll be talking with Ryan Loos, Chief Financial Officer of ConEquip Parts & Equipment, about the construction equipment parts distributor’s go-to-market strategy – including a decision not to invest in a transactional ecommerce system.  

ConEquip has seen consistent growth over the past 10 years. Ryan will share their secrets, as well as lessons learned. It’s the perfect conversation to sit in on if you want to hear another point of view on channel strategy. 

Bring your questions – and your take – on March 8, 2023, at 9 PT/12 ET. 

Join us on the next Wholesale Change episode on Feb. 22 at 9 PT/12 ET when we’re joined by the CEO of COE Distributing, J.D. Ewing. J.D. grew the company to $100M+ in 13 years by building a company that creates terrific customer experiences. Most of this growth has been organic. 

J.D. describes COE’s culture as “inclusive, open door, good at listening and gathering feedback from across the organization,” and “adept at implementing ideas and suggestions in real time.” 

COE Distributing is a great success story among distributors. Make sure you sign up to join us live (bring your questions) or access the recording. You can also find Wholesale Change on popular podcast sites. 

In only three years, CEO Eric Chernik has grown Building Controls & Solutions by 700% while retaining the entrepreneurial culture of each company BC&S has acquired.  

Eric knows that employee engagement drives customer engagement, so he enrolls his team in the company’s goals and strategy with transparency and a healthy culture. He embraces great internal communication and employee recognition.  

Don’t miss this episode of Wholesale Change on Jan. 25 at 9 PT/12 ET when we talk to Eric about his path to becoming a CEO and the leadership principles he has applied to achieve fast growth and strong financial results.

Tony Harris, founder of THINC B2B, brings his energy and passion for growth to the Wholesale Change Show on Dec. 14 at 9 PT/12 ET.  

He’ll hold nothing back in his conversation with hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein on how and why distributors need to realign business intelligence, sales and marketing, finance and IT to drive growth in 2023. He’s a highly regarded CEO coach, senior executive mentor and thought leader.  

He’s also the author of “FADS Marketing: Food, Alcohol, Drugs, Sex and the New Marketing World Order.” His career includes providing executive counsel to some of the most recognized global brands. Harris also advises for private equity firms, investment firms, family offices, and venture capital entities, evaluating and preparing recommendations on the viability of potential acquisitions, divestitures and roll-ups. 

When done properly, proactive inside sales should:

• Grow midsize accounts 15% to 20%
• Increase gross profit through revenue in higher margin accounts
• Reduce sales comp for midsize accounts 30% to 40%
• Increase retention

In our experience creating proactive inside sales programs, we have seen the best – and worst – practices for achieving these results.

In this episode of Wholesale Change we will look at six keys in creating a successful proactive inside sales program including organization design, management support, compensation, account selection, selecting the right people and technology support.

Ed Gerber, CEO of Summit Electric Supply, joins us on the Oct. 26 episode of Wholesale Change. Before joining Summit Electric, Ed was the CEO of the Industrial Supply Association (ISA) after holding a number of senior executive roles for industrial distributors.  

We’ll ask Ed what it was like to switch from the industrial industry to electrical. During our conversation, we’ll explore topics like sales force optimization, digital transformation, value-added services and what it takes for a regional distributor to compete effectively against global players. 

Ed has been highly successful during his tenure at Summit, even though he joined the company less than a year ago. It’s his first CEO role with a distributor, so he’ll tell us what it’s like to be in the top seat compared to other senior executive roles he’s held. 

Bring your questions to the live recording or sign up below to listen to the recording.

Every distributor does an annual budget – but that’s not the same thing as formulating a strategy. The budget process is very tactical, focused on current operations and does not typically account for broad industry trends, disruptors or major technology changes.  

If you don’t want to get blindsided, you need a strategic plan. A strategic planning process will allow you to think about the positioning of your company and how you need to adapt your value proposition over time.  

Join us on the Oct. 12 episode of Wholesale Change at 9 PT/12 ET when Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein, Ph.D., talk about the strategic planning process they’ve developed to help distributors formulate long-term plans. This feeds into the short-term budget process but also enables changes that empower a company to thrive in the long term.

Join us on the Sept. 28 episode of Wholesale Change when our guest will be Alex Tomey, the Senior Vice President of Merchandising for Global Industrial Company.  

Global Industrial is a billion-dollar value-added industrial distributor. Global Industrial offers customers more than a million products — from material handling to packaging and supplies — including its own proprietary brands. Alex was previously the Co-Chief Merchandising Officer at Petco. Before that, he served as Senior Vice President and GMM of Merchandising at DICK’S Sporting Goods and has held merchandising leadership positions at major retailers including Kohl’s and Walmart. 

We’ll ask Alex about his transition from retail to B2B, how he develops merchandising strategies for industrial and commercial customers, and the role of value-added services in differentiating Global Industrial from competitors. 

Most distributors we talk to are disappointed in the ROI of their ecommerce investments. When we dig into their complaints, we find that while they know their expenses, the sales attributed to their websites are way off because they only look at shopping-cart revenue. 

But the shopping cart is usually the smallest part of the direct revenue generated by your website. Customers must use purchase orders, so instead of checking out, they shop on your website and then buy through other channels – including “lights out” methods like email, EDI and punchout. 

Join us on Sept. 14 when Distribution Strategy Group co-founders Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein, Ph.D., will reveal how you can build a better website that drives more revenues and how you can do a better job measuring the return on your current investment. Your ROI is probably much better than you think, and we can show you how to increase it even more.