Distribution is more than an industry. It’s an institution.
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Leadership begins with recognizing your own gaps, especially those related to your ego.
The shift to agentic AI comes at a time when many distributors are still investing in basic digital infrastructure.
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Distributors who automate their operations gain multiple advantages that compound over time.
Some distributors will win and others will lose in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Sales organizations are notorious for promoting top performers into management roles without adequate preparation.
The most successful implementations start with clear process mapping, identifying the highest-impact automation opportunities first.
Parspec expects both the distributor and contractor tools to be commercially available by the end of 2025. Pilot programs are currently underway.
Frontline leadership isn’t about reports and titles. It’s about earning trust, solving real problems, and keeping the operation moving day in and day out.
Today’s profit leaders aren’t necessarily the biggest players, they’re the swiftest.
Chicago was buzzing. Day Two of the Applied AI for Distributors Conference wasn’t about theory or future hype. It was about execution.
if you don’t start with clear governance, oversight, and guardrails, that tiger grows teeth.
AI not as a one-time deployment but as a living system that demands constant management.
HR AI systems can predict developing problems and issue alerts so managers can address.
AI not only will give employees more time to innovate by eliminating tedious tasks, it should allow them to be more engaged with their
Each speaker came at it from a different angle, but a clear pattern emerged: AI isn’t just a tech buzzword anymore.
Artificial intelligence is no longer an abstract concept for wholesale distributors.
It won’t be long before customers’ AI purchasing agents will be communicating directly with distributors’ AI sales agents, says keynoter Trent Gillespie.
Analysts say distributors remain attractive to investors in volatile periods because of their flexibility and early economic recoveries.
By 2030, AI-driven systems will orchestrate warehouse operations with precision that exceeds even the best human coordinators.
Why the smartest distribution leaders are designing facilities that adapt, scale, and perform under pressure.
If we want to lead smarter warehouses, we need smarter conversations. And that starts with soft stuff.
One of the biggest mistakes I see with CRM rollouts is thinking of it as a software project with a start and end date.
The game doesn’t end when the shift is over. It lives on in every person you’ve lifted up and every team you’ve shaped.
In wholesale distribution, the buying process isn’t always as clear-cut as we think it is. And it’s not just one process.
Small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are increasingly turning to self-service technologies to streamline operations, meet customer expectations, and drive revenue growth.
The hot new form of AI is rapidly spreading into the business world. Two distributors describe their AI journeys.
Regardless of how we got here, what many of us discovered is a career that offers more than just selling and moving boxes.
WMS, LMS, OMS, WES, YMS: whatever acronym we use, they’re all tools, but they’ll never replace the need for leadership.
Trent Gillespie will detail approach to AI in a keynote entitled “Designing an AI-enabled business” at Distribution Strategy Group’s Applied AI for Distributors conference.
Whatever else happens in the world, your competitors will use AI to drive performance.
In logistics, we track everything: fill rates, dock turns, labor ratios. But leadership? That’s harder to quantify.
Forget the buzzwords—these five practical strategies are helping distributors turn AI into real-world profit gains.
Whether you’re leading a warehouse team or the executive board, the goal is the same: build systems that respect the humans who run them.
In this second post, I offer an unusual but practical step toward that goal: using art shared experience of film and reflection.
The warehouse is more than a place where goods move. It’s a place where people grow.