Join us for a new episode of Wholesale Change, where we’ll sit down with Patrick Knight, Vice President of Products and Services at IDEA (Industry Data Exchange Association), to explore the data infrastructure behind the electrical, HVAC, and plumbing industries, and where it’s headed next. This session addresses the core issues that manufacturers and distributors are wrestling with as they try to modernize data infrastructure in the face of rising customer expectations and AI-driven processes.

We’ll explore:

• How disconnected data systems are slowing down supply chain communication, and what can be done about it
• Why many companies struggle to make use of the product data available to them
• The impact of declining internal EDI capabilities and the shift toward outsourced, managed services
• Lessons from sectors like HVAC and plumbing that are tackling similar data challenges
• Why poor data quality is a major barrier to AI adoption and what steps can be taken to fix it
• Practical actions distributors can take to improve product and transactional data management today

Whether you’re a distributor, manufacturer, or just trying to make sense of your data challenges, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. Patrick brings deep industry knowledge and a practical perspective on what it takes to build a digital foundation that works — now and in the future.