BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Distribution Strategy Group - ECPv6.17.5.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Distribution Strategy Group
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://distributionstrategy.com
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Distribution Strategy Group
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20270314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20271107T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260929T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260929T100000
DTSTAMP:20260922T172229Z
CREATED:20260916T162245Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260922T172229Z
UID:10000613-1790672400-1790676000@distributionstrategy.com
SUMMARY:09/29/26 Wholesale Change Podcast
DESCRIPTION:Wholesale Change \n\n\n\nWeekly Podcast with Ian Heller and Mark BrohanTuesday Mornings 9AM ET / 6AM PT\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSubscribe Now\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTwo distribution experts. One weekly breakdown. The earnings\, M&A\, and market moves that matter—decoded\, debated\, and delivered without the corporate filter. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWholesale Change – News\, Analysis\, and Opinions for Distributors \n\n\n\nWholesale Change is a weekly live news show for the distribution industry\, hosted by Ian Heller and Mark Brohan. Each episode dives into the stories that actually matter to distributors—earnings reports\, M&A\, AD and buying group developments\, Amazon Business\, AI\, and the strategies behind the headlines. \n\n\n\nThis isn’t a neutral recap; it’s a news + analysis + opinion program. Ian and Mark bring decades of distribution and B2B expertise to: \n\n\n\n\nExplain what’s really driving the numbers behind public and private distributors\n\n\n\nConnect quarter‑to‑quarter trends across leading players\n\n\n\nCall out who’s talking about AI vs. who’s actually doing it\n\n\n\nExplore what industry shifts mean for mid‑market distributors trying to compete at scale\n\n\n\n\nThe tone is lively\, candid\, and occasionally snarky—more “two experts telling you what they actually think” than “one more corporate webinar.” Regular segments\, lightning‑round questions\, and guest appearances from industry leaders keep the show fast‑paced and fun\, while still grounded in data and real‑world experience. \n\n\n\nWho it’s for:Executives\, strategy leaders\, finance and sales leaders\, and anyone in distribution who wants to stay ahead of what’s happening in the market—without having to read every earnings release and analyst note themselves. \n\n\n\nHow it works:Subscribe once and you’re set for the season. You’ll receive a single recurring Zoom link that works for every episode. There’s no need to register week after week\, and you can unsubscribe at any time. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHosts\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIan Heller \n\n\n\nCo-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer\, Distribution Strategy Group \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMark Brohan \n\n\n\nExecutive Editor\, Distribution Strategy Group \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHosts\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIan Heller \n\n\n\nCo-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer\, Distribution Strategy Group \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIan Heller joined Grainger as a part-time truck unloader in college and left fifteen years later as the VP Marketing. Since then\, he’s held senior executive positions at four other publicly-held firms\, consulted with dozens of distributors\, and continues to write and speak extensively on how AI\, strategy\, channel evolution\, and other major trends affect the industry. Ian holds a B.A. in History from Roosevelt University and an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMark Brohan \n\n\n\nExecutive Editor\, Distribution Strategy Group \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMark Brohan is a journalist and market researcher focused on B2B ecommerce\, wholesale distribution and digital transformation. With more than three decades of experience\, he analyzes how manufacturers and distributors use ecommerce\, data and emerging technologies to modernize sales and operations. He is a frequent conference speaker and moderator\, known for clear\, data-driven insight into B2B commerce strategy. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSubscribe Now
URL:https://distributionstrategy.com/event/wholesale-change-09-29-26/
CATEGORIES:Upcoming Program,Wholesale Change Show
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://distributionstrategy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WC-Title-Card-300-x-200-px.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260929T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260929T130000
DTSTAMP:20260908T201330Z
CREATED:20260825T142327Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260908T201330Z
UID:10000605-1790683200-1790686800@distributionstrategy.com
SUMMARY:09/29/26 SME: How Distributors are Driving Employee Engagement
DESCRIPTION:Subject Matter expert  \n\n\n\nHow Distributors are Driving Employee Engagement\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegister Now\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEngagement looks different when your workforce is in a warehouse\, a truck\, and a sales territory all at once. Here’s what actually works. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEmployee engagement has always been a challenge in wholesale distribution — a workforce spread across warehouses\, delivery routes\, and sales territories\, often with limited visibility into company direction and few natural touchpoints with leadership. The pressure is sharper now. Retention costs are real\, frontline expectations have changed\, and the organizations that figure out how to build genuine engagement across their entire workforce — not just corporate staff — are seeing it show up in performance. \n\n\n\nIn this Subject Matter Expert session\, Nancy Disbrow\, SHRM-SCP\, Managing Director of Talent at Nivalmi Consulting\, draws on her direct experience leading HR at a wholesale distributor to examine what employee engagement actually looks like in a distribution environment — the specific practices that move the needle\, why standard approaches often fall short in this industry\, and what distribution leaders can do starting now to build a more engaged workforce. \n\n\n\nKey Takeaways \n\n\n\n\nWhy employee engagement looks different in wholesale distribution and why generic HR approaches often miss the mark\n\n\n\nThe frontline engagement gap — where most distributors lose ground and what leading organizations are doing differently\n\n\n\nHow to build connection and visibility across a workforce that is rarely in the same place at the same time\n\n\n\nWhat managers at every level can do to drive engagement without adding bureaucracy or overhead\n\n\n\nHow engaged workforces in distribution translate to measurable outcomes in retention\, productivity\, and customer experience\n\n\n\n\nWhat You’ll Learn \n\n\n\nHow to build a culture of engagement that sustains itself through leadership transitions and periods of growth or change9\, 2026 at 9PT/12ET to explore how AI is transforming warehouse operations in wholesale distribution. \n\n\n\nPractical engagement strategies that work across the distinct segments of a distribution workforce — warehouse\, delivery\, inside sales\, outside sales\, and operations \n\n\n\nHow to assess where your organization stands on engagement and identify the highest-leverage areas to address first \n\n\n\nWhat communication\, recognition\, and development practices are making a real difference at peer distribution companies \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSpeaker\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNancy Disbrow \n\n\n\nManaging Director of Talent\, Nivalmi Consulting \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGuest\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKristopher Shaffer \n\n\n\nProduct Manager\, Epicor Software Corporation \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSponsor\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSpeaker\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNancy Disbrow \n\n\n\nManaging Director of Talent\, Nivalmi Consulting \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNancy Disbrow is Managing Director of Talent at Nivalmi Consulting\, where she partners with leaders to align people strategy with business goals. Nancy helps organizations build high-performing teams and scalable people systems that grow with the business. Drawing on her experience leading HR within distribution and logistics organizations\, she brings firsthand insight into what it takes to build engaged\, high-performing workforces in complex\, fast-moving environments. Nancy has a proven track record of turning people strategy into measurable business outcomes\, from stronger retention to improved productivity and culture. She regularly advises leadership teams on practical\, sustainable ways to strengthen engagement\, communication\, and performance across their organizations. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGuest\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKristopher Shaffer \n\n\n\nProduct Manager\, Epicor Software Corporation \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKristopher (“Kris”) Shaffer is a Product Manager at Epicor Software responsible for the company’s Connected Worker product portfolio and strategy. With more than a decade of experience working with customers to understand challenges and build products that empower their frontline workers\, optimize warehouse operations\, and accelerate digital transformation through connected workforce and manufacturing solutions. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHost\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJonathan Bein\, Ph.D. \n\n\n\nManaging Partner\, Distribution Strategy Group \n\n\n\nJonathan Bein Ph.D. has worked with over 100 distributors to apply advanced analytics and AI to improve customer experience\, define value proposition\, estimate sales potential\, and create digital strategy. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegister Now
URL:https://distributionstrategy.com/event/09-29-26-sme-how-distributors-are-driving-employee-engagement/
CATEGORIES:Upcoming Program
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://distributionstrategy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/09-29-SME-Featured-Image.png
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR