Industry Insights
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QXO Completes $2.25 Billion Kodiak Deal, Expands into Lumber Distribution
The transaction positions QXO to scale in a fragmented sector where consolidation has accelerated, particularly across lumber and building materials (LBM).
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Profit Creates Freedom: The Path to a Better Valuation for Distributors
Profitability is the most important metric for any distributor.
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Network Distribution Completes Alliance With PDA, Begins Integration
Company executives said the organizations share a similar operating model built on local distribution supported by centralized resources.
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Sysco-Restaurant Depot Deal Puts AI, Data Strategy at Center of Omnichannel Expansion
AI is more likely to support sales productivity and customer insight over time than to serve as a central pillar of the transaction at closing.
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Know Before You Act
How a governed operational knowledge layer and agent health metrics help distributors control agentic AI.
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The Supplier Portal Trap: Why Distributors Should Stop Waiting and Start Enriching
AI-powered enrichment tools can take that raw material and transform it into structured product content.
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Home Depot Expands Pro Digital Platform With AI, Project Management Tools
At the center of the update is an artificial intelligence-powered material list builder that interprets project requirements and generates order lists in seconds, allowing contractors to estimate and bid jobs more quickly.
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Critical Skills for Front-Line Leaders in Distribution, Part 10: Basic Technology Proficiency
A better leader is not the loudest leader. A better leader is the one who can connect the dots.
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You Need Someone to Talk To
The ideas will come. Accountability will keep you moving between conversations.
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Sonepar Reports $37.9 Billion in Sales as AI Expands Across Supply Chain
Sonepar’s AI investments come as it scales its digital commerce platform.
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Trump AI Policy Calls for National Standard and Faster Industry Adoption
A single federal standard would reduce the need to navigate differing state rules governing AI use.
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From Data to Decision: Kerrie Jordan on AI’s Real Role in Distribution
An interview with Kerrie Jordan, CMO and SVP Product, Epicor Most distributors have more data than they know what to do with. The problem isn’t access to information — it’s the gap between seeing a problem and doing something about it. That’s the starting point for Kerrie Jordan, who holds the unusual dual role of…
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Proton.ai Launches Integrated Software Platform for Distributors
Proton.ai said the system is designed to replace standalone tools that often require manual data transfers and ongoing integrations.
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I Had to Let Go of My Pride First
The question every experienced distribution leader needs to sit with is this: are you bringing your expertise to AI as a resource, or as a gate?
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Amazon, Tech Platforms Push Agentic Commerce
One of the most significant recent developments comes from Amazon, which has expanded several AI-based shopping features designed to automate parts of the purchasing process.
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Too Much Data, Too Few Decisions
As distribution has grown more complex, data has become more prolific and decisions more consequential. But clarity hasn’t kept pace.
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5 Habits of Distributors Highly Effective At Pricing
Distributors pricing effectively offer value-added services and technical services that allow them to charge more.
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You Don’t Need to Know Which Model is Best. You Need to Use One
Pick something. Use it on real work. Get good at it.
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When AI Threatens Your Core Value Proposition: What Distribution Leaders Can Do Now
Your value proposition is based on a set of market assumptions, and AI has the potential to upend those assumptions.
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How Bad Would an AI Bubble Burst Be for Distributors?
Are we in an AI bubble? And if so, what happens to distributors if it bursts?