What can we learn from distributors that have achieved a higher EBITDA multiple value on a sustained basis? McKinsey partner Kevin Sachs shares a preview of his team’s keynote at SHIFT 2023 on the differentiators of those who are convincing shareholders they are growing revenue faster, expanding profit margins and improving the efficiency in which they leverage their capital base.
The post-2020 era has seen distributors make enormous strides in technology adoption and application across their organization. Hisco VP of IT Ana Bennett - one of MDM's upcoming SHIFT conference speakers - joins Tom Gale for a conversation about the evolving role of technology and where it's headed.
Speed wins in distribution. The ability to recognize and respond to threats and opportunities defines winners. Mike Marks talks about culture as the critical differentiator in periods of uncertainty, and the industry transition from traditional command-and-control leadership.
While distributors are proud of the culture they've crafted, far less discussed in that topic is mental health. This episode joins The Granite Group's Tracie Sponenberg and mental-health-at-work specialist Melissa Doman as they explore why mental health is a critical business conversation, how this industry can address growing mental health expectations and the benefits that can result.
The power of AI as a competitive differentiator is far from being defined. In this conversation, James Dorn and Tom Gale look at the bigger picture of data analytics in distribution, the stages of competency, building blocks and ways organizations are building world-class capability.
Fairfield, Ohio-based AFC Industries has burst onto MDM's Top Industrial Distributors scene, charting for the first time this year at No. 34 after several years of frequent acquisitions. We chat with AFC CEO Kevin Godin on how the company has successfully managed all of its recent growth and what's on the horizon.
Teams that pivoted faster and managed disruption, change and transition to get to transformation have out-performed competitors over the past three years. Tom Gale and Mike Marks channel the movie City Slickers as they discuss how to assess your team’s transformational capabilities across the dimensions of sales process, technology, data analytics and people.
We chat with former MSC Industrial Supply veteran Steve Gettleman on the topic of category management, for which he says a formal plan is severely lacking across the distribution sector. We cover the ins and outs of category management and how distributors of all kinds can leverage such a plan.
In May, Mike Marks and Tom Gale talked about what the shift from a gen-one to gen-two distributor looks like. This conversation goes into the deeper dimensions of a larger business model transformation this industry is navigating, and where share and competitive advantage is being won and lost.
“Why didn’t we make budget and how can we fix it?” The volatility of recent years has made budget variance a demanding challenge for all distributors. Jonathan Byrnes of Profit Isle discusses the profitability concepts he developed – with better detail and real-time information – that are helping management teams make better decisions, more accurately meet budget, and achieve step changes in profitability.
Distribution consultant and serial entrepreneur Brent Grover joins MDM’s Tom Gale to discuss customer immersion as a best practice for developing breakthrough products and services. He also gives us a look into a very different distribution business model led by a Millennial and run by Gen Z managers and shares his take on distribution’s M&A landscape.
Electrical distribution veteran executive Scott Schuenke discusses Sonepar North America’s growth in his 16 years with the company, which culminate with his retirement this month as VP of Strategic Development. He touches on how the company has evolved and continuously innovated during his tenure.
We condense the guest interviews and analysis from our Top Distributors webcast into a compilation podcast about the economic and industry factors that dictated who appeared where on our 17 different rankings lists. Guest voices include Grainger's Paige Robbins, BlackHawk Industrial's John Mark, Kimball Midwest's Patrick McCurdy III, Channel Marketing Group's David Gordon, Webb Analytics' Craig Webb and MDM's Tom Gale.
James Dorn and Tom Gale explore how to collect qualitative data to ensure distribution associates are in tune with what their end customers most value.
While ChatGPT is all the rage, MDM's Tom Gale and Indian River Consulting Group's Mike Marks tackle the broader applications that AI-backed software can make more efficient and soon become widespread in distribution.
MRO parts distributor Kimball Midwest isn’t slowing down upon achieving 100 years in business. President Patrick McCurdy III stops by to discuss the company’s training and development efforts, digital initiatives and business performance so far in 2023.
One of the biggest factors limiting the success of B2B distributor eCommerce is pricing. James Dorn looks at pricing strategy and two schools of thought on how distributors look at the ROI equation for their eCommerce revenues.
Mike Hockett asks Consight Marketing Group’s Alan Hale about what grinds his gears in distribution marketing, and it’s a lot. Their discussion covers how marketing is a point of channel conflict, and how the situation can be improved. They also explore social media do’s and don’ts, as well as the vital role of customer insights.
Mike Hockett interviews a handful of industry executives at NAHAD's recent 2023 Convention in the Bahamas. Amid the tropical weather and island vibes, attendees were happy to discuss the the state of industry demand and give updates on the labor and supply chain situation.
The industry is in a disruptive business model revolution with traditional (gen-one) distributors threatened by new competitors with radically different financial and go-to-market models. IRCG’s Mike Marks shares thoughts on how distributors can build a next-generation distributor that can grow profitably and take share from the new competitors.
Customers are experiencing price increase fatigue and looking for new ways to reduce costs in their operations. James Dorn shares thoughts on how distributors can manage their manufacturer suppliers more strategically to protect margins going forward as supply chains normalize.
Mike Hockett interviewed a handful of industry executives on the expo floor of ISA23 in Phoenix, where a focus on networking events was the talk of the show. The resulting series of brief interviews also touched what those are hearing on the product demand front, supply chain and labor situation.
This week Tom Gale and IRCG’s Mike Marks debrief on the Industrial Supply Association Summit, with a deeper discussion on what’s new for 2023 as more distributors engage in transforming sales processes and go-to-market models. Key question: What year will inside sales outnumber outside sales industrywide?
Katie Poehling Seymour might be the busiest executive in distribution. But she made time to stop by and discuss her path to leading family-owned First Supply, the progress on women’s representation in distribution and why “this is distribution’s moment.”
One quarter through 2023 the pricing pendulum appears to be reversing with volume moderating across most distribution sectors. Dorn Group's James Dorn and Tom Gale discuss sell-side, buy-side and program improvements distributors can make in this year’s environment of contraction to protect and improve profit.
CEO Jeff Crane joins to discuss a year of change for ERIKS North America, which divested from ERIKS NV in early 2022. We discus the company's new-look leadership team, a recent acquisition and how the company is looking to grow as standalone entity.
Great ideas sometimes turn into train wrecks. No company bats 100% when it comes to initiatives or projects. But too often management is reluctant to admit a mistake, holding out hope that a positive outcome might be salvageable. In this week’s Quicktake, Indian River Consulting Group’s Mike Marks outlines strategies for minimizing damage and creating best possible outcomes.
We chat with The Master Group President Neil McDougall about the Quebec, Canada-based HVACR distributor's recent growth and greater North American expansion roadmap, as well as how product demand and the labor situation compares between Canada and the U.S.
In the distribution sector, there’s arguably no bigger champion for the skilled trades than Andrew Brown, who founded eCommerce-based industrial distributor Toolfetch in 2002. This episode dispels misconceptions about the skilled trades, why Brown is so passionate about supporting them and how they tie in with distribution. Sponsored by White Cup
GPT-4 released this week and with it another wave of hype, hope and hysteria over the ways artificial intelligence, search and chatbot technologies will change our world. Indian River Consulting Group’s Mike Marks joins Tom Gale to examine the impacts and implications for distributors.
