The MDM Podcast
181 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsThe distribution industry is changing, with new players and technologies that will shape how you compete and sell. Stay ahead of your competitors with this regular series from Modern Distribution Management, and learn the trends and strategies that will keep you in the lead for the long haul.
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Episodes
S10E10: Voices of ISA24
April 24, 2024 18:00 - 16 minutes - 23.1 MBMDM brought a staff contingent to the Industrial Supply Association’s annual spring convention, ISA24, held April 15-17 in Charlotte. This compilation podcast features eight mini interviews Executive Editor Mike Hockett conducted at ISA24, gathering perspectives from ISA’s CEO, two distribution CEOs, three service providers and two college students. These attendees share their thoughts on the show, the business climate outlook, the biggest challenges facing the industrial supply channel, and...
S10E9: How Wajax Bulked Up its Product Offering with Service
April 10, 2024 06:00 - 40 minutes - 56 MBWajax Corp. has significantly expanded its Industrial Parts unit during the Iggy Domagalski's first two years as CEO, and he stopped by to discuss key drivers for that business. We also touch on Wajax's ongoing ERP rollout and technology initiatives, the company's PPE enhancements, and the tailwinds and headwinds for fellow Canadian industrial distributors.
S10E8: A Home Depot-SRS Megadeal Breakdown
April 03, 2024 16:39 - 41 minutes - 57.5 MBDistribution hasn't seen a deal the magnitude of Home Depot's pending $18.25 billion acquisition of SRS Distribution in quite some time — maybe ever. Mike Hockett and Craig Webb break down the key details of the combination, why it makes sense for Home Depot and why this was likely the long-term play for SRS all along.
S10E7: Inventory Opportunities in Slower-Demand Markets
March 27, 2024 16:47 - 23 minutes - 31.7 MBCustomers continue to work down inventory levels into 2024. James Dorn and John Gunderson outline action items for optimizing inventory levels – in partnership with suppliers – to stay nimble and gain share as competitors stumble on A and B items.
S10E6: Mars Supply Keeps Evolving 100 Years In
March 20, 2024 18:37 - 36 minutes - 50.1 MBIndustrial supplies distributor Mars Supply is celebrating 100 years in business throughout 2024, and it didn’t achieve that milestone by happenstance. The company’s President, Bob Mars, has been there for 47 of those years, giving him a wealth of perspective on what’s changed in the industry, and what hasn’t. We discuss Mars Supply’s history and what it’s up to today, how the company has eliminated hidden costs and why customers choose it over larger competitors.
S10E5: A Breakdown of Fastenal's Decade-Long "Big Pivot"
February 21, 2024 17:59 - 22 minutes - 31.1 MBAll three parts of John Gunderson's November series on Fastenal's "big pivot" — which examined the distributor's decade-long transformation from a distributor dependent upon nationwide branches to one that emphasizes embedded customer service — ended up in MDM's 10 most-read free blogs of 2023. That makes it well worth further discussion. So, we invited Gunderson onto the Podcast for an even deeper dive on Fastenal and what's led to its current state of success.
S10E4: Voices of NAW's Executive Summit
February 07, 2024 07:00 - 27 minutes - 37.5 MBThe National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors’ 2024 Executive Summit was its best-attended such event in years, and NAW’s content lineup was ready for it. This compilation podcast features mini interviews with four distributors, one consultant and two NAW executives on what their biggest takeaway was from the summit and their top initiatives for this year.
S10E3: How Singer Industrial Handled Several Years of Change
January 31, 2024 16:37 - 18 minutes - 26 MBIn the past two years, industrial rubber and fluid power products distributor Singer Industrial has sold off a business unit, rebranded and made over a dozen acquistiions alongside greenfield expansion. CEO Craig Osborne tells us how his company managed so many moving pieces. We also touch on distribution's labor situation, technology and AI, and what's on the horizon for Singer.
S10E2: After a Huge 2023, What Does M&A Look Like in 2024?
January 17, 2024 07:00 - 21 minutes - 29.5 MBMDM posted 403 news items in 2023 involving distributors, or manufacturers that sell into distribution. That blew away 2022 and 2021. So, how much M&A runway is still left, and what’s driving it? We chat with Brown, Gibbons & Lang Managing Director Kevin Sargent on that, as well as why distribution M&A is running much hotter than the greater manufacturing sector.
S10E1: Cracking the New Leadership Code
January 10, 2024 17:30 - 46 minutes - 63.4 MBLeadership has been a critical differentiator for how well a distribution firm has performed over the past three years of disruption. Leadership consultant, coach and author Alain Hunkins discusses the transition from old- to new-school leadership, employee-customer experience, and how to build an energized work culture.
S9E14: Jennifer Murphy Says Distribution's Diversity is a Beautiful Thing
December 13, 2023 07:00 - 38 minutes - 53.5 MBNetPlus Alliance has served industrial distributors and suppliers as a buying group since 2002, but its roots date back nearly 200 years. Its Owner, President and CEO, Jennifer Murphy joins to discuss how that history has shaped the group and the role that buying groups play in distribution today. She had great perspective on the state of diversity throughout the industry supply space and why it continues to serve the channel well. The conversation also touched on the value of Women in Ind...
Quicktake 12.08.23: Report Card on Distribution Business Models
December 11, 2023 07:00 - 11 minutes - 16.3 MBTime for a check-up on the state of the industry as 2023 ends. Mike Marks and Tom Gale review the shifts – seismic and otherwise – that have shaped the competitive landscape across the dimensions of sales channels, digital, data analytics and culture.
S9E13: BradyIFS + Envoy Solutions See Many Ways to Win
December 06, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes - 24.3 MBBradyIFS and Envoy Solutions are behind much of the consolidation in distribution's JanSan, foodservice and packaging supplies verticals, and they took it to another level with their landmark merger at the end of October. Chairman and CEO Ken Sweder joins to discuss the strategy behind that deal and its moving pieces, and why the combined company has no plans of slowing down its expansion. The conversation also touched on the demand outlook for those markets that the distributor serves.
S9E12: How Kodiak Grows through Local Empowerment
November 29, 2023 19:59 - 27 minutes - 38.4 MBIn just a dozen years, Kodiak Building Partners has gone from inception to No. 11 on MDM's Top Building Materials Distributors List, acquiring over distribution 100 locations along the way and now has over 6,000 employees. CEO Steve Swinney details how enabling local autonomy has been crucial in the company's growth strategy.
Quicktake 11.17.23: Price is Now Priority for Customers
November 20, 2023 07:00 - 14 minutes - 19.2 MBThe relative importance customers assign to the equation of price, availability and support has shifted in Q3, with important implications for distributors. And now digital is in the mix. James Dorn summarizes Dorn Group’s latest survey results with some surprising insights.
S9E11: Amazon Business is Just Getting Started
November 08, 2023 15:57 - 23 minutes - 32.5 MBAmazon Business surpassed $35 billion in annualized sales in early 2023, and it has plenty of further expansion on its mind. The marketplace’s worldwide director, Todd Heimes, joins us to discuss how Amazon Business is constantly innovating to cater to today’s B2B buyer, and why it sees immense opportunity ahead.
Quicktake 11.03.23: Fix Your Biggest Critical Constraint for 2024 Growth
November 06, 2023 07:00 - 11 minutes - 16.3 MBIt’s strategy season, and even optimistic predictions are for flattish overall industry growth in 2024. Mike Marks and Tom Gale talk through the bottom-line impact of focus in dealing with whatever form your big gorilla(s) looks like.
S9E10: The State of Innovation in Distribution
November 01, 2023 17:01 - 34 minutes - 47.8 MBAs distributors transform business models to stay competitive and close to customers, innovation has become a critical differentiator. NAW Chief Innovation Officer Bart Tessel and Applico CEO Alex Moazed share thoughts on where innovation is today in distribution, and where it’s headed.
Quicktake 10.27.23: Drive Profit with Active Category Management
October 30, 2023 06:00 - 12 minutes - 17.3 MBIn this continuing series on executing a Profitability Playbook, James Dorn outlines ways to leverage manufacturer incentives, create strategic tiered suppliers at a product category level, and capture every single dollar available before year end.
Quicktake 10.20.23: Playing Offense in Defensive Times
October 23, 2023 06:00 - 10 minutes - 14.4 MBMike Marks and Tom Gale discuss the data points from Q3 and what the front lines in distribution are saying about how the fourth quarter of 2023 is shaping. Plus five proactive things distributors can do now to grow faster than the single-digit growth forecast for 2024.
Quicktake 10.13.23: Protect Your Pricing & Profit
October 16, 2023 06:00 - 19 minutes - 26.1 MBWith softening demand trends going into Q4, my conversation with James Dorn of Dorn Group busts the myths of not being able to grow both top-line revenue and margin in challenging market conditions. Deeper customer-product segmentation and full leverage of your internal and external data resources are key to winning share today.
Quicktake 10.06.23: From Vision to Transformation
October 09, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes - 18.3 MBIn a debrief on core themes from MDM’s 2023 SHIFT conference, Mike Marks and Tom Gale talk about a clearer vision for the future of distribution emerging, the transformation levers to get there, getting traction with AI, and more.
S9E9: Endries' Michael Knight on His Learning Curve, Coaching & AI
October 04, 2023 15:26 - 50 minutes - 69 MBMichael Knight became CEO of Wisconsin-based Endries International in late 2022 after a long tenure with an electronic components distributor. He joins the podcast to discuss his first year leading the fast-growing OEM fasteners supplier and that career market pivot, his thoughts on AI ethics, the power of coaching your staff and why we can expect to hear a lot more out of Endries in the near future.
Quicktake 09.29.23: A Profitability Playbook for Distributors
October 02, 2023 06:00 - 12 minutes - 16.9 MBThis conversation between Dorn Group President & CEO James Dorn and MDM CEO Tom Gale centers on how data analytics will prove crucial to distributors’ profitability in the year ahead, as the inflation tide that lifted all boats has now left. Here are the elements of a distributor profitability playbook.
S9E8: Culture Misconceptions about "The Great Resignation"
September 28, 2023 01:56The notion of "no one wants to work anymore" persists amid today's challenging labor pool in distribution, but Dr. Donte Vaughn - an expert in organizational leadership - says that's a major misconception alongside "The Great Resignation". He joins the podcast to discuss the state of culture today in industrial organizations, and how to bridge gaps between leadership and front-line workers.
S9E8: Culture Misconceptions about "The Great Resignation"
September 28, 2023 01:56The notion of "no one wants to work anymore" persists amid today's challenging labor pool in distribution, but Dr. Donte Vaughn - an expert in organizational leadership - says that's a major misconception alongside "The Great Resignation". He joins the podcast to discuss the state of culture today in industrial organizations, and how to bridge gaps between leadership and front-line workers.
S9E7: MDM’s AI Research Report Highlights
September 14, 2023 01:07 - 38 minutes - 53.3 MBResearch lead Kevin Reid-Morris and Tom Gale discuss the insights, surprises and hopes for AI this 2023 research into artificial intelligence surfaced. We also map out five behaviors and supporting building blocks for distributor AI success, with comments from our research partners.
S9E6: Education, Industry Demand and What STAFDA's Up To
September 06, 2023 18:43 - 27 minutes - 37.2 MBSTAFDA Chief Executive Georgia Foley stops by to discuss the association's new educational initiative, the state of industry demand how it's being impacted by U.S. Infrastructure Bill rollout and factory building boom, as well as a preview of the group's annual convention in early November.
QuickTake 09.01.23: Distributors’ Key Business Objectives for 2024
September 04, 2023 06:00 - 8 minutes - 11.9 MBWith budgets and operational planning already eyeing the year ahead, Mike Marks and Tom Gale explore where distributors have the most leverage, and where their common gaps are.
S9E5: Higher EBITDA Multiple Drivers – A McKinsey Keynote Preview
August 30, 2023 06:00 - 10 minutes - 14.9 MBWhat 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.
S9E4: The Technology Leverage Shift in Distribution
August 23, 2023 06:00 - 28 minutes - 38.6 MBThe 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.
Quicktake 08.18.23: Culture as a Competitive Differentiator
August 19, 2023 18:00 - 13 minutes - 18.3 MBSpeed 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.
S9E3: Mental Health at Work - A Critical Business Conversation
August 16, 2023 06:00 - 42 minutes - 58.8 MBWhile 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.
Quicktake 08.11.23: The Data Analytics Journey in Distribution
August 14, 2023 06:00 - 15 minutes - 21.6 MBThe 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.
S9E2: The Keys to AFC Industries' Rapid Expansion
August 09, 2023 17:55 - 22 minutes - 30.2 MBFairfield, 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.
Quicktake 08.04.23: The “One Thing” for Distributor Success in 2024
August 07, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes - 17.9 MBTeams 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.
S9E1: A Category Management Deep Dive with Steve Gettleman
August 02, 2023 15:50 - 21 minutes - 29.3 MBWe 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.
Quicktake 07.28.23: Distribution Business Model Transformation
July 30, 2023 18:00 - 26 minutes - 35.9 MBIn 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.
S8E18: Jonathan Byrnes on Enterprise Profit Management
July 11, 2023 15:04 - 34 minutes - 48 MB“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.
S8E17: Fueling Product & Service Innovation with Customer Immersion
June 28, 2023 06:00 - 42 minutes - 58.8 MBDistribution 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.
S8E16: Scott Schuenke on Sonepar’s Growth & Strategic Development
June 21, 2023 20:28 - 42 minutes - 57.8 MBElectrical 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.
S8E15: What Shaped MDM's 2023 Top Distributors Lists
June 14, 2023 13:26 - 39 minutes - 54.7 MBWe 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.
QuickTake 06.09.23: The Power of Qualitative Analytics
June 12, 2023 06:00 - 9 minutes - 13.1 MBJames Dorn and Tom Gale explore how to collect qualitative data to ensure distribution associates are in tune with what their end customers most value.
Quicktake 5.26.23: The Many Problems AI Engines Can Solve
May 29, 2023 06:00 - 22 minutes - 31.4 MBWhile 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.
S8E14: Patrick McCurdy III on Kimball Midwest's Constant Improvement
May 24, 2023 06:00 - 22 minutes - 30.5 MBMRO 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.
Quicktake 05.19.23: Pricing for Digital Commerce
May 22, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes - 18.4 MBOne 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.
S8E13: Marketing Missteps that Cause Channel Conflict
May 17, 2023 06:00 - 47 minutes - 65.7 MBMike 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.
S8E12: NAHAD Members Voice Cautious Optimism, Labor Updates
May 10, 2023 06:00 - 19 minutes - 26.7 MBMike 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.
Quicktake 05.05.23: The Move from Gen-One to Gen-Two Distributor
May 08, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes - 18.4 MBThe 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.
Quicktake 04.28.23: Category & Supplier Management Strategies
May 01, 2023 06:00 - 10 minutes - 14.2 MBCustomers 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.