Latest Distributor Podcast Episodes
S10E10: Voices of ISA24
The MDM Podcast - April 24, 2024 18:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsMDM 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 ...
S10E9: How Wajax Bulked Up its Product Offering with Service
The MDM Podcast - April 10, 2024 06:00 - 40 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsWajax 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 tailw...
S10E8: A Home Depot-SRS Megadeal Breakdown
The MDM Podcast - April 03, 2024 16:39 - 41 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsDistribution 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...
S10E7: Inventory Opportunities in Slower-Demand Markets
The MDM Podcast - March 27, 2024 16:47 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsCustomers 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
The MDM Podcast - March 20, 2024 18:37 - 36 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsIndustrial 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, a...
S10E5: A Breakdown of Fastenal's Decade-Long "Big Pivot"
The MDM Podcast - February 21, 2024 17:59 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsAll 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. ...
S10E4: Voices of NAW's Executive Summit
The MDM Podcast - February 07, 2024 07:00 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsThe 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 t...
S10E3: How Singer Industrial Handled Several Years of Change
The MDM Podcast - January 31, 2024 16:37 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsIn 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 di...
S10E2: After a Huge 2023, What Does M&A Look Like in 2024?
The MDM Podcast - January 17, 2024 07:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsMDM 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 distribut...
S10E1: Cracking the New Leadership Code
The MDM Podcast - January 10, 2024 17:30 - 46 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsLeadership 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 ...
RealTalk with Rob Tavi | Navigating the Digital Wave: AI, Influencers & Innovation ft Brian Sullivan
Real Talk With Rob Tavi - January 04, 2024 22:36 - 44 minutesJoin Rob Tavi as he explores the dynamic world of digital marketing with expert Brian Sullivan. Dive into a riveting discussion about the transformative role of AI in creative processes, the power of micro-influencers in building authentic communities, and the evolution of direct-to-consumer mark...
Green Distribution & Electronics Industry Innovation | RealTalk Rob Tavi Ft Don Akery, CEO, Waldom Electronics
Real Talk With Rob Tavi - December 20, 2023 21:23 - 37 minutesOverview: In this insightful episode, Rob Tavi welcomes Don Akery, the CEO of Waldom Electronics, a company renowned for its electronic components redistribution system and services like excess inventory management and network optimization. Founded in 1947, Waldom Electronics is a private company...
S9E14: Jennifer Murphy Says Distribution's Diversity is a Beautiful Thing
The MDM Podcast - December 13, 2023 07:00 - 38 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsNetPlus 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 toda...
Quicktake 12.08.23: Report Card on Distribution Business Models
The MDM Podcast - December 11, 2023 07:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsTime 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
The MDM Podcast - December 06, 2023 07:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsBradyIFS 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 de...
S9E12: How Kodiak Grows through Local Empowerment
The MDM Podcast - November 29, 2023 19:59 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsIn 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...
Quicktake 11.17.23: Price is Now Priority for Customers
The MDM Podcast - November 20, 2023 07:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsThe 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
The MDM Podcast - November 08, 2023 15:57 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsAmazon 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 ...
Quicktake 11.03.23: Fix Your Biggest Critical Constraint for 2024 Growth
The MDM Podcast - November 06, 2023 07:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsIt’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
The MDM Podcast - November 01, 2023 17:01 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsAs 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
The MDM Podcast - October 30, 2023 06:00 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsIn 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
The MDM Podcast - October 23, 2023 06:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsMike 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
The MDM Podcast - October 16, 2023 06:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsWith 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 resourc...
Quicktake 10.06.23: From Vision to Transformation
The MDM Podcast - October 09, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsIn 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
The MDM Podcast - October 04, 2023 15:26 - 50 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsMichael 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 ethic...
Quicktake 09.29.23: A Profitability Playbook for Distributors
The MDM Podcast - October 02, 2023 06:00 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsThis 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 p...
S9E7: MDM’s AI Research Report Highlights
The MDM Podcast - September 14, 2023 01:07 - 38 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsResearch 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
The MDM Podcast - September 06, 2023 18:43 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsSTAFDA 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
The MDM Podcast - September 04, 2023 06:00 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsWith 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
The MDM Podcast - August 30, 2023 06:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsWhat 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...
Related Distributor Topics