Latest Distributors Podcast Episodes
S10E18: Finding Focused Direction for Your Sales Team
The MDM Podcast - June 26, 2024 20:35 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsMany distributors have spent the past several years re-structuring, re-sizing and re-tooling their sales teams. Here, Dorn Group's James Dorn and John Gunderson discuss how to optimize these refreshed sales teams and align them in a single direction toward high-level revenue performance.
S10E17: Inside Venturi Supply’s Cohesive Independence
The MDM Podcast - June 19, 2024 18:41 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsNew PVF distribution group Venturi Supply was formed in 2023 through the combination of six independent companies. CEO Michael DiMino stops by to discuss how the company has maintained those firms' independence while also fostering cohesiveness across the combined organization, and what the path...
S10E16: Ted Cowie Reflects on 40 Years in Industrial & Safety Sales
The MDM Podcast - June 05, 2024 18:30 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsTed Cowie retired at the end of May after four decades leading distribution and manufacturing sales teams, including at Motion, Safety Today and Barnes. He and Tom Gale examine how sales strategies evolved during his career, particularly during his 10+ years at Motion, and reflect on the relati...
S10E15: What's Tech Got to Do with It?
The MDM Podcast - May 29, 2024 17:55 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsIn advance of MDM's July 10 Virtual Sales Summit, Tom Gale, Tony Pericle and Nick Pericle dive into what high-performance distribution sales models look like in 2024 and the deeper challenges that sales reps face in the marketplace today. Their discussion covers changing roles and customer expec...
S10E14: Green Mountain Electric Doesn't Have an End Goal. Here's Why
The MDM Podcast - May 22, 2024 18:52 - 40 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsLike for any distributor making frequent acquisitions and headcount additions, it takes a high degree of communication, strategic planning and integration coordination to ensure the train stays on the tracks. That’s just what Vermont-based Green Mountain Electric Supply has done, with about a do...
S10E13: Cut Through the AI Noise
The MDM Podcast - May 15, 2024 18:11 - 41 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsArtificial intelligence in distribution carries a combination of hype, hope, promise and peril. Long-time technology analyst Justin King, the Global Director and Analyst of the B2B eCommerce Association, helps cut through the noise to get more precise on the short- and long-term impact of how AI...
S10E12: Denver's AIS Exemplifies Small Distributor Innovation
The MDM Podcast - May 08, 2024 15:22 - 44 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsAIS Industrial & Construction Supply is a single-location distributor, but its innovation in sales, marketing and eCommerce has outdone that of many larger industry counterparts. President & CEO Dale Hahs joins to discuss what AIS has been up to lately, what he's seen change in his 40 years with...
S10E11: Inside Vallen’s Aggressive Transformation
The MDM Podcast - May 01, 2024 18:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsMRO supplies distributor Vallen has undergone major changes over the past few years, including its $350 million acquisition of Wesco Integrated Supply that closed April 1. But that deal is just the latest move. A former Sonepar subsidiary, Vallen became independent in 2022, has joined AD and NAW...
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 ...
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.
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