Latest Distributors Podcast Episodes
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...
S9E4: The Technology Leverage Shift in Distribution
The MDM Podcast - August 23, 2023 06:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsThe 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 he...
Quicktake 08.18.23: Culture as a Competitive Differentiator
The MDM Podcast - August 19, 2023 18:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsSpeed 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
The MDM Podcast - August 16, 2023 06:00 - 42 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsWhile 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 t...
Quicktake 08.11.23: The Data Analytics Journey in Distribution
The MDM Podcast - August 14, 2023 06:00 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsThe 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
The MDM Podcast - August 09, 2023 17:55 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsFairfield, 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 wha...
Quicktake 08.04.23: The “One Thing” for Distributor Success in 2024
The MDM Podcast - August 07, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsTeams 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 di...
S9E1: A Category Management Deep Dive with Steve Gettleman
The MDM Podcast - August 02, 2023 15:50 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsWe 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
The MDM Podcast - July 30, 2023 18:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsIn 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 los...
S8E18: Jonathan Byrnes on Enterprise Profit Management
The MDM Podcast - July 11, 2023 15:04 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratings“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 helpin...
S8E17: Fueling Product & Service Innovation with Customer Immersion
The MDM Podcast - June 28, 2023 06:00 - 42 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsDistribution 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 man...
S8E16: Scott Schuenke on Sonepar’s Growth & Strategic Development
The MDM Podcast - June 21, 2023 20:28 - 42 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsElectrical 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
The MDM Podcast - June 14, 2023 13:26 - 39 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsWe 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,...
QuickTake 06.09.23: The Power of Qualitative Analytics
The MDM Podcast - June 12, 2023 06:00 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsJames 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
The MDM Podcast - May 29, 2023 06:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsWhile 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
The MDM Podcast - May 24, 2023 06:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsMRO 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
The MDM Podcast - May 22, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsOne 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
The MDM Podcast - May 17, 2023 06:00 - 47 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsMike 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 th...
S8E12: NAHAD Members Voice Cautious Optimism, Labor Updates
The MDM Podcast - May 10, 2023 06:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsMike 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
The MDM Podcast - May 08, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsThe 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 ...
Quicktake 04.28.23: Category & Supplier Management Strategies
The MDM Podcast - May 01, 2023 06:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsCustomers 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.
S8E11: Voices of ISA23 - Networking Push a Big Hit
The MDM Podcast - April 26, 2023 06:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsMike 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.
QuickTake 04.21.23: Sales Transformation Trending in 2023
The MDM Podcast - April 24, 2023 06:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsThis 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 ind...
S8E10: Family Ties, Women in Industry & 'Distribution's Moment' with Katie Poehling Seymour
The MDM Podcast - April 19, 2023 06:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsKatie 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.”
Quicktake 04.14.23: Profit Levers For a Tightening Year
The MDM Podcast - April 17, 2023 06:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsOne 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 ...
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