The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors’ 2025 Innovators Summit — held Sept. 15-17 in Austin, TX — brought together 200 distributor executives and technology provider leaders to learn from and connect with each other on industry breakthroughs and services. This made it the perfect venue for Prokeep to debut a critical offering for the industry.

On the event’s main stage, Prokeep Co-Founder and CEO Jack Carrere unveiled the launch of Prokeep’s Order Engine, a connected front-of-house system that helps distributors serve customers faster, centralize data and drive more sales. He shared the stage with two executives from ABC Supply — Chief Information Officer Tony Vaden and Business Platform & Customer Enablement leader Kris Kieffer — as ABC was a pilot partner for the platform, and a panel session with those three detailed the value ABC is seeing from it.

MDM recently sat down with Carrere to discuss the need-to-know details of Prokeep’s Order Engine: what it does, how it works, how it differentiates and the essentials that distributors should know about it.

See our conversation below.

MDM: What problem does the new Order Engine solve, and why is it being launched now?

Carrere: Distributors tell us the same thing: the counter is slammed, customers want instant answers, and teams are bouncing between email, texts, web chat, even digital fax — often with no single view of the customer. That reactive model means they’re spending more time chasing and less time proactively driving new orders. The Order Engine connects that fragmented front-of-house into one place so branches can serve faster, centralize customer data, and turn every interaction into an order. Given margin pressure and rising customer expectations across wholesale distribution, it’s the right moment to modernize the front of the house and shift from reactive to proactive growth.

MDM: How is the Order Engine different from an ERP, CRM or eCommerce site?

Carrere: ERP is your financial and inventory backbone; CRM is your account record. The Order Engine plugs into both and pulls their data into a single pane of glass for the front of house — where conversations and orders actually begin. Instead of bouncing between tools, reps see text, email, web chat and other channels unified in one searchable workspace tied to customer and order history. We connect to the systems distributors already use — ERPs like Epicor Eclipse, Prophet 21, NetSuite; CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot — plus an open API. That way, teams get speed, visibility and actionable context without replacing their back office systems.

MDM: Where does AI show up day‑to‑day at the branch?

Carrere: Today, we’ve embedded AI-powered Order Automation to handle the busywork so reps can focus on customers. Think instant stock checks, quote builds, order confirmations, and automated follow-ups when the counter is stacked three deep. The immediate impact is faster responses, fewer errors, and more orders won.

Looking ahead, the opportunity is even bigger: recommended products, smart upsells, and predictive prompts for reps and customers that anticipates customer needs. Because we’ve processed over 80million messages across 8,500 distributors, we’re training AI with the largest dataset in distribution communication. That scale means we can surface insights no single rep or branch could ever see alone, turning every conversation into a chance to drive the next order proactively.

MDM: What is Growth Hub, and how does it help branches sell proactively?

Carrere: Growth Hub turns live customer and order data into targeted outreach that branches can actually act on. It builds a complete customer profile, including how often a contractor communicates, how frequently they buy and where engagement is slipping. That visibility helps marketing teams and branches identify opportunities they would otherwise miss.

On top of that, Growth Hub makes it simple to act on those insights. Marketing and branch teams can send promotional texts for counter days or customer appreciation events, re-engage dormant accounts with personalized offers, assign follow-up tasks so reps can reach out personally to drive more engagement, and even run quick surveys to gather customer feedback. Because all of this happens in the same system that’s already handling orders, it’s easy to turn insights into action. The result is a flywheel: capture an order faster, use that enriched customer data to launch the next outreach, and drive more orders without adding headcount.

MDM: You showcased the launch with ABC Supply at NAW’s Innovators Summit. What did that partnership highlight for you?

Carrere: Our session with ABC Supply reinforced that distributors want tools that evolve with them and make the customer experience better. ABC has been using the conversational side of Prokeep to keep service moving, and their team is excited about how the Order Engine will continue building on that foundation. What stood out at NAW’s event was how centralization and automation aren’t abstract ideas; they’re practical ways to respond faster, reduce noise at the counter and give every customer interaction more clarity. It showed us how the Order Engine can scale what’s already working and make it even more impactful for distributors and their customers.

MDM: Contractors tend to resist “one more app.” How do you meet them where they already work?

Carrere: We integrate with field service management (FSM) platforms so contractors can place orders or message suppliers directly in the tools they already use. Those conversations flow straight into the branch’s Prokeep inbox, turning FSMs into a lead generator that captures more orders from existing workflows. And for contractors in the field, it’s just as seamless — they text the same branch number they’ve called for years and never know the difference.

MDM: Counter teams often deal with constant noise, calls, texts and walk-ins, which make it hard to stay responsive. How does the Order Engine help reps cut through the noise and build stronger customer relationships?

Carrere: The Order Engine is about turning every rep into their best rep. Centralizing conversations and automating routine steps gives reps the same visibility, responsiveness, and tools that top performers already use to win more business. Instead of chasing details or losing track of follow-ups, every rep becomes more accountable, more efficient and better equipped to drive sales proactively. Automation doesn’t replace relationships; it levels the playing field so every rep can build stronger ones while consistently capturing more orders.

MDM: How quickly can a distributor see value, and what does change management look like?

Carrere: You don’t wait six months to see ROI, you start seeing it in week one. At J.J. Nichting, Prokeep saved hours a day in phone time almost immediately, and with this time, they used Prokeep to guide their reps to reach out proactively and share a time-based promotion that drove over $225k in new orders. At Johnstone Supply, one campaign drove $60K in sales in a single day, and within three months, they’d won back a dormant customer worth $250K. That kind of impact is possible because setup is fast, the system plugs into what you already use, and teams adopt it quickly. We focus on quick wins at the counter and in follow-ups, so value shows up immediately and only compounds from there.

MDM: Where can readers learn more or see the Order Engine in action?

Carrere: Two easy options: join our Oct. 15 launch webinar for a live walkthrough, or request a demo, and we’ll tailor it to your branch reality.