AFFLINK — a national collective of independent packaging MRO, foodservice, safety and office supply distributors and manufacturers — has hired John Carr as the company’s new vice president of distribution.

Carr joins Tuscaloosa, AL-based AFFLINK — owned by Performance Food Group — after spending the past four years as Regional Sales Director of HD Supply. Before that, he held regional sales leadership from 2011-2022 at The Home Depot Pro Institutional, SupplyWorks and Interline, with the latter two eventually acquired by The Home Depot. He previously served as VP of Sales & Marketing a former AFFLINK member Northern Colorado Paper.

In an April 15 news release, AFFLINK touted Carr’s track record of driving growth, building high-performing teams and delivering customer-focused solutions that will translate well into serving AFFLINK members.

“John understands our members intimately because he was one,” said Michael Wilson, President and CEO of AFFLINK. “He believes in the strength and value of distribution and will help champion our vision of being the ‘Home of the Independent.’ John’s experience in both the independent channel and large national organizations certainly gives him a perspective that is critical to our continued growth, but it’s his talent and passion that make him a cultural fit for our organization.”

As the group’s new distribution leader, John will oversee AFFLINK’s member support teams — internal and regional — customer care and the national and strategic accounts business.

AFFLINK connects over 250 manufacturers with over 300 independent distributors across the United States and Canada.

“Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to lead across independent, national and hybrid distribution environments, and I look forward to bringing those experiences to support our members and help them deliver greater value to their customers,” Carr added. “Just as importantly, I approach this role with a strong desire to listen and learn — building trust, understanding each member’s unique business and identifying opportunities to drive success together.”