Industrial and contractor supplies buying group AD appointed Shannon Bibbee as President of AD National Accounts, positioning a distribution veteran to lead the organization’s national accounts strategy as it advances its planned acquisition of supplyFORCE.

Bibbee brings more than 20 years of commercial and operations leadership experience in industrial supply distribution. A Deputy Brigade Commander/Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, he was Vice President of North American Operations at fasteners and Class-C components distributor Supply Technologies from 2022-2025, and was a fractional COO for three privately held companies in the year since.

Bibbee will lead AD’s National Accounts Program and work with the buying group’s leadership, members and supplier partners to strengthen members’ ability to compete for large, multisite customer opportunities.

“We’re excited to welcome Shannon to AD as we continue investing in capabilities that help our members compete and grow,” AD Chairman and CEO Bill Weisberg said in an Aug. 4 announcement. “His experience and transformational leadership will be instrumental in the development of our National Accounts Program. The timing of his hire is intentional as we continue to advance conversations about the prospective acquisition of supplyFORCE.”

AD announced July 8 that it intends to acquire supplyFORCE — an MRO network that helps independent distributors jointly pursue and service large national accounts and government contracts. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions as well as shareholder and board approvals. AD said the deal remains on track to close during 3Q26.

“I’m thrilled to join the AD team and confident in the opportunities for growth ahead,” Bibbee added. “I look forward to working closely with the supplyFORCE team, their shareholders, and the broader AD membership as we build on our national account capabilities and create even greater value for AD members.”

The appointment followed AD’s Aug. 3 report that member sales increased 15% year-over-year to more than $58 billion during the first half of 2026. Same-store sales rose 10%, while member purchases from AD suppliers increased 24%. AD added 79 members on a net basis during the period, and member distributors acquired 28 companies that were not previously part of the group.

The results build on a period of expansion for AD. The buying group completed its merger with IMARK Electrical in September 2024 and added The Commonwealth Group through a merger that became operational Jan. 1, 2026. The pending supplyFORCE deal would further extend AD’s capabilities into national accounts-focused MRO business.