Ahead of speaking at MDM’s May SHIFT conference, Redwood Advisors’ John Nantz stops by to discuss major industry changes driven by market forces, technology advancements and changing customer expectations. He outlines five key imperatives that high-performing distributors are using to stay competitive and differentiate themselves.

We chat with talent recruitment and retention guru Dr. Bharani Nagarathnam – who leads Texas A&M’s Master of Industrial Distribution program – about a range of vital talent topics and to preview his culture-focused roundtable discussions at our May SHIFT conference and a standalone session there based around fostering an environment where diverse teams can thrive.

Kevin Reid-Morris has led much of MDM’s qualitative AI industry research over the past few years, and he’s set to share the results of his major two-year project at our SHIFT conference. Here, he and Tom Gale discuss the transformative impact of AI in distribution and that project which identified over 50 practical AI use cases that distributors can implement to enhance operational efficiency and gain a competitive edge.

From Wall Street to the warehouse — twice. Two executives from A&M Industrial’s leadership team share their parallel journeys back to their (now third generation) family-owned distribution business. Hear how innovation, value-added sales and market expansion are built on the foundation of deep company values that forged its reputation in industrial distribution.

At NAW’s marquee annual event, we had mini-interviews with 10 different distributor executives about their company’s biggest initiatives in 2025; the industry’s top challenges and reasons for optimism; and what they get out of the event.

Two longtime power transmission/motion control industry veterans, Brian Short and Bill Shepard, join to discuss career retrospection; what’s changed in the market over the past four decades; their thoughts on AI; and the role of product information management, including how two leading associations are driving it forward.

Our MDM Case Study series rolled out finished reports on Ferguson and Watsco down the stretch of 2024, with plenty more to come in 2025. Here, the author of those case studies, John Gunderson, joins to debrief on his key takeaways from researching those two companies and a preview of his next deep dive on MSC Industrial Supply.

With the dust settled on the merger of Lawson Products, TestEquity and GexPro Services to form Distribution Solutions Group, it’s time for a then-and-now investigation. LKCM Headwater Investment’s Brad Wallace — a DSG board member who helped spearhead that transaction — joins to discuss the rationale behind the company’s creation, what’s ahead for DSG and why distribution is so attractive for PE investment.

As one of the most recognizable figures in industrial distribution, Mike DeCata joins to reflect on his career in the channel, of which the first 18 years were spent at General Electric and the last 10 at Lawson Products. We cover what he misses about day-to-day CEO life (and what he doesn’t); the biggest changes in the industry in his tenure; what he’s most proud of; and what he’s keeping an eye on today.

Port operators and the union representing U.S. East and Gulf Coast dockworkers reached a tentative labor deal, but the underlying issues remain. Here, the MDM Editors and NAW’s CEO share their perspectives and how distributors are navigating the situation.

With our marquee thought leadership event fresh in mind, MDM Editors Mike Hockett and Vesna Brajkovic debrief the messages, themes and anecdotes from the event that stood out to them and take a look forward to SHIFT 2025 next May.

During July, MDM published a three-part article series that profiled electrical distributor Wesco and its transformative strength. That series culminated with a more robust case study report that is now in the MDM Store. Here, the author of that series and case study, John Gunderson, joins to discuss key takeaways from his research into Wesco and what stood out to him.

1st Ayd Corp. continues to see success with its field-based sales model that centers on providing its staff with the tools and entrepreneurial freedom to pursue the earnings potential they desire. We chat with company President Tommy Schreiner on what that looks like for the 50-year-old, family-owned MRO and JanSan distributor, and what it takes for reps to thrive in that environment.

Safety equipment is an evolving product category that touches every distribution vertical. ISEA CEO Cam Mackey joins the MDM Podcast to take us through the safety standards and regulations that will inform future product demand.

You’ve seen our promotions for it, but here, MDM Editors Mike Hockett and Vesna Brajkovic break down the extensive value that this year’s SHIFT conference provides; recap their biggest takeaways from the 2023 version; highlight our 2024 agenda items; and discuss why you should be there.

Wesco’s “all things digital” leader Akash Khurana joins us to discuss what digital transformation has meant for the electrical distributor, which ramped up its initiatives on that front upon its 2020 landmark acquisition of Anixter. He also sheds light on Wesco’s AI use and other recent investments.

Tom Gale and Mike Marks discuss the biggest challenges distributors face as they transition from a traditional outside-generalist sales process to a more adaptive digital-forward go-to-market model, with clearly-defined, team-based selling and service roles.

With our September SHIFT event rapidly approaching, McKinsey & Company Senior Partner Kevin Sachs stops by to preview the keynote he will co-present with fellow McKinsey Partner Victoria Bough. We also re-visit last year’s keynote takeaways and what the firm sees as the top underlying factors driving wholesale distribution in the year ahead.

Many 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.

New 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 forward looks like.