Before students in the University of Nebraska at Kearney Industrial Distribution program land their first job, they get unique insights into the life of a distribution sales professional by working in the program’s branch simulation lab.

Modeled after a distributor branch, the lab includes a storefront, inside sales office and warehouse replete with receiving area and conveyor belt that moves actual products – donated from program partners – between the mezzanine and the floor.

The lab also has stations for teaching students some of the technical skills needed to sell specific products, says Ben Brachle, who runs UNK’s branch simulation lab and branch operations classes.

“Students are baptized by hydraulic fluid,” Brachle says with a laugh.

Brachle serves as the lab’s “branch manager,” teaching students the daily and ongoing duties of working in a distribution operation. He creates real-world scenarios, such as an upset customer, where students must figure out how to respond accordingly.

Students learn everything from inventory management to operations, counter sales to cold calls. They learn the differences between a purchasing order and a packing slip, field sales and inside sales, all while using distribution-specific ERP software in the process.

Combined with internships and summer experience programs, these classes help prepare UNK students for the rigors of a distribution sales job, according to Brachle, who says the lab is yet another reason why ID students acclimate more quickly to distribution careers than students from non-ID programs.

“The experience of it sets them apart,” Brachle says. “With an ID program, you get a student that understands the industry – both operationally and strategically.”