Recommended Reading: Prioritize Collaboration for Strong Culture - Modern Distribution Management

Log In

Recommended Reading: Prioritize Collaboration for Strong Culture

Industry's generational shift raises importance of knowledge transfer.
Eric-Smith-84x84
Author
Date

Getting veteran employees to transfer knowledge to newcomers can be a challenge, but a company's leadership can ensure this happens by building that expectation into the culture, according to Kevin Parsley, vice president and sales director, ACR Supply, in our first case study on Millennials in Distribution, Culture Trumps Everything.

At Durham, NC-based ACR, where nearly half of its employees are millennials, Parsley is charged with ensuring that the "old" guys teach the "young" guys everything they know without fear of getting pushed out of their job before they're ready to retire.

This process is especially critical for an industry dominated by baby boomers but with Gen Xers and millennials preparing to take over.

"The millennials have the desire to be better and they want to learn the business, and we can surely find ways to teach them the business," Parsley says. "That's where the old guys come in. We do a lot of coaching and mentoring."

ACR's leadership made some big decisions around culture 20 years ago when they asked themselves "What does the future look like, and how are we going to get there?" President Troy Meachum says. A critical component of the new and improved ACR culture was the expectation that veterans will train younger employees.

That attitude has been passed down to millennials such as Corey Salyards, ACR's business unit leader (aka branch manager) in Greensboro, NC, who says if something were to happen to him and his branch didn't run as well with his replacement in charge, "then I didn't do my job," he says. "So part of my job is developing the future."

Read more about this and other hallmarks of ACR's strong company culture in Culture Trumps Everything.

Share this article

About the Author
Recommended Reading
Leave a Reply

Leave a Comment

Sign Up for the MDM Update Newsletter

The MDM update newsletter is your best source for news and trends in the wholesale distribution industry.

Get the MDM Update Newsletter

Wholesale distribution news and trends delivered right to your inbox.

Sign-up for our free newsletter and get:

  • Up-to-date news in a quick-to-read format
  • Free access to webcasts, podcasts and live events
  • Exclusive whitepapers, research and reports
  • And more!

2

articles left

Want more Premium content from MDM?

Subscribe today and get:

  • New issues twice each month
  • Unlimited access to mdm.com, including 10+ years of archived data
  • Current trends analysis, market data and economic updates
  • Discounts on select store products and events

Subscribe to continue reading

MDM Premium Subscribers get:

  • Unlimited access to MDM.com
  • 1 year digital subscription, with new issues twice a month
  • Trends analysis, market data and quarterly economic updates
  • Deals on select store products and events

1

article
left

You have one free article remaining

Subscribe to MDM Premium to get unlimited access. Your subscription includes:

  • Two new issues a month
  • Access to 10+ years of archived data on mdm.com
  • Quarterly economic updates, trends analysis and market data
  • Store and event discounts

To continue reading, you must be an MDM Premium subscriber.

Join other distribution executives who use MDM Premium to optimize their business. Our insights and analysis help you enter the right new markets, turbocharge your sales and marketing efforts, identify business partners that help you scale, and stay ahead of your competitors.

Register for full access

By providing your email, you agree to receive announcements from us and our partners for our newsletter, events, surveys, and partner resources per MDM Terms & Conditions. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Learn More about Custom Reports

Request a Market Prospector Demo

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.