Distribution Talk

Milestones are a part of the distribution business and, as it turns out, podcasting. What better way to celebrate Distribution Talk's 100th episode than with a combo of sorts––equal parts company case study and oral history. Jason corrals family patriarch and founder of Acme Construction Supply Co, Inc., Dick Bader, and little brother Jordan, current president and CEO, for an insider's look at the family business. Like all epic tales, this one comes complete with plot twists, sibling rivalry (of the genial kind), and a cliffhanger.

"I'll admit, the first time I saw you speak right after you left Acme, I was pretty sure we were saving a seat for you back at Acme," Jordan jokes. When Jason exited the family business over a decade ago for the "greener pastures" of consulting, he eventually cleared a path for Jordan to lead Acme. Both Bader boys have their father to thank for their successes, having watched Dick navigate the often choppy waters of entrepreneurship.

Dick weighed hefty considerations as he brought both of his sons into Acme. Legacy. Boundaries. Balance. No matter how thoughtful an entry or succession plan, there will be stumbles along the way. And successes more profound than any bottom lines. "Dad, as you brought us into the business, you showed continuity, and you showed this stability for our employees that, you know, I still have," says Jordan.

Stay tuned for part two!

CONNECT WITH JASON

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH JORDAN

LinkedIn

***

For full show notes and services visit: http://www.distributionteam.com

Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.

This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios.

Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode: Profit2.

Customer messaging has always been a numbers race––and distributors that use 21st-century strategies to connect with and convert their target markets occupy pole position. Pierre Barbeau, president and co-founder of Moblico Solutions, says it's never too late to implement a mobile engagement plan specific to your vertical.

Jason caught up with Pierre to discuss adding value to inbound and outbound activities for independent distributors via mobile app communication. Pierre's genius is in translating Moblico's complex services into terms (and numbers) his clientele can relate to and utilize.

Moblico products like targeted broadcast messaging, custom app development, and automated notifications establish lines of communication and create new channels by which companies can gather intel. Sales data and survey responses, for example, can inform improvements to internal protocols, thus better serving the customer.

In-house productivity, too, can benefit from Moblico solutions. Think human resources activities and sales team endeavors.

Mobile notifications come in various forms (text messages, and push notifications to name a few) and are sent either manually or via automation. Moblico offers strategies that integrate its mobile messaging apps with a client's existing ERP and E-commerce platforms for the smartest reach.

Regardless of how you may feel when a targeted ad or text crosses your path, studies show that younger professionals prefer mobile engagement over traditional forms of communication––and they're your future customers. It's beyond time to meet them where they live: on mobile.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Moblie Matters Podcast

CONNECT WITH JASON

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH PIERRE

LinkedIn

***

For full show notes and services visit: http://www.distributionteam.com

Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.

This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios.

Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode: Connected Peers, connecting key employees in distribution's leading organizations.

The past is always present at Industrial Supply Company, thanks to a treasure trove of historical documents dating back to 1915. While the Utah-based company's 106-year heritage is impressive, Jessica Yurgaitis has no intention of dwelling in the dust of the organization's bygone era, even if the history major in her loves posting those old handwritten letters and sales slips.

Jason chats with this fourth-generation president about balancing respect for family legacy with a desire to launch the company into a thoroughly modern future.

Initially, Jessica wanted no part in Industrial; she wanted a Master's in history instead. But advanced degrees cost money, so she went to work. In purchasing, Jessica learned business basics: meeting with suppliers, building relationships, and executing marketing and co-branding strategies.

Moving through each department at Industrial taught Jessica how to strengthen relationships. "I feel like I have a wonderful network of people," she says of her participation in associations like ISA. "I could pick up the phone anytime and call, and they'd be willing to give me time and help me work through an issue. And I do that all the time."

She applies that same humility when the conversation turns to younger team members. Jessica has wisely surrounded herself with folks whose "digital native" skill sets complement her historical organizational knowledge. Leveraging legacy, leaning into growth. Jessica's got the balance right at Industrial Supply.

CONNECT WITH JASON

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH JESSICA

LinkedIn

***

For full show notes and services visit: http://www.distributionteam.com

Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.

This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios.

Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode: INxSQL Distribution Software, integrated distribution ERP software designed for the wholesale and distribution industry.

Continuity is an underappreciated aspect of ownership transition. Ben Whitlock, president of Mobile Fixture, a kitchen and restaurant supply wholesaler based in Mobile, AL, followed that game plan to the letter when he and three partners bought out the company's longtime owner.

Jason caught up with Ben to discuss drafting a protracted transition process into the buyout deal, maintaining organization-wide confidence throughout the pandemic, and succeeding in the crowded hospitality space.

Ben and his three partners, all members of the senior leadership team since approximately 2017, entered into a sale agreement with Mobile's longtime second-generation owner Walne Donald five years ago. But rather than pushing Walne out immediately, they wrote him into their purchase agreement.

In addition to Walne staying on as majority owner, Ben and his partners were adamant about forgoing private equity. The team believed in the organization's inherent family philosophy and didn't want to tinker with it too much. That holistic approach to company culture served the organization well, especially during the pandemic. With no customers to sell to, Mobile closed its showroom and warehouses for several weeks to refresh and reorganize. That time together proved to be an excellent, if unplanned, team-building exercise.

Now that the transition switch has finally flipped, Ben and the team are ready to tackle post-pandemic challenges like supply chain issues and inflation.

CONNECT WITH JASON

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH BEN

LinkedIn

***

For full show notes and services visit: http://www.distributionteam.com

Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.

This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios.

Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode: HMI Performance Incentives, providing innovative, data-driven B2B incentive solutions.

Want to know the secret to promoting a vibrant, growth-oriented company culture? Forget about the pingpong table in the breakroom. Bill Condron, CEO of Boston-based The Granite Group, says it starts with doing right by your associates and customers––even when no one's watching.

Jason chats with Bill about his approach to bottom-up employee engagement, his company's aggressive expansion strategy, and striking the balance between healthy growth and sound culture.

Bill's broader belief is that Granite's enviable reputation as a service- and innovation-oriented supplier is shaped by the staffers who typically get relegated to the middle or bottom of org charts at other companies: pickers, branch managers, and truck drivers.

Maintaining Granite's culture isn't a hands-off endeavor. The company's yearly calendar boasts quarterly meetings, branch dinners, and town halls.

The company has done an excellent job amplifying its culture to attract top talent, back-fill positions vacated by promotion and appeal to a demographic that this industry has traditionally ignored: women.

"It's not perceived [as] welcoming or open or a place where women can be successful. That's absolutely false," says Bill. Granite boasts a finance team led by women and women-led branches as well. "If you're able to do that, you're going to up your success by a factor of many."

CONNECT WITH JASON

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH BILL

LinkedIn

Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.

***

For full show notes and services visit: http://www.distributionteam.com

Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.

This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios.

http://www.distributionteam.com

Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode: Moblico, helping businesses do more business on mobile devices.

Associations have long touted in-person events as a critical benefit of membership. However, in the wake of the pandemic, folks have grown more discerning about their time––and what they do with it.

Molly Alton Mullins, CEO of SEVEN12 Management, helps these organizations amplify their impact through innovative engagement. Jason chats with Molly about how her company enhanced its value proposition during the live event hiatus, the dynamic interpersonal changes taking place as conferences resume, and inspiring long-term membership involvement.

The Midwest in March isn't everyone's idea of a good time. Still, after two years of Zoom meetings, Molly couldn't wait for the in-real-life conversation and collaboration at this year's University of Distribution Innovation event. "It was great to get close to 600 distributors all together in a room, learning from each other, all different industries but essentially the same types of challenges, the same types of opportunities." There's no question that digital platforms helped most people maintain connections during the pandemic, but the community really thrives when that face-to-face happens in the same space. "On-site, the relationships that you make there, they're that much more intense," Molly says.

Molly is well-versed at fostering environments in which interaction flourishes. She spent time in the political fundraising arena and government affairs, honing her strategic-minded, relationship-focused perspective. Since coming to SEVEN12 in 2016, she's applied that approach to grow the company's portfolio, expanding its menu of benefits and services and extending its expertise to verticals as diverse as distribution and mental health professionals. Regardless of industry, Molly says association members want the same thing from their experience: "They want the opportunities to do workshops and hear from their peers and learn facts and things like that." Members also crave in-person exchanges. "They want to engage, and they want to touch and feel and laugh and love and do all those sorts of things because they don't ever want to lose it again."

As safety precautions lift and conferences ramp up, Molly says it'll take more than the status quo to entice folks to sign up for association membership. "It's great to learn a great story, but people want more than that," she says, especially if they're attending a destination event. People rightly demand more meaningful interactions now, whether through workforce development, mentorship, or peer-to-peer connection. Molly and her team are poised to deliver on those expectations.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

University of Innovative Distribution

CONNECT WITH JASON

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH MOLLY

LinkedIn

***

For full show notes and services visit: http://www.distributionteam.com

Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.

This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios.

Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode: Profit2.

Visionary leaders chart a course to the C-suite with layovers in multiple departments, creating a culture of innovation throughout their organization along the way. Jason chats with Jameel Burkett, president and CEO of Burkett Restaurant Equipment & Supply in Toledo, OH, about supporting the pursuit of growth and learning, giving back to the industry through association advocacy, and revitalizing his family business amidst a global crisis. His passion for the food service supply industry is palpable, but he admits it wasn't always so. Like many next-generation owners, Jameel didn't think the family biz would satisfy his entrepreneurial aspirations. Twenty years later, he leads in an environment where the "intrapreneurial" spirit thrives.

Jameel believes in the pursuit of growth and learning beyond Burkett. He returned to school in 2012 to complete his master's degree and further honed his leadership skills with Vistage executive coaching. It's his membership in FEDA, however, that has provided the most support, especially as the hospitality industry bore the brunt of COVID's many challenges. "I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for all the great people in our industry that took me under their wing when I was a young guy coming out of college, wanting to conquer the world."

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

The Hard Thing About Hard Things - by Ben Horowitz

CONNECT WITH JASON

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH JAMEEL

LinkedIn

***

For full show notes and services visit: http://www.distributionteam.com

Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.

This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios.

Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode: INxSQL Distribution Software, integrated distribution ERP software designed for the wholesale and distribution industry.

Troy Meachum of ACR Supply isn't afraid to share his religious beliefs. While some might consider such transparency a recipe for disaster, ACR's chief encouragement officer makes a case for sincere faith-based leadership. Jason chats with Troy about integrating his religious convictions into everyday operations and how those beliefs have impacted employee morale, customer satisfaction, and the company's bottom line. In fact, ACR has grown its revenue from $3m in 1997 to over $33m this past year. Perhaps it comes down to geography. While many business owners north of the Mason-Dixon line keep their religious beliefs private, those headquartered in the American South tend to be more transparent about their faith––on company websites, at branch locations, and in conversation. ACR Supply, which makes its home in Raleigh, NC, proves the point. Faith, says Troy, is the foundation upon which his personal and professional success rests. There's no compartmentalizing the two. Troy lives his faith with intention, whether by engaging with fellow HARDI members or championing initiatives through ACR Cares, his company's outreach organization. "I'm 60 years old, actually 61 on Friday, and I'm really starting to hit my stride just from a ministry perspective," he says, looking ahead and placing his faith squarely in the future.

***

CONNECT WITH JASON

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH TROY

LinkedIn

For full show notes and services visit: http://www.distributionteam.com

Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.

This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios.

Brought to you by The Distribution Team and Connected Peers.

Whether you call it pot, grass, marijuana or nothing at all, it's impossible to ignore the cannabis industry's rapid transition from undercover operation to legitimate vertical, one with more conflicting regulatory statutes and distribution challenges than possibly any other.

Joy Hudson, founder and CEO of Nimble Distribution in Portland, OR, parlayed her success in the traditional medical supply arena into a thriving cannabis distributorship, all while balancing profits with social impact. Jason chats with Joy about professionalizing the industry, advocating for better legislative considerations, and lending direct support to communities devastated by harmful drug policies of the past.

Joy's logistics and sales expertise proved a perfect fit for a business on the brink of stratospheric growth. She and her business partner Marissa Rodriguez have built Nimble, a for-profit company with major social impact credentials. Their innovative strategies include second-chance employment opportunities and reparations-focused initiatives. By marrying a professional ethos with holistic community awareness, Nimble is securing its place at the vanguard of cannabis distribution.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Weeds

Oregon Retailers of Cannabis Association

NuProject

CONNECT WITH JASON

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH JOY

LinkedIn

Nimble

***

Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.

This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios.

http://www.distributionteam.com

Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode: INxSQL Distribution Software, integrated distribution ERP software designed for the wholesale and distribution industry.

Having trouble finding a candidate to take over once you've left the business for good? You needn't confine succession planning to family members or fellow C-suite occupants.

Jim Daniels, president and chief operating officer of Mid-State Sales in Columbus, OH, says the key to a successful strategy is to consider rising stars both in and outside your organization. Jason speaks with Jim about creating a succession roadmap for every key role and mentoring talent to take those positions forward.

At Mid-State, Jim's following a similar blueprint to the one that brought him into leadership, providing an environment in which Mid-State's 80 employees spread across the company's four branches can excel. Attracting top talent means providing candidates with a clearly defined path forward.

And even top talent requires training. More specifically, mentoring. The difference, says Jim, is profound. In many ways, training is a one-way experience; this is how you do x-y-z. On the other hand, mentoring is a give-and-take exercise––and it's the key to successful succession planning.

Succession doesn't always mean ownership or presidency. A distributor can mentor talent to fill many roles within the company, paving the way for continued health and prosperity of the entire organization.

CONNECT WITH JASON

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH JIM DANIELS

Mid-State Sales

***

For full show notes and services visit: http://www.distributionteam.com

Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.

This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios.

Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode: HMI Performance Incentives, providing innovative, data-driven B2B incentive solutions.