Distributors Deliver

ORS Nasco CEO Kevin Short has spent 33 years in distribution, starting on a warehouse forklift. In this episode, recorded at NAW’s 2026 Innovators Summit, NAW CEO Eric Hoplin talks with Kevin about his path to CEO, growing through acquisitions, adopting AI early, and representing the industry in Washington as NAW’s 2025 Board Chair.

Ed Fenton started his career as a material handler in a distribution warehouse. Today he leads AI strategy as Vice President of AI and Digital Transformation at Graybar, one of the largest distributors in the country.

In this episode of Distributors Deliver, recorded at NAW’s 2026 Innovators Summit in Nashville, NAW CEO Eric Hoplin sits down with Fenton to talk about how distributors can get started with AI. They also cover why so many companies get stuck in “pilot purgatory,” how to spot “AI washing” in a vendor pitch, and why your data doesn’t need to be perfect before you begin.

Subscribe to Distributors Deliver for more conversations with the most dynamic leaders in the distribution industry.

To learn more about Graybar, visit: https://www.graybar.com/

Check out Ed’s YouTube channel, The Final 10%: https://www.youtube.com/@final10ai

On August 4, 2026, CEO Rob Aarnes rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange as ADI Global Distribution (NYSE: ADIG) began trading as an independent public company, after more than a decade leading the business inside two different manufacturing parent companies.

In this episode of Distributors Deliver, NAW CEO Eric Hoplin sits down with Aarnes to talk about that day, the unconventional path that took him from the Naval Academy to a struggling eyewear startup to the CEO of one of the largest low-voltage distributors in the world, and what it took, behind the scenes, to separate a distribution business from its manufacturing parent in about a year. Subscribe to Distributors Deliver for more conversations with the most dynamic leaders in the distribution industry.

To learn more about ADI Global, visit: https://www.adiglobal.com/.

Investors, visit: https://investor.adiglobal.com/overview/default.aspx

In this episode, NAW CEO Eric Hoplin sits down with Clint Pulver, keynote speaker, professional drummer, and the "Undercover Millennial," fresh off a show-stopping performance at NAW's SHIFT Conference in Denver. Drawing on six and a half years of undercover research across 698 organizations and more than 11,000 employee interviews, Clint shares what actually makes people stay and what drives them to walk out the door. He breaks down the difference between managers, buddies, controllers, and mentors, and makes the case that mentorship always wins. It's an energizing, deeply human conversation about the five C's of great leadership, the ripple effect of one right moment, and how a middle school teacher with a pair of drumsticks changed the course of one young man's life and thousands of others since.

In this episode, NAW CEO Eric Hoplin sits down with Eva Heller, VP at ADI Global Distribution and one of Modern Distribution Management's Top Women in Distribution for 2026. Eva shares her unconventional path into the industry from planning floors at Bloomingdale's and Bed Bath & Beyond to leading operations, logistics, and real estate strategy at one of distribution's fastest-moving companies. She opens up about ADI's ambitious DC network transformation, the spinoff from Resideo, and what it really means to build a customer-first culture at scale. It's a candid, grounded conversation about earning respect in a historically male-dominated industry, the leadership lesson that changed everything for her, and why the best results come when you stop having all the answers (and start trusting your team).

In this episode, NAW CEO Eric Hoplin sits down with Jim Dery, CEO of Field Fasteners,. Jim offers candid takes on navigating tariffs, managing the pace of AI adoption, and why family-owned distributors hold a real competitive edge over private equity when it comes to acquiring businesses and taking care of people. It's a grounded, honest conversation about building something that lasts, passing the torch to the next generation, and what it means to lead with purpose in the distribution industry.

In this episode, Host and NAW CEO Eric Hoplin sits down with Jason Seger, President and CEO of Border States.

The conversation covers how Border States is approaching AI adoption, navigating tariff uncertainty, and thinking ahead on data center-driven growth, while staying grounded in a people-first culture that Jason credits as the engine behind the company's success. Jason also weighs in on the policy issues keeping distributors up at night, from immigration reform to energy infrastructure, offering candid perspective on what it will take to sustain long-term growth across the industry.

In this episode, NAW CEO Eric Hoplin sits down with Kathy Mazzarella, Chairman, President and CEO of Graybar and Chair of the NAW Board of Directors. Kathy shares her grounded, people-first leadership philosophy including her concept of "human augmented AI" and how Graybar is in the middle of a bold multi-year transformation to disrupt itself before someone else does. It's a wide-ranging, engaging conversation on navigating macro uncertainty, the rise of private equity, building trust in a skeptical world, and what it really means to lead in distribution today.

In this episode, Host and NAW CEO Eric Hoplin sits down with Liz Uihlein, President of Uline.

Liz shares the unfiltered story behind Uline's growth, from mailing flyers at the dining room table to mastering catalog marketing, and opens up about the culture, work ethic, and hands-on leadership style that have defined the company for 46 years. The conversation also celebrates Uline receiving the 2026 Distributors Deliver Award, a well-earned recognition of a true American business success story.

In this episode, Host and NAW CEO Eric Hoplin sits down with Joe Tracy, Chairman and CEO of Dot Family Holdings.

Joe shares candid insights on the biggest challenges facing distributors today, from AI and automation investments to the ongoing talent shortage, and offers straight-talk advice on what separates family businesses that thrive from those that become irrelevant. It's a compelling conversation about legacy, leadership, and what it really takes to keep a multigenerational business growing.