The MDM Podcast

We chat with former MSC Industrial Supply veteran Steve Gettleman on the topic of category management, for which he says a formal plan is severely lacking across the distribution sector. We cover the ins and outs of category management and how distributors of all kinds can leverage such a plan.

In May, Mike Marks and Tom Gale talked about what the shift from a gen-one to gen-two distributor looks like. This conversation goes into the deeper dimensions of a larger business model transformation this industry is navigating, and where share and competitive advantage is being won and lost.  

"Why didn't we make budget and how can we fix it?" The volatility of recent years has made budget variance a demanding challenge for all distributors. Jonathan Byrnes of Profit Isle discusses the profitability concepts he developed – with better detail and real-time information – that are helping management teams make better decisions, more accurately meet budget, and achieve step changes in profitability.

Distribution consultant and serial entrepreneur Brent Grover joins MDM's Tom Gale to discuss customer immersion as a best practice for developing breakthrough products and services. He also gives us a look into a very different distribution business model led by a Millennial and run by Gen Z managers and shares his take on distribution's M&A landscape.

Electrical distribution veteran executive Scott Schuenke discusses Sonepar North America's growth in his 16 years with the company, which culminate with his retirement this month as VP of Strategic Development. He touches on how the company has evolved and continuously innovated during his tenure.

We condense the guest interviews and analysis from our Top Distributors webcast into a compilation podcast about the economic and industry factors that dictated who appeared where on our 17 different rankings lists. Guest voices include Grainger's Paige Robbins, BlackHawk Industrial's John Mark, Kimball Midwest's Patrick McCurdy III, Channel Marketing Group's David Gordon, Webb Analytics' Craig Webb and MDM's Tom Gale.

James Dorn and Tom Gale explore how to collect qualitative data to ensure distribution associates are in tune with what their end customers most value.

While ChatGPT is all the rage, MDM's Tom Gale and Indian River Consulting Group's Mike Marks tackle the broader applications that AI-backed software can make more efficient and soon become widespread in distribution.

MRO parts distributor Kimball Midwest isn't slowing down upon achieving 100 years in business. President Patrick McCurdy III stops by to discuss the company's training and development efforts, digital initiatives and business performance so far in 2023.

One of the biggest factors limiting the success of B2B distributor eCommerce is pricing. James Dorn looks at pricing strategy and two schools of thought on how distributors look at the ROI equation for their eCommerce revenues.