Contrary to popular belief, culture isn't a soft skill. It's a competitive advantage, says executive leadership consultant Darcy Blessing-Williams, who is set to speak at MDM's SHIFT conference in May. She joins the podcast to discuss a zookeeper framework geared for understanding and fostering team behavior. This framework simplifies complex behavioral science.

Former Wesco leader Ben Albu shares why so many sales tools end up in the "technology graveyard" in this preview to his SHIFT Conference session on leveraging sales technology for success.

Amid a rapidly changing tariffs environment, a trio of experts from Grant Thornton stop by to discuss the strategic moves distributors and transporation providers can make to best position themselves to protect margins and supply chain operations no matter what comes next.

Ahead of speaking at MDM's May SHIFT conference, Redwood Advisors' John Nantz stops by to discuss major industry changes driven by market forces, technology advancements and changing customer expectations. He outlines five key imperatives that high-performing distributors are using to stay competitive and differentiate themselves.

We chat with talent recruitment and retention guru Dr. Bharani Nagarathnam - who leads Texas A&M's Master of Industrial Distribution program - about a range of vital talent topics and to preview his culture-focused roundtable discussions at our May SHIFT conference and a standalone session there based around fostering an environment where diverse teams can thrive.

Kevin Reid-Morris has led much of MDM's qualitative AI industry research over the past few years, and he's set to share the results of his major two-year project at our SHIFT conference. Here, he and Tom Gale discuss the transformative impact of AI in distribution and that project which identified over 50 practical AI use cases that distributors can implement to enhance operational efficiency and gain a competitive edge.

From Wall Street to the warehouse — twice. Two executives from A&M Industrial's leadership team share their parallel journeys back to their (now third generation) family-owned distribution business. Hear how innovation, value-added sales and market expansion are built on the foundation of deep company values that forged its reputation in industrial distribution.

At NAW's marquee annual event, we had mini-interviews with 10 different distributor executives about their company's biggest initiatives in 2025; the industry's top challenges and reasons for optimism; and what they get out of the event.

Two longtime power transmission/motion control industry veterans, Brian Short and Bill Shepard, join to discuss career retrospection; what's changed in the market over the past four decades; their thoughts on AI; and the role of product information management, including how two leading associations are driving it forward.