The MDM Podcast

Klaus Werner, the chief marketing officer at Global Industrial Co., was named one of MDM’s Digital Innovator Award winners because of the numerous initiatives he has helped drive at the industrial distributor in this last pandemic-plagued year. In addition to leading the company’s rebranding efforts, including a website redesign, Werner oversaw the creation of a Knowledge Center that provides customers with expert advice and product info. He also managed a new social media campaign that saw Global Industrial venturing into the unlikeliest of channels for a distributor — TikTok. In this edition of the MDM Podcast, Senior Editor Eric Smith speaks with Werner about the busy year for him and his team, and how their initiatives resulted in measurable improvement for Global Industrial’s bottom line.

Building materials distributor Palmer-Donavin is feeling the crunch of labor shortages and supply constraints that many distribution companies now face. But despite those obstacles, it's been a banner year for Palmer-Donavin. In this MDM podcast, CEO Robyn Pollina shares the secret to the company's success in handling ongoing challenges, and discusses operational improvements the company is embarking on to ensure a strong future.

Starting his role with ORS Nasco in early 2020 after a 25-year career in other industrial distribution sectors, Kevin Short discusses how the company – with a diverse set of customer segments and 450,000 SKUs – navigated 2020, its transformation and unique positioning as a wholesaler, how its value proposition is evolving and the nature of leadership in 2021.

The pandemic accelerated distributors’ digital transformations with artificial intelligence, machine learning, edge compute, IoT and 5G poised to play key roles going forward for supply chains and e-commerce platforms. Next-gen technology can help improve the customer experience and provide independent distributors with an edge in differentiating themselves from digital disruptors.

Profitability, pricing and supply chain strategy consultant Jonathan Byrnes discusses the core concepts from his latest book on how distributors can target profitable customer segments and create differentiated services and experiences that can’t be replicated by the tech giants. He outlines a roadmap and most important steps to take now to reclaim control of your markets.

In this conversation, President & CEO Jeff Cloud shares how this 72-year-old Midwest distributor with 36 locations has navigated the challenges of 2020 and continues to build a more digital- and data-driven organization. As part of the third-generation leadership team, Jeff talks about the core values and culture that continue to form its differentiated value propositions across a diverse customer base.

In this episode, MDM Future Leader Matt Miller, VP of Corporate Development at Jupiter Communications, discusses four critical projects he led as Commercial Operations Manager at IEWC and the need to transform customer experience from the inside-out. As a Future Leader, Miller shares his perspective on attracting top emerging talent, and the future of distribution.