The Wholesale Change Show – Details, episodes & analysis

Watch on-demand as hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein sit down with Wes Smith, the president and CEO of the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED). Wes started his current position in January 2024, but he’s no stranger to the electrical industry or the association. He spent more than 34 years with Mayer Electric, including 14+ years as president before they were acquired by Rexel. At Rexel, he served as Chief Strategy and Growth Officer. After three decades in the industry, he was named NAED’s chairman from 2020-2022 and remained on the executive committee until he was appointed to lead the association. We talked with Wes about: *NAED’s mission in the electrical industry *What’s driving the electrical distribution industry, including challenges and opportunities *How NAED collaborates with other groups in the channel *How NAED is tackling key issues, including energy policy, workforce development, supply chain transparency, data standards and more *The future role of organizations like NAED in the distribution industry

On this episode of The Wholesale Change Show, we welcomed Zoro President Sandy Mattinson. Zoro is an ecommerce platform that helps businesses thrive by offering an endless assortment of products for every business need. Launched in 2011, the Grainger subsidiary has grown rapidly to over 600 team members and over $1 billion in annual revenues.  Sandy joined Zoro in 2019 as the company’s first female vice president and established its business development, category management and digital merchandising capabilities, which were instrumental in expanding Zoro’s assortment to more than 13 million products. Sandy continues to invest in the culture that has seen Zoro recognized repeatedly as a great place to work. “My ‘North Star’ is helping people in businesses thrive,” she says. “Our business customers, our distributor partners and our team members. That’s how Zoro thrives, too.” In this conversation, we explored the company’s value proposition and how Sandy is helping build on its success by investing in the success of other distributors.

Supply Chain Equity Partners (SCEP) is “North America’s only committed private equity firm focused exclusively on making investments in the distribution and logistics industry,” says Jay Greyson, the firm’s co-founder and partner. He joined hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein, Ph.D. of Distribution Strategy Group to discuss industry trends in M&A, along with how distributors can prepare for an equity event. Jay, Ian and Jonathan discussed how factors like strategic vs. financial buyers, company size, and many other elements impact valuation. They discussed how a hot second quarter of distribution M&A activity was followed by the “summer doldrums” of fewer deals, as well as how positioning your company to be a “platform” player can help you acquire more effectively and be more valuable when it’s time to sell. Listen now to hear Ian and Jonathan spend time with one of the leading experts in distribution M&A.

Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein, Ph.D. were joined by distribution technology expert, Klaus Werner, on the Wholesale Change Show. Klaus is also preparing to deliver a keynote presentation, “AI Applications and Use Cases for Distribution," at our upcoming Applied AI for Distributors Conference. Klaus discussed how distributors can use AI to improve productivity, quality and profitability in areas like: > Customer service > Supply chain > Sales automation > Personalization > eCommerce Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from an early AI pioneer in distribution by watching now on-demand.

What does the increasing pace of M&A activity mean for distributors, manufacturers and reps? How will this change the ecosystem of the industry? * Will the role of manufacturers’ reps evolve so they’re more like VARs? * What happens to associations as distributors consolidate? * How will manufacturers adapt as M&A activity continues? In this episode of Wholesale Change our guest was distribution expert David Gordon. Outspoken, candid, expert and industry insider – David is all of these and more. He’s been the President of the Channel Marketing Group for more than 22 years and began publishing the leading independent blog in the electrical distribution industry, ElectricalTrends, 15 years ago. David also publishes US LightingTrends and, with Dorn Group, HVACRTrends. David joined Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein for another spirited, unscripted conversation.

On this episode we welcomed Ben Hensler, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of Motion & Control Enterprises (MCE), to the Wholesale Change show. Ben joined MCE in 2021. During that time MCE has seen significant growth, including the acquisition of 10 businesses, enhancing their technical product and service offering. MCE’s ability to recognize the talents of acquired companies is a key strength of their business model. Beyond the consolidated buying power, optimized pricing and value-added services within MCE's platform, these acquisitions provide an abundance of talented individuals and innovative solutions. By fostering collaboration and synergies, MCE enables these talented teams to flourish, broadening their market reach and expanding their product lines for exciting cross-selling opportunities. This integrated approach not only adds value to MCE but also provides customers with comprehensive solutions throughout every stage of the product lifecycle. Ben has had executive roles at C.R. Lawrence, Test Equity, FCX Performance and Grainger.

Keller Logistics Group is killing it. The logistics and distribution business is targeting $165 million in sales this year, nearly double the sales of a decade ago. Their Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG)? $1 billion by 2032. But for CEO Bryan Keller, his work isn’t just about revenue. It’s about how his company can give back to the communities in which they work. That’s what really drives him. Keller joined us for the June 28 episode of Wholesale Change. In addition to talking about the logistics and warehousing market landscape with our hosts, Keller shared his philosophy of delivering for employees, customers and communities. Keller Logistics Group invested $300,000 in sponsorships to community organizations last year, created a non-profit to help local veterans in crisis and collaborated with a local organization to help at-risk students find their purpose in life while learning skilled trades to prepare them for a successful future.

This episode of Wholesale Change featured Newton Sears, Managing Director at Greenhill & Co., an advisory-focused investment bank dedicated to M&A, restructurings, financings and capital raising. Newton and his firm work with many distribution firms and publish data about M&A activity within the industry. A frequent advisor to distributors, Greenhill offers expert insight executives can use to make better decisions about acquisition opportunities, recapitalizations, valuations and much more. In our conversation with Newton, we talked about: The state of the M&A market in distribution How industrial distribution is perceived in the capital markets What buyers of distribution markets focus on What sellers should be prepared for when they consider putting their companies on the market Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, a current or prospective investor or if you just want to know how an expert investment banker identifies what makes a distribution company great, you don’t want to miss this conversation.

On this episode of the Wholesale Change show, we welcomed Robyn Pollina, CEO of Palmer-Donavin. Robyn ascended to the CEO position in 2020 after 25 years at the building materials wholesale distributor, including serving as the company’s CFO. “I shifted from managing day-to-day tasks to establishing six growth initiatives,” she notes. As the head of a leading distributor of building materials and an ESOP, Robyn’s job is to meet and manage the expectation of its many employee-owners while adapting the company to succeed in an evolving channel. Some long-term investments can affect short-term profitability but will pay off over time. A key part of Robyn’s job is to enroll the whole company into these strategies to ensure Palmer-Donavin’s success for many years. Robyn views building a strong culture as fundamental to the success of the company. Her leadership team has distilled 28 “Purpose-Driven Principles” to serve the Palmer-Donavin’s mission “to deliver more and guide our everyday interactions with each other and our business partners.” As one of a small number of women in a CEO role in distribution, Robyn serves as a great example to others who aspire to leadership roles in what has been a male-dominated industry.

On this episode, we’re joined by Marty Daley, CEO of Marco Rubber. In two years, Marty’s team has tripled the size of the business – organically and through acquisitions. Whether it’s a $400 seal for a critical application or a tri clamp gasket a customer needs quickly, Marco Rubber offers the kind of service that brings in new customers and keeps existing accounts coming back. “Technology is woven into our DNA,” Daley notes. “Not just the front end, which is a source of technical information for serious buyers and engineers. We also aggregate supplier data, have an automated quoting tool for our internal team, interactive toolkits for customers and business intelligence tools to measure what we manage across all departments.” While Marco offers great digital capabilities, they’ll take the order how the customer wants to place it and work closely with customers on specific applications. Business development managers perform a sales engineer role, and a group of technical sales consultants service thousands of customers all over the world. After working for companies like Wesco, Sonepar, Interline Brands and True Value, Marty was ready to drive rapid growth in a smaller company by leveraging leading-edge technology in a technical business. He found that opportunity at Marco Rubber and he’s making the most of it. “All customers should be treated special, just not necessarily the same…” -Marty Daley, CEO, Marco Rubber