The MDM Podcast
The distribution industry is changing, with new players and technologies that will shape how you compete and sell. Stay ahead of your competitors with this regular series from Modern Distribution Management, and learn the trends and strategies that will keep you in the lead for the long haul.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 25 minutes
- Episodes
- 102
- Years Active
- 2023 - 2025
S8E13: Marketing Missteps that Cause Channel Conflict
Mike Hockett asks Consight Marketing Group’s Alan Hale about what grinds his gears in distribution marketing, and it’s a lot. Their discussion covers how marketing is a point of channel conflict, and…
S8E12: NAHAD Members Voice Cautious Optimism, Labor Updates
Mike Hockett interviews a handful of industry executives at NAHAD's recent 2023 Convention in the Bahamas. Amid the tropical weather and island vibes, attendees were happy to discuss the the state of…
Quicktake 05.05.23: The Move from Gen-One to Gen-Two Distributor
The industry is in a disruptive business model revolution with traditional (gen-one) distributors threatened by new competitors with radically different financial and go-to-market models. IRCG’s Mike…
Quicktake 04.28.23: Category & Supplier Management Strategies
Customers are experiencing price increase fatigue and looking for new ways to reduce costs in their operations. James Dorn shares thoughts on how distributors can manage their manufacturer suppliers …
S8E11: Voices of ISA23 - Networking Push a Big Hit
Mike Hockett interviewed a handful of industry executives on the expo floor of ISA23 in Phoenix, where a focus on networking events was the talk of the show. The resulting series of brief interviews …
QuickTake 04.21.23: Sales Transformation Trending in 2023
This week Tom Gale and IRCG’s Mike Marks debrief on the Industrial Supply Association Summit, with a deeper discussion on what’s new for 2023 as more distributors engage in transforming sales process…
S8E10: Family Ties, Women in Industry & 'Distribution's Moment' with Katie Poehling Seymour
Katie Poehling Seymour might be the busiest executive in distribution. But she made time to stop by and discuss her path to leading family-owned First Supply, the progress on women’s representation i…
Quicktake 04.14.23: Profit Levers For a Tightening Year
One quarter through 2023 the pricing pendulum appears to be reversing with volume moderating across most distribution sectors. Dorn Group's James Dorn and Tom Gale discuss sell-side, buy-side and pro…
S8E9: Jeff Crane on ERIKS NA’s Year of Change and Path Forward
CEO Jeff Crane joins to discuss a year of change for ERIKS North America, which divested from ERIKS NV in early 2022. We discus the company's new-look leadership team, a recent acquisition and how th…
Quicktake 04.07.23: The Right Way to Unwind Company Mistakes
Great ideas sometimes turn into train wrecks. No company bats 100% when it comes to initiatives or projects. But too often management is reluctant to admit a mistake, holding out hope that a positive…
S8E8: The Master Group Wants to be North America's Top HVACR Distributor
We chat with The Master Group President Neil McDougall about the Quebec, Canada-based HVACR distributor's recent growth and greater North American expansion roadmap, as well as how product demand and…
S8E7: Debunking Skilled Trade Myths with Toolfetch’s Andrew Brown
In the distribution sector, there’s arguably no bigger champion for the skilled trades than Andrew Brown, who founded eCommerce-based industrial distributor Toolfetch in 2002. This episode dispels mi…
Quicktake 03.17.23: What AI & ChatGPT Really Mean for Distributors
GPT-4 released this week and with it another wave of hype, hope and hysteria over the ways artificial intelligence, search and chatbot technologies will change our world. Indian River Consulting Grou…
Quicktake 03.10.23: Levers to Increase Enterprise Value
Leadership teams have several options for increasing long-term enterprise value. This week Dorn Group’s James Dorn and Tom Gale recap some of the key themes from MDM’s recent Distribution M&A Summit …
Quicktake 02.24.23: Three Gap-Makers in 2023
We are in the midst of profound industry structural changes for how distributors create profit and remain competitive. MDM’s Tom Gale and IRCG’s Mike Marks discuss three things – talent inertia, arti…
S8E6: How One Distributor's "Swagger" Powers its Talent Pipeline
Mike Hockett chats with Terry Albrecht, who has been led Green Bay, Wisconsin-based Packer Fastener since co-founding the company when he was 22. They discuss how the distributor's culture and unconv…
S8E5: NAW Voices - What Are Distributors Seeing Out There?
From a trio of short interviews at the recent NAW Executive Summit, distributor leaders tell us about their top challenges and how demand is faring as of early 2022.
S8E4: Brendan Breen on Year-Round Association Engagement
We chat with ISA President Brendan Breen to preview ISA23 in April, how the association has evolved to focus on year-round engagement and what he's hearing from members about business conditions.
Quicktake 02.03.23: Recap of 2023 NAW Executive Summit
Like the industry it serves, the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors is undergoing a powerful transformation as an organization. MDM’s Tom Gale and IRCG’s Mike Marks debrief on their take…
S8E3: MSC Leaders Say Acquisitions Aren’t Just Business, They’re Personal
As a primer to MDM's Feb. 22-23 Virtual M&A Summit, we chat with MSC Industrial Supply President & CEO Erik Gershwind and Business & Commercial Development leader Jim Drohan about the company's M&A s…