I come from Ireland, a country better known for its golf, Gaelic, and Guinness than for its distributors. So when Matt Rojas, my dormmate at Stanford, started telling me about his father’s work in distribution, I was fascinated. It was an industry I had never thought about, yet the more I learned, the more it became clear: the U.S. economy quietly depends on … [Read more...] about Shedding Light on an Industrial Supply Distributor Problem (or Opportunity)
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Distribution Sales Managers: What Top-Performing Sales Teams — And How Leaders Create It
If you lead a sales team for an industrial supply distributor, you already know the pressure. Margins are tight. Competition is aggressive. The number of SKUs continues to grow. We win customers, or current customers leave, for a lower price or faster order turnaround. Customers expect speed, technical accuracy, and competitive pricing. And every year, sales expectations … [Read more...] about Distribution Sales Managers: What Top-Performing Sales Teams — And How Leaders Create It
ISA Fall Summit in Memphis Recap
Yesterday, we wrapped up a fun and productive Fall Summit in Memphis, TN. The weather was perfect, Beale Street was awesome, and staying at the Peabody Hotel with their famous ducks was like going back in time with all the history that surrounded you. I was writing this column that going "back in time" thought was top of mind. For many of us in the channel the rapid rate of … [Read more...] about ISA Fall Summit in Memphis Recap
Fastenal – Strong Revenue Growth and 3 Consecutive Months of Double-Digit Organic Sales
The Winona, Minnesota based wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, announced 3Q25 earnings on October 13. Revenue grew 11.7% from prior year to $2.13 billion and gross margin grew 40 basis points to 45.3%. Revenue growth was driven by increases in customers and unit sales, especially in customers spending >$10k per month, and market share … [Read more...] about Fastenal – Strong Revenue Growth and 3 Consecutive Months of Double-Digit Organic Sales
ISA Member News – Turner Supply Acquisition News
Turner Supply just announced the purchase of certain assets of Benchmark Industrial Supply, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Benchmark Industrial Supply has been providing Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) materials with a specialization in abrasives, buffs, and compounds in Tennessee for decades. Founded in 1994 by Deborah and Frank Waller, Benchmark has built … [Read more...] about ISA Member News – Turner Supply Acquisition News
Applied Industrial Earnings show solid growth
Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) – the Cleveland, Ohio headquartered distributor of bearings, power transmission products, engineered fluid power components and systems, specialty flow control products, and other industrial supplies, as well as engineering, design and system integration for industrial and fluid power applications, and customized mechanical, fabricated … [Read more...] about Applied Industrial Earnings show solid growth
Part 3 – All good things in distribution start when a pick ticket prints in the warehouse
I have written two recent columns reminding Industrial Channel leaders to not forget about the business fundamentals of the channel, which hit a nerve with many readers. These columns focused on that even with all the changes over the past two decades - instant access to data, end customers who want self-service digital tools and full-service support, and many other changes- AI … [Read more...] about Part 3 – All good things in distribution start when a pick ticket prints in the warehouse
Industrial Planning Meetings Part 3, are you ready for 2026?
Last week, I was up in St. Paul, MN and had a chance to speak and meet with the 3M Safety & Industrial team. I had some time in between sessions to walk around the 3M Innovation Center and look at some of the history of 3M. It was like a museum tour for an Industrial distribution leader: The early history of 3M, established as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing … [Read more...] about Industrial Planning Meetings Part 3, are you ready for 2026?
2026 Industrial Planning Season – Finance team leadership is crucial to great outcomes
Yesterday, I was writing a planning season column for a series that I am writing. I was multi-tasking and listening to an ISA webinar hosted by Brendan Breen and Mark Gilham from Enable titled Finance for Future Leaders. As I was writing and listening, I realized in my outline notes that I had not accounted enough on the role of Finance in Annual Planning Meetings. Your … [Read more...] about 2026 Industrial Planning Season – Finance team leadership is crucial to great outcomes
What can Industrial Leaders do to enhance their skill sets?
Last week I was traveling and speaking to key industrial channel leaders and one topic keeps coming up again and again from Manufacturers, Manufacturer Reps, and Distributors in the Channel. How do we retain future leaders in the industrial channel? It is hard to recruit and then retain talent in the industrial channel. So, when you make that investment as a Company or … [Read more...] about What can Industrial Leaders do to enhance their skill sets?
