Wayne, Pa.-based buying group AD recently hosted more than 100 human-resources decision-makers and rising stars at its AD HR Leaders’ Summit in Chicago. This was AD’s first meeting with members in attendance from all seven AD divisions in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The Summit agenda was built by members for members and covered strategic HR topics relevant to independent distributors including recruiting, leadership development, employee engagement, succession planning and how to create an HR strategy. Best-practice sharing was woven into every session during the summit from the keynote speakers to the concurrent sessions. Attendees also had a chance to meet with preferred AD HR service providers with whom AD HR Services has negotiated enhanced service offerings and/or competitive rates.

“The overall goal was to have attendees walk away with practical ideas they could implement in their business to help them take their HR function and their business to the next level,” said Neil Cohen, AD’s vice president of organizational development and human resources and program lead for AD HR Services. “It was very rewarding to see members from all divisions and countries come together for an intense two days of learning from experts and each other, meeting with best-in-class HR service providers and building their network.”

F.W. Webb Senior Vice President of Human Resources Ruth Martin is a member of the AD HR Advisory Council and attended the summit. “The highlight of the summit for me was meeting so many HR leaders from independent distributors across North America,” she said. “Sharing best practices with people who share similar experiences in distribution was invaluable.”

The mission of AD HR Services is to connect members with high-quality, innovative, cost-effective HR service providers; provide opportunities for best-practice sharing and thought leadership and to foster a strong AD HR community.