Distribution - Articles - Page 2

And So It Flows Podcast

AI adoption in distribution starts with action, not perfect data

Brooks Hamilton says speed, decision-making and sales impact will define winners in the next wave of AI

March 30, 2026

Artificial intelligence has quickly moved from buzzword to boardroom priority across PHCP-PVF distribution, but for many companies, adoption still feels stalled before it even begins. According to Brooks Hamilton, principal at AI Strategy Advisors, that hesitation often comes down to a long-standing misconception: that AI requires perfectly clean data before companies can get started.

February 2026 ASA Master of Distribution Management cohort

ASA News

February 2026 MDM cohort kicks off at full capacity; May classes now open

March 27, 2026

The February 2026 ASA Master of Distribution Management cohort is officially underway, with a class of 13 students kicking off, ready to embark on their leadership growth pathway.

Marcone featured on Now We Know! with Steve Guttenberg

Show Airs March 28 on CNBC

March 26, 2026

The segment provides an inside look at how Marcone helps businesses manage inventory, distribution and logistics more efficiently.

ASA President’s Letter

ASA’s LEAD Summit in St. Petersburg spotlights a strategic shift for the next decade

Our employees are our greatest strength

Kip Miller President and CEO of Eastern Industrial Supplies

March 23, 2026

Last month, St. Petersburg again was the site for what is now called ASA’s annual LEAD Strategic Leadership Summit. This year’s LEAD event brought together 85 volunteers to take a look at issues that will affect ASA member companies and their employees now and in the future.

ASA News

Cybersecruity starts with awareness, not technology

March 18, 2026

What makes this resource especially effective is that each attack scenario is explicitly tied back to related controls in the Cybersecurity Checklist. The attacks describe what can happen. The checklist outlines the practices organizations use to reduce exposure across increasing maturity levels.

ASA News

Navigating FMLA: DOL’s opinion letter clarifies travel time

March 17, 2026

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recently issued an opinion letter explaining an employee’s available leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) may be applied toward time spent traveling to and from a medical appointment.

Navigating the new freight reality

Geopolitical tensions, labor constraints and rapid technology adoption are reshaping how distributors manage transportation risk.

Carolyn Heinze

March 17, 2026

Few would argue that transporting cargo from one place to the next isn’t complicated. Even during the best of times, there are (literally) so many moving parts to account for, and one tiny blip in the process can produce big (read: expensive) problems. Today, ongoing commercial, environmental, and geopolitical developments are making the management and movement of fleets and freight an ever-changing affair.

ASA News

Experience is the product you are actually selling: What 5,000-plus customer responses reveal

Brian Hopkins Jonathan Bein

March 13, 2026

Analysis of 5,063 customer responses from 10 MEP distributors confirms what many suspected but few have quantified — customer experience has become the primary differentiator in wholesale distribution. Companies prioritizing experience demonstrate higher retention rates, greater wallet share, and reduced cost-to-serve.

Champions of Distribution nominations now open

Know a Champion of Distribution? Tell us!

March 11, 2026

Champions of Distribution has three award categories: Best Distributor to Work With, Champion of Distribution Sales, and Champion of Distribution Counter Service.

A female manager, along with two warehouse workers, is inspecting the merchandise.

Emerging Leaders

Building credibility: The foundation of emerging leadership

How emerging leaders can earn credibility in a relationship-driven plumbing distribution industry.

Bryce Moore

February 13, 2026

Emerging leaders are motivated but often struggle to understand what senior leaders want before assuming more responsibility. In plumbing distribution, credibility is crucial; senior leaders prioritize those who execute well, communicate clearly, and make sound decisions under pressure.