2026 March

The March 2026 issue of Supply House Times dives into how executive leadership is changing in PHCP-PVF companies. We also share our list of 10 Influential PHCP-PVF Women, along with a transportation and freight outlook and what silent cash drains may be stunting your warehouse growth.

Check back throughout the month for additional content.

How Viega is reshaping the executive table in PHCP manufacturing

A different kind of bench strength.

Natalie Forster

March 5, 2026

That broader context makes what’s happening at Viega noteworthy, not because the company set out to “make a statement,” but because its executive leadership bench reflects something manufacturing often says it values but doesn’t always operationalize: building leadership based on capability, development and long-term performance, and ensuring strong talent isn’t overlooked.

Women in the Industry

Meet 10 Influential PHCP-PVF Women of 2026

Ten PHCP-PVF leaders share how relationships, strategy, and smart growth are shaping the next era of the industry.

Natalie Forster

March 8, 2026

Several of the women profiled began their journeys in unexpected places — from architecture programs and greeting card companies to post-9/11 career fairs and water restoration firms. What kept them here wasn’t just product lines or market share; it was the people.

The Silent Cash Drain: Why slow-moving inventory is killing your branch

Dead stock is not a warehouse accident.

Will Quinn

March 11, 2026

very distributor has it: The pallet of specialized fittings that hasn’t moved since the Biden administration. It’s the high-efficiency boiler ordered for a commercial project that got cancelled three years ago. It’s the "seasonal" SKU that seemed like a genius buy in March until the weather or the building code changed in May.

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 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.

Marketing Matters | Alicia Branham

Why conservative branding and hesitant messaging may be limiting distributor growth more than market conditions

You can’t grow if you’re afraid to be seen

Alicia Branham

March 20, 2026

Being visible invites judgment. Once your company is seen, it can be critiqued, compared, misunderstood, or challenged. In industries where reputation matters and tradition runs deep, that exposure feels risky.

Managing commissions – as the distribution landscape evolves, what are reps doing to track?

As distribution networks grow more complex, commission management requires clearer data, stronger communication and tighter alignment.

Matt Guidish

March 4, 2026

For commission-side reps, what once seemed like a simple process – reps sell product to distributor, manufacturer ships product to distributor, rep gets commission on invoiced product via sales reporting – has, these days, become quite the labyrinth of accounting processes and procedures. The main confusion driver in this labyrinth is often DC-to-branch, branch-to-branch, or DC-to-contractor transfers that flow across state lines or rep territory boundaries.

From the Editor | Natalie Forster

Advocacy as a business strategy

Court cases, energy standards and state regulations are increasingly influencing what distributors can stock, sell and support.

Natalie Forster

March 10, 2026

Between tariff rulings, state product bans, federal efficiency standards and mounting workforce challenges, the PHCP-PVF channel is operating in an environment where regulatory shifts can alter inventory planning, product availability and pricing strategy almost overnight.

Guest Column | Fred Simpson

Blending knowledge and advancements: How to successfully adopt new HVAC technologies.

Fred Simpson

March 18, 2026

Advancements are constantly rolling out to the PHCP and HVAC industries, and even the most seasoned professionals are fascinated by the way they help us do our jobs more efficiently while keeping our customers more comfortable.

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.

ASA News

Podcast: Robotics in Distribution

Practical lessons from the field

March 25, 2026

Robotics has moved from trade show demonstration to boardroom discussion. For many larger distributors, the question is no longer whether automation exists; it is whether it belongs in the next phase of operational strategy.

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.

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.

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.

Supply House Times

Cover Story

How Viega is reshaping the executive table in PHCP manufacturing

Feature Articles

Meet 10 Influential PHCP-PVF Women of 2026

The Silent Cash Drain: Why slow-moving inventory is killing your branch

Navigating the new freight reality

Columnists

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

Why conservative branding and hesitant messaging may be limiting distributor growth more than market conditions

Managing commissions – as the distribution landscape evolves, what are reps doing to track?

Advocacy as a business strategy

Blending knowledge and advancements: How to successfully adopt new HVAC technologies.

Departments

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

Podcast: Robotics in Distribution

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

Navigating FMLA: DOL’s opinion letter clarifies travel time

Cybersecruity starts with awareness, not technology

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