Distribution Insights: Competing in the New Normal

Distribution continues to be an industry built on supplier and customer relationships with support. While the shift to digital selling has been part of most distributors plans for the last few years, the global shift to working remotely has foundationally transformed how distributors interact with their employees and customers. Our experts will discuss how to compete in this unprecedented disruption and demonstrate the results of implementing a successful digital approach to improving margin.

About the Speakers

Tim Meeker is a pricing professional with 18 years of industry experience serving transportation customers.

Kirby Thompson is the Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at FBM. Prior to joining the company in 2013, Thompson served 11 years as Vice President of Sales at Home Acres Building Supply Co., LLC, a distributor of drywall, acoustical suspended ceiling systems, and other related building products. Thompson was previously President of Michigan Acoustical Supply House from 1984 until 1993, which was an acoustical suspended ceiling systems and wallboard distributor. He attended Wittenberg University and has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration.

Ian Heller is Founder & Senior Partner at Distribution Strategy Group and has more than 30 years of experience executing marketing and e-business strategy in the wholesale distribution industry. He has written and spoken extensively on the impact of digital disruption on distributors.

Richard Blatcher is a global marketing expert with extensive experience in cloud computing, enterprise software, and industry segments including Manufacturing, Distribution, Automotive, Airline, and Oil & Gas. Blatcher currently leads a global team that owns and drives the strategy and relationships with key industry bodies, associations, and influencers to support go-to-market activities. Blatcher is responsible for highly successful launches into the Product Lifecycle Management market with PLM 360 cloud-based alternative and SaaS collaboration platform for designers & engineers, A360. Other launches include Reality Solutions, Fusion 360 the first complete cloud-based 3D CAD solution and CAM products. Blatcher later joined Autodesk, responsible for manufacturing marketing in Northern Europe expanding this role to EMEA. Blatcher worked for a leading marketing communications company in the UK where he also set-up heir direct marketing operation managing sales and marketing services to many blue-chip companies. Blatcher also worked on world-class engineering publications 'Eureka', 'Machinery & Production Engineering', 'Works Management' & 'Engineering Computers'.