L&R Distributors Builds a Bridge Between Innovation and Humanity
L&R Distributors’ distribution center is nothing short of magic. Somewhere in the world, someone orders a tube of Chapstick. That order, placed at a customer of a customer, (and many others like it) spurs a chain of reaction that results in a robot picking Chapstick, sending it through the system to the packers to get […]
Eastern Industrial: A Platform for Caring
Consider this: A Christian-based company that’s out to make profit. At first glance, a statement like that seems contradictory. How do you serve God by making a profit? When I met with the folks at Eastern Industrial in Greenville, South Carolina, I learned how these two statements can work together. Eastern sees their profit as […]
Jaeckle Distributors: Where the Customer Always Comes First
It didn’t take me long to see Jaeckle Distributors’ values at work. Upon entering the lobby, Jeff Jaeckle, President of Jaeckle Distributors, put me to the test. “There’s something as you walk through here that is conspicuously absent. I’m not going to tell you what it is. I want to see if you notice.” “This […]
C.H. Briggs: Distribution with a Higher Purpose
When CEO Julia Klein’s son was 9, she and her husband decided the fate of their company, C.H. Briggs. This distribution company has been independently owned for three generations. But the Kleins decided there would not be a fourth. Instead, they set forth on a new path of professional management that would remove the family […]
Courage Brought Dakota Supply Group to Where They Are Today
When a severe storm system recently ripped through North Dakota, utility poles fell, and half the state was without power. It was a big deal, affecting thousands of people’s lives. The Dakota Supply Group team jumped to action. “We met at the office, put a plan together for our team, executed that plan and had […]
Rocket Industrial: The Nobleness of Doing More with Less
Did you know (because I didn’t) that two-thirds of what fills our country’s landfills is packaging? Rocket Industrial wants to do something about that. The packaging distributor wants to package with less. They have the noble goal of eliminating 1 million pounds of waste from landfills each year. This company is driven to be a […]
Robert Weed’s Transformation 2.0: Bringing Humanity Into Work
Robert Weed is a third-generation, family-run business with deep-rooted connections to their employees, their community, their suppliers and customers. They’ve experienced consistent growth. Strong numbers. Satisfied customers. And yet in 2020, before the pandemic began, the leadership team at Robert Weed looked at their 55-year-old company and decided it was time for a total transformation. […]
First Supply Puts the Individual First
Studies show as many as 80% of employees are disengaged at work. At First Supply, I saw the opposite. Josè Rivera, a branch manager, has been with First Supply for 11 years. When I talked to him, without hesitation, he told me he plans to be there for 11 more, and I wanted to know […]
Stop Saying Distribution Isn’t Sexy – It’s Hurting The Industry
We are standing at the junction of two divergent paths. One path leads to the death of the traditional distribution channel as you know it and the other to the resurrection of the noble distributor. Like a childhood pick-your-own-adventure storybook, today’s distributor faces many difficult choices along the way.
Noble Distributors Wanted: We Supply America Wants to Tell Your Story
Distribution is an American success story, one conceived from blood, sweat and tears and passed down through generations. This passion lives within the hearts and souls of the people themselves, but rarely gets recognized.
