• Joseph Nettemeyer, NAW Institute Board Chairman – Valin Corporation
• Mark Allen, NAW Institute Board Vice Chairman – International Foodservice Distributors Association
• Dan Blaylock – Adams-Burch, Inc.
• David Griffith – Modern Group, Ltd.
• Deborah Hamlin – Irrigation Association
• Andre Lacy – L.D.I. Ltd.
• Patricia Lilly – Security Hardware Distributors Association
• Kathleen Mazzarella – Graybar Electric Company, Inc.
• Michael Medart – Medart Marine
• Tom Naber – National Association of Electrical Distributors
• William A. Parsley – Carswell Distributing Company
• George Pattee – Parksite, Inc.
• Bob Roberts – Roberts Oxygen Company, Inc.
• Matthew Rowan – Health Industry Distributors Association
• Ralpha Suppa – Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating
• Bruce Zwicker – J J Haines & Co, Inc.
  
   
• George Keeley, Secretary – Keeley, Kuenn and Reid
• Ron Schreibman, Executive Director – National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors
• Dirk Van Dongen, President and Treasurer – National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors

The Fellows Program was established in 2001. It is intended to recognize outstanding individuals from the academic and consulting communities doing excellent work to expand the body of knowledge about the wholesale distribution industry. When it comes to research and authoring practical reports that can assist distribution companies to be more profitable, these Fellows are our crown jewels.

J. Michael Marks

J. Michael Marks, Managing Partner of Indian River Consulting Group, Melbourne, FL, became a Fellow in 2002.

Indian River Consulting Group (IRCG) is an experience-driven firm that continues to focus on the wholesale distribution channel.

Prior to forming IRCG, Marks held the position of Executive Vice President at Lex Electronics, an $800 million vertically integrated electronics distributor in Stamford, CT. Prior to that, he was Director of Corporate Training and Development at Ducommon Inc. in Los Angeles, CA, a $400 million industrial distribution company.

Marks is coauthor of Value Creation Strategies for Wholesaler-Distributors (2009), Working at Cross-Purposes: How Distributors and Manufacturers Can Manage Conflict Successfully (2006), and What's Your Plan? Smart Salesforce Compensation in Wholesale Distribution (2003).

Brent R. Grover

Brent R. Grover, President of Evergreen Consulting, LLC, Cleveland, OH, was named a Fellow in 2005.

Evergreen Consulting advises owner managers of closely held distribution and manufacturing companies on the challenges of strategy and ownership succession.

Grover, former CEO of National Paper & Packaging Co., served as Chairman of the NAW Member Association: National Paper Trade Association in 1993.

Grover is the author of The Acquisitive Distributor: 4 Keys to Success When Buying a Wholesale Distribution Business (2005), More to the Bottom Line: Customer Profitability Analysis Tools for Distributors (2004), Official Guide to Wholesaler-Distributor Financial Success—Three-Volume Set (2007), and Strategic Pricing for Distributors: Tools and Rules for Building Higher Margins (2009).

 Barry Lawrence, Ph.D.

In 2009, Dr. Barry Lawrence, Director of the Industrial Distribution program and the Supply Chain Systems Lab (SCSL) at Texas A&M University, was named a Fellow.

The SCSL is the nation’s premier distribution-focused research lab, providing state-of-the-art distribution and supply chain research solutions to the wholesale distribution industry. Under the leadership of Lawrence, the lab employs several full-time research associates. Lawrence has several years of experience with applied research and education for industry professionals. The research associates have many years of experience partnering with the distribution industry to help companies solve complex problems. These partnerships have resulted in millions of dollars in cost savings, inventory reductions, and margin improvements.

Lawrence also heads up Texas A&M’s efforts with the Council for Research on Distributor Best Practices (CRDBP). The NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence and Texas A&M University’s Industrial Distribution Program launched the CRDBP in 2009 to further the understanding and application of best practices in wholesale distribution. The mission of the CRDBP is to create competitive advantage for wholesaler-distributors through development of research, tools, and education.

Lawrence is coauthor of Customer Stratification: Best Practices for Boosting Profitability (2011) and Optimizing Distributor Profitability: Best Practices to a Stronger Bottom Line (2009). 

 Guy Blissett

In 2010, Guy Blissett, a wholesale distribution industry expert at the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV), was named a Fellow.

Blissett leads IBM’s research of critical consumer products industry and wholesale distribution industry issues, drivers, and challenges. He also develops IBM’s point of view on the future of the wholesale distribution industry, identifying implications of trends and recommending responses to both existing and emerging issues. Recent areas of focus include: food and foodservice wholesale distribution; strategies for electrical and industrial wholesaler-distributors; trends impacting the future of the consumer products industry and their implications; and information technology spending in the consumer products industry.

Blissett is author of Facing the Forces of Change®: Decisive Actions for an Uncertain Economy (2010).