Connecting Distribution’s Top Decision Makers

The NAW Distributor Executive Networks program (DENs) provide an exclusive intimate forum for CEOs and Presidents within the distribution industry to do a confidential deep dive on their business challenges with their peers. Participants share best practices, exchange ideas, and provide support and advice to one another. Through this unique program, leaders gain insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the industry and develop strategies to manage them in their business.


What Participants Say

“What a rich experience to spend time with senior leaders from multiple businesses!”

“The program creates an environment for unfiltered feedback from your peers to improve your business.”

“Highly recommend. We learned more practical, useful information in one meeting than I have in a long time.”

“The DENs are a great opportunity for others to challenge your leadership thoughts.”

“We found we have much in common and readily shared potential solutions with each other.

“This was a great experience, and I will definitely do it again.”


Program Details

Participants

DEN members are CEOs and Presidents of NAW distributor member companies in varied lines of trade and geographic markets. Each DEN may have up to twelve members. Member companies may not be a direct competitor of another company in the same DEN group. Executives who cannot regularly attend meetings will be asked to make room for a replacement. DEN membership is limited to one executive from each member company. Substitute attendees are not permitted.

Frequency

Each DEN is made up of two in-person meetings and two virtual meetings per calendar year. Each meeting starts at noon on the first day with a group working lunch. A group dinner at a nearby restaurant follows the meeting on the first day. The meeting continues with group breakfast in the meeting room on the second day. The meeting on day two is adjourned by 1:00 PM.

Facilitators

A seasoned industry executive is appointed to lead each DEN group and to facilitate the meetings. The leader contacts each member prior to each meeting to help plan the issues for the upcoming meeting. Members may reach out to the leader and one another as desired between meetings. 

Format

Meetings start with brief personal and business updates by participants.

Each DEN is assigned a distribution professional, who meets by phone with each executive a month or so before each meeting to help identify a critical issue or decision to bring to the next meeting. Members will prepare their issues in writing using a DEN One-page Issue Worksheet. The facilitator will work with you in advance of the meeting to determine the most important issues and opportunities at hand to develop a timely and robust agenda. This allows for the collaboration between your non-competing peers to be conducive and productive.

When possible, meeting time is set aside for roundtable discussion of a timely issue of interest to the members, bringing in outside resource if appropriate. The facilitator surveys the members for topics before the meeting.

Confidentiality

All members and leaders will sign the DEN confidentiality agreement. You can be assured that your issues and discussions will be held in the strictest confidence.

For more information or to express interest, please contact us.

Thank you to our most recent meeting host:

Meet a Facilitator:

Brad Weinbrum

Brad Weinbrum is an experienced business leader and trusted advisor focused on helping private companies transform into engines that can create sustainable growth. For 19 years, Brad served as President of ABB Optical Group where he helped lead the company from $23MM to $1.3B making it a leading distributor of optical products in the nation. This growth expanded its employee base from 27 to 1,200, created shareholder value through challenging market conditions, successfully integrated seven acquisitions and developed an authentic, differentiated company culture of trust and shared purpose. 

Today, as Founder of Nivalmi Consulting, Brad coaches CEOs and senior leaders on creating and transforming systems that address talent, communication, sales & marketing, operations, and a healthy dose of self-awareness. He has grown success for a variety of businesses from $50M-$2B across the United States. Motivated by the belief that people are the heart of any company, Brad and his team maintain a passionate focus on leadership and team development. 

His consulting services to CEOs and leadership teams often involve the following areas:

  • CEO & Executive Development 
  • Leadership & team training
  • M&A integration
  • Organizational Design
  • Sales & Operations
  • Strategic Marketing & Customer Experience
  • Talent Strategy & Recruitment
  • Technology Transformation & Enablement